10 Ways to Include Peanut Butter in Your Breakfast (2024)

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10 Ways to Add Peanut Butter to Breakfast

It’s only been an hour or two since you ate breakfast but your stomach’s rumbling like crazy. Maybe you don’t feel quite satisfied after your morning meal. Do either of these scenarios sound familiar? If so, chances are your body is not getting the right nutrients it needs after fasting all night long. Or maybe your breakfast just needs some revival. Luckily, there’s an easy fix and it’s probably already sitting in your pantry- peanut butter.

Consider a piece of toast, waffle or any carbohydrate that you might eat for breakfast. Alone, most foods high in carbohydrates cause the blood sugar to increase quickly. Pairing peanut butter with toast, hot cereals, and muffins, can boost the nutrition of those foods by adding protein, good fats, and vitamins and minerals. Plus, there’s an added bonus: All of a sudden, your breakfast will taste much better [1].

By adding peanut butter to your breakfast, you add plant-based protein. Protein helps fill you up and plays essential roles in the body, including muscle repair and growth. Peanut butter provides fiber (8% of DV), which is also filling, and it aids in digestion and helps lower cholesterol. It also contains “good” monounsaturated fats, which will increase satiety and may help lower heart disease risk [2]. That’s a powerful combination of nutrients to start the day off right!

Here’s a list of super easy and quick ways to incorporate peanut butter into your morning routine:

1. Love your oatmeal in the mornings? Top your bowl off with a tablespoon of peanut butter.
2. Evoke your inner child and have a PB&J or PB & banana sammy for breakfast.
3. Pancake lover? Add some peanut butter to your batter or slather on top!
4. Rather drink your breakfast? Blend peanut butter with some milk and your favorite fruit to create a creamy protein-packed smoothie.
5. Spread 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter on your toast or waffles, top with berries, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
6. Need a grab-n-go option? Stir peanut butter into your favorite muffin recipe, or bake some Funky Monkey Muffins the night before.
7. Make a peanut parfait. Top plain yogurt with a tablespoon of peanut butter and your choice of fruit (Toss some peanuts on top for some crunch!).
8. Fill a pita with a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter and some sliced pear, or your fruit of choice.
9. Get creative with apple PB sandwiches. Core an apple and slice horizontally. Coat two apple slices with peanut butter, sprinkle with granola, and top with other apple slices.
10. Make a breakfast wrap. Spread peanut butter on a tortilla, place a banana on one end, drizzle with honey and roll up the tortilla.

Adding peanut butter to your breakfast will not only make it more delicious. It will fill you up for hours and help to fuel your mind and body for the day ahead.

References

[1] Webb D. High Protein Snacking. Today’s Dietitian website. http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/060415p22.shtml. June 2015. Accessed February 5, 2016.

[2] Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, including peanuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

This post was created by National Peanut Board intern Caroline Young Bearden, a student in the dietetics program at Georgia State University, and reviewed by Sherry Coleman Collins, MS, RDN, LD.