Do you love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too much? Think you need a break from them or need to change it up a bit?
Here are 7 (tested) alternatives to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich you can try out.
1. Tahini instead of Peanut Butter
This is one of my favorites. Instead of the peanut butter, spread tahini on your sandwich.
Not familiar with tahini? It is basically ground sesame seeds. It can be from roasted or raw sesame seeds and can also come in a variety of different thicknesses (although that is generally not marked on the label but just varies from brand to brand).
Tahini is a great source of calcium and very popular in Middle Eastern food (e.g. it is a common ingredient in hummus).
2. Almond Butter instead of Peanut Butter
Another delicious alternative to peanut butter is almond butter. Almond butter is generally a little more expensive but I think it is healthier and it is REALLY good. There are other nut butters out there as well that you can try — I like macadamia nut butter a lot, cashew not so much.
If you have a choice, I highly recommend freshly ground almond butter.
3. Honey instead of Jelly
Plain and simple — instead of jelly, try your favorite honey (since honey is a “health and fitness queen“) on your sandwich.
4. Fresh Fruit instead of Jelly
Get to the source! Instead of the jelly, just put some fresh raspberries or strawberries or some other fruit in the sandwich.
5. Berries in Syrup instead of Jelly
Maybe not as healthy as the fresh fruits alone, but these homemade berries in syrup that are real popular here in Poland are great in place of the jelly as well.
6. Rice Cakes instead of Bread
Looking to get away from the bread a bit? Put your peanut butter and jelly on a rice cake instead of bread.
7. Fresh Fruit instead of Bread
Perhaps this is a stretch as an alternative to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but seriously, instead of putting the peanut butter and jelly on bread, put it on an apple, banana or pear.
I often eat peanut butter on apples or bananas, but sometimes it is nice to add a little jelly on top, too.
Mix These Ideas Together
Of course, you can try mixing a lot of these alternatives together — tahini and jelly on rice cakes, tahini and honey sandwiches, tahini and jelly on fruit, fresh berries on rice cakes with peanut butter, etc.
Hope you enjoy and picked up a few new alternatives to use in place of the standard, but still delicious, peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Have more ideas? Share them below!
These are great! Not too long ago, I whipped up a curried PBJ that was really fun…whipped curry spices, garlic, and cilantro into the PB and used peach preserves on whole grain toast. It was stellar!
wow, that sounds crazy! have to try that someday 😀
Might also be nice with some fresh mango or mango chutney instead of the peach preserves…
This is a comment I received on email. Good additional info:
The only thing I removed is contact information, in case Lindsay didn't want that on here.
"Dear Zachary Shanan,
I am writing in response to your article “7 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Alternatives” on Eat Drink Better. Many of the alternatives are wonderful ideas but I want to provide you with some in depth information about the nutritional differences between peanut butter and almond butter.
Ounce for ounce peanuts and almonds are practically identical when it comes to calories and fat content. While almonds outrank peanuts in Vitamin E, calcium and riboflavin; peanuts outrank almonds in protein, niacin, folate, thiamin, phytosterols, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6. Peanuts are also much more affordable, costing just 79 cents per pound compared to almonds that cost $2.44 a pound.
Peanuts provide over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients and are a good source of niacin, folate, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese and phosphorus. They also are naturally trans fat and sodium free.
I have attached a full list of nutrient values of the most common nuts in case you are interested in others like cashews or walnuts.
Thank you for the other wonderful ideas about PB&J- I especially enjoy the berries in syrup idea!
Sincerely,
Lindsay Spencer
Lindsay Spencer
Marketing and Communications Specialist | National Peanut Board"
I make one of the best PB&J alternative: a pita pocket with almond butter, honey and fruits. Yum!!!! http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/09/almond-butter-pear-honey-pocket/
Goodness gracious, I have to make this ASAP! Thanks for the recipe!
Great article Zachary.
Thank you
😀
PB&Js are great for the taste combination, the price, and the ease of making it- as well as something most kids enjoy. Any alternative version should also enjoy these elements.
As far as I can tell, the problem with most inexpensive peanut butter is the added oil and/or sweeteners. Fresh ground peanut butter is often available at health stores, and many commercial peanut butters have few added ingredients.
Another good fruit for a jelly replacement is sliced strawberries. Other berries work nicely too.
PB&B burritos are just a soft tortilla smeared with peanut butter and rolled around a banana.
Bread alternatives can also include pieces of fruit, celery, flatbreads and crackers, etc. You can take apple slices or a banana, smear it with peanut butter, and dip it into a crunchy mixture of chopped nuts and other things from the list below.
You can add texture, nutrients, or other flavors with things like sunflower seeds, ground flax seeds, chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.), chocolate chips/shavings/small chunks (ideally dark chocolate), dried fruit (without added sweeteners), coconut, etc.