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 bagsStep 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!
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.
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.
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View Comments
So glad to see that you use the crusts in something else!! I make these also and use the crust for french toast bites!!
Has anyone tried NOT cutting off the crust and freezing them? I do not have room for one more gadget in my kitchen so I hesitate to purchase one if I can do this and still leave the crust.
If you don't want to purchase another kitchen gadget you could still cut off the crusts and then crimp the sides down with a fork. Hope that helps. :)
Has anyone tried toasting the diy pbj sandwich from frozen?
You can usually defrost these DIY uncrustables easily in your child's lunch box or on a paper plate an hour or so before needed. But I have never tried toasting them. :)
And does everyone know that Uncrustables are DELICIOUS frozen? We serve them for pre-school frozen as a snack and they are pretty much like pie. No, not healthy, but more substantial than a popsicle!
I would love to try this but my husband still has nightmares if his mom freezing his PB&J's on Sunday fir the week. He send they were always freezer burnt. I'm sure this technique is better!
Love to make a bunch of these for easy lunches! I use the crusts for homemade stuffing or croutons!!
You could also use them as part if bread pudding
My husband takes PB&Js to work. Do you know if you can freeze them without taking the crust off?
Yes, you can freeze them without taking the crusts off. Just be sure to wrap each sandwich to prevent freezer burn and help keep them fresh. :)
I bought a sandwich cutter that removed the crust and made a diagonal cut through the sandwich at the Dollar Tree. i use it all the time for my son's sandwiches. i don't think it crimps the crust but you can still freeze them.
I recently got a Pampered Chef sandwich sealer at an adoption fundraiser after I read this post! I am so excited to make my 1st batch today -and make my husband happy by not wasting the crust by using one of your recipes above!
You can use crust to make bread pudding. You can mix the crust with raisin bread to make it more flavorful.
So this might have been asked but I was wondering if the sandwiches get soggy making them ahead of time. I remember as a kid the jelly would soak through the bread on that side. For that reason I don't premake my kids sandwiches until that morning. Thanks. I would love to make things eaiser.
That's why it's in between both layers of on.
That's why she says to use peanut butter on both sides and only jelly in the middle-the peanut butter will protect the bread!
I wish we had all your stuff in Poland... My boys would be more than delighted...