How to Use Powdered Peanut Butter — and Why You Should Try It

Raise your hand if you have trouble stopping at the recommended 2-tablespoon serving of delicious, creamy (or chunky) peanut butter. Everyone? Thought so. Hate to break it to you, but two heaping mounds of peanut butter can easily equate to 1/4 or 1/3 cup, aka 4 to 6 tablespoons — double or triple the serving size.

While there's nothing wrong with the real deal (in fact, plain old peanuts are one of the healthiest nuts you can eat), powdered peanut butter is another option that could help keep your servings in check if you struggle with portion size, while also providing the same nutty taste you expect and love.

Here, learn what the product is made of, plus how to use powdered peanut butter in the kitchen.

Powdered Peanut Butter, Explained

No, it's not some strange peanut-flavored nutrition powder. Powdered peanut butter is essentially dry roasted peanuts ground into a powder with the oil extracted — in other words, it's the same ingredients as your OG spread, just without the ring of oil that always sits on top of the jar. You can usually find it in the grocery store right next to the other nut butters and jams (but FYI, unfortunately, there isn't a peanut alternative on the market yet, so no powdered almond butter).

Nutritionally speaking, powdered peanut butter has fewer calories than natural peanut butter because of the lack of oil. For example, PB2's Original Powdered Peanut Butter is 60 calories and 6 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons, while the same amount of PBFit Peanut Butter Powder contains 70 calories and 8 grams of protein. To compare, 2 tablespoons of smooth, unsalted peanut butter has around 190 calories with approximately 7 grams of protein.

While the ingredients will differ depending on the brand, arguably the most palatable are those that have a little salt and sugar added. Without that added sugar, it would essentially just be peanut flour — and let's be honest, no one is going to be fooled into thinking peanut flour mixed with water and spread on toast tastes anything like peanut butter.

How to Use Powdered Peanut Butter

If you're wondering how to use powdered peanut butter, you're in luck, because there are endless options. As a veteran fanatic of this food trend, I've discovered myriad ways to use powdered peanut butter in just about everything — from sweet to savory dishes.

First things first, if you want it to be smearable like your fave spread, you must reconstitute it with water. Typically, the ratio is 2 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter to 1 tablespoon of water, which yields 1 tablespoon of nut butter. For a larger serving, just double it to 4 tablespoons of powder and 2 tablespoons of water.

Below, a few choice recipe ideas for using powdered peanut butter in your own kitchen.

• Smear it on toast or pancakes, or add a dollop on top of sliced bananas or a yogurt parfait.
• Replace the peanut butter in your Pad Thai sauce with the powdered version.
• Incorporate it into baked goods by swapping out, say, 1/4 of the recipe's required flour for powdered peanut butter. You'll amp up the protein and give your dessert a nutty flavor.
• Make a peanut butter and banana smoothie by blending two bananas with a couple of scoops and some milk or water.
• Sprinkle it on popcorn, on baked sweet potatoes, or even in a puppy chow mix.