Peanut Butter vs Cashew Butter
Cashew and peanut butter are very popular among sandwich and bread lovers. These are often used as spreads, and some just consume it like that.
Cashew butter is made from cashew nuts after removing the caustic oil and peanut butter is made from roasted ground dry peanuts. If cashew butter is used commonly as a sandwich spread and for preparing soups, dips, and sauces, peanut butter is used for sandwiches, cookies, biscuits, and for preparing some different varieties of peanut butter itself. Cashew butter can be made from both roasted and raw cashews.
When preserving peanut butter, you just have to keep it refrigerated and use it each time directly from the refrigerator. But as the solids and oils in cashew butter tend to separate, you need to stir it when opening for the first time and keep refrigerated after using or opening it for the first time. If the butter is from raw cashews, it does not need refrigeration when sealed.
Cashew butter is an unprocessed food while peanut butter is mixed with salt, hydrogenated vegetable oils, sweeteners, and dextrose. Cashew butter has a rich creamy flavor and when stored in bottles get separated into the oil and solids. This can be stirred before use again to get that creamy texture. Peanut butter is available as smooth and crunchy varieties and remains as when bought even when stored for a long time. Some types of peanut butter contain chocolate and jelly also.
There are high protein content, unsaturated fats, and nutrients in cashew butter. The levels of saturated fats and cholesterol are low. In peanut butter, there are high levels of monounsaturated fats, magnesium, proteins, and vitamins. These are very beneficial to the human body but owing to the high calorie and fat content, it must be consumed as part of balanced diets only or occasionally.
Unlike peanut butter, cashew butter can have more ingredients like safflower oil and other creamy texture offering ingredients. The butters from different brands have different ingredients and quantities in varying levels.
Most people prefer cashew butter over peanut butter due to the creamy and buttery texture and rich taste of the cashews. These can be used in preparing some Indian and Thai dishes as well.
Summary:
1. Peanut butter is made from peanuts while cashew butter is made from cashews.
2. Cashew butter can be made from raw or roasted cashews while peanut butter is always made from dry roasted ground peanuts.
3. The texture of cashew butter is rich, creamy, and buttery. Peanut butter is available in both the smooth and crunchy varieties.
4. While storing, the oils and solids in cashew butter separate, but peanut butter tends to remain in the same state as when prepared and bottled.
5. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are used to prepare peanut butter, but cashew butter can be prepared using a variety of oils, even safflower oil.
6. If peanut butter has high levels of monounsaturated fats, cashew butter has high levels of unsaturated fat content.