Cashew butter and peanut butter: same calories, different strengths

In a six-month trial in 120 adults over 65 at risk of falls, 1.5 oz (43 g) of peanut butter a day missed its main target, walking speed, and left grip strength, knee strength and lean mass unchanged. One secondary measure moved: standing up from a chair five times got 1.23 s faster (95% CI -2.09 to -0.37) than with usual care, and there was no placebo food. We found no trial that compares cashew butter with peanut butter directly. On paper they are close in energy and far apart in protein. Per tablespoon (16 g), peanut butter carries 3.6 g protein against 1.9 g in cashew butter, for about 96 and 97 calories, going by one averaged USDA survey record per spread. Cashew butter has about 2.8 times the iron, 4.91 against 1.74 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), and more zinc (4.43 against 2.51 mg) and magnesium (206 against 168 mg). That iron is the plant kind, and its absorption was not measured.

How much is actually in it

• 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 survey database records for cashew butter and peanut butter Evidence E source
  Iron 4.91 vs 1.74 mg, zinc 4.43 vs 2.51 mg, magnesium 206 vs 168 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) (cashew vs peanut)
• On saturated fat and sugar the two spreads are close, while peanut butter has more fiber: 5 g against 3 g per 3.5 oz (100 g). — USDA survey database records for cashew butter and peanut butter Evidence E source
  Saturated fat 10.6 vs 10.3 g, total sugars 9.09 vs 10.49 g, fiber 3 vs 5 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) (cashew vs peanut)
• The UK composition table gives smooth peanut butter 607 calories, 22.8 g protein and 350 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g). — CoFID 2021 record 14-892, Peanut butter, smooth Evidence E source
  Energy 607 calories, fat 51.8 g, protein 22.8 g, total sugars 6.7 g, sodium 350 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• 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 survey database records for cashew butter and peanut butter Evidence E source
  Protein 22.21 vs 12.12 g per 3.5 oz (100 g); energy 598 vs 609 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g); per tablespoon 95.7 vs 97.4 calories

What your body absorbs

• 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. — 56 healthy young adults, 8 per protein source, 8.5-hour stable isotope study (n = 56) Evidence B source
  Lower whole-body net protein balance for plant sources incl. peanut butter than animal sources (P < 0.01); response tracked essential amino acid content

What cooking and storage change

• Roasting nuts, the step before grinding them into butter, keeps all their minerals by the USDA table but costs 15% of thiamin and 20% of folate. — USDA retention factors for the group Nut and Seed Products, method NUTS,ROASTED Evidence E source
  Thiamin 85%, folate 80%, riboflavin 95%, niacin 95%; calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc 100% retained
• In a 4-week RCT in 118 adults eating 2 oz (56 g) a day, peanut butter changed body weight and fasting lipids no differently from raw, roasted or honey-roasted peanuts. — 118 adults from Brazil, Ghana and the United States, mean BMI 30, 4 weeks (n = 118) Evidence B source
  No differential effect of form or processing on body weight or fasting plasma lipids

What it does to your health

• In a 6-month RCT in 120 older adults at risk of falls, 1.5 oz (43 g) of peanut butter a day cut sit-to-stand time by 1.23 s but did not improve gait speed or strength. — 120 community-dwelling adults aged 65 or more at risk of falls, Melbourne, 6 months (n = 120) Evidence B source
  Five times sit-to-stand time -1.23 s (95% CI -2.09 to -0.37); no effect on gait speed, grip or knee strength, lean mass
• Pooled cohort data link peanut butter intake with a 13% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, though the certainty of this evidence is very low. — 8 observational studies (5 prospective cohorts, 3 cross-sectional) (n = 8 studies) Evidence C source
  RR 0.87 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.98) for type 2 diabetes incidence; very low certainty (NutriGrade)
• In the Netherlands Cohort Study of 120,852 adults, whole peanuts and tree nuts were linked with lower mortality but peanut butter was not. — 120,852 men and women aged 55-69, 10 years follow-up (n = 120852) Evidence C source
  Nuts 10+ g/day HR 0.77 (0.66-0.89) for total mortality; peanut butter not related
• Among 71,704 older US women, eating nuts 5 or more times a week was linked to 20% lower frailty risk, but peanut butter on its own was not. — 71,704 nonfrail women aged 60 or more, Nurses' Health Study, 1992-2016 (n = 71704) Evidence C source
  HR 0.80 (0.73 to 0.87) for 5+ servings/week of total nuts; peanut butter not inversely associated

