Imagine a graceful melting of pulled pork bursting from the seams of your peanut butter
sandwich. How about mayo if you’re feeling even more adventurous? These combinations and more
aren’t reinventing the peanut butter sandwich wheel – they’re just out to diversify it.
If you're from New England, then you don't need us to elaborate on why the fluffernutter may be the
best peanut butter sandwich in existence. It even surpasses jelly as an option.
Now, what about for those of you who've never experienced the delightfully gooey
combo of peanut butter and Fluff? Well, we recommend you run out of
whatever you’re doing and find a way to try one as fast as you can!
Frankly, it's a wonder this classic regional sandwich hasn't overtaken its
jelly-filled counterpart on the national leaderboard. The enthusiastic adoration
for the fluffernutter seems to be truly limited to New England.
In fact, much of the nation remains in the dark about this legendary creation.
For those unfamiliar with the sandwich,
consider how fantastic the melted center of a roasted marshmallow tastes.
Now, add peanut butter, and you'll get a sandwich that's good at any time, for any meal.
Whether you go for the original Somerville, Massachusetts -based brand Fluff or not,
you won't be disappointed with this sandwich.
Soon enough, you'll be wondering whether you ever needed jelly in the first place!
One of the healthiest foods at our disposal, peanut butter has the ability to be a monumental
component of a well-rounded meal plan. Peanuts are high in protein and fiber,
and studies have shown it can reduce one's risk for…
"Diabetes".
…cancer, and heart disease. Frankly, if you're looking to ditch jelly from
your peanut butter sandwich and truly embrace its nutritional value – there
may be no better replacement for the sugary-fruit byproduct than bananas.
You really can't go wrong when you combine fruit and peanut butter.
And with their soft-yet-robust texture and subtle sweetness,
bananas have a strong case for being the best match out there for the nutty spread.
Plus, since bananas themselves are also nutritional powerhouses, adding them to
your peanut butter sandwich can make for a well-rounded and filling meal or snack.
Now, this is America, so, there's no shortage of ways to take something superbly healthy and
destroy any and all nutritional value in the name of increased deliciousness.
Are you interested in upping the decadence factor in your peanut butter and banana sandwich?
Then why not take inspiration from Elvis Presley's alleged favorite snack,
by adding bacon and cheese, and then pan-frying it in butter.
For decades, ants on a log have been a beloved snack for children and Michael Scott alike.
"Whooooo's hungry!" "What's that?" "Its Ants on a log. Michael would
always have me bring them in at 2:30 and say, 'Whoooo's hungry!'"
It has long been a go-to option for parents desperate to improve their
child's nutritional intake beyond chicken nuggets and snack cakes.
The snack consists of raisin "ants" dotting a peanut butter smeared "log" of celery.
The utter simplicity, ease, and cost associated with this snack help to explain
why it's become such an iconic aspect of so many Americans' childhoods.
It's no surprise that peanut butter improves the bland, nearly-flavorless profile of celery,
which adds a pleasantly fresh crunch to the otherwise texturally-lacking food. But
the clear reason why "ants on a log" works so well with kids is the ants, or rather raisins!
The combination of raisins' sweet taste and chewy texture makes them a fantastic foil for
the salty creaminess of peanut butter. So it stands to reason that the duo will work
on any canvas, whether it's on a celery stick or in a sandwich.
Perhaps it never crossed your mind to combine peanut butter and raisins on a
sandwich – yet it makes perfect sense, doesn't it? After all,
the wonderful flavor found between peanut butter and raisins isn't reliant on celery.
So, with that in mind, feel free to ditch the lighter, less-filling celery for the heartier
option of two slices of bread. Or don't skip the celery at all! Instead chop some up,
and add it to a peanut butter and raisin sandwich for an extra crunch.
If you're a superfan of jelly in any or all flavors, you may be aware that jelly has a smooth
and silky texture. This is because it's made with fruit juice rather than the fruit itself.
Similarly, if you've ever gone to the grocery store,
you've likely noticed most jellies are derived from berries. Whether it’s one kind of berry,
or a mix of several varieties – it’s always derived from berries.
What does this mean, exactly? Well, for those of you eager to replace jelly in
your peanut butter sandwiches without reinventing the wheel,
what better way to start that shift than with fresh berries.
Sure, it may not have the added sugar found in jars of jelly,
but that's a good thing since Americans eat far too much added sugar already.
Besides, the inherent sweetness of fresh berries makes any added sugars unnecessary.
This means fresh berries can be a delicious replacement for jelly.
Rather than nitpick between types of berries, we'll lump them all together.
Why? Well, adding any berry to your peanut butter sandwich — whether it's strawberries,
blueberries, or any other variety — will leave you sufficiently satisfied.
Unless you've been living under a rock for your entire life you
likely know how heavenly the combination of peanut butter and chocolate can be.
It would be a significant understatement to declare this combo merely well-liked.
You'd be hard-pressed to find another food pairing more beloved! After all,
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were the best-selling Halloween candy in the U.S. as of 2021.
Since there's no confusion over what peanut butter and chocolate taste like when combined,
there's a fairly similar, tasty replacement for
jelly – chocolate hazelnut spread! While it’s mostly known from the brand, Nutella,
chocolate hazelnut spread makes a wonderful addition to any peanut butter sandwich.
Don’t worry about mixing the nutty flavors! The additional flavor of hazelnut isn't detrimental,
since it meshes quite well with peanut
butter. Even if peanuts aren't technically nuts, but legumes.
