Your New Favorite Healthy Comfort Food Swaps With PB2

As the weather cools down and daylight hours shorten, something interesting happens to our food cravings. We naturally gravitate toward carbohydrate-rich foods that bring a sense of comfort and ease as temperatures drop. It's not just in your head—research shows that seasonal changes actually influence our food preferences, making us crave those warm, cozy meals that feel nourishing and familiar. 

Our favorite registered dietitian and PB2 Foods partner, Amanda Holtzer, is also a big fan of comfort foods, especially as the seasons change. But, like us, she knows that comfort doesn't have to come at the expense of nutrition. With a few strategic swaps and smart ingredient choices, you can enjoy all your favorite cold-weather dishes while still supporting a healthy diet. 

What Makes a Meal "Comfort Food"?

Let's start by acknowledging something important: comfort foods often get labeled as "bad" or "unhealthy" simply because they tend to be higher in calories or indulgent. But here's what we believe—these foods don't need to be eliminated from your winter meal plans or reserved for the occasional “cheat meal”. Instead, with a few smart ingredient swaps, you can optimize their nutritional benefits while keeping the classic flavors you love intact. This philosophy is crucial because when we completely eliminate the foods that bring us joy, it’s easy to end up feeling deprived, which can lead to overeating or abandoning health goals entirely. 

What makes a meal comforting is deeply personal and varies widely from person to person, family to family, and culture to culture. For Amanda, "comfort food consists of meals my mom used to cook for me when it was cold outside, or when I was feeling under the weather." That emotional connection—the memories, traditions, the cooler weather, and feeling of being cared for—is exactly what makes these foods so irreplaceable in our lives. For us, we immediately think of freshly-baked goods, hearty pasta dishes, and cozy soups and sauces. 

Your go-to comfort meals might look completely different from Amanda's or ours, and that's not just okay—it's expected! 

Strategic Ingredient Swaps for Better Nutrition

Many of your favorite comfort foods are already surprisingly adaptable to strategic substitutions of healthier ingredients while still maintaining flavor and satisfaction. Amanda shares her expert strategies for three popular comfort food categories:

Soups and Chili

"Soups are a common comfort food that can be super healthy, balanced meals," Amanda notes. "I like to think of soups as a blank canvas—you can add many different variations of lean proteins, vegetables, and antioxidant-rich spices." Our Loaded Potato Soup showcases these principles perfectly using PB2 Powdered Cashew Butter—proving that creamy, satisfying comfort food can be both indulgent and vegan.

Chili is another comfort food with serious nutritional potential. Amanda offers several awesome ideas here for maximizing nutrition without sacrificing satisfaction. First, "substitute lean ground turkey for ground beef. This will cut the saturated fat while still providing a lot of satiating protein." This straightforward swap significantly reduces fat content while maintaining that hearty, filling quality chili is known for. Next, "add beans! Beans provide lots of fiber and complex carbs to boost the nutrient density of chili." Think beyond just kidney beans—black beans, pinto beans, and white beans all add unique textures and flavors while delivering sustained energy. Finally, Amanda recommends loading up on vegetables: "Add all veggies you have—spinach, kale, carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. If you have it, add it! Chili is a great way to sneak in lots of extra veggies." The beauty of soups and chilis is that vegetables blend into the dish, making them appealing even to the most discerning little eaters. 

Noodle and Rice Dishes with Sauces

Pasta dishes and rice bowls with peanut sauces are beloved comfort foods, but traditional recipes can be laden with oil and saturated fats. The most impactful swap you can make is using PB2 in place of traditional peanut butter. "If a recipe calls for peanut butter, try swapping for PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter," Amanda recommends. This simple change dramatically reduces fat and calories while maintaining that rich, nutty flavor that makes peanut sauces irresistible. Recipes like our Butternut Squash Pasta and Saucy Roasted Chicken Thighs with Honey-Soy Peanut Sauce demonstrate how PB2 creates luxurious, flavorful sauces without the heavy fat content. Beyond the sauce itself, Amanda advises choosing smart carbohydrate bases: "When adding carbohydrates to a dish, choose high-fiber options like quinoa, bulgur, lentils, or whole wheat pasta." This ensures your comfort meals provide sustained energy rather than blood sugar spikes and crashes. Finally, don't forget to boost vegetable content here too—for pasta dishes, stir in a bag of spinach as it cooks (it wilts down significantly and adds nutrients without changing the dish's character), or consider adding bell peppers, snap peas, or broccoli to noodle dishes with peanut sauce for added crunch and nutrition.

