Cashew butter vs peanut butter: calories compared

For protein, peanut butter wins clearly. A 16 g tablespoon carries 3.6 g of protein against 1.9 g in cashew butter, at about 96 and 97 calories. Cashew butter has more of some minerals, about 2.8 times the iron and 1.8 times the zinc per gram. Check the salt too: the cashew butter in the table is salted, 295 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), and the peanut butter is not, 17 mg. If protein per calorie is why you are choosing, pick peanut butter.

We found no study of cashew butter itself. Pooled trials of whole tree nuts and peanuts did not raise body weight.

Cashew is among the most common tree nut allergies in the USA, and about 4.5 percent of people with peanut allergy reacted with anaphylaxis to 5 mg of peanut protein or less. We have no card on whether a peanut allergy carries over to cashew, so do not treat either butter as a safe swap for someone allergic to the other. In one trial in general-population infants, the authors judged a teaspoon of cashew spread three times a week from 6 to 8 months feasible and safe. The CDC lists spoonfuls of nut butter as a choking hazard for young children, so do not offer it straight off a spoon.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E Per tablespoon (16 g), peanut butter carries almost twice the protein of cashew butter, 3.6 g against 1.9 g, for nearly the same calories. USDA FNDDS, food codes 42201000 (cashew butter) and 42202000 (peanut butter)
2. Level E Cashew butter is the richer of the two in minerals, with about 2.8 times the iron, 1.8 times the zinc and a fifth more magnesium than peanut butter. USDA FNDDS, food codes 42201000 (cashew butter) and 42202000 (peanut butter)
3. Level B In a randomized metabolic study in 56 young adults, ounce-equivalent servings of peanut butter or mixed nuts built less body protein than the same servings of beef, pork or eggs. J Nutr, 2021
4. Level A A network meta-analysis of 105 RCTs with 6768 people weighed found that nut-enriched diets, cashews among them, did not raise body weight. Nutrients, 2021
5. Level C A systematic review of 36 studies put challenge-confirmed tree nut allergy under 2%, with cashew among the most common tree nut allergies in the USA. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep, 2015
6. Level C In pooled food challenge data, about 4.5% of people with peanut allergy had anaphylaxis to 5 mg of peanut protein or less, a trace amount. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2021
7. Level B In an RCT in 196 general-population infants, the authors reported one teaspoon of cashew nut spread three times a week from 6 to 8 months as feasible and safe, with 92% compliance. Pediatr Allergy Immunol, 2023
8. Level E The CDC lists chunks or spoonfuls of nut and seed butters such as peanut butter among potential choking hazards for young children. CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition: Choking Hazards

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Cashew butter and peanut butter: same calories, different strengths
• Cashew butter: the nut trials apply, the butter was never tested
• Peanut butter: the number on the label came from almonds

What the studies say

• Is peanut butter good for weight loss? Neutral when it replaces food, a gain when added
• Is peanut butter bad for cholesterol? In trials it did not raise it

Rankings and guides

• Calories: what it does and what the evidence shows
• Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
• Dietary fat: what it does and how much you need
• Cashew butter: full nutrition facts

More comparisons

• Peanut butter vs almond butter

• Cashew butter: USDA FoodData Central, Nuts, cashew butter, plain, with salt added, FDC ID 168597 · full profile · all forms of cashew butter
• Peanut butter: USDA FoodData Central, Peanut butter, smooth style, without salt, FDC ID 172470 · all forms of peanut butter

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.