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You love peanut butter. Your calorie budget does not. A heaped spoon on toast can cost you more than a whole piece of fruit, and it is very easy to go back for a second one. Powdered peanut butter is the workaround, and here is how it compares and how to actually use it.
The short answer
- What it is: roasted peanut with most of the oil pressed out, ground to a powder. Add water and it becomes a spread or sauce.
- Why people buy it: far fewer calories than regular peanut butter for the same flavour, plus a little protein.
- Our pick: Macro Mike Powdered PB Salted Caramel is the easiest all-rounder. Cookie Dough and Chocolate Hazelnut are the sweeter treats.
- The honest catch: it is not as rich or oily as the real thing. It is a swap, not an identical copy.
What powdered peanut butter is
Regular peanut butter is mostly fat, because peanuts are naturally oily. Powdered peanut butter starts with roasted peanuts, then presses most of that oil out. What is left gets ground into a fine powder that keeps the roasted peanut flavour.
Macro Mike goes a step further. The peanut powder is blended with faba bean protein, which lifts the protein per serve. It is plant based and sweetened with monk fruit rather than cane sugar. Each 156g jar holds 13 serves of 12g.
Calories vs regular peanut butter
This is the main reason to buy it, so here are the numbers.
A 12g serve of Macro Mike Powdered Peanut Butter comes in at around 44 calories, with about 6.3 to 6.4g of protein depending on the flavour. Regular peanut butter is roughly 90 to 100 calories per 16g tablespoon. That figure is approximate and varies by brand, but it is a fair ballpark.
| Per serve | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered PB, 12g | About 44 | 6.3 to 6.4g |
| Regular PB, 16g tbsp | Roughly 90 to 100 | Varies by brand |
So a serve of the powder gives you the peanut hit for somewhere around half the calories, or less. Across a week of toast, oats and smoothies, that adds up.
One honest note: a scoop of powder mixed with water does not make quite the same volume as a tablespoon of full peanut butter. You are not comparing identical spoonfuls. You are comparing "enough peanut flavour to be happy", and on that test the powder wins on calories easily.
How to use it
As a spread. Put a serve in a small bowl and add water a teaspoon at a time, stirring as you go. Stop when it looks like peanut butter. It thickens fast, so go slowly.
As a sauce. Keep adding water past the spread stage and it pours. Drizzle it over pancakes, fruit, yoghurt or porridge. This is where the powder is honestly better than regular peanut butter, because it runs smoothly without heating.
In shakes. Add a serve straight into your blender or shaker with your protein. Salted Caramel works especially well with chocolate or vanilla protein.
In oats. Stir it through protein oats after cooking, or mix it into overnight oats the night before. You get a peanut butter flavour without an oily slick on top.
In baking. Swap part of the flour in muffins, protein balls or pancakes for the powder. Keep the swap small at first, because it soaks up liquid and can make the mix dry.
The three flavours we stock
- Salted Caramel: the most versatile. Sweet and a little salty, it goes with almost anything, from pancakes and banana to a chocolate protein shake.
- Cookie Dough PB powder: a raw cookie dough take on the peanut base. Great on pancakes and in overnight oats.
- Chocolate Hazelnut: cocoa and hazelnut through the peanut. The one for chocolate lovers and hot toast.
If you only buy one, start with Salted Caramel. It covers the most jobs.
Where NZ Supps fits
We stock all three flavours as part of the Macro Mike range, and they sit in our wider protein foods collection with spreads, snacks and baking mixes. If you like the peanut base, the Macro Mike protein powders use it too, and our guide to peanut vs almond protein powder explains how their two bases compare.
Looking for something closer to a ready-to-spread jar? Our roundup of the best protein spreads covers those.
FAQ
What is powdered peanut butter? It is roasted peanut pressed to remove most of the oil, then ground into a powder. Macro Mike blends theirs with faba bean protein and sweetens it with monk fruit. Add water and it turns into a spread or a sauce.
How many calories are in powdered peanut butter? A 12g serve of Macro Mike Powdered Peanut Butter has about 44 calories and just over 6g of protein. Regular peanut butter is roughly 90 to 100 calories per 16g tablespoon, so the powder is a much lighter way to get the flavour.
How do you mix powdered peanut butter? Stir it with a small splash of water for a spread, and keep adding water for a pourable sauce. Go a teaspoon of water at a time, because it thickens quickly. You can also stir it dry into oats, shakes or baking.
Is powdered peanut butter a good protein source? It adds a useful bit of protein, around 6g per 12g serve, but it is a flavour booster first. For a proper protein hit you still want a protein powder or a high protein meal. Think of it as a smarter swap for regular peanut butter.
Is Macro Mike powdered peanut butter vegan? The product is described as plant based, with faba bean protein and monk fruit sweetener. If you have strict dietary needs, check the ingredient list and allergen statement on the jar before you buy.
