Why it works: Peanut and sesame match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 349 recipes. Both carry 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓
Eight Great Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Ingredients
Directions
These spreads are best cold. They make good fillings for taking to work or school. Food exchange per serving: 1st sandwish: 1 sandwich; 2 meats exchanges + 3 fats exchanges + 1 fruit exchanges; cal: 184; fat: 11gm; pro: 7gm; car: 15gm; 2nd sandwish: 1 sandwich; 2 meats exchanges + 2 fats exchanges; cal: 150; pro: 7gm; fat: 6gm; car: 7gm; 3rd sandwish: 1 sandwish; 2 meats exchanges + 2 fats exchanges or 3 meat exhanges; cal: 105; pro: 6gm; fat: 5gm; car: 4gm; 4th sandwich: 1 sandwish; 2 meat exchanges + 1 fruit exchange; car: 513 pro: 19gm; fat: 47gm; car: 29gm; 5th sandwish: 1 sandwish; 2 ½ meats exchanges + 1 fruit exchanges; cal: 128; pro: 6gm; fat: gm; car: 12gm; 6th sandwish: 1 sandwish; 2 meat exchanges + 2 fat exchanges; cal: 132; pro: 6gm; fat: 5gm; car: 5gm; 7th sandwish; 1 sandwish; 2 meat excganges + 2 fruit exchanges; cal: 124 pro: 4gm; fat: 4gm; car: 13gm; 8th sandwish; 1 sandwich; 1 meat exchange + ¼ fruit exchange; cal 309 pro: 18gm; fat: 12gm; car: 23gm;
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 17 of 18 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 17 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sunflower Seed | 1 oz (28g) hulled | 165 |
| Peanut | 1 oz (28g) | 161 |
| Milk Powder | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Sesame | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Banana | 1 medium (118g) | 105 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Apple | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Tahini | 1 tbsp (15g) | 89 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Tofu | 100g firm | 76 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Fig | 1 medium (50g) | 37 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Alfalfa | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Peanut + sesametop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together349 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Sesame + sunflowertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together172 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Peanut + sunflowertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together90 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Sesame + tahinitop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together142 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
-
Sunflower + celerytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together105 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the tahini
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peanut, butter, sesame, sunflower, fig, celery, yogurt):
- Almondfits better
- Walnutfits better
- Cashew nutfits better
- Tahinithe original
Fit is the average pairing score against peanut, butter, sesame, sunflower, fig, celery, yogurt. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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