I Tried And Ranked 11 Grape Jelly Brands

If you grew up eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as I did, you know that the type of grape jelly you use matters. Now, when I was younger, I was definitely more drawn to the jelly that tasted the most like candy. As an adult, I've discovered that there are wide ranges of grape jelly that can offer many different flavor profiles and experiences: bright and fruity, slightly sour, smooth, chunky, and everything in between. I decided to really dive in and taste-test as many grape jellies as I possibly could.

For this test, I also used brands that labeled their product as "fruit spread" and "fruit preserves". Those tend to be a bit different than jelly, because they have actual pieces of grapes crushed up in the mixture, and tend to have less added sugar (or none at all). Jelly is normally made with strained fruit juice, so it has a smoother texture and higher sugar content.

When I performed my taste test, I first tasted each spread on its own, and then I placed it on top of a toasted piece of bread. I focused on the enjoyment of the texture, the balance between sweetness and actual grape flavorings, and the presence of other qualities that made the spread well-rounded and exciting. With all that to say, let's get tasting.

Skinnygirl Sugar Free Preserves easily landed in last place for me, and the biggest problem wasn't that it was sugar-free. Funnily enough, I was surprised by how sweet it actually tasted. I expected a sugar-free spread to be somewhat subdued, possibly leaning into more of the fresh and slightly sour grape taste. Unfortunately, it was immensely sweet in a way that didn't taste particularly natural to me. The most unpleasant part was the lingering aftertaste, which reminded me of sugar-free candy — a flavor profile I personally don't enjoy.

The overwhelming sweetness was especially noticeable when I compared it with some of the other spreads in this lineup. Several of the higher-ranked options had a tartness that made them taste bright and natural. Skinnygirl didn't give me that same experience, and instead, I wasn't able to enjoy any of the actual grape flavoring itself.

Of course, this is probably going to come down to personal preference. If you're specifically looking for a sugar-free preserve that still tastes super sweet, this may still be worth trying. People who don't mind the taste of sugar substitutes may have a completely different reaction.

The first thing I noticed when tasting the Whole Foods 365 Jelly was the clear amount of sugar that's in the jar (approximately 13 grams per serving). Instead of tasting like fresh grapes with some sweetness added, it almost felt like eating candy –- but at least this one tasted like real sugar, so I'll give the jelly some points for that. When you're tasting a grape spread by itself, you want to be able to pick up on the true fruit flavor, and here, the sugar seemed to take over the entire experience.

Interestingly, I did find it a little more enjoyable when I ate it with bread. The bread mellowed out some of the sweetness and made the overall bite more balanced. Even then, though, the jelly remained very sugar-forward. This is one of those products where personal preference will make a huge difference. If the younger version of myself tried this jelly, I would probably have loved it. Now, as an adult, I prefer a much more balanced and less sugar-focused flavor, so I can't say that I'd particularly choose to buy this jelly now. Overall, it doesn't taste bad; it's just not the well-rounded type of jelly that I prefer.

Smucker's Jelly is the definition of classic grape jelly. It has that familiar, nostalgic flavor that immediately makes me think of childhood PB&Js and toast. There's nothing particularly exciting about it, but that's also part of why people gravitate towards it so much — it has a simple, enjoyable flavor. Now, you'll see I ranked this in ninth place, and that's simply because it was a bit too sweet for my liking. The grape flavor was there, thankfully, but like the previous two brands, the sweetness still overtook the overall experience, especially when you're eating the jelly on its own. I found myself wishing there was a little more tartness or fresh fruit flavor to balance everything out.

That said, I didn't dislike it. There's something comforting about how familiar it tastes, and I can absolutely understand why it's remained a staple. If you're making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, this is the kind of jelly that gets the job done without requiring much thought. It also held up well against the other traditional grape jellies I tried, even though I ultimately preferred some of the more fruit-forward spreads. Smucker's has the sweet, fruity flavor you'd expect, but it doesn't have quite enough complexity to really stand out.

