MaraNatha Natural Nut Butters

MaraNatha natural nut butters have always intrigued me as I passed by them in Whole Foods. These nut butters have no preservatives, no additives, trans fats, artificial ingredients or any other kind of yuck that just doesn’t belong in nut butters. . I often longed to try some of the flavors- but declined because the price was a bit steep

That’s why I jumped for joy when I was asked to review their all natural Honey Almond Butter and Dark Chocolate Peanut nut butters. A dream come true for a nut butter fanatic like myself. As soon as I got the package in the mail, I opened it, took out my notebook, and put my taste buds to work!

Honey Almond Butter- First of all, there’s some cute pics on the jar. I love when a company jazzes up the jars-  it makes the experience that much better. First, there’s a cute cartoon almond dressed up with a briefcase, as if he’s going to work or something, saying “Li’l bit sweet!”. Then there’s a cartoon cracker chasing a bee with a net and a jar- adorable!

This nut butter had a rich, roasted almond flavor, and just a wee bit of honey flavor. Not too sweet at all, just a hint of honey was left on the tongue. It actually reminded me of cashew butter, which is sweeter than most nut butters. It had that “stick to the roof of your mouth” consistency we all know and love. It was a bit runny, even after putting it in the fridge for a few days, so I think it would be great to drizzle over oatmeal, cereal or waffles.

Dark Chocolate Peanut- one of the new flavors by Maranatha, this one may not have cute cartoons, but it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

This one was sooo good. It was much thicker than the almond butter after being put in the fridge, and had a deep chocolate taste followed by a slightly salty peanut butter flavor. I like how it had the peanut taste to it- sometimes chocolate nut butters have too much chocolate flavor and it masks the flavor of the nut it’s combined with. With this spread, you can taste equal parts of chocolate and peanut.Sweet, satisfying and sooooo delicious. Yum. I do  wish this nut butter had a little more protein and fiber, and a little less sugar (8 grams for one serving), but those factors certainly aren’t stopping me from indulging in this jar everyday 🙂

Overall, these get 4 1/2 stars. I love how they are all natural, with no trans fats, and don’t have any refined sugars. Maranatha now has a new place in my cupboard next to my other (more like 25 other) nut butters. I can’t wait to try more of their flavors!

Honey Almond Butter- 2 Tbs. is 180 calories, 14 grams of fat, 9 carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

Dry Roasted Almonds, Organic Honey Crystals (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Honey, Organic Cane Molasses), Sea Salt.

Dark Chocolate Peanut- 2 Tbs. is 180 calories, 13 grams of fat, 12 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 5 grams of protein.

Dry Roasted Peanuts, Evaporated Cane Juice, Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Cocoa Powder (alkalized), Non-fat Dry Milk, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Salt.