Why You'll Love Nut Butter & Cheese Pairings
Nut butters
Cheese lovers are used to the usual suspects on a board: jewel-toned jams, golden honey, salty cured meats. Nuts, either raw or roasted, are another popular addition to cheeseboards. But what if the next great pairing for artisan cheese comes from the humble jar of nut butter?
Why They Work
Contrasting flavors and textures
Complementing flavors and textures
New flavor experiences
At first glance, it may sound unconventional. Spread peanut butter next to clothbound cheddar? Almond butter with Brie? But when you stop to think about it, it makes sense. Cheese and nut butter share a lot: richness, creaminess, and the ability to both soothe and surprise your palate. And as it turns out, they can elevate each other in remarkable ways.
Contrasts
“Nut butter and cheese may seem unexpected at first, but when combined, they create a rich and balanced experience,” says Sudheer Kosaraju, Chief Commercial Officer at Once Again, an organic nut and seed butter maker. “The creaminess of nut butter enhances the depth of cheeses, while the natural sweetness or saltiness of the nuts adds contrast that keeps every bite interesting.”
That contrast is what makes pairings sparkle. We’re used to layering flavors in cheese pairings—sharp against sweet, salty against floral. Nut butters, with their unique combination of fat, salt, and natural sweetness, slot neatly into that framework.
Complements
Kosaraju points out that “nut butters share qualities with fine cheeses. They are creamy, flavorful, and carry just the right balance of saltiness and natural sweetness. These elements allow them to complement cheese beautifully, either by contrasting with sharp or tangy notes or by echoing the creaminess of softer styles.”
New Flavor Experiences
Heather McDown
If nut butter and cheese feels a little quirky in the U.S., it’s even more radical in the U.K. “Nut butters are not super popular in the UK,” says Heather McDown, USA West Coast & Midwest Sales Manager at The Fine Cheese Co. “When I lived there from 2009–2011, they always looked at me as if I was crazy when I looked for or ate peanut butter. Perhaps things have progressed since then, but I think in general it is not as widely consumed in the UK as it is in the USA.”
But she sees plenty of potential: “With nut butter pairings, you really need to play on the flavor profile of the cheese to make the pairings work. However, there are some really interesting options, and I feel like we just need to explore the subject a bit more!” The possibilities are exciting for being less well explored.
Pairings
Cashew Butter and Tomme
Cashew butter and Tomme
Kosaraju says each nut (or seed) brings something different to the table. Almond butter adds a subtle sweetness and floral lift that works well with nutty or fruity cheeses. Cashew butter, with its savory, umami quality, teases out the complexity of earthier styles like tommes and natural rinds.
Peanut Butter and Cheddar
Peanut Butter and Cheddar
For a classic sharp Cheddar, he loves the rich, toasty depth of peanut butter. Peanut butter, toasty and roasted, amplifies the boldness of sharper, aged cheeses (Cheddar and PB = yes please).
Sunflower seed Butter and aged goat cheese
Sunflower seed butter and aged goat cheese
Sunflower seed butter, earthy with a touch of natural sweetness, finds harmony with tangy or herbaceous cheeses like aged goats or Alpine wheels, shares Kosaraju. Suddenly, your cheese plate feels like a flavor lab.
Almond butter and brie
Almond butter and brie
Kosaraju recommends almond butter, with its delicate floral sweetness, alongside Brie or a mild goat cheese.
Cashew Butter and Taleggio or other earthy complex cheeses
Cashew butter and Taleggio or other earthy complex cheeses
Cashew butter’s buttery umami quality is a natural enhancer. The sweetness of the cashew butter smooths out Taleggio’s pungency, while the cheese’s savory depth gives the cashew butter dimension. It’s the same principle that makes brie work with honey or Cheddar with apple, but here it’s earthier and more complex. Cashew butter adds sweetness, creaminess, and nutty warmth. Taleggio brings funk, umami, and tang.
Together, they balance each other beautifully—rich but not heavy, complex but not overwhelming.
Goat Clothbound Cheddar and Almond Butter
Goat Clothbound Cheddar and Almond Butter
McDown suggests Quicke’s Goat Clothbound Cheddar with crunchy almond butter, noting that the cheese already has a browned-butter, almondy sweetness that the nut butter highlights while still complementing the main flavor profile.
Colston Bassett Stilton and chestnut spread
Colston Bassett Stilton and Chestnut spread
For a cozier match, McDown likes Colston Bassett Stilton with chestnut spread: “Think Charles Dickens! Sweet and salty, cozy, what’s not to love here.”
Old Winchester and creamy hazelnut butter
Old Winchester and creamy Hazelnut butter
Rooted in terroir, McDown pairs Old Winchester with creamy hazelnut butter, pointing out that the cheese is produced near the New Forest National Park, where hazel trees naturally grow. With its crystalline texture and caramelized whey notes, Old Winchester marries beautifully with the savory richness of hazelnuts.
Serving Suggestions
Kosaraju suggests letting nut butter join the board as naturally as jam or honey: “It can be spread beneath a slice of cheese, layered with fruit, or simply offered in a small dish as a creamy alternative.”
And he’s seen playful serving ideas worth stealing, “A drizzle of almond butter over baked brie with figs feels like an instant centerpiece. Cashew butter whipped with a touch of honey and served as a dip for Parmesan crisps is a crowd pleaser. Peanut butter folded into a yogurt sauce and paired with grilled halloumi skewers adds a global twist.” Even little details, like filling dried apricots with sunflower seed butter and topping them with a crumble of blue cheese, turn into tiny bites of magic on a board.