Different types of peanuts

Not every peanut is the same! There are thousands of different types of peanuts, these are known as different cultivars. We can distinguish four popular different types of peanuts: the Runner peanut, the Virginia peanut, the Valencia peanut and the Spanish peanut. All these peanuts differ in size, color, flavor and oil content and are often used for very different purposes. The peanuts that you can find at your local supermarket are often the Virginia peanut and the Valencia peanut. The Spanish Peanut and the Runner Peanut are often used for making peanut cookies and peanut butter.

Below we will explain the different types of peanuts, we will also provide information on what they are used for, how they look like and what makes them stand out from any other peanut. This way you can easily identify your own peanuts!

Spanish peanut

The Spanish peanut has a reddish skin around the nut and is often used in peanut candy, peanut cookies and peanut butter. The kernel of the Spanish peanut is a bit smaller than the other peanuts but it has a very high oil content, more than any other type of peanuts. Because of this high oil content the Spanish peanut has a very predominant peanut taste. Another asset of the high oil content is that Spanish peanuts can be used for the extraction of peanut oil. In the United States the Spanish peanut is primarily grown in the states of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. The Spanish peanut accounts for only four percent of the total U.S. peanut production. Primarily Spanish peanuts are grown on the other side of the globe, in South Africa. On the right side you can see a bunch of pictures of Spanish peanuts.

Runner peanut

The Runner peanut is probably the most popular peanut of all, because of its size, taste and high yields. The Runner peanut has a medium-sized shell and most of the peanuts have a uniform kernel size, this makes them really good for roasting because this way all the peanuts are roasted evenly. The Runner type peanut accounts for almost 80% of all U.S. peanut production! Most of the Runner peanuts are produced in the states of Georgia. Other states include Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma and Mississippi. The Runner type peanut is often used in peanut butter but you can also find them in bags of mixed nuts. On the right side you can see a detailed picture of a runner peanut.

Virginia peanut

The Virginia peanut has, compared to the other types of peanuts, a very large kernel size. One of the major benefits of its large kernel is that they are really good to use for in-shell roasting. They are also really suitable for salting and confections and are therefore quite often used as a snack peanut. Virginia peanuts are grown, as its name suggests, in Virginia. Other states include North and South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia and Tennessee.

Valencia peanut

Last but definitely not least, the sweet tasting Valencia peanut. The Valencia type peanut is a funny looking tall and slim peanut with a very red skin around the kernel, of all four different types it has the sweetest taste. It is not uncommon to find three or more kernels when you open up a Valencia peanut. They are not grown that often in the United States but states that do grow them include New Mexico and Texas. They are predominantly used for making organic peanut butter but are also the most preferred peanut for boiling.