PEANUT BUTTER LITE
half the calories / half the fat / no artificial ingredients or added sugar ♥
This is peanut butter spread made from real peanut butter—none of the added sugars or processed ingredients included in many of the lower-fat peanut butter alternatives on the market. It’s great for anyone who has to stick to a low-fat diet or is on Weight Watchers and wants a lower-points alternative to regular peanut butter.
And even people like myself—who love real peanut butter so much it’s normal for them to go through a large container in less than a week—might enjoy this lighter recipe, not for the lowered fat content but for its ease of spreadability.
Where you can use this recipe:
- on sandwiches
- in smoothies
- spread on sliced fruit
- as icing for cupcakes or brownies
- eaten plain on a spoon
Or try it on top of a Single Serving Banana Muffin
I’m sure there will be comments from people telling me that—with just 2 ingredients—this is not a real recipe. So let me clarify: I’m not trying to say it is! Sometimes I stumble across a fun and simple idea that is way too exciting not to share, and this is definitely one of those times!
Once you make this, you will want to put it on everything!
Peanut Butter Lite
(makes about 1/3 cup)
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter OR cashew butter, sunbutter, almond butter, etc.
- level 2 tbsp water or milk of choice
Stir the ingredients together with a fork (or double the recipe and use a blender). At first, it will look really thin. Just keep stirring, breaking up the nut butter as you stir. Eventually (after about 2 minutes of stirring), it will take on the consistency of frosting. I’ve had good results with both Whole Foods 365 crunchy peanut butter (blue container) and Trader Joes cashew butter and almond butter. If a thinner consistency is desired, feel free to add more liquid.
Peanut Butter Lite Frosting
Either add stevia or sugar to the above recipe OR replace the water in the above recipe with pure maple syrup or honey (don’t use honey for strict vegans) along with a scant 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract. Stir, then add water or milk of choice if needed to thin it out. Keep stirring until the desired consistency is reached. If using as a frosting, it’s best to serve items directly after frosting.
View Peanut Butter Lite Nutrition Facts
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It think it looks great, real recipe or not!! It won’t matter that it’s light, because I bet I’d use double…
I love simple, creative ideas like this! Sometimes I feel like trying something new, but don’t want to deal with the sink full of dirty dishes when I’m done. I have a jar of peanut butter that’s less than half full. I’m going to try adding the water and mixing it up in the jar. How long with this keep if I store it in the pantry?
I store mine in the fridge, so I can’t really say.
Any time you add water to something, it necessitates the need to refrigerate. If you keep this in the pantry as prepared, it WILL spoil and go bad. So, if you don’t want to have to throw away your PB Lite, keep it in the fridge.
This is interesting. I have seen the PB recipes that are half the calories. I always get a good source of healthy fats from PB. It might be a good add in for baking though!
Thank you for this! I really like peanut butter on bananas, but I have such a hard time slathering it on and it’s annoying. This idea saves the day!
Yum! I have made similar concoctions by adding applesauce, yogurt, or chia gel to peanut butter. All are delicious!
I thought this was your banana butter at first (looks similar!), but great idea! I’ve been going through an insane amount of nut butter lately, and since the good stuff can be expensive, this sounds like a great way to stretch it out. Love the frosting idea, too. 🙂
Same here! I love nut butters, but I fly through them. I like this idea 🙂
This looks so spreadable! And dunkable… I’m imaging putting bananas on skewers, dipping then in liquid nitrogen, then dipping them in this…
Do you have any trouble with the natural peanut butters separating after you do this?
At first it will separate, but just keep stirring and it eventually will turn into the consistency of frosting.
