This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine. #PBLove Originally posted in 2017. Updated in 2022.
How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich: Did you know that there’s a certain way to make a pb&j even better? It’s true. Keep reading!
Do you know that 2400 people search google a month, asking:
How do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?
It’s true! But I love it because even though there are many tricks and different ways to make one, I’m sharing my favorite way with you today. So keep reading because you may find one of my favorite tricks is your new favorite!
However, if you’re wanting the best way to make a peanut butter and jelly, you’ll love this fried pb&j and may never go back.
What is the correct way to make a peanut butter and jelly?
My mind was blown the other day when I stumbled upon a post on Facebook of someone arguing with another person when asked,
“What is the correct way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”
…and I promise you, there were hundreds… HUNDREDS of comments on this thread of people backing one another up, arguing with who was right, wrong and why.
But I’ll tell you… I DID learn something from that thread and even though there’s a part of me that wishes I had that 15 minutes of my life back, I kind of feel like I owe it to those who taught me something that day.
So here are TWO of the most popular ways to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich:
- Apply peanut butter to both sides first and then jelly on top of both peanut buttered sides – Why? Because that way it keeps the jelly from soaking through the bread, especially if you’re making a pb&j for someone to take with them for the day, and they can’t eat it until later. (School, work, field trip, etc.) Ok ok… so that’s something I didn’t know until I spent 15 minutes of my one life here on Earth, reading these Facebook comments.
- Apply peanut butter to one side and jelly to the other – Why? Because the jelly sticks MUCH better to the sandwich creation, whereas when you put peanut butter on both sides, sometimes it’s hard to get the jelly to stick inside of the sandwich and it can seep out.
So from above, there is no wrong or right way… unless you discuss it in a Facebook group and then someone will surely tell you you’re wrong. However, here’s my favorite tip for making a peanut butter and jelly the best:
Should you use a spoon or knife to spread peanut butter?
A spoon? Hear me out…
Our assignment in college was to prepare a speech on giving a tutorial for the class. I remember one speech — and one speech only — from that day, and it wasn’t mine. A fellow classmate stood up and said,
“Today I’m going to teach you how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
We all chuckled because we didn’t know how he was going to make an entire speech on this topic. But to my surprise, my classmate taught me something that day. I was making a peanut butter and jelly ALL wrong.
Ingredients:
You only need three ingredients to make a classic peanut butter and jelly.
- peanut butter (Crunchy or creamy)
- jelly (Your favorite flavor. We prefer strawberry or grape.)
- bread (White, wheat, or your favorite type of bread.)
How do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich better?
I’ll show you below what I learned that day, and how it changed my peanut butter and jelly sandwich making life.
If only I would have known back then that in 15 years I’d have little boys at home who want a pb&j every single day for lunch, I’d probably give that guy a big hug.
1. Use a Spoon:
So many people that I know use a butter knife to spread their peanut butter and jelly, and it rips their bread and gets so messy.
- A spoon scoops the peanut butter and jelly out easier than a knife.
- Using the back of the spoon, spread the peanut butter and jelly onto each piece of bread.
I promise, if you’re still using a butter knife to make your pb&j’s, use a spoon next time to see if it works better for you. It’s just one of those little life hacks that is so simple, but incredibly helpful!
Place the two pieces of bread together, making sure the peanut butter and jelly are touching.
2. Criss-Cross Cuts:
With a house full of little boys, I’ve learned that cutting their sandwiches diagonal both ways helps keep the mess down. Their little hands hold on to the small triangles MUCH easier than a whole sandwich, or even half of a sandwich.
If you choose to cut this way:
- Cut from corner to corner, in a diagonal way, twice.
What to use instead of peanut butter for pb&j
If you can’t have peanut butter, you may love this almond butter recipe!
You can also use something such as Nutella or even omit the peanut butter completely or even the jelly!
What is Your Favorite Way to Make a PB&J?
When we had a big family gathering a few weeks ago, and I was thinking about this blog post… I asked everyone in the room how they make and prefer their pb&j. It was hilarious how different everyone prefers a simple pb&j.
- The crust cut off
- Mix together peanut butter & jelly and then apply to the bread
- Eat whole, cut diagonally or cut down the middle
- Fried (That’s my husband’s favorite way, and I’ve shared how to make a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich!)
- Peanut butter with syrup or honey instead of jelly
If you’re making a pb&j for a school lunch, you’ll love these “school lunch love notes” and these school lunch, free printables!
Related Recipes
Love quick sandwiches? Then you’ll also love this egg salad sandwich, this hot ham and cheese and this tuna salad! They’re some of our favorite lunch recipes to date!
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a review below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread white, wheat or favorite type of bread
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter creamy or crunchy
- 1 tablespoon jelly or jam – any flavor
Instructions
- Using a spoon, scoop about a tablespoon of peanut butter and simply spread on one slice of bread. After the majority of the peanut butter is on the bread, turn the spoon over, and using the back of the spoon, spread the peanut butter to the corners. (Using a knife for this can cut the bread and tear it.)