Baked Goods 

Yes, even your favorite baked comfort foods can be optimized! One of the most effective strategies is using PB2 Pure Peanut Powder in place of oil or butter—in many baking recipes, PB2 can replace some of the fat while adding protein and that beloved peanut butter flavor. Our Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies and Peanut Butter Blossoms show how this swap creates treats that are genuinely satisfying without introducing excess sugar or calories into the mix. Another powerful approach is adding nutrient-dense ingredients like grated zucchini or pureed pumpkin to your baking recipes for added fiber and antioxidants. Our Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread is a great place to start trying this health hack at home—combining PB2 Organic Peanut Powder for protein with pumpkin puree for fiber and micronutrients, creating a treat that's both comforting and nutritious. Finally, consider substituting smarter ingredients in frostings and glazes. When recipes call for heavy cream in glazes or frostings, try using nonfat Greek yogurt instead. For pound cakes and denser baked goods like our Chocolate Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze, PB2 Original Peanut Powder adds richness without the higher fat and sugar content of traditional frosting.

The PB2 Advantage in Comfort Food Cooking

When it comes to comfort food swaps, PB2 offers unique advantages that traditional peanut butter simply can't match. With 90% less fat and 70% fewer calories than regular peanut butter, PB2 allows you to incorporate that beloved peanut butter flavor into multiple dishes without derailing your nutritional goals. This philosophy aligns perfectly with what PB2 Foods represents—not deprivation or restriction, but rather optimization and balance. So, as temperatures continue to drop and we naturally crave those warming, satisfying meals, remember Amanda's wisdom: balance includes comfort, nourishment, and joyful moments. Get the cozy vibes started with this roundup of comforting smart swap recipes and honor your cravings while honoring your health—no compromise necessary.

	Butternut Squash Pasta  Cold nights demand the kind of comfort only a creamy butternut squash pasta can provide. This vegan recipe features seasonal butternut squash paired with PB2 Powdered Cashew Butter for the coziest bowl imaginable.
	Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread  We love baking a loaf of this on the weekend to enjoy throughout the week. Fluffy and warming with cinnamon, it strikes the perfect balance between PB2 Organic Peanut Butter Powder and pumpkin flavors for breakfast or a sweet snack.
	Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies  When friends stop by, brownies are the perfect treat to whip up on the spot. Dairy-free, delightfully tasty, and dangerously addictive (thanks to the inclusion of PB2 with Cocoa)—they're the kind of nutritionally leveled-up dessert we don’t feel guilty about reaching for again and again.
	Peanut Butter Blossoms Classic cookies get a healthier twist by using PB2 Pure to reduce added sugar and salt. Soft, chewy, and topped with chocolate kisses, they're the holiday favorite everyone loves with a better-for-you boost.
	Honey Peanut Butter Chicken Wings  Just as good as takeout (even better if you ask us!)—without all the extra additives. Crispy PB2 Organic-dusted wings tossed in a sweet and savory honey peanut butter sauce deliver restaurant-quality flavor you can feel good about.
	Loaded Potato Soup  Soup season is in full swing, and finding a recipe that's both healthy and delicious doesn't have to be daunting. This potato soup delivers everything you want in winter comfort food: thick, creamy, vegan, and made with PB2 Powdered Cashew Butter.
	Chocolate Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze  With its moist, tender crumb and decadent PB2 Original icing, this chocolatey peanut butter creation will have everyone clamoring for seconds. Because life's too short not to celebrate with cake—especially one this good.
	Peanut Butter Muddy Buddy Cookies  Why choose between muddy buddies and peanut butter cookies when you can have both? These cookies capture all the powdered sugar-coated goodness of two childhood favorites, melding them into a soft, chewy PB2 Natural Spread snack that's impossible to resist.
	Air Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Crisp Cereal  Kids are particularly delighted by making their own cereal at home using a PB2 Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix—and honestly, so are adults (but for nutritional reasons). Crunchy, chocolatey, and surprisingly easy to throw together, it's a homemade breakfast that rivals anything from the grocery aisles.
	Saucy Roasted Chicken Thighs with Honey-Soy Peanut Sauce Everything a wholesome weeknight dinner should be: tender, flavorful, and super easy to make. Serve over rice with your favorite veggies and spoon the extra PB2 Original sauce over everything—trust us on this!