You've got your favorite peanut butter, but how about your favorite grape jelly? We evaluated nine products to determine the finest jelly for your PB&J.
The most fabulous grape jelly will make you reconsider the benefits of a favorite childhood condiment. As kids, we would sit at diners and eat with a spoon from those small foil-top containers while waiting for our dinner. However, grape jelly and I gradually drifted apart over time. Many of us learned enough impulse control to forget about eating jelly with a spoon as we waited for eggs and toast. Although some of us never outgrew a nice peanut butter and jelly sandwich, we progressed to strawberry preserves. It simply seemed more respectable.
It was a pleasure to revisit the world of grape jelly—and eat it directly off a spoon, no less. Before this taste test, we would have believed that all grape jelly tastes essentially the same—buy the generic, and you'll be fine—but this is not the case. The greatest grape jellies are unique. Some are so exceptional that they may be served with high-end cheese (see St. Dalfour). There's grape jelly, which you can spread on toast or cook with cocktail meatballs in the crockpot.
Top 9 Grape Jelly Brands You Need to Try!
When deciding on the best grape jelly, consider not only the sweetness and flavor but also the quality of the components and nutritional content.
In this post, we'll explore why this grape jelly is the best on the market in terms of ingredients, natural tastes and sweetness, and nutritional benefits.
So, if you're a grape jelly fan or just someone who values quality and health, keep reading to find out why this grape jelly is an excellent option.
Polaner Grape Jelly
Polaner Grape Jelly jar was almost disturbingly smooth and soft, and it claimed to be "sweetened only with fruit juice"—their emphasis. So it's no surprise that it tasted like grape gummy candy, although it is one of the healthier varieties. It was a little tangy but predominantly sweet. Because of the texture, this one tasted just like sweet, thickened grape juice.
Heinz Grape Jelly
When Henry J. Heinz started a food company in 1869 with his mother's homemade horseradish recipe, he had no idea how popular his name would become. Cut to 150 years later, and Heinz is a food powerhouse with an enormous product portfolio. One of them is Heinz grape jelly, which is available in single-serve squeezable packets. However, this may make it more accessible to get your grape jelly habit on the move.
Carriage House Grape Jelly
Our next stop is at Carriage House Grape Jelly, as it stands out as one of the best brands due to its use of North American-grown Concord grapes, delivering an authentic, rich grape flavor. Made with all-natural ingredients, it contains no artificial flavors or coloring, ensuring a wholesome, delicious taste. Perfect for spreading on toast, biscuits, or other foods, it’s widely trusted by cafeterias, restaurants, and schools. It has an impressive 548-day shelf life and convenient packaging of six 128 oz. cans per case, this jelly offers both quality and long-lasting freshness for large-scale use.
Smucker's Grape Jelly
Do you know how some grapes have a powdered covering that you can feel on your fingers when you pull them from the bunch? Smucker's tasted similar to grape dust. Its tartness left the tongue with a dryness reminiscent of tannins. This incredibly smooth jelly was so sweet that it hurt teeth, yet the sugar didn't stick to the tongue as much as others. The tastes would hold up well if you're looking for a PB&J.
Crofter's Concord Grape Jelly
Every other jelly we tried was dark, so opening the jar and realizing this one was a gorgeous, rich red was a surprise. However, its appealing appearance had no impact on the texture or flavor. Crofter's was more of a fruit soup than a jelly. The thick purée was practically creamy, which was unexpected given the gelatinous nature of the dish. It was sour enough but sweeter than sweet. This is not the one for me.
Bonne Maman Muscat Grape Jelly
Bonne Maman, the sole non-Concord grape jelly in the lot, came out of the jar like Jello-O: incredibly smooth and startlingly well-formed. While this one wasn't very sweet, it wasn't particularly sour, resulting in a pretty dull spread. It was alright, but it would be lost in a sandwich. Nonetheless, we appreciate the package.
Welch Concord Grape Jelly
"Welch" is virtually often how people incorrectly spell some of the last names, but that's okay; we'll all learn it someday! In our notes for this one, we noted "tastes syrupy." This one is so syrupy sweet that it seems to coat everything with a sugar film—from spoon to teeth to tongue. If you have a sweet craving, this is a great option, especially for youngsters. If you prefer to scoop directly from the jar or squeeze from the bottle, this is an excellent alternative since we can enjoy the sweetness without bread or toast, but we recommend using it in your PB&J; we are confident you will not be disappointed.
Cascadian Farms Organic Concord Grape Jelly
While the flavor of Cascadian Farms was far superior and more harmonized than Crofter's, this jar suffered from fruit soup syndrome. Fortunately, it was a little thicker, so it would be OK to spread thinly over toast. However, the soft puree isn't fantastic.
365 Concord Grape Jelly
After Whole Foods' house brand's stunning triumph in the peanut butter category, perhaps we shouldn't have been shocked by how good their Concord grape jelly was. The flavor was good: the sharpness and sweetness were better balanced, and while it was sweet, there were no hurting teeth. The texture was much more similar to the natural, jellied, non-organic varieties, which is preferable for a sandwich.
Wrap Up!
Some taste tests range from "No thanks" to "More please!" This grape jelly experiment was a little different. We identified some terrific jellies for these PB&J-inspired dishes, but we also discovered that the finest grape jelly is just a little behind our lower-ranked products. There were less than three points dividing the jellies from top to bottom.
If you ask us, that is fine. Many of us buy whatever is on sale, knowing that these chili-jelly meatballs would always make a welcome addition to any potluck. In the hunt for the most excellent grape jelly, Heinz grape jelly emerges as the apparent victor, owing to its superb ingredients and remarkable nutritional profile.
So, why wait? Today, at Warehouse115, you can boost your taste buds and prioritize your pleasure with our various grape jelly brands.
