IO Genix Peanut Butter - 100% Natural Peanut Butter

What is IO Genix peanut butter?

This is a peanut butter with a minimal ingredient list: 99.5% skinless roasted peanuts, plus 0.5% roasted peanuts with skins and sunflower oil. No added sugar, no sweetener, no emulsifier, no palm oil. Two textures are listed: smooth and crunchy.

With this kind of product, the ingredient list is the only criterion that really counts, and this one is about as short as you could hope for. Most supermarket peanut butters add sugar, salt and a palm fat to stop the oil separating out. None of that here — which is also why the oil rises to the top, something we will come back to.

The product joins our peanut butter and IO Genix ranges. It is a food, not a supplement: it belongs next to the oats, not next to the capsules.

What does a serving contain?

* Columns calculated from the per 100 g values. Three figures are missing from the labelling we were given: sugars, saturates and the fibre content, described as “naturally present” without a number. The net weight of the jar is not specified either.

One value strikes us as needing verification, and we would rather say so: the label declares 1.35 g of salt per 100 g and presents it as “naturally present”, even though the ingredient list contains no added salt and unsalted peanuts contain far less than that. We are reproducing the manufacturer's figure without correcting it, and we would encourage you to read the label on the jar you receive if you are watching your salt intake.

The figure that defines this product is 58 g of fat per 100 g, i.e. 666 kcal. That is a lot, it is entirely normal, and it is the first thing to take on board: a level tablespoon is roughly 20 g, so 133 kcal. Two generous spoonfuls eaten standing in front of the cupboard easily come to 300 kcal. Peanut butter is an excellent food; it is not a light one.

The second figure is the 26 g of protein per 100 g. An honest clarification is needed here: that represents 15.6% of the energy value, which clears the threshold for the “source of protein” claim (12%) but not the one for “high in protein” (20%). And above all, peanut protein is not a complete protein: its essential amino acid profile is limiting, particularly in methionine and lysine. A 20 g serving gives you 5.2 g of protein: that is a bonus, not a source.

Peanuts naturally supply iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, copper and selenium. Since none of these contents is quantified, no regulatory wording can be used for these minerals, and we will not use any.

How should you use this peanut butter?

Amount: 10 to 30 g per serving depending on your goal. Base: toast, oats, pancakes, fresh fruit. Timing: breakfast or a snack. Frequency: one to two servings a day. Duration: none, it is a food.

The manufacturer's guidelines are useful because they turn grams into real situations. 10 to 15 g to enrich a dish or a light snack. 20 to 25 g for a full breakfast or a post-session snack. 30 g at most when the aim is to add energy. Beyond that, you are mostly adding calories.

The one thing that makes all the difference, and that nobody does: weigh it out the first time. Twenty grams of peanut butter is a good deal less than people imagine. Once you have the visual reference, the spoon is enough.

With no emulsifier, the oil rises to the top when the jar stands still: that is the sign of a product with no stabilising additive, not a fault. Stir the jar thoroughly the first time you open it, right down to the bottom, then store it the right way up. Some people keep it upside down between uses, which redistributes the oil.

In the kitchen it holds up very well in pancakes, cookies or a satay sauce. Its most useful pairing is still the simplest: a spoonful stirred into a bowl of oat flour, which turns a carbohydrate breakfast into a complete meal.

Who is this peanut butter for, and who is it not for?

It suits anyone trying to push their calories up without eating more volume: it is one of the most energy-dense foods in the catalogue, and one spoonful adds 133 kcal effortlessly. For mass gain, it is a far more pleasant lever than a gainer. It also suits anyone who reads labels: at 99.5% peanuts, there is not much to argue with.

It contains PEANUTS, and traces of ALMONDS, HAZELNUTS, CASHEW NUTS, PISTACHIOS, MACADAMIA NUTS, MILK and SOYA are possible. If you are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, this product is obviously out — and peanut allergy is one of the most severe there is. Keep out of reach of children.

It is not suitable during a strict calorie deficit unless you weigh it scrupulously: 58 g of fat per 100 g does not forgive guesswork. Nor is it suitable if you are watching your salt intake and have not checked the value discussed above.

What you should not expect from it: it is not a protein source. Five grams per spoonful, with an incomplete amino acid profile, replaces no shake and no piece of meat. Nor is it a “health” product: peanuts do supply good fatty acids, but no claim can be used here in the absence of quantified contents. It is a dense, tasty and honestly formulated food. Nothing more, and that is already a great deal.

Peanut butter or a protein spread?

This is the comparison that comes up over the counter every single day, and it comes down to what you are trying to solve.

A protein spread, like the ones in the Grenade range, supplies around 20 g of protein per 100 g — less than this butter — but it answers a sugar craving that plain peanut butter does not satisfy. It is sweetened with polyols, with the laxative warning that goes with them, and its ingredient list is a great deal longer. It is the right choice if your problem is the chocolate spread in the cupboard.

Peanut butter wins on three concrete points: 26 g of protein per 100 g against 20, an ingredient list two lines long, and no polyols, so no risk of digestive discomfort. It also costs considerably less per kilo. It is the default choice unless you specifically need a dessert flavour.

And if your goal really is to increase your protein intake, neither of them is the answer: a serving of protein powder supplies 25 g for 120 kcal, whereas you would need 100 g of peanut butter and 666 kcal for a comparable result. The other snack formats can be compared in our protein snacks range.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the oil rise to the top?

Because there is no emulsifier and no palm fat in the formulation. That is normal behaviour for a peanut butter made of 99.5% peanuts, and it is rather a good sign. Stir it thoroughly, right down to the bottom of the jar, the first time you open it: the texture becomes even again.

How many calories in a spoonful?

A level tablespoon is around 20 g, so 133 kcal, 5.2 g of protein and 11.6 g of fat. That is the most useful reference point on this page: two generous spoonfuls easily go past 300 kcal, and that shows up in a day's totals.

Smooth or crunchy?

The formulation is the same, only the texture changes: smooth on one side, with pieces of peanut on the other. The smooth blends better into porridge or a sauce; the crunchy works better on toast. It is a preference, not a nutritional criterion.

Does it contain added sugar?

No, the ingredient list contains none: only roasted peanuts and a touch of sunflower oil. The 14 g of carbohydrate per 100 g come naturally from the peanuts. The breakdown of the “of which sugars” line is not published by the manufacturer, however.

Is it a good source of protein?

It is a “source of protein” in the regulatory sense, but not in the sense you mean. Twenty grams of product supplies 5.2 g of protein, with an incomplete amino acid profile, limiting in particular in methionine and lysine. It is a bonus on a slice of toast, not a building block of your daily total.

How long does an opened jar keep?

Several weeks at room temperature, away from light. With no preservative, the only risk is the fats going rancid, which announces itself immediately in the taste. As the net weight of the jar is not in our data, check it on the label to estimate how long yours will last.

Is it suitable for vegans?

Yes. The only ingredients are roasted peanuts and sunflower oil, both of plant origin. Do note, however, the possible traces of milk flagged by the manufacturer, as well as those of several tree nuts.

Where can you buy IO Genix peanut butter?

Both textures can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is a cupboard staple that keeps for a long time: there is no need to stockpile five jars, but two are never too many.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is one of the few aisles where we advise turning the jar around before buying, whatever the brand. Two lines of ingredients is a good sign; seven, including sugar and palm fat, much less so. The habit is worth keeping for any supermarket shop.