H-E-B Select Ingredients Made in Texas Creamy Peanut Butter — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates H-E-B Select Ingredients Made in Texas Creamy Peanut Butter by H-E-B Select Ingredients DUMP — score 17/90.

The peanuts and molasses are fine, but this spread is stabilized with fully hydrogenated vegetable oil, an industrial hardened fat that has no business in a jar sold as simple, Texas-made peanut butter. Added sugar sits on top of it. A natural peanuts-and-salt butter does the exact same job without the engineered fat.

Why this verdict

• Contains fully hydrogenated vegetable oil, an industrial hardened fat added only to stop oil separation
• Added sugar plus molasses sweeten a spread that does not need it
• A plain 'peanuts and salt' butter delivers the same product without the hydrogenated stabilizer
• 'Select Ingredients' framing oversells a formula built on a lab-hardened oil

Ingredients (5)

• Peanuts (safe) — Legume packed with protein and healthy fats.
• Sugar (moderate) — Small added sweetener to balance acidity; minor at salsa portions.
• Fully hydrogenated vegetable oil (avoid) — Industrially hardened fat used as a stabilizer; a processing signal that keeps this out of the clean category regardless of the label.
• Salt (moderate) — Main sodium source; keep an eye on it if you use large amounts.
• molasses (safe) — Adds color and flavor but is still a sugar — fourth sweetener source.

Healthier alternatives

• ALPINO Natural Peanut Butter Crunch
• Meridian Smooth Peanut Butter
• The Butternut Co. Peanut Butter Creamy Unsweetened
• MuscleBlaze bGREEN Peanut Butter
• Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter