10 Healthy Peanut Butter Recipes to Use Up the Jar

Peanut butter. It’s the basis of the ultra-classic PB+J, a beloved companion to chocolate… and frankly, it’s pretty excellent straight from the jar. While we’ve shown love to all sorts of different nut butters of late, peanut butter has a special place in our hearts — which makes extra sense when you realize how good peanuts are for cardiovascular health. Sounds like an excellent reason to make one of these healthy peanut butter recipes — both sweet and savory.

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1. Firecracker Vegan Lettuce Wraps

Courtesy of Pinch of Yum

The peanut butter gets folded into a perfectly tart, spicy, ginger-y peanut sauce — which is then tossed with cubed tofu in a noodle stir-fry (but you’re welcome to sub chicken or pork). For a low-carb version, you could even replace the brown rice noodles with zoodles.

Try the recipe from Pinch of Yum.

2. African-Inspired Peanut Soup

Courtesy of Modern Proper

Groundnuts (aka peanuts) are a popular ingredient in stews in West Africa. We recommend using a natural peanut butter so the soup isn’t too sweet — check the label and opt for the kind that’s just a mix of peanuts and salt, or even DIY your own. Either way, a no-added-sugar peanut butter is the perfect base for this soup, which is honestly a nutritional powerhouse: it’s full of ultra-healthy ingredients like chickpeas, chicken, kale, and sweet potatoes.

Try the recipe from Modern Proper.

3. Peanut Butter “Hummus”

Courtesy of How Sweet Eats

Ok, yes, if you tried to pretend this were a true hummus, you’d deserve to get run out of town. But if you’re out of tahini — or just want to try a non-traditional variation on a theme — you should try making this healthy peanut butter recipe. This dip ends up having the consistency of hummus combined with the crowd-pleasing flavor of peanut butter, and it’s pretty amazing. We stronly recommend carrots and pear slices for dipping.

Try the recipe from How Sweet Eats.

4. Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Courtesy of Well Plated

Peanuts take the spotlight in the dipping sauce for this spicy-salty-sweet chicken satay. These are great for dinner with a bunch of roasted vegetables, but would also make an excellent party appetizer — and are delicious made ahead and served cold.

Try the recipe from Well Plated.

5. Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Bites

Courtesy of Beaming Baker

Peanut butter, coconut flour, and maple syrup: those are the only ingredients you need for this energizing snack. You could gussy these up with coconut flakes or drizzle dark chocolate on top, too (and who says no to a little extra chocolate?). This super-simple healthy peanut butter recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and loaded with protein — and great for on-the-go.

Try the recipe from Beaming Baker.

6. Cold Peanut Butter Sesame Noodles

Courtesy of Veg Kitchen

The best part of this dish: you can load up these peanut sesame noodles with all your favorite vegetables (or whatever you have in the fridge, to bhe honest). It’s hard to go wrong with a dish that offers that kind of freedom. Use rice, udon, or soba noodles, to your liking — our favorite is buckwheat soba. This healthy peanut butter recipe travels very well and would be perfect for a brown bag lunch.

Try the recipe from Veg Kitchen.

7. Strawberry Peanut Butter Quesadillas

Courtesy of Two Healthy Kitchesn

Is it an after-school snack? Or breakfast? A light dinner? This healthy peanut butter recipe fits the bill for all of the above, and is great for when you’re crunched for time. The combination of strawberry and peanut butter is pretty hard to beat — and whole wheat tortillas add some extra fiber, to boot.

Try the recipe from Two Healthy Kitchens.

8. Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Courtesy of Fit Foodie Finds

Peanut butter in smoothies is always a good call: this ingredient makes everything extra creamy, subtly sweet, and satisfying. We love this particular smoothie because it also contains ground flaxseed, Greek yogurt, and almond milk — all ingredients that pack a big nutritional punch.

Try the recipe from Fit Foodie Finds.

9. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bowl

Courtesy of A Simple Palate

If you’ve never tried peanut butter in your oatmeal before, you’re in for a real treat: while it tastes indulgent, this ingredient still leaves you with that great, clean-eating feeling. This recipe also incorporates fresh fruit — we think blueberries and bananas would be especially tasty here.

Try the recipe from A Simple Palate.

10. Healthy Peanut Butter Bars

Courtesy of Vanilla And Bean

We fell hard for these vegan, gluten-free bars. Made from chocolate, almond flour, and maple syrup, these simple treats don’t even require you turn the oven on; they just need a few hours to chill in the fridge. And if you don’t want to use chocolate chips, you can always use cacao nibs instead.

Try the recipe from Vanilla And Bean.