Looking back to George Washington Carver and his 105 uses of peanuts, innovation has long been part of peanuts’ legacy. For the record, peanuts were being ground into a primitive peanut butter as far back as the Aztec empire. More recently, modern brands have experimented with adding sweet or spicy flavorings; creating dill pickle in-shell peanuts; and launching frozen PB&J sandwiches and other frozen peanut butter snacks.
The average American eats 7.4 pounds of peanuts each year and peanuts are staying relevant with younger generations as the favorite nut of millennials. But what are today’s trends with peanuts on menus and how can those ideas be adapted in prepared foods? Here are three key applications ripe for exploration: