There is no denying that peanut butter is one of the most popular dog treats around. My dog can’t get enough of it.
I love peanut butter because it’s so versatile.
I can…
- Use peanut butter to stuff my dog’s kong toy
- Smear peanut butter over a lickmat
- When medicating my dog, I can use it to hide a pill
…Or I can simply let my dog lick it off the spoon
The moment my pup hears me open a jar of peanut butter, he comes running.
However, it might surprise you to learn that peanut butter can be dangerous to dogs – in more ways than one.
Today, I’ll be sharing what these dangers are, as well as the top peanut butter brands for your dog.
All up, with help from our team of doggie taste-testers, a canine nutritionist and our in-house veterinarian, we reviewed over 50 different kinds of peanut butter.
Here are just a few of the different brands we tested…
All to answer a simple question:
Which peanut butter is best for your dog?
Want the answer? Then read on.
Our Top Choices
Contents
Why is peanut butter unsafe for dogs?
Runner up peanut butters for dogs
The unhealthy peanut butter that didn’t make the cut
Why Is Peanut Butter Unsafe for dogs?
Firstly, peanut butter is a high fat treat. It’s unavoidable, even the healthiest types of peanut butter are high in fat.
Like with all high-fat foods, you should only give your dog peanut butter occasionally. Regular feeding can cause your dog to become overweight.
I don’t have to tell you that an overweight dog is an unhealthy dog.
So, how much peanut butter should you give your dog?
Generally speaking, smaller dogs should get no more than 1/2 a tablespoon of peanut butter per day. Larger dogs should be given no more than 1 tablespoon per day.
But if your dog is at risk of pancreatitis, then you should avoid peanut butter altogether.
You see, pancreatitis can be brought on by high-fat foods, like peanut butter.
Risk factors of pancreatitis include being overweight and old age. However, some breeds are prone to the disease such as cavalier King Charles spaniels, Collies, miniature schnauzers and Yorkshire terriers.[1]
Not sure if your dog is at risk of pancreatitis? You should speak to your vet before adding peanut butter to your dog’s diet.
But even if your dog can eat peanut butter without risk, you still need to be careful…
You see, there is an ingredient in some peanut butters that is a severe health hazard.
In fact, this ingredient has been responsible for killing thousands of dogs.
I’m talking about xylitol
This is a bowl of xylitol. Looks like sugar, right?
Well, it kind of is…
Xylitol is a sugar substitute found in many foods, including Peanut Butter and chewing gum – it’s purpose is to give these foods a pleasant sweet taste.
Now, for you or me, xylitol is basically harmless.
But to dogs, even a small amount can be deadly.
Studies have proven that even a small amount of xylitol Can lead to hypoglycemia, liver disease and coagualopathy[2][3]
Thousands of dogs are poisoned each year by eating food containing xylitol, including peanut butter.
To put it simply, feeding your pup xylitol sweetened peanut butter could be a death-sentence.
But your dog doesn’t know this. He will happily gulp down peanut butter that contains xylitol – unaware that this could be his last treat ever.
The problem is that dogs can’t read.
That’s why it’s your job to examine the ingredients on your peanut butter carefully. If you see xylitol listed as an ingredient, don’t give it to your dog – save it for your human pals.
Fortunately, there are only a few peanut butter brands that use xylitol as an ingredient.
That peanut butter sitting in your pantry is probably safe for your dog.
The most popular brands of peanut butter, such as Jif, Skippy, Smuckers and Peter Pan are all xylitol-free. But…
Just because your peanut butter is xylitol free doesn’t mean it’s good for your dog.
Check the label…
You see, many of the peanut butter brands contain sugar, preservatives, and other ingredients that you probably don’t want your dog to eat. Most commonly:
1. Sugar – Refers to sucrose, caramel, corn syrup molasses, and other forms. Some peanut butters add multiple types of sugar. While sugar may not be immediately harmful to dogs, it can lead to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes.[4]
2. Mono and Diglycerides – While a 2006 Study[5] found no side effects in the blood work of beagles, Veterinarian, Dr. Sara Ochoa said it’s not an ideal ingredient to feed dogs and may lead to obesity and heart problems.
3. Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils – Refers to a wide range of different oils. The exact oils will vary from brand to brand. Peanut butter is already a high-fat treat without these extra oils.
While these ingredients might make the peanut butter more spreadable or keep longer, they do not benefit your dog.
If your xylitol-free peanut butter contains one or more of the above ingredients, you might want to swap over to another brand.
Beware: “natural” or “organic” peanut butter brands can also contain these unwanted extra ingredients.
Take this jar of Natural Jif, for example…
Sure, it might be natural, but it contains ingredients like sugar and palm oil that are best avoided.
The best solution? Make homemade peanut butter with a food processor. All you need is peanuts!
If you are time-poor like me, then crushing your own nuts probably isn’t a realistic option. That’s why I buy my peanut butter from the store.
Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable store-bought brands that are free from unwanted ingredients. I’ll be sharing the best dog-safe peanut butters in just a moment.
Whichever peanut butter you buy for your dog, always check the label!
The ideal peanut butter for dogs should contain two ingredients at most…
- Peanuts
- Salt
Yep, that’s it.
As for creamy or crunchy? That’s entirely your choice. I personally prefer smooth as I find it easier to spread over my pup’s Kong toy.
Best Peanut Butters For Dogs
After reviewing over 50 different peanut butters, we narrowed down our recommendations to just three.
These top picks hit the sweet spot between quality ingredients, price, availability and taste.
Ingredients
- Dry Roasted Peanuts
It doesn’t get any more purer than 365 Everyday Value Organic Peanut Butter…
It has just one ingredient. Organic Peanuts, grown right here in the USA.
Best of all, it tastes great. Technically, this article was supposed to find the best peanut butter for dogs. But being a peanut butter lover, I couldn’t help myself… I conducted an unofficial taste-test of each peanut butter too!
There is also a crunchy version available, but it does contain salt.
Be mindful that 365 Everyday Value makes a wide range of different peanut butters, all of which look very similar. However, many of these contain sugar and oils. Make sure you check the ingredients if you are grabbing a bottle from your local Wholefood – it’s easy to confuse the jars.
The thick consistency made this smooth peanut butter perfect for kong toys and lick mats – it would clump together without dripping onto the floor.
It’s easy to see why 365 Everyday Value Organic Peanut Butter was our top pick as the best peanut butter for dogs. For the price, you won’t find a tastier, healthier peanut butter. Highly recommended.
Ingredients
- Dry Roasted Peanuts
- Salt
Perhaps you like you prefer the texture of chunky peanut butter and want to share that crunchy experience with your dog.
Not a problem, Teddie Super Chunky Peanut Butter has you covered. Made in America from USA grown peanuts, this peanut butter is as natural as it is delicious (very!)
Best of all, crunchy peanut butter is perfectly safe for dogs to eat. The nuts are crushed small enough that they shouldn’t pose a choking hazard, even in small breeds like chihuahuas.[6]
Just like our previous recommendation, the chunky peanut butter worked well as stuffing inside kong toys and smearing over lick mats.
However, I did notice the occasional piece of nut come loose and make its way onto my floor. It is for this reason that if you are stuffing a dog toy, I recommend choosing smooth peanut butter instead.
Oh, and if you are looking for peanut butter to share with your dog, then I can confirm that it’s just as delicious for humans.
While Teddie also makes an unsalted version, it’s considerably more expensive – even if you grab it from the shelf of your local Walmart. Even so, if we were to recommend an unsalted chunky peanut butter, it would be our top pick.
Ingredients
- Dry Roasted Peanuts
- Coconut Oil
- Tumeric
- Parsley
- Ginger
- Cinnamon (Cassian)
Wouldn’t it be great if your pup’s peanut butter treat could improve your pup’s health? Well, that’s the idea behind Poochie Butter, a peanut butter designed just for dogs.
Poochie Butter has 6 natural ingredients that may provide health benefits to your pup.
Ingredients including Tumeric may have anti-inflammatory properties[7] and coconut oil, which may help maintain healthy skin and coat.[8]
Now, I must warn you that this peanut butter is slightly runnier than our other recommendations – especially if you live in a warm environment…
While this did make the peanut butter significantly easier to spread, it came at a drawback. It wasn’t suitable for stuffing dog toys.
I, unfortunately, discovered this when filling my pups Kong Extreme chew toy. The thinner consistency allowed it to slowly leak out over time – A peanut butter puddle nearly sent me slipping across my hardwood floor!
I was able to get around this by putting the Poochie Butter in the fridge to harden it up. However, I can’t see this method working well in warm weather.
Oh, and this one isn’t for sharing. Curiosity got the better of me, and I had to have a taste. It’s definitely not for me – I won’t be smearing this one across my toast.
Fortunately, our dogs couldn’t taste the difference.
Unfortunately, Poochie butter doesn’t come cheap. For the same price, you could buy five bottles of our top pick.
But if you are looking for an all-natural peanut butter that is free from sweeteners, preservatives, and other nasties, Poochie Butter is worth checking out – especially if you are trying to introduce one of the health boosting ingredients to your dog’s diet.
Runner Up Peanut Butters for Dogs
The following are commonly bought natural peanut butters and would also make great peanut butters for dogs. However, they didn’t make our top picks due to either availability, price, flavor, or texture.