Safety, limits and interactions

• 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. — general population term infants randomized at 6-8 months, followed to 1 year (n = 196) Evidence B source
  Compliance 92% (1 teaspoon) vs 79% (increasing dose); one delayed reaction; one cashew allergy at 1 year, in the control arm
• In a blinded randomized challenge in 30 highly peanut-allergic children, touching or smelling peanut butter caused no systemic or breathing reactions, only local skin signs. — 30 children with significant peanut allergy, median age 7.7 years (n = 30) Evidence B source
  0 systemic or respiratory reactions; erythema in 3, pruritus in 5, wheal-and-flare in 2 at the contact site
• In a 2007 Canadian survey, viable Clostridium botulinum spores were found in 3 of 104 retail nut butter spreads, all of them peanut butters. — 92 peanut butters and 12 other nut butter spreads from Ottawa grocery stores (n = 104 products) Evidence C source
  3/104 (3%) positive for botulinum neurotoxin in enrichment culture
• The CDC lists chunks or spoonfuls of nut and seed butters such as peanut butter among potential choking hazards for young children. — Infants and young children (n = -) Evidence E source
  Listed as food to avoid for young children (choking risk)

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU did not authorize the claim that two tablespoons of peanut butter a day help achieve healthy cholesterol levels and promote heart health. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims Evidence E source
  Claim status non-authorized

What is still unknown

• Measured jars of creamy peanut butter vary little in protein, about 23 to 25 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), but their polyunsaturated fat ranges almost fourfold. Cashew butter has no such sampled data. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of creamy peanut butter Evidence E source
  Protein 23.99 g (range 23.15-25.33); polyunsaturated fat 10.53 g (range 3.55-12.93, 8 samples) per 3.5 oz (100 g)

The bottom line

Saturated fat is close, 10.6 g in cashew butter and 10.3 g in peanut butter per 3.5 oz (100 g), and so is sugar, 9.1 and 10.5 g, which depends on each brand's recipe. Peanut butter has more fiber, 5 g against 3 g. The UK table gives smooth peanut butter 607 calories, 22.8 g protein and 350 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g). Eight measured samples of creamy peanut butter in USDA data ranged only from 23.15 to 25.33 g protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), while polyunsaturated fat ran from 3.55 to 12.93 g. There is no sampled data of this kind for cashew butter. In a four-week trial in 118 adults from Brazil, Ghana and the United States, 56 g a day of peanut butter changed body weight and fasting blood lipids no differently from raw, roasted, salted or honey-roasted peanuts. Cashew butter was not in it. The roasting step before grinding keeps all the minerals in the USDA retention table and costs about 15 percent of thiamin and 20 percent of folate. That factor dates from 1975 and covers the nut group, which fits cashews, while USDA files peanuts under legumes. Per ounce-equivalent serving, peanut butter builds less body protein than meat. In 56 young adults, 8 per food and one serving each, peanut butter, mixed nuts, tofu and kidney beans gave a smaller gain in whole-body protein balance than beef, pork or eggs. Cashew butter was not tested on its own. The long-term evidence is observational and mixed. Pooled cohort data link peanut butter with a 13 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.98), and the reviewers rated the certainty of that evidence very low. In 120,852 Dutch adults aged 55 to 69 followed for ten years, whole peanuts and tree nuts were linked with lower mortality and peanut butter was not. Among 71,704 older US women, eating nuts five or more times a week went with a 20 percent lower risk of frailty (HR 0.80, 0.73 to 0.87), and peanut butter showed no such link. The EU refused the claim that two tablespoons of peanut butter a day help achieve healthy cholesterol levels, which means the evidence did not meet the bar when it was assessed. Allergy is the caution with cards behind it. In 196 term infants from the general population, randomized at 6 to 8 months, the authors reported one teaspoon of cashew nut spread three times a week as feasible, with 92 percent compliance and one delayed reaction, in a trial not powered to show whether it prevents allergy. That is a study result, not a feeding guide. We have no card on the form in which a nut spread can be given to a baby, or on babies already at high risk of allergy, and for them introducing nuts is a question for their doctor first. In a blinded challenge in 30 children with serious peanut allergy, touching or smelling peanut butter caused no systemic or breathing reaction, only local redness, itching or wheals, and this says nothing about eating it. A 2007 survey of 104 retail nut butters in Ottawa found viable botulinum spores in 3 peanut butters. The survey measured spores in jars, not illness, and a link with infant botulism has not been established. We have no card on whether such spores matter for babies under one year, so this page cannot clear nut butters on that point for infants. We have no card on whether a peanut allergy carries over to cashew, so this page cannot tell anyone with a peanut allergy that cashew butter is safe for them, and that is a question for their allergist. We have none on medicines.