- Using a different spoon (or clean the first one) scoop about a tablespoon of jelly or jam, and pour on to the other slice of bread, and spread to the edges using the back of the spoon, as you did with the peanut butter.
- Place the peanut butter bread and the jelly bread together, so the peanut butter and jelly are touching. Enjoy!
- If desired, cut in to half or cut in to 4 small triangular shapes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Traci P says
My kids are teenagers and I still struggle with this!! Just last night in fact—the bread was extra soft which made it extra hard to spread without tearing. But, what I heard a while back is that you should spread the jelly on TOP of the peanut butter—not on the other piece of bread. It will spread easier and not tear the bread. Now, I don’t really do this, because I think “what if I have to go back into the jelly jar? Then there’s peanut butter on my knife (now it will be a spoon) already and it will contaminate my jelly jar 🙂 Of course, this is easily solved by grabbing another knife/spoon, but why make things easy? 🙂
Jessica says
Haha!!!! I love that you shared this Traci! I always freak out about using the same spoon for both too, but never want to use an additional spoon. LOL!! Why do we do this to ourselves!? 🙂
Traci P. says
I used a spoon last night! Heck, I went for it and used TWO spoons…I will never go back to a knife. And I will teach my kids to do the same. At 14 and 18 they really should be making their own lunches anyway 🙂 Thank you!
Jessica says
Ah!!!! Yay Traci!!!! Haha, how fun! So happy that you like doing it that way. 🙂 You’re so welcome!
Nickster says
No no no, all wrong! You’re supposed to spread PB on *both* slices of bread, put a dollop of jelly in the middle, then seal up the edges!
Jessica says
Haha! That’s interesting! I’ll have to see if my kiddos want to try it that way next time! 🙂
Pete B. says
If you’re worried about accidentally tearing the bread, maybe you should rethink your choice of bread. Cheap breads do tear easily. Either that or don’t put so much peanut butter on the bread. I’ve used knives before and haven’t had any problems with tearing the bread. I imagine that a spoon might hold the ingredients in place better, but a knife is more ideal for spreading the peanut butter and the jelly on the bread.
I also put the jelly on top of the peanut butter when making a sandwich and wipe any excess peanut butter and jelly on the blank slice of bread if it’s just peanut butter and jelly on my sandwich. If I add other ingredients, then the jelly goes on the other slice of bread, with excess peanut butter also getting wiped onto it.
Within the past two years, I’ve taken a liking to adding banana slices and honey on my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and mmm mmm, they are delicious! I’m even eating one right now! *takes a bite* Mmm, so good.
Jessica says
Haha! Thanks for letting us know how you make yours! It’s always interesting to hear how everyone is different!
Pete B. says
You’re welcome. Brownberry Whole Grains 100% Whole Whea is my go-to bread, and while soft, it’s also sturdy. I have never had a slice of this bread tear while spreading anything on it.
Jif is also my go-to peanut butter, although I prefer their Natural Creamy variety. I also use Smucker’s jams and jellies, with four of their Simply Fruit flavors – Seedless Black Raspberry, Seedless Blackberry, Concord Grape and Seedless Red Raspberry Spreadable Fruit – and their Natural line’s Concord Grape Fruit Spread being my favorite jelly flavors to pair with peanut butter. Stick a layer of Aunt Sue’s Raw and Unfiltered Wildflower Honey between two layers of Jif Natural Creamy peanut butter, place a sliced banana on top of the second layer of peanut butter all on one slice of bread, spread jelly on the other slice of bread, place the jelly-covered bread on top of the peanut butter, honey and banana-covered bread, gently press the two slices together, serve the remainder of the banana as a side item, pour a glass of milk, and you have a meal that is certainly delicious, undoubtedly nutritious, and definitely filling. You won’t be hungry again for hours after eating one.
I’m even eating one right now. Jif Natural Creamy peanut butter, Aunt Sue’s Raw and Unfiltered Wildflower Honey, a sliced Chiquita banana and Smucker’s Simply Fruit Seedless Blackberry Spreadable Fruit, all brought together between two slices of Brownberry Whole Grains 100% Whole Wheat Bread. *takes a bite* Mmm, great sandwich!
Feel free to try it yourself.
Pete B says
I have actually started using a larger spoon for scooping out the peanut butter as the jar starts to run low. Which is something that I don’t think that I would have considered if I hadn’t happened upon this blog entry. I emptied one earlier while making the PBHBJ sandwich I am eating right now and I got the vast majority of what remained of the peanut butter out of the jar and onto the bread. I still use a knife for spreading, but when the jar runs empty, I will definitely reach for a spoon to get the good stuff out.
Thank you so much for suggesting this! *offers you a bite of my peanut butter, honey, banana and jelly sandwich*
Tara G says
Nothing beats a classic pb & j! Everyone’s favorite!
Rebecca Hubbell says
The spoon trick is genius! I bet that classmate of yours went on to do great things in life (haha). Seriously though, this peanut butter sandwich I just made was so much better balanced than when I use a knife to scrape it on!
Jessica says
Haha!!! I totally agree!! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Erin says
Nothing better than a good PB&J! Love the criss-cross tip. Best way to cut it for sure!