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Adams Natural Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Adams Natural Organic Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Adams Natural Unsalted Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts
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Crazy Richard’s Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts
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Fix & Fogg Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Good & Gather Organic Stir Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts
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Great value Organic Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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MaraNatha Organic Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Peanut Butter & Co Old Fashioned Smooth/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Smuckers Natural
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Smuckers Organic Creamy/Chunky
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Trader Joes Salted Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
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Trader Joes No Salt Creamy/Crunchy
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Ingredients: Peanuts
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Woodstock Farms Unsalted
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Ingredients: Peanuts
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Woodstock Farms Easy Spread
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Ingredients: Peanuts, Salt
Note: Manufacturers may add, change, or remove ingredients without warning. Always read the label before buying peanut butter you intend to feed your dog.
The unhealthy peanut butters that didn’t make the cut
The following commonly bought peanut butters are not recommended for dogs because they add sweeteners, preservatives, transfats, or other unnecessary ingredients.
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Adams No-Stir Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredient: Palm Oil
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Amazon Brand (Happy Belly) Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils
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DogsButter
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Unhealthy ingredient: Palm Oil
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Great Value Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, Monoglycerides
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Good & Gather Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils
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Jiff Creamy/Crunchy/Extra Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated vegetable oils, Mono and Diglycerides
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Jiff Natural Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Palm Oil
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Jiff (Simply Jiff)
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, Mono and Diglycerides
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Jiff (Reduced Fat)
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Unhealthy ingredients: Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, Mono and Diglycerides
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Justins Classic Peanut Butter
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Unhealthy ingredient: Palm Oil
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Kong Real Peanut Butter
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
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MaraNatha No-Stir
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Unhealthy ingredients: Palm Oil, Sugar
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Peanut Butter & Co Smooth/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Cane Sugar, Palm Oil
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Peter Pan Original Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils
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Peter Pan Natural Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Palm Oil
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Reeses Peanut Butter
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Monoglycerides
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Skippy Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
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Skippy Natural Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Palm Oil
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Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Mono and Diglycerides
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Smart Balance Naturalk Creamy/Crunchy
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Unhealthy ingredients: Sugar, Palm Oil
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Woodstock Farms Classic
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Unhealthy ingredients: Palm Oil, Sugar
Note: Manufacturers may add, change, or remove ingredients without warning. Always read the label before buying peanut butter you intend to feed your dog.
The Dangerous Peanut Butters (Contain Xylitol)
These are the peanut butters that you cannot give your dog under any circumstances.
If you have a dog in your home, it’s best to swap over to one of the brands recommended above.
- Krush Nutrition’s “Nutty By Nature”
- Go Nuts, Co. Peanut Butter
- Nut’s ’N More
- P28 High Protein Peanut Spread
Have you come across another peanut butter sold in the USA that contains xylitol? Let me know in the comments so I can add it to the list.
How to Keep Your Natural Peanut Butter Spreadable
While natural peanut butter is ideal for dogs, it does have a bad habit of separating. If you look at your peanut butter, you might notice the oil rising to the top of the jar.
This is a normal behavior of “true peanut butters” that contain just peanuts and maybe a pinch of salt.
Here is a simple trick to stop your natural peanut butter from separating…
Conclusion
Phew, who knew there was so much to know about peanut butter for dogs?
If you have made it this far, you should now know which peanut butter is right for your pup.
A recap of our recommendations:
The best peanut butters for dogs we reviewed:- 365 Everyday Value Organic – Best Creamy Peanut Butter For Dogs
- Teddie Super Chunky – Best Crunchy Peanut Butter For Dogs
- Poochie Butter – Best Dog Specific Peanut Butter
I use and recommend Smucker’s All Natural PB either crunch or smooth for medication purposes instead of “pill pockets”
1) Its all natural and easy to find in almost any grocery store.
2) It comes separated so I drain off most of the oil off the top, mix the rest in the PB and store in fridge, the cool temp helps keep it the consistency of “playdoh” so can wrap up pills pretty easily without runny PB. (I have an Epileptic dog)
3) I can also use it for myself to make a PB&J sandwich.
Our dogs absolutely love peanut butter, we can’t even say PB without them getting excited. We fill bones with the stuff for them to extract it. We put it on pills, etc. so we think it has led them to being overweight.
So we decided to try the 365 PB, big mistake, our dogs love PB and they were trying to use their paws to clean the stuff off their tongues. They were licking the towels, carpet to clean their tongues off. They were nearly gagging! I tasted it, yuck slight peanut flavor with gritty sensation like eating sand with a thin paste. We threw out $6 jar. Will just serve them much smaller portions of real peanut butter.
Great info thanks so much!!
All we eat is Teddy All Natural and have had 3 dogs live way past 20 years of age. Yes it is very good for both dogs and humans.