Welch's Jelly and Smucker's were incredibly close for me, but Welch's managed to earn itself a spot higher. Like Smucker's, it's intensely nostalgic — I particularly remember eating this kind of grape jelly on toast with butter as a kid, so the flavor immediately brought back that familiar childhood experience. It's also very sweet, but it has a tad less sweet feeling on the tongue when compared directly to Smucker's. That small difference was enough to make it more enjoyable for me.

The grape flavor was also a tiny bit more recognizable and satisfying, yet I still found myself yearning for just a little bit more tartness or freshness. After tasting spreads that actually let the fruit flavor shine through, Welch's felt a little too focused on sweetness. Ultimately, I think this comes down to what you want from your grape jelly. If nostalgia and classic flavor are the goal, Welch's is a very solid choice, especially because it doesn't completely punch you with sugar. If you're looking for something that tastes more like actual fruit, though, better options are coming up.

Market Pantry Jelly is another very classic grape jelly, but I found it just a little more interesting than Welch's. The two are extremely similar in both sweetness and overall flavor, but Market Pantry has slightly more of that fresh, fruity quality that I've been searching for. It's still a sweet jelly, don't get me wrong, but the actual grape flavor comes through a little more clearly. I also thought it had a bit more body to it, which made the overall experience feel slightly more substantial.

I would confidently say that out of the classic tasting grape jellies, this was the most well-balanced and interesting one. The reason it didn't rank higher was that as I tasted my way through the lineup, I increasingly found myself drawn toward spreads with more tartness and a stronger fresh-fruit flavor. Market Pantry is still pretty sugar-forward, so it doesn't have quite the complexity as the spreads that ranked above it do. Still, it's a noticeable step up for me from the jellies at the bottom of the ranking. The slightly fresher fruit flavor gives it enough of an edge to make it a jelly I'd happily eat again.

Polaner Fruit Spread is where this ranking starts getting much more interesting. While it still has the sweet, familiar flavor you'd expect from a grape jelly, there's a little more going on here that makes it stand out from the traditional jellies below it.

The consistency of this spread was very jelly-like and almost shaky, which gave it that classic grape-jelly texture. Flavor-wise, it was definitely sweet, but there was also a tiny bit of a tangy bite that kept it from feeling completely one-dimensional. What I particularly liked is how much it reminded me of what I think grape jelly should truly taste like. It's classic, fruity, and comforting without being quite as aggressively sweet as some of the other traditional jellies I tried.

While I did enjoy it, this jelly was not the freshest-tasting spread in the lineup, as it didn't have the same level of sourness or complexity that some of my favorites had. But it does strike a really nice middle ground between sweetness and fruit flavor, landing it perfectly in the middle at No. 6.

Good & Gather Fruit Spread, from one of Target's store brands, was one of the biggest pleasant surprises of this taste test — particularly because it's a budget-friendly option. I didn't expect it to stand out quite as much as it did. Right as the fruit spread hit my tongue, I was met with a satisfyingly delicious sour-forward flavor that immediately made it more interesting to me than several of the traditional grape jellies.

Don't be turned off by the word "sour," however. It was still sweet, with a very clear sugary aftertaste that lingers a bit — but the initial taste feels much more like real fruit than candy. That balance is exactly what I was looking for as I worked my way through all of these spreads.

The texture of this spread was also right in the middle — not super smooth, but not particularly chunky either. It had that classic jelly-like texture that makes it easy to spread on bread for a sandwich. You get a nice fruity flavor and a little sourness without having to spend a lot. While I did really enjoy this brand, there were four others that took the spotlight. But if you're shopping on a budget, I think this is the next best choice after some of the more expensive spreads higher on my list.

Smash Fruit Spread was one of the most unique spreads I tried, largely because the flavor didn't linger in one place. When I first tasted it, there was a wave of tartness, and a few seconds later, a rush of sweetness followed. Somehow, to finish it off, the tartness came back and lingered in the aftertaste.

That progression made this feel much fresher and more interesting than a standard grape jelly. It also has a pretty distinctive ingredient list, including chia seeds, dates, and lemon, which helps give it a more complex flavor. This brand does market itself as a "superfood fruit spread", so it's definitely a different type of jelly altogether. Overall, I really enjoyed how Smash had a freshness that made it feel closer to eating actual fruit. The tartness kept the sweetness from becoming overwhelming, and the lingering sourness gave me a reason to go back for another bite.

