15 Unique PB&J Recipes Kids Will Love (2024)

Looking for a little variety in the routine that the kids will actually still eat? Try these twists on an old favorite

If you’ve got a picky eater, there’s one thing you can almost guarantee they’ll eat—a PB&J. It might not be the most exciting combo in the world, but the good news is, there are a bunch of inventive recipes with peanut butter and jelly out there to help you kick it up a notch. To keep things fresh, we’ve found 15 ways to enjoy this classic treat for breakfast, snacks, and dessert.

Breakfast Recipes with Peanut Butter and Jelly

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

This recipe brings two classics together in the most perfect way. The only problem will be having to stop yourself from making it every Sunday.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Waffles

What we love about this breakfast idea is that you can absolutely use frozen waffles. Top them with peanut butter, honey, banana, raisins, or jelly.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Swirl Bread

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As much as we'd like to have a sit-down breakfast every morning, sometimes we just have to grub on the go. That's where this tasty breakfast bread from Cook Nourish Blisscomes in super handy—no messy knives and no sticky fingers, just a hearty slice of heaven to start your day. A word of warning: do NOT try and toast this bread, it will make quite a mess!

PB& J Pancake Sandwiches

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Using pancakes instead of bread? Why not? Before you go thinking you're spoiling your little jelly monsters, take a look at this recipe from Weelicious—it's healthy! We're pretty sure you won't hear many complaints, as your kids will be too busy snacking on their new favorite way to eat PB&Js.

Related:23 Easy-to-Prep School Lunch Ideas for Kids

Snack & Lunch Recipes with Peanut Butter and Jelly

Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bites

These energy bites could work as a quick breakfast or an on-the-go snack. Full of protein and flavor, they take 15 minutes to make. Get the recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.

PB&J Pizza

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Our kids are already big fans of the cheesy variety, so we're pretty confident that they'll be beside themselves when they hear you're making them Nicole'sspecialPB&J pizza for snack. They'll be even more excited when you let them pick a topping or two—banana slices for pepperoni, coconut flakes for shredded cheese, get creative! Major style points if you can pipe the jelly out onto the pizza like this.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi

How do you make a sandwich even more finger food-y? Roll it up and cut it into sushi rolls. These would be great for feeding a bunch of little rugrats, as they could just pop a few of these in their mouths. We love Brit + Co.‘s idea of topping them with fresh fruit to compliment the flavors of the jelly.

Peanut Butter Quesadillas with Jelly Dipping Sauce

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This PB&J from Home Cooking Memories goes south of the border. Reducing the jelly down to a sauce makes a sweet, syrupy mixture that is great for dunking. Another great snack choice for multiple hungry mouths, whip up a few of these and lay them out for an afternoon snack.

Dessert PB&J Kids Will Love

Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake

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Sounds good, looks good, tastes great. ThisChocolate-Covered Katierecipe uses a mixture of milk and vanilla extract instead of ice cream, so it's at least a little healthier for you. Adding in frozen berries for jelly also makes this shake extra smooth without the extra guilt. Best enjoyed with a crazy straw.

Dark Chocolate Dreams Sandwich

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After this treat, you may never want to sink your teeth into plain ole PB&J again! Peanut Butter & Co.'s Dark Chocolately Dreams spread, preserves and coconut is all it takes to make the sandwich of your dreams a reality.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

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Sweet and savory is a classic flavor combo, and no two things bring together these tastes like peanut butter and jelly. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Jessica of How Sweet It Is thought to create a PB&J-inspired dessert. Using whole wheat flour makes this cake a little more healthy, so you don't have to feel guilty about eating it for dessert...and next morning's breakfast.

PB&J Pops

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How many licks does it take to get to the center of a PB&J pop? We're not sure, but we know of a few little ones who wouldn't mind being our guinea pigs for this little experiment. Thanks to Catherine of Weelicious for another great PB&J recipe.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

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We love bite-sized desserts almost as much as our kids do. Plus, desserts always seem that much more adorable when they're just pop-able enough to warrant eating at least two or three. Jamie of My Baking Addiction makes these cupcakes with white cake in lieu of white bread, and have a hollowed-out center filled with sweet jelly, then topped with peanut butter frosting. Simplydecadent.

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15 Unique PB&J Recipes Kids Will Love (2024)

FAQs

What does the J stand for in a PB&J sandwich? ›

PB&J is short for peanut butter and jelly. : We made PB&Js for the kids and their friends.

How to jazz up PB&J? ›

10+ Ways to Switch Up a PB&J
  1. Make a regular PB&J, then toast the whole thing. ...
  2. Swap the jelly for romaine lettuce and honey. ...
  3. Make a triple decker: bread, jelly, peanut butter, bread, peanut butter, jelly, bread. ...
  4. Add Nutella OR smoked almonds OR mini chocolate chips OR cereal. ...
  5. Go for an open-faced treatment.
Sep 22, 2023

Can a 12 month old eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? ›

Babies 9 - 12 months old can continue to eat peanut products — but not whole nuts. Continue to serve in small amounts. Babies at this age are able to pick up foods with their fingers and may enjoy peanut butter puffs.

How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in 3 steps? ›

Directions
  1. On one slice of bread, spread peanut butter evenly over the bread.
  2. On the other slice of bread, spread the jelly evenly over the bread.
  3. Put the two slices of bread together with the peanut butter and jelly facing in.
  4. Serve and enjoy!
  5. Optional: Remove crusts, cut diagonally.

What is the P in PB&J? ›

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) consists of peanut butter and fruit preserves—jelly—spread on bread. The sandwich may be open-faced, made of a single slice of bread folded over, or made using two slices of bread.

Is PB and J only an American thing? ›

But as natural a combination savory, salty peanut butter and bright, sweet jelly seems to Americans, the rest of the world is a bit wary — the PB&J is really found only in the U.S. And how we got the PB&J, a relative newcomer to the culinary world, is the result of some serious American ingenuity.

Is a PB and J healthy? ›

From a nutritional standpoint, a PB&J sandwich is pretty good,” says Ryan D. Andrews, MS, MA, RD, RYT, CSCS, and author of A Guide to Plant-Based Eating. You've got protein, fat, and fiber, all of which can support a healthy diet, he says. Peanut butter is a good low carb source of protein, packing 7 g in a 2 tbsp.

What else to put on peanut butter and jelly? ›

You can also add crunch elements like coconut flakes, granola, or chia seeds. If you're feeling adventurous, try the popular bacon-peanut butter combo, or try Elvis's famous peanut butter, bacon, and banana combination. Love Peanut Butter and want to look beyond the peanut butter and jelly sandwich??

Why do Americans call jam jelly? ›

What is the American English for jam? Well, the word jam is used in the US, though the more common term is jelly. In US English, the technical distinction is that jams contain both the juice and flesh of the fruit, whereas jellies don't contain any of the flesh.

How do you intensify peanut butter flavor? ›

You can further augment the gustatory potential of the peanut butter by using both vanilla extract and almond extract in your dough—just a splash of the latter is enough to boost your cookies' nuttiness (while remaining subtle enough that no one will cotton onto the presence of drupe essence in your legume dessert).

Can I make a PBJ the night before? ›

These are great to make the night before, but if you want to make your sandwiches further ahead, once cut, wrap them in plastic wrap and keep the refrigerated, then you can just pop them into lunchboxes. Lightly toast your bread to keep it from getting soggy.

Is PB and J healthy for kids? ›

Peanut butter and jelly is a classic favorite among kids and adults. And, good news, UnityPoint Health Dietitian Tricia Leininger says it's an excellent snack or quick meal.

How to make a jam sandwich instructions for kids? ›

  1. You need: bread.
  2. butter.
  3. jam.
  4. knife.
  5. plate.
  6. First put the butter on the bread.
  7. Next put the jam on the bread.
  8. Then put the bread together.

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