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!
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
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.
Step 2: Spread peanut butter in the center of each bread slice. Do not spread all the way to the edges.
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.
Step 4: Use sandwich sealer & decruster to cut off crusts and crimp edges together.
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.
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
Ingredients
- 1 loaf soft sandwich bread
- 10 ounces peanut butter
- 5 ounces jelly
- sandwich sealer & decruster
- 10 Ziploc sandwich bags
Instructions
Spread out your bread on the counter or paper towel.
Spread peanut butter in center of each bread slice. Do not spread all the way to the edges.
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.
Use sandwich sealer & decruster to cut off crusts and crimp edges together.
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:
Ruth Soukup
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I love doing this for my daughter. I use whole wheat bread, almond butter, and her favorite organic jelly. Not cheaper than the smuckers version, but I have more control over what she is eating. With a finicky three year old, this is an easy way to make sure she eats her lunch. I also sometimes use a carrot apple puree instead of the jelly, and she eats it without complaint. It is a great way to sneak in veggies.
Ruth, thank you for the kid-friendly idea! I must say I’m really disappointed for those of you who went out of your way to make negative comments about this clever solution for those of us who have children who like these sandwiches. There could certainly be more UN-healthy.
Ruth, I personally want to thank you for all of your hard work and taking the time to share with us. In fact, you have inspired me (completely clueless so lots of research) to start my own blog. I really don’t want to start drama because I just despise that “CyberSpace Dramatic Divas- PLEASE READ NEXT SENTENCE- I am not at all saying any of this meets that criteria in the least… Everyone has a right to their opinion, and if you dislike this idea, you have every right. My opinion, however comes from this perspective- this is a product sold in all grocery stores- in fact my daughter’s elementary school offers these as an alternative to the main course in case they don’t like it. No drama, please, just stating opinion.
When I make these I just use the lid to the peanut butter jar to cut and deal them. When you push down and twist the lid, it seals the edges.
Good idea!!
I use the pampered chef sandwich sealer and it is fabulous. It is metal, so you start by using the circle for cutting the shape. Then, you push down on the plunger which seals the sandwich. LOVE!!!
Very unhealthy 🙁
Give it a rest. Kids love pb&j. It’s not unhealthy
It IS unhealthy – she’s right. These sandwiches have pretty much no nutritional value whatsoever.
You are WRONG! PB is healthy for kids!
junk peanut butter and cheap white bread are not healthy, but these can be made healthier. Use a real peanut butter like Adams and an organic bread like Franz Buttermilk bread and a good quality lower sugar freezer jam and then there’s at least some substance to it. But it’s OK to have it once and a while for fun. I don’t process all the proteins in peanut butter so i feel hungry right after eating it so it doesn’t work for me as a meal.
Healthy? GI in WW11 lived on them and then most of Europe ofter the war. High in protein, replaced meat for many.