Need a little relief from hectic mornings? Whip up a big batch of DIY copycat Peanut Butter and Jelly Uncrustables and freeze for quick lunches and snacks on the go!

On a typical weekday, in our family, mornings can be a little bit hectic. Are yours? While there are many things that contribute to the chaos, normally at the top of our stressor list is the dreaded task of making school lunches. And while we’re currently not in school… I feel like the same thing occurs around lunchtime when everyone is busy, and we need something quick. 

Every time we hit the freezer aisle at the grocery store, my daughter begs us to buy a box of Smucker’s Uncrustables for her lunches. And while I will readily admit that the idea of just plopping a ready-made sandwich that I know she will love into her lunch bag and calling it good sounds like a perfect solution to our weekday morning time shortage, I’m not quite ready to spend between $0.75 and $1.00 a pop for peanut butter and jelly!

But then a few months ago I came across this handy little sandwich sealer & decruster and realized it was the perfect solution—I could just make my own Uncrustables, saving money, making our mornings a little easier and making my daughter happy all in one shot. It’s a Win-Win-Win!

I have found that the key to making these as cost effective as possible is to snag the bread when it is super cheap, which at Publix means Buy 1, Get 1 Free. I also try to stock up on peanut butter and jelly when they are on sale. One loaf of bread makes 10 sandwiches and uses about 10 ounces of peanut butter and about 5 ounces of jelly. Using those ratios, I figured out each homemade sandwich cost between $0.25-$0.30, or about a third of what the ready-made version would cost.

NOTE:  Many readers have asked for an alternative to peanut butter, as many classrooms are now peanut-free. If this is an issue for you, I recommend trying WOW Butter, a PB alternative that tastes just like regular peanut butter!

Gather all the ingredients you'll need for these DIY Uncrustables: Jelly, peanut butter, Wonder bread, Ziploc bags and a sandwich cutter.

Here is what you need:

soft sandwich bread
peanut butter (or WOW Butter for peanut-free schools or homes)
jelly
sandwich sealer & decruster
Ziploc sandwich bags
 

Lay the slices of bread out on the counter in two rows for easy assembly.

Step 1: Spread out your bread on the counter or paper towel. I did one loaf at a time, which gave me 20 slices (enough for 10 sandwiches.)  It doesn’t have to be Wonder Bread, that just happened to be what was on sale at Publix.

Add peanut butter to each slice of bread, avoiding the edges.

Step 2: Spread peanut butter in the center of each bread slice. Do not spread all the way to the edges.

Use a knife to spread jelly on top of each layer of peanut butter.

Step 3: Spread jelly over peanut butter on half of the bread slices. Then place peanut-butter-only slices on top of PB&J slices to make a sandwich.

Using the sandwich cutter, press out the sandwiches and remove the crusts.

Step 4: Use sandwich sealer & decruster to cut off crusts and crimp edges together.

Package your DIY Uncrustables in freezer bags for fast lunches to go!

Step 5: Place sandwiches in sandwich bags, seal and freeze. To serve, thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or place in a lunch bag in the morning so that it is ready to eat by lunchtime.

Dry your leftover crusts in a glass baking dish, to use for breadcrumbs or stuffing.

Note:  There will be a lot of crust leftover, and if you are anything like me, you hate the idea of wasting food! I let my crusts dry out on the counter for a few hours, then use them to make a yummy breakfast casserole. You could also use them to make Kalyn’s yummy homemade bread crumbs!

Other freezer recipes you’ll love:

PB & J Uncrustables

The perfect solution to busy mornings!
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword PB & J Uncrustables
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 people

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf soft sandwich bread
  • 10 ounces peanut butter
  • 5 ounces jelly
  • sandwich sealer & decruster
  • 10 Ziploc sandwich bags

Instructions

  1. Spread out your bread on the counter or paper towel.

  2. Spread peanut butter in center of each bread slice. Do not spread all the way to the edges.

  3. Spread jelly over peanut butter on half of the bread slices. Then place peanut-butter-only slices on top of PB&J slices to make sandwich.

  4. Use sandwich sealer & decruster to cut off crusts and crimp edges together.

  5. Place sandwiches in sandwich bags, seal and freeze. 

Recipe Notes

To serve, thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or place in lunch bag in the morning so that it is ready to eat by lunchtime.

PIN FOR LATER:

Need a little relief from hectic mornings? Whip up a big batch of DIY copycat Peanut Butter and Jelly Uncrustables and freeze for quick lunches or snacks on the go! #copycatrecipes #freezerrecipes #uncrustables #freezerfriendlymeals #freezerlunches #kidslunches #kidfoods #pbj #freezermeals

Ruth Soukup
Ruth Soukup is dedicated to helping people everywhere create a life they love by follwing their dreams and achieving their biggest goals. She is the host of the wildly popular Do It Scared podcast, as well as the founder of Living Well Spending Less® and Elite Blog Academy®. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including Do It Scared®: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears, Overcome Obstacles, and Create a Life You Love, which was the inspiration for this book. She lives in Florida with her husband Chuck, and 2 daughters Maggie & Annie.
Ruth Soukup

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