11 of Pune’s Yummiest Tributes to Peanut Butter

It could be smooth as silk or laden with nutty chunks – whatever your preferred texture may be, it is a universally acknowledged truth, that peanut butter is the undisputed monarch of all things delicious. 

While scooping it straight out of the jar for a midnight snack is absolutely normal and not at all something we would frown upon, there is double bliss in finding crunchy, savoury bits of it in a thick shake or dessert. So for fans of this glorious spread, here is a bucket list of interesting dishes in town featuring the peanut butter, either as the star ingredient or a stellar supporting player. 

The health-food focused Urbounce Café in Baner concocts an interesting peanut butter, chocolate and sweet potato smoothie, which hits the spot with its unusual blend of sweet and starch. Similarly, you get a peanut butter banana shake at Sautéed Stories in Koregaon Park, which, with its sweet, fruity, slightly salty flavours will cool you down really well in the sultry weather. 

For some of us, a simple peanut butter sandwich is frankly the best meal to rustle up for breakfast. The Peter’s Pan outlets take this idea to another level by slathering their French toasts with oodles of that creamy, unctuous stuff and further topping it up with little pieces of caramelised bananas. Or if you really want to indulge, head to The Waffles Hut in Viman Nagar and try that one particularly warm, luscious waffle drizzled with oodles of peanut butter and melted white chocolate that generously ooze out of the freshly baked dough when you prick your fork into it. Another decadent option is the peanut butter Nutella crêpe at French Creperie, which comes stuffed with swirls of two of everybody’s favourite refrigerator goodies.  

Newly opened Asian cuisine destination Shizusan does a flaky, crispy peanut butter pie which comes capped with a layer of chocolate ganache and a smattering of roasted peanuts – pure sin! Bakelove does a less heart-stoppingly rich but equally delicious chocolate peanut butter tart. Giving the gooey paste a crisp, Italian twist is 11 East Street Café’s dreamy panna cotta which has the wobbly pudding soaked in the goodness of coconut milk and crackly peanut butter brittle sitting pretty atop it. If you are looking for something light, get the bite-sized peanut butter cookies from The Flour Works – scrumptious!  

Fascinatingly enough, the peanut butter also features in some main course preparations, such as the grilled peanut butter chicken at Hidden Place or the paneer satay with peanut butter sauce at Rainforest. My personal pick, however, would be the frozen variety at this tiny ice cream parlour called Creamicals in Karve Nagar, which whips up melt-in-the-mouth liquid nitrogen ice cream in wonderfully innovative flavours, one of which is the evergreen peanut butter and jelly. Our favourite sandwich in the form of an ice cream – who could resist such a treat?