The Worst Planters Nut Flavor You Can Absolutely Skip Trying

When you think of snacking nuts, you likely think of Planters. The brand is iconic, especially thanks to its memorable anthropomorphized nut mascot, Mr. Peanut (who was actually created by a 13 year old boy). While most people are probably more familiar with the unflavored cashews or mixed nuts the brand offers, Planters also sells a variety of flavored nut products, many of them flavored cashews. While there are some Planters flavors absolutely worth trying, one should be left on the store shelves: the brand's Peppercorn Pistachios & Parmesan Cashews.

Daily Meal writer Wendy Hector tried and ranked 10 different flavors of Planters nuts, and the Peppercorn Pistachios & Parmesan Cashews came in dead last. The product is part of Planters Nut Duos line, which combines two types of flavored nuts into a single package. With the advertised flavors being peppercorn and Parmesan, you would expect a savory and cheesy taste with a bit of kick. Instead, the pistachios are very lightly peppered, and the sweetness of the cashews takes center stage. While the flavor isn't necessarily unpleasant, it's underwhelming when you expected a nice peppery bite. In addition, the Parmesan on the cashews merely tastes cheesy, without any classic umami tones mixed in. These issues make the nuts very underwhelming, as if they're just regular cashews and pistachios with some cheese mixed in.

If the idea of Peppercorn Pistachios & Parmesan Cashews sounds pleasant to you, there are a few ways you can improve the execution of the snack. Hector found that eating about three pistachios with every cashew more properly balances out the flavors, actually making each mouthful a bit spicy rather than just sweet and cheesy.

Hector then tried adding some of her own fresh pepper to the nuts and said this greatly improved the taste, going so far as to say the product wouldn't have made the bottom of the list if it came with that amount of pepper. This is a pretty simple solution if you have ground peppercorn in your pantry, making a snack truly reminiscent of spaghetti cacio e pepe like Hector had hoped for when first trying the nuts. Just be sure to use black peppercorns rather than pink, as the two are very different.

If you like the idea of the Nut Duos product line but don't want to bother with the disappointing peppercorn and Parmesan offering, Planters sells two other Nut Duos products that both performed much better in Hector's ranking: Ranch Almonds & Buffalo Cashews and Espresso Hazelnuts & Cocoa Cashews, which placed third and second, respectively. The former could be a good way to get a savory nut snack in lieu of the Peppercorn Pistachios & Parmesan Cashews.