For anyone eager to adapt their love of peanut butter and chocolate to sandwich form,
the addition of chocolate hazelnut spread won't let you down. Whether
it's sandwiched between bread slices, or mixed together in the bread itself.
Sometimes, a thing that seems unbelievable at first glance isn't as unlikely once you start
digging in. So while you may not initially jump to the idea of adding cheese to your peanut butter
sandwich, the fact remains that peanut butter and cheese have a history of working well together.
Just take the mere existence of the popular peanut-butter-and-cheese crackers snack
as an example. While it may be difficult to pinpoint why exactly,
this snack cracker combo works so well, there's no denying that it’s a delightful flavor mashup.
If you're opting for a cold sandwich, consider a nuttier-tasting cheese. A
nuttier cheese is likely to compliment the obvious nuttiness found in peanut butter.
But if you want to make the most of your cheese and peanut butter sandwich, consider going the
grilled cheese route. Youmay find your mind blown by the sandwich's sheer sweet and savory flavor.
Everything's better with bacon, right? This phrase has become
such a well-known commandment in our culture, that the video game,
"Halo Wars," has an unlockable achievement called "Everything's Better with Bacon".
Of course, just because you hear something over and over doesn't necessarily
make it true. Though in this case, it just might! A piece of salty, smoky,
crispy-yet-chewy bacon does, in fact, make everything a little bit better.
Most likely, given the widespread understanding that bacon improves every meal it touches,
you may have heard about bacon and peanut butter being combined on a sandwich before.
The presence of both items can be found in numerous food items,
from the trendy peanut butter bacon burger to a twist on the classic PB&J.
Regardless of any additional ingredients, though, there's no denying that one of the best things to
add to your peanut butter sandwich is bacon. The result will always be a delightfully sweet
and savory concoction. It’s one you'll never find yourself walking away from unsatisfied.
Did you see the word mayonnaise and think…
"Surely, you can't be serious?" "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
If that was your reaction, then you clearly aren't from the south, where this traditional
sandwich isn't just well-known: it has a long and storied history in southern U.S. cuisine.
Something of a comfort food in the region,
this uniquely unorthodox sandwich can be traced back to the Great Depression.
Now, why did someone first think of combining these two ingredients? That’s generally unclear.
Though, a lack of other available food options at the time may’ve been the culprit. Some speculate
there may be another, far simpler explanation since mayo tops all other condiments in the
south. According to food writer and cookbook author, Sheri Castle, as stated in HuffPost:
"A lot of people are going to start with getting a jar of mayonnaise out of the fridge."
In other words, for many people in the south, mayo goes on every sandwich,
and peanut butter is no exception.
As we're all well aware, it's hard to find a fruit that doesn't mix harmoniously with peanut butter.
And since we're not here to discuss exceptions, but rather to highlight the best things to add to
a peanut butter sandwich, we'll focus on another fruit that can easily replace jelly – apples!
We all know an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
But what happens when you throw peanut butter into the mix? Well,
you'll only be increasing the nutritional profile for both of these exceptionally healthy foods.
Healthline emphasizes that the combination of peanut butter and apples can aid your digestive
health, help with blood sugar regulation, and reduce inflammation throughout your body.
Yet the health impact found from adding apples to your peanut butter sandwich is only one piece
of the equation. The other, perhaps more crucial reason, is the undeniable fact that the creamy,
salty nuttiness of peanut butter mixes perfectly with an apple's crisp sweetness.
It's not a surprising or unexpected flavor addition,
since fresh apples will always pair well with peanut butter. So if you're sick of jelly,
go nuts with a few slices of apple on your peanut butter sandwich.
And no matter what variety of apples you fancy,
you'll be happy with the results! Right, former Men's Wearhouse spokesperson George Zimmer?
"I guarantee it!"
Realistically, whether you enjoy honey added to your peanut butter sandwich depends on your
palate and the type of peanut butter at your disposal. If you're using a standard brand of
peanut butter, such as Skippy or Jif, then there's already added sugar in the product.
This might make the addition of honey a little too sweet for some to handle. However,
if you opt for a peanut butter variety with an ingredient list of just "peanuts" and nothing
else, then adding honey to your sandwich may be one of the best decisions you can make.
Given the fact that honey is a naturally-occurring, liquid-sugar product,
it's perfectly logical that adding it to a peanut butter sandwich will act as a
perfect sweetener. Honey also is known to contain high levels of antioxidants.
Whether you're opting for raw honey or otherwise, you'll be pleased with
your decision as you chow down! However, you don't need to be
Winnie-the-Pooh-level obsessed with honey to enjoy it on your peanut butter sandwich.
When it comes to the best things to add to a peanut butter sandwich that isn't jelly,
we may have been a bit neglectful of savory components in assembling this list.
But don’t fear! Just because there may be more sweet-leaning
suggestions to consider doesn't mean there aren't any entree-type options.
Like its pig-derived cousin in bacon, one of the best additions to your peanut butter
sandwich can be pulled pork. It may be weird, yes, but it’s not unlike the way
peanut butter compliments a warm burger so well by melting down into a type of sauce.
The addition of peanut butter to a pulled pork sandwich can be an illuminating experience.
Peanut butter works so well with pulled pork, in fact, that some may not even notice its addition.
The key to this unexpected pair delighting your taste buds is all in how you serve it.
You'll want to make sure you combine peanut butter with warm pulled pork,
not lukewarm or cold. As this allows the peanut butter to thin out and coat the meat,
creating an irresistible combination that can only be described as…
"Mmm…Delicious!"
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