Hello Katie,
With all due respect, may I please just be honest with one disagreement I have with what you posted here? As somebody recovering from an eating disorder, I don’t see how it’s advisable to suggest that a “Lite” version of peanut butter could aid those who are recovering from a (restrictive, I assume you mean) eating disorder. While those who have healthy minds can freely do what they want with their peanut butter, suggesting that someone with a genetic inclination to obsess over food and weight to practice this is really just justifying eating disordered individuals to remain in their disordered ways. It’s important to remember that a person with a healthy mind can deal with this recipe in a healthy way, but eating light/ sugar-free/ low-carb is generally never a for somebody recovering form a restrictive disorder as it still enables their mindset, regardless of how it could be justified as a “baby step”, it could definitely be triggering. I mean no offense, I just hope you realize it may not be advisable to give this information, as I feel as if it could be detrimental to anybody recovering from an illness such as anorexia nervosa, and I’m sure most people who have worked with eating disorder patients and know how o deal with their nutritional and psychological needs, would agree.
Hi C,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your input; I really appreciate it. I had put that line into the post because a lot of readers have left me comments over the years saying they’re afraid to eat peanut butter or asking for a substitute when one of my recipes calls for it. I was hoping that, maybe if they weren’t willing/able to eat full-fat peanut butter yet, this could at least be a start. But I can see your point, and the last thing I’d want to do is cause someone to struggle more than he or she already is. I went ahead and took the line out of the post. Hopefully, if you’ve read my blog for a while, you know I am a huge proponent of eating real foods—fats included. 🙂
Thank you very much, Katie! I enjoy your website very much and I appreciate that you made the alteration so that nobody’s mental health would be put at risk!
Hey girl, I would just like to add that this site was a go-to during the recovery of my restrictive eating disorder. Admittedly it was the low calorie options that drew me to this site when I was still stuck in that mindset, but I still loved them when I was recovering, I just ate more of them. I wouldn’t want you to feel responsible for anyone’s mindset, although I appreciate your sensitivity as well. Recovery is rough, to say the least. Love your work.
I appreciate recipes like this. I am neither overweight nor suffering from an eating disorder, just your average reader wanting to live a balanced life which definitely includes peanut butter as is but can also include this method when I want more of a dip or frosting.
Thank you Katie for taking out that line. It struck me when first reading this recipe and my thoughts mirrored ‘C’. During ED recovery treatment people are encouraged to refrain from choosing reduced calorie/fat products and engaging in what is considered disordered behavior such as watering down products to increase volume and lower the calories. I’m sure you had meant well by your suggestion but it is actually a destructive behavior in reality for someone in recovery to be adding water into peanut butter as a ‘baby step’. It is an action that would prolong the fear of foods whilst reinforcing calorie avoiding/restricting behaviors.
I just stumbled onto this from doing a simple google search. For me and perhaps others, we LOVE peanut butter but it does not always return the love. Where I should be using 1 TBSP, I sometimes and up using more. This may be a real trick to help enjoy that peanut heaven without adding too many calories. Remember, 4 calories per gram of carbs but 9 for fat.
Being a fitness person, I go through lean bulks and more lean periods for either to compete or just look and feel healthier. I am always looking for healthy ideas and I think this may be a winner.
Thanks for posting this!
I love peanut butter! I’ve made tons of these kinds of recipes except with almond milk!
Katie – You’re brilliant! I love almond butter and peanut butter and this way I can eat even more! Thank you!!!
This is genius! I already tried it, delicious!
This is a great idea, especially to extend the jar of pb when it’s getting dangerously low! Love the spread-ability factor too. I bet this would work awesome with your Greek yogurt recipe too (mixed in instead of the almond milk/water)!
I love finding ways to lighten up my meals! I eat simple mealy 85% of the time! This is a perfect way to have your cake and eat it too!
This looks delicious and so simple! I love PB!
Hmm! This is a good idea! I would always do something similar butter to make whipped butter (1 cup butter, 1 cup water) but I never thought about doing it with PEANUT butter!
Oh my goodness, what a fantastic idea. Do you melt the butter first or just soften it? I assume you can’t use it in baking, but for spreading, this might be a game-changer!
Hey there! I usually just leave it out of the refrigerator for about half an hour to soften it and then just blend it up. You definitely can’t use it in baking (I’ve actually never tried to, but I really don’t think it would work out well) but for spreading its wonderful. They used to do this a lot in depression-era/War times to make butter last longer! 🙂
If you add a bit of honey when you blend it you get this amazing honey butter spread that’s supper delicious, too!
I can’t wait to top my pancakes with this!!