The price of peanut butter is going up

Love peanut butter? Be prepared to pay more for it. The price of peanut butter is going up. Find out why.

Thanks to a peanut shortage, you’re going to pay more for your beloved Skippy in the near future. Time reports that the price of peanuts is on the rise, which means that peanut butter manufacturers are paying more for the key — and often only — ingredient in peanut butter. As it usually goes, you can expect that cost to be passed onto you.

Exactly how much more expensive is peanut butter going to be? Well, we’re not talking peanuts here. The estimate ranges between a 25 and 40 percent peanut butter price increase. Ouch.

The peanut shortage is traced back to last spring, according to Time, when farmers saw dollar signs in their fields… in the form of cotton. Cotton sold at record-high prices last spring, so many farmers decided to plant cotton instead of peanuts.

Add some bad luck to the mix — disease and drought in the peanut fields that existed — and we’re short on peanuts. The current economy isn’t helping, either, as peanut butter has become more popular in the past few years, thanks to the reasonably priced protein it provides.

Peanut butter alternatives

What are peanut butter lovers to do? Well, there are a few peanut butter alternatives. While some are generally more expensive than peanut butter, this upcoming price hike might give you a reason to try them out.

Almond butter

Almond butter is a tasty, healthy alternative to peanut butter. It’s packed with vitamin E, protein and monounsaturated fats (fabulous for heart health).

Try these delish almond butter recipes >>

Sunflower seed butter

Made from sunflower seeds and vegetable oil, one serving of this peanut butter alternative delivers 70 percent of your daily vitamin E requirement. Sunflower seed butter also contains twice the fiber as peanut butter.

Make your own homemade sunflower butter with this great recipe >>

Soynut butter

Never heard of soynut butter? You’re probably not a vegan! Soynut butter is made from roasted soybeans. The texture is similar to that of peanut butter, but soynut butter doesn’t contain any cholesterol.

More peanut butter alternatives

Feeling adventurous? There are many peanut butter alternatives. You can try sesame seed butter (tahini), pumpkin seed butter (good timing!), macadamia nut butter, cashew butter and more.

Tell us: Will you continue to buy peanut butter if the price increases? >>