Sources

1. cpb-r1-02 · dataset
   FNDDS 42201000 Cashew butter (fdc_id 2707536): Iron 4.91 MG, Zinc 4.43 MG, Magnesium 206 MG per 100 g; FNDDS 42202000 Peanut butter (fdc_id 2707537): Iron 1.74 MG, Zinc 2.51 MG, Magnesium 168 MG per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS, food codes 42201000 (cashew butter) and 42202000 (peanut butter) · checked 2026-09-30
2. cpb-r1-03 · dataset
   FNDDS 42201000 Cashew butter (fdc_id 2707536): Fatty acids, total saturated 10.606 G, Total Sugars 9.09 G, Fiber, total dietary 3 G per 100 g; FNDDS 42202000 Peanut butter (fdc_id 2707537): Fatty acids, total saturated 10.325 G, Total Sugars 10.49 G, Fiber, total dietary 5 G per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS, food codes 42201000 (cashew butter) and 42202000 (peanut butter) · checked 2026-09-30
3. cpb-r1-05 · dataset
   CoFID 14-892 Peanut butter, smooth: Energy 607 kcal, Fat 51.8 g, Protein 22.8 g, Total sugars 6.7 g, Sodium 350 mg per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 14-892 (OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-09-30
4. cpb-r1-01 · dataset
   FNDDS 42202000 Peanut butter (fdc_id 2707537): Protein 22.21 G, Energy 598 KCAL per 100 g; FNDDS 42201000 Cashew butter (fdc_id 2707536): Protein 12.12 G, Energy 609 KCAL per 100 g; 1 tablespoon 16 g
   USDA FNDDS, food codes 42201000 (cashew butter) and 42202000 (peanut butter) · checked 2026-09-30
5. cpb-r1-09 · RCT
   Consumption of ounce equivalents of animal-based protein food sources (beef sirloin, pork loin, eggs) resulted in a greater gain in whole-body net protein balance above baseline than the ounce equivalents of plant-based protein food sources (tofu, kidney beans, peanut butter, mixed nuts; P < 0.01).
   J Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-09-30
6. cpb-r1-06 · dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:2203 NUTS,ROASTED, Nut and Seed Products: thiamin_mg 85%, folate_total_ug 80%, riboflavin_mg 95%, niacin_mg 95%, iron_mg 100%, magnesium_mg 100%, zinc_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 2203 · checked 2026-09-30
7. cpb-r1-07 · RCT
   One hundred and eighteen adults (forty-seven males and seventy-one females; age 29.2 (sd 8.4) years; BMI 30.0 (sd 4.5) kg/m2) from Brazil, Ghana and the United States were randomised to consume 56 g of raw unsalted (n 23), roasted unsalted (n 24), roasted salted (n 23) or honey roasted (n 24) peanuts, or peanut butter (n 24) daily for 4 weeks. Peanut form and processing did not differentially affect body weight or fasting plasma lipid responses in the total sample.
   Br J Nutr, 2010 · checked 2026-09-30
8. cpb-r1-08 · RCT
   One hundred and twenty older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) at risk of falls were randomly assigned to receive peanut butter (43 g/day, n = 60) or maintain usual care (control, n = 60) for 6 months. ... At 6 months, there were no significant treatment effects on the primary outcome of gait speed or other measures of physical function (p > 0.05), with the exception that 5STS time and muscle power improved significantly more in the peanut butter compared to control group (estimated treatment effect: time, -1.23 s [95% CI, -2.09, -0.37], p = 0.006
   J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30
9. cpb-r1-12 · meta-analysis (observational)
   Meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies showed an inverse association between peanut butter consumption and T2D incidence (RR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.77, 0.98; I2 = 50.6%; Pheterogeneity = 0.16), whereas no association was observed between peanuts or tree nuts and T2D. ... The certainty of the evidence using NutriGrade was very low for all the exposures.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-09-30
10. cpb-r1-13 · cohort
    In the Netherlands Cohort Study, 120,852 men and women aged 55-69 years provided information on dietary and lifestyle habits in 1986. ... Peanuts and tree nuts were inversely related to mortality, whereas peanut butter was not.
    Int J Epidemiol, 2015 · checked 2026-09-30
11. cpb-r1-14 · cohort
    The adjusted HR (95% CI) for consuming ≥5 servings/wk of nuts was 0.80 (0.73, 0.87), as compared with <1 serving/mo. Higher intakes of peanuts and walnuts, but not peanut butter, were also inversely associated with frailty.
    J Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-30
12. cpb-r1-10 · RCT
    General population term infants were randomized at 6-8 months of age to either a one teaspoon (Intervention 1 n = 59) or increasing dosage regime of one teaspoon at 6-7 months, two teaspoons at 8-9 months, and three teaspoons from 10 months of age onwards (Intervention 2 n = 67) cashew nut spread, both three times per week, or no specific advice on cashew introduction (Control n = 70). ... Regular infant consumption of one teaspoon of cashew nut spread three times per week from 6 to 8 months of age was found to be feasible and safe.
    Pediatr Allergy Immunol, 2023 · checked 2026-09-30
13. cpb-r1-11 · RCT
    Thirty children underwent the challenges (median age, 7.7 years; median peanut IgE level, >100 kIU/L; 13 with prior history of contact and 11 with inhalation reactions). None experienced a systemic or respiratory reaction.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2003 · checked 2026-09-30
14. cpb-r1-16 · prevalence survey
    This report details a survey that was conducted in 2007 for the presence of viable C. botulinum spores in 92 peanut butters and 12 other nut butter spreads obtained from retail grocery stores in Ottawa, Canada. ... Three of the peanut butters from the entire survey of nut butter spreads (3/104, 3%) produced cultures containing botulinum neurotoxin.
    Curr Microbiol, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
15. sf-choke-r2-9 · agency advice
    Chunks or spoonful of nut and seed butters, such as peanut butter.
    CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition: Choking Hazards · checked 2026-10-08
16. cpb-r1-15 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-7733 Peanuts, Peanut butter, Peanut oil Consuming a small handful, about 30 grams, of peanuts a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat helps to achieve healthy cholesterol levels and promotes heart health. Consuming two tablespoons, about 30g, of peanut butter a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat helps to achieve healthy cholesterol levels and promotes heart health. Consuming two tablespoons, about 30 grams of peanut oil a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat helps to achieve healthy cholesterol levels and promotes heart health. Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7733, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-30
17. cpb-r1-04 · dataset
    Peanut butter, Creamy: Protein 23.99 G range 23.15-25.33; Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated 10.53 G range 3.55-12.93, 8 samples
    USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30, Peanut butter, creamy · checked 2026-09-30