Costco's Peanut Butter Is Slowly Disappearing, And Customers Aren't Happy With Its Replacement

When I started having trouble finding my go-to peanut butter at Costco, Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter, I became a little concerned but figured I just had to be patient and wait for the re-stock. It never did. Instead, a new product took its place: Naturally More Organic Creamy Peanut Butter. Like its predecessor, it came in a pack of two large jars. Well, it turns out my local Costco isn't the only one where the replacement took place. The popular, red-lidded Kirkland Signature brand looks to be a product of the past as the company has gone so far as to delete it from its system altogether. One only needs to look at the reviews of the new Naturally More item to get an idea of what customers think.

On Costco's website, the Naturally More peanut butter has a dismal rating average of 2.5 stars out of a possible 5 from 134 reviews (at the time of this writing). Many reviewers have written that the peanut butter is too runny and beg the warehouse giant to bring back the Kirkland brand. Some posted that the flavor is different from the original and that the oil separation is unpleasant. One person on Instagram chimed in on the switch saying, "Worst thing that's happened in the last few months." Ouch. The ingredients of the two peanut butters are virtually the same and are both made with organic peanuts and sea salt, but many have noted that the Kirkland Signature brand featured dry roasted peanuts specifically, while the Naturally More brand does not. That can't stop you from making salad dressing with the jar, though.

Once I realized the Kirkland Signature peanut butter wasn't coming back, I was also disappointed. But after I read the ingredient list of Naturally More, I decided to give it a shot and I'm not at all disappointed. I do agree that the product is much runnier than the original. However, the butter doesn't separate. I expected to have to mix the inevitable layer of oil on top with the stiffer butter at the bottom of the jar like I had to with the Kirkland one, but there was no oil layer or stubborn peanut paste at the bottom. I was thrilled with this, because trying to combine the layers in the past was a messy job that required more elbow grease than expected. Incidentally, you can keep your peanut butter from separating if you store it upside down.

No matter how much I mixed (which was every time I opened the jar), I always had a chunk of stiff peanut paste at the bottom. So far, this hasn't been the case with the new brand. Sure, the PB is drippy, but it's a small price to pay, in my opinion. I have also found that the consistency is perfect when I am working with a recipe that calls for peanut butter because it's easy to pour, measure, and mix. Some reviewers on Costco's website who are pleased with the new brand have said that they store their jars in the fridge to stiffen it up a bit. Only time will tell if the Kirkland brand will make a comeback.