Top 10 Natural Peanut Butter Brands in Australia

Despite the fact that all the products on this list use between 99 and 100 percent peanuts in their spreads, taste, quality, consistency, price, and texture vary greatly. All are tested in their "crunchy" guise, because no-one I've ever remained friends with eats smooth peanut butter.

10. Mother Earther Peanut Butter

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Price: $14/kg
Taste: Nowhere near as rich as Mayver's or Pic's. Like the peanut itself, this tends to be a bit anonymous.
Consistency/Texture: It feels like they haven't pulsed it for long enough in the blender. It's just not creamy at all, and it gets worse and worse the longer you leave it out. You can scoop it out like ice cream!
Oil Separation: Very hit and miss. Some tubs are fine, others had a thin layer of oil on top. Apart from Pic's and Scoop, it's got the least separation.
Resilience While Open in Pantry: Tends to go rock hard down the bottom, best to flip it upside down. Smells fine after 3 weeks. 
Verdict: Too flawed for the price. Can pick up a bargain sometimes when it's half price in Coles or Woolies.

9. Macro Organic

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Price: $13/kg
Taste: It's also a bit anonymous. The problem with peanuts is they are very boring. If you just blend them up and don't do anything else, the end result is boring.
Consistency/Texture: Too dry, makes it ultra chewy and not enjoyable.
Oil Separation: Pretty bad, much worse in the tub. A stir can help but won't cure the problem.
Resilience while open in pantry: While it doesn't smell worse after 3 weeks, the consistency becomes almost impossible to spread or chew. It turns into big wads of dry sticking plaster.
Verdict: Low shelf life is holding this back.

8. Planet Organic

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Price: $19/kg
Taste: It's certainly not offensive, but for that price it needs to be something special, and it isn't.
Consistency/Texture: Quite a thick consistency, it really oozes out of the jar when poured, and coats your mouth. Whether or not you like that may determine how you feel about this. I personally love it!
Oil Separation: Big separation. Despite the thick texture, it's easy to stir back in.
Resilience while open in pantry: Holds up incredibly well, best on test. After 3 weeks it tasted and smelled the same as when I first opened it, and the consistency was the same.
Verdict: Price way too high. It's not $6 better than Coles brand.

7. Coles Organic

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Price: 13.30/kg
Taste: Better than the Woolies brand, but still dull.
Consistency/Texture: Thick consistency, but not too chewy.
Oil Separation: Store it upside down from the get-go. You can stir it back in and it'll stay that way for a couple of days.
Resilience while open in pantry: Just as with the Woolies brand, it turns into taffy when left alone too long in the cupboard.
Verdict: Price is right but it's not high quality.

6. Sanitarium Natural

Source: Pinterest

Price: $11.90/kg

Taste: Definitely has a distinct flavour. It's quite delicate, not as rich or robust as those above it.
Consistency/Texture: Thicker than you'd expect, certainly thicker than Kraft. It feels stretchy, but not too chewy at all.
Oil Separation: Not too bad, but can be difficult to stir back in because the jars are filled to the brim.
Resilience while open in pantry: Texture and consistency remains decent (except at the very bottom) but the smell isn't great. Starts to get that "I'm out of date" feeling.
Verdict: Cheapest by a long way, which gives it a huge leg up. It's not the winner of any category, but it's a solid all-rounder.

5. Kraft Natural

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Price: $14.20/kg

Taste: A stronger flavour than Sanitarium. Peanuts can be a bit anonymous but Kraft has coaxed some flavour.
Consistency/Texture: Most interesting on test. While it's the only one here (apart from Mayver's sometimes) you can comfortably pour out, like syrup. Yet it has a very thick, rich texture. No idea how they did this, just happy they did.
Oil Separation: A lot of separation, and it's difficult to stir it back in without getting peanut oil absolutely everywhere. Then, you go back for another spoonful, and it has separated again!
Resilience while open in pantry: Texture stay decent, but it starts to smell bad quite quickly.
Verdict: A touch too expensive for the quality, but it has a personality, which Sanitarium doesn't.

4. Ridiculously Delicious Peanut Butter 

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Price: $20/kg
Taste: It is delicious. Not too rich, it reminds me a bit of American peanut butter, lighter than Mayver's or Pic's.
Consistency/Texture: Almost as if it's been whipped. It's incredibly smooth and creamy
Oil Separation: Hardly any! I think it's because of the consistency.
Resilience while open in panty: Smelled fine after the 3 weeks, and consistency was hardly changed.
Verdict: Very expensive, but overcomes that by being quite brilliant.

3. Mayver's Dark Roast / Normal

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Price: $14.50/kg

Taste: Delicious! It tastes decadent, the way peanut butter should. The dark roasted is just about as good as you'll ever get with PB, it's such a boring nut but Mayver's have coaxed every last bit of flavour out of it. The extra salt doesn't hurt either!
Consistency/Texture: Very dense, very thick. It coats your tongue beautifully.
Oil Separation: Pretty bad at first. Stir it in and it usually stays civilised for a week before separating again.
Resilience while open in pantry: Not the worst on test, consistency doesn't suffer too much but it can tend to smell a bit.
Verdict: The three above it are incredible. This is just a delight to devour! Considering how good it is, the price is basically a steal.

3. Ambrosia

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Price: $15.17/kg
Taste: Very good! Not quite ambrosia but very close.
Consistency/Texture: Chunkiest on the list, even the smooth peanut butter is a real chewable prospect.
Oil Separation: Extreme, but can be stirred back in no worries.
Resilience while open in pantry: Never made it to three weeks! But after 4 days it was still holding up.
Verdict: If you're in love with it, you'll likely have to order it via their website. Check out their list of stockists. If you can get your hands on a jar you won't regret it. 

2. Scoop Wholefood Natural Peanut Butter

Price: $14.30/kg (approx.)
Taste: Great peanut flavour, but not too overpowering. Yes, it's peanut butter, but some manufacturers taste like the peanuts are 6 years old. This is made from fresh peanuts.
Consistency/Texture: Look, I don't pretend to know the mechanics of their PB making, but it looks like it's been whipped to me, which makes it the only whipped natural PB I know. It's incredible, so light and airy, it's like eating whipped cream but even more delicious!
Oil Separation: Very very little.
Resilience while open in pantry: Holds up ok. Can dry out a bit towards the end of the 3 weeks but if you manage to go three weeks without devouring this jar you have more self-restraint than I.
Verdict: Price, taste, and texture, it has everything in its favour! It would take a mighty Goliath to slay this product. Enter...

1. Pic's

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Price: $19.73/kg
Taste: Pic's treads the line between rich and light. It might be the Hi-Oleic nuts. It might be the roasting process. There's a bit of extra salt, which just lifts it to that next level over Ambrosia or Scoop Wholefoods.
Consistency/Texture: A cross between the whipped Scoop Wholefoods and the rich, thick Mayver's. The crunchy version is a god send. How annoying is it to buy a PB and all the crunchy bits are stuck at the top? Not so with Pic's, they're evenly distributed throughout and it's like eating two separate, brilliant things at once!
Oil Separation: Despite using the slightly oilier nuts, there's not a lot of separation, and once you stir it back in, you're good to go for another few weeks. 
Resilience while open in pantry: Most resilient on test. After 3 weeks it was like opening a new jar! Which is great because when they're on special you have to snap them up, they're quite expensive!
Verdict: Second most expensive on the list, but there is no denying this is the best natural PB in the world.