Ultimately, it didn't quite crack my top three because I preferred the texture or flavor of the spreads above it just a little more. However, Smash is still one of the most memorable products I tried. If you want something that feels fresher and more interesting than traditional grape jelly, this is a very solid option.

Crofters Fruit Spread was one of my favorites almost immediately, and a huge part of that was the texture. It was so smooth that it truly felt like velvet on the tongue. There's something incredibly satisfying about spreading it across a piece of toast, and the consistency alone made me want to keep eating it. Now, this doesn't mean that I don't like a chunky jelly, but there was something special and almost magical about how this texture existed.

Thankfully, the flavor lived up to the texture. Compared with Polaner, Crofter's was a little less sweet, which allowed more of the fresh fruity flavor to come through. It left me with a bright, fruity taste in the mouth, which made it almost impossible not to want another bite. This particular distinction became really important as I worked through the lineup. I found myself consistently gravitating toward spreads that tasted like fruit first and sugar second, and Crofter's does that really well.

If you like your fruit spread to be silky rather than chunky, this may be your perfect match. The texture is easily my favorite of the bunch, and the slightly less sweet flavor makes it even more enjoyable. It came extremely close to taking the top spot, but two spreads managed to snag the lead with even more distinctive flavor.

Good Good Jelly was my favorite product that was actually labeled "jelly," and honestly, the flavor almost got it to the top of the entire ranking. The biggest thing holding it back was the texture. Right away, I noticed that it was surprisingly difficult to scoop out with a knife. It was almost too thin, to the point where I nearly reached for a spoon instead. That's not exactly the most convenient quality for something you're supposed to spread on toast.

Don't let my initial complaint deter you, however; once I tasted this jelly, I completely forgot about the texture issue. The first flavor that came through was a strong sourness, which I absolutely loved. Instead of immediately hitting you with sugar, it tasted bright, tart, and fruity — exactly what I've deemed to be great qualities of a grape jelly. After the sourness settled down, a delicate layer of sweetness melted right in.

This combination of flavors made it taste fresh and light in a way that many of the traditional jellies didn't. It had plenty of sweetness, but it never felt like I was eating grape-flavored candy. If the texture were a little easier to work with, this could very well have been my number one. But because I was ranking the entire eating experience, not just flavor, it had to settle for second place.

St. Dalfour Fruit Spread was the clear winner for me, and it ultimately came down to one thing: it tasted like actual grapes. There are literal pieces of grape skin in the spread, which immediately gives it a more natural, fruit-forward quality than many of the smoother jellies I tried. While I did enjoy the smoother textures, too, this fresh take on jelly was just too exciting to resist. If you're looking for something that feels like a true grape spread rather than a sugary version of grape flavor, this is it.

This fruit spread is definitely sweet, but what really makes it special is the sourness that comes through perfectly alongside it. That little bit of tartness kept the sweetness from becoming overwhelming, and created a much more complex flavor than the traditional jellies lower on my list.

I think that this grape spread achieved the perfect balance. You get the sweetness you'd expect from a fruit spread or jelly, but then there's that sour, almost tangy element that makes the flavor much more exciting. After tasting 11 different jellies and fruit spreads, this was the one I kept coming back to in my mind. It had the sweetness, acidity, texture, and genuine fruit flavor that I was looking for. If you're willing to move beyond traditional grape jelly, St. Dalfour is the one I'd recommend first.

When ranking various brands of grape jelly (including fruit spreads and preserves), I had to focus on a few key things. I tasted each jelly on its own, and then I also tasted it spread on a piece of toast. That way, I could isolate each flavor, but see how it paired with bread as well. First and foremost, I made note of whether or not the spread was too sweet. If anything is too sweet, it overtakes the other flavors, and that's not what you want out of a quality food.

Then, I paid attention to the other flavors (if any) that I could sense. Was there any sort of freshness, tartness, sourness, or true grape flavor to the spread? If there was, how was it balanced with the sweetness? I also noted the texture and paid attention to how that played a part in the enjoyability of the jelly.