I will be giving him Smuckers Organic until/unless I find one with only peanuts. I also will consider making my own using a blender and good peanuts, unsalted! I make cashew butter for us this way.
People! Read the article! Duh!!!! ! If your peanut butter contains more than peanut butter and salt switch. End of story end of conclusion end of article. Quit asking all these stupid questions about your individual locally sold peanut butters! Read the frigging article!
It’s unfortunate people don’t actually READ the article, before asking questions. Stupid, or lazy? Or both?
I read the article. My peanut butters do not appear in it. Don’t be so rude.
I’ve been giving my dogs the Jif Natural Peanut butter for a very long time now. I hope I didn’t cause too much damage! Thank you for sharing this! I hope they sell thale ones you recommend at my store and not only Amazon?
Hey Amber,
If you can’t find any peanut butters from our list, as per the article above, check the ingredients. You are looking for one or two ingredients at most. Just peanuts, or peanuts and salt (the less salt the better).
Hi , what about Kirkland peanut butter?
Hi Margaret,
We covered Kirkland peanut butter in the runner up section.
Read this article, for me, this list of what peanut butter I should feet my puppy/dog. The listdid not contain the brand I was searching fot. Neither good or bad, Peanut butters.
Hi Michael,
We could only review peanut butters that were available to us locally. That’s why we covered the two things that, at most, a peanut butter that is fed to dogs should contain – peanuts and salt. If your peanut butter contains extra ingredients, then you might want consider swapping brands.
Can you tell me if Wegmans PB IS ok for dogs?
Right now my dog is taking an anabiotic and it’s hard to get her to take it I’ve been putting it in the Skippy creamy peanut butter please let me know if this is bad
Hi Valerie,
All the info you need to determine the “healthier” vs least healthy peanut butters for dogs is in the article above. We cover Skippy creamy peanut butter.
Hey, what about American Garden peanut butter? i gave it to my dog today and she loved it, but now i’m very worried it might be dangerous!
Hi Mishka,
We outlined the only ingredients (and what to avoid) your peanut butter needs in the article above. If your peanut butter ingredients label contains the extra stuff, it may want to swap over to a different brand.
I just started giving my dog Pb&me peanut butter and I was wondering if that will hurt him? He just turned 13 in human tears and he is a yellow lab! The ingredients in Pb&me are partially defatted peanuts, organic cane sugar and sea salt. It may also contain Almonds and Hazelnuts. Will it hurt my dog or is it alright?
Hi Alivia,
As per the article above, we wouldn’t recommend this peanut butter due to the extra ingredients. If you are in doubt, we recommend speaking to your Vet.
I was wondering if PB and Me no sugar added is good for dogs..I did research and it seems to be Pet Friendly.
I read that Kong toys can be dangerous to dogs. They could injure their tongues. I like to mix about a teaspoon of peanut butter into a cup or two of dried food. That way the dried food doesn’t sit in the bowl all day while Duke is constantly looking for treats.
Hi Mike,
Not sure where you read that, Kongs are one of the most popular toys around and are commonly recommended by vets, including those we have spoken to when doing our product review round ups. All toys have the potential to harm your dog. However, given the popularity of the Kong (they have sold millions over the years) tongue injuries would be commonly documented.
With that said, you are the owner, and you have to be comfortable with the level of risk for your dog. I am glad you have found a way to give Duke a tasty peanut butter snack!
and Protein Plus PB
What do you think of jiff no sugar added peanut butter for dogs?
Hi Rachel,
As per our recommendation above, if contains more ingredients than just salt and peanuts, it’s unnecessary. Ideally, your peanut butter should contain just peanuts.
I have a mini schnauzer and was thinking of getting him a lick mat. What other spreads could I give him since he shouldn’t have much peanut butter?
I gave my dog some peanut butter out of a packet and I am unsure of the brand, I am freaking out thinking it may have xylitol in it!!!! have no idea though! This crap doesn’t even have a brand name on it or a label. It was very recently, we are at a hotel and the front desk clerk had some pb packets and we were giving the dog some he ate alot of it
I give my small dog jiff creamy peanut butter gluten free he seems to love it I don’t give it to him very often and he seems to be okay
Hi Shirley,
The purpose of this guide was to point out healthy vs. unhealthy peanut butters. Being a peanut butter, of course your dog is going to love Jiff. He doesn’t know it’s less healthy for him. And if he did know, he probably wouldn’t tell you. Would your dog give up an opportunity for a treat?
Jiff peanut butter may not immediately harm your dog, but it does contain unnecessary ingredients like sugar and that can lead to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease.
Our recommendation is to err on the side of caution and choose a peanut butter without these ingredients.
Also, most peanut butter is gluten free. Peanuts don’t contain gluten.