The Worst Strawberry Jam Comes From An Iconic Brand

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A spoon of strawberry jam can go a long way. You can slather it on toast for a sweet breakfast treat, swirl it into some natural yogurt for a fruity twist, or channel your inner European and use it to top scones, croissants, and other baked goods. Of course there's always the elevated peanut butter sandwich or peanut butter thumbprints for a match truly made in heaven. Whatever way you choose to use strawberry jam, the most important thing to do is make sure you're picking up a good one, and we're here to tell you what jar to avoid at all costs: Smucker's Seedless Strawberry Jam.

Yes, we know. Smucker's is perhaps one of the most iconic American jelly brands, but while its Concord Grape variety continues to please, the Seedless Strawberry Jam just didn't live up to the same reputation in our recent test taste of eight strawberry jam brands. One of our experts pitted jars from the likes of Trader Joe's, O Organics, and Bonne Maman against each other and ranked each one from worst to best, and Smucker's, unfortunately, came out at the bottom.

The texture was just too dull for our tester, who also didn't love the fact that the jam is made with high fructose corn syrup. The sweetness was pleasing, but there were no fruit fibers visible in the jar and it just tasted a little boring when compared to the likes of Crofter's Organic Strawberry Fruit Spread, which was our top pick.

Smucker's does have some die hard fans out there. The Seedless Strawberry Jam has a rating of nearly five stars on Amazon, where customers have called it "a taste of summer sunshine." People like to use the jam to make classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or give it to kids who hate seeds. 

Of course, everything comes down to preference. Some Walmart shoppers agreed with our analysis, saying that Smucker's had "no strawberry taste at all" and that the lack of fruit pieces made it "more of a jelly than a jam." That being said, many online reviewers appreciate the smooth texture, but our tester was left wanting something more.

Overall, we just preferred the more fruit-forward and natural flavor from brands like Bonne Maman and Crofter's. They tasted fresher and more balanced to us, like the best homemade jams, but we can appreciate the nostalgia that comes along with Smucker's. Plus, the Seedless Strawberry Jam would be great for picky eaters, and you can find it in almost every store. The jars make pretty cute jam jar cocktails too, which is always a bonus.