Introduction. The world industrial producers cultivate the four main varieties of peanuts (Spanish, Valencia, Virginia, and Runner), which have different types and subspecies, whose names may vary in some countries. These varieties differ in structure, chemical composition, nutritional and biological value, as well as in the areas of industrial use.Problem Statement. At present, there is no scientific approach to the rational use of peanuts in specific technologies of food industry, which would take into account its varietal properties and chemical composition. The development of such a technique will significantly reduce the loss of raw materials, improve the quality of peanut processing products, and increase the efficiency of production.Purpose. To make a cluster analysis to find ways for rational use of peanut varieties adapted for cultivation in Ukraine and to develop appropriate recommendations for the food industry.Materials and Methods. Nineteen varieties of peanuts have been used in the collection of the Institute of Oilseeds of the NAAS of Ukraine (Zaporizhzhіa). The cluster analysis method has been used to process the research results and to classify the peanut varieties.Results. Peanut quality criteria have been developed for choosing an optimal usage (protein content and its biological value, lipid and oleic acid content, oxalate index, and content of contaminants). Depending on the usage, the peanut va rieties have been classified into the three groups: for manufacturing peanut oil, for processing into peanut paste, and for manufacturing halva, chocolates, cakes, and snack products. The recommendations allow different manufacturers to choose an optimal usage and to use peanuts for producing high quality products in a more efficient way.Conclusions. The developed quality criteria can be used as basis for the definition and development of the principles of rational use of peanuts given their specific properties and are useful for technologists, commodity researchers, breeders, geneticists, pharmacologists, physicians, and so on. The rational use of peanut varieties will contribute to the manufacture of competitive high-quality products and increase the profitability of enterprises. K e y w o r d s : peanuts, quality criteria, peanut products, and cluster analysis.