We asked four friends to give us their verdict on the yummiest macadamia butter.

Macadamia butter is a delicious, healthy spread with many uses in the kitchen. Usually made from crushed macadamia nuts and perhaps a pinch of salt, it is a both a simple spread for toast and a tasty ingredient in sweet and savoury dishes. On a recent hot summer afternoon, we gathered four neighbours together and asked them to taste test five leading brands of Australian macadamia butter to find the one that suited them the best. 

Meet our taste testers

Sue (a macadamia butter novice), Naomi (a health nut), Sarah (a mum looking for kid-friendly ideas) and Jill (a dedicated macadamia lover) took the mouthwatering challenge. With long, cool beveridges in hand, they generously covered slices of crusty bread in nut butter to see which they liked the best. Everyone agreed that all the products they tested were enjoyable, but two clear favourites of the emerged from the taste-test.

Rainforest Foods Natural Macadamia Spread

The first butter they sampled was Rainforest Foods’ Natural Macadamia Spread. This classic macadamia spread is made from 100% raw macadamia kernels. There’s no added salt and, despite the firm consistency of the product, the mouthfeel is soft and smooth. 

What they said

Sue: “I’m intrigued that this can be used in salads.”

Naomi: “I like that it has no salt.”

Sarah: “It has a subtle flavour.”

Jill: “You could definitely use this instead of real butter on a sandwich.”

Jindi Farm Macadamia Nut Butter

Next, they tried Jindi Farm’s Macadamia Nut Butter. The slightly runny texture of this roasted nut butter makes it good to use in baking, as a topping for ice-cream or in salad dressing.

What they said

Sue: “I like the flavour.”

Naomi: “It has a slightly more mealy texture that the first one – even though it looks runnier.”

Sarah: “You can taste the roasted nuts.”

Jill: “I could see myself using this in lots of my cooking.”

Noya Macadamia Nut Butter

After this, it was time to shake things up a little with Noya Macadamia Butter. The recipe for this smooth-tasting nut butter contains 10% cashew and this gave a full and decadent flavour to the butter. The spread needed quite a bit of stirring to mix in the separated oils, which reminded everyone of peanut butter.

What they said

Sue: “The cashew flavour is really strong.”

Naomi: “It’s a fuller, stickier mouthfeel.” 

Sarah: “This one is more like peanut butter.”

Jill: “Definitely a good one for toast.”

Saghtar Fine Foods’ Honey Macadamia Spread

Now, it was time to sample the award-winning Honey Macadamia Spread from Saghtar Fine Foods. This company combines macadamias with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients to develop unique nut butter products. Containing just crushed macadamias and macadamia honey, this product immediately raced to the top of everyone’s favourite list.

What they said

Sue: “This is delicious. I’d have this on toast every day!”

Naomi: “I like the flavourful honey. The taste is unique without trying too hard.”

Sarah: “The flavour of honey is interesting and complementary to the macadamia flavour.”

Jill: “Sweet, but also very smooth.” 

Barenuts Butter

Coming in a squeezable bottle, Barenuts award-winning macadamia butter was definitely the frontrunner in people’s minds when it came to ease of use. Although the mouthfeel wasn’t as smooth as some of the other products, the flavour was longer lasting.

What they said

Sue: “To me, it’s like the first one, but a little more moist.”

Naomi: “I like that it has no added oil, even though it’s in a squeezy bottle.”

Sarah: “It has a longer lasting, stronger flavour.”

Jill: “This one is dangerous. I’d eat it squirted onto a spoon.”

And the winner is…

When it came to a favourite, the judges were split due to the fact that the competition was so close. However, after some discussion it became clear that everyone favoured the Saghtar Fine Foods Honey Macadamia Spread for eating on toast and the Rainforest Foods Macadamia Spread as a kitchen all-rounder.

What’s your favourite macadamia butter? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know!