The Best Things To Add To Your Peanut Butter Sandwich That Aren't Jelly

Very few foods are as entrenched in American society as peanut butter. A product found in more than 90% of U.S. kitchens, according to National Peanut Board, the ubiquitous nature of peanut butter isn't much of a mystery. Beyond the indisputable fact that it's exquisitely delicious, peanut butter is easy to store, easy to use, and cheap. Its history of affordability and availability has made it a mainstay of American cuisine for more than a century, even being used to help ease the burden of meat rationing during World War I (via Smithsonian). And despite its high-calorie count, peanut butter is an exceptionally healthy food, offering a range of nutrients and health benefits — if you avoid the high-sugar, overly-processed varieties advises WebMD.

Peanut butter can be found in appetizers, entrees, and desserts, with recipes from soups to roasted turkey utilizing the ingredient. Of course, while you can use peanut butter in both sweet and savory dishes, nothing tops the classic peanut butter and (fill-in-the-blank) sandwich. Now, when we say fill-in-the-blank, most people default to jelly. But given that there are so many foods that pair well with peanut butter, it feels shortsighted to stick exclusively to that option. Frankly, if you've only ever consumed a peanut butter sandwich with jelly, you haven't yet truly lived. So, with an eye toward expanding your culinary horizons, here are the best things to add to your peanut butter sandwich... that aren't jelly.

One of the healthiest foods at our disposal, peanut butter has the ability to be a monumental component of a well-rounded meal plan. It's high in protein and fiber, and studies have shown it can reduce one's risk for diabetes, cancer, and heart disease (via WebMD). Frankly, if you're looking to ditch jelly from your peanut butter sandwich to 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, as  Livestrong points out.

Of course, as this is America, there's no shortage of ways to take something superbly healthy and destroy any and all nutritional value in the name of increased deliciousness. So if you're inclined to up the decadence factor in your peanut butter and banana sandwich, take inspiration from Elvis Presley's alleged favorite snack, add bacon and cheese, then pan fry it in butter.

If you're a superfan of jelly in any or all flavors, you may be aware that jelly has a smooth and silky texture because it's made with fruit juice rather than the fruit itself, explains Eater. Similarly, if you've ever gone to the grocery store, you've likely noticed most jellies are derived from berries, be it one kind, or a mix of several varieties.

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 berries — otherwise known as jelly in its whole, pre-processed form. It may not have the added sugar found in jars of jelly, but truthfully 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 superfluous, meaning fresh berries can be a delicious (and possibly undetectable) replacement for jelly (via Driscoll's).

Rather than nitpick between types of berries, we'll lump them all together, as adding any berry to your peanut butter sandwich — whether it's strawberries, blueberries, or any other variety — will leave you sufficiently satisfied.

Sometimes, a thing that seems incomprehensibly bizarre at first glance isn't as inconceivable 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. Frankly, the notion of a peanut butter and cheese sandwich shouldn't be that hard to fathom, given the existence of the popular peanut-butter-and-cheese crackers snack. Though it may be difficult to pinpoint why, exactly, this snack cracker combo works so well, as Spoon University ponders, there's no denying that it is a delightful flavor mashup.

If you're opting for a cold sandwich, consider a nuttier-tasting cheese, which 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, as you just may find your mind blown by the sandwich's "savory sweetness," according to USA Today.

Did you see the word mayonnaise and do a double-take? Surely that's some sort of typo, you presumed, because how in the world could any rational person believe mayo is one of the best things to add to your peanut butter sandwich in lieu of jelly? 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, per Garden&Gun. Precisely why someone first thought to combine these two ingredients is unclear, though a lack of other available food options appears a likely reason. Yet 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" when making a sandwich, regardless of the type. In other words, for many people in the south, mayo goes on every sandwich, and peanut butter is no exception. No matter where you stand on the desirability of a mayonnaise and peanut butter sandwich, one thing is clear: it may be the quintessential example of contrasting culinary preferences between subsections of the United States.

Realistically, whether or not you'll 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, and there's already added sugar in the product, the addition of honey may be too cloyingly 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, particularly for a peanut butter formula that has no added sugar. Additionally, honey is known to contain high levels of antioxidants and can provide a sweet and healthy addition to your sandwich (via WebMD).

You don't need to be Winnie-the-Pooh-level obsessed with honey, though, to enjoy it on your peanut butter sandwich. And whether you're opting for raw honey (which, according to Healthline may have a higher nutrient level than the more common pasteurized options) or otherwise, you'll be pleased with your decision as you chow down.

When it comes to the best things to add to a peanut butter sandwich that aren't jelly, we may have been a bit neglectful of savory components in assembling this list. But just because there may be more sweet-leaning suggestions to consider doesn't mean there aren't any entree-type options. And, like its pig-derived cousin in bacon, one of the best additions to your peanut butter sandwich can be pulled pork.

Not unlike the way peanut butter compliments a warm burger so well by melting down into a type of sauce, as Bloomberg points out, the addition of peanut butter to a pulled pork sandwich can be illuminating. Peanut butter works so well with pulled pork, in fact, that some may not even notice its addition. They'll just be amazed at the delicious flavors dancing in their mouth. 

The key to this unexpected pair delighting your taste buds is in the way in which you serve it. Make sure you combine peanut butter with warm pulled pork, as this allows the peanut butter to thin out and coat the pork, creating an irresistible combination you won't forget.