The 4 Best Grape Jellies You Can Buy, According to Our Taste Test

You can use artisanal sourdough and the world’s best peanut butter, but ultimately, you can’t make an extraordinary PB&J without extraordinary jelly. Grape jelly is the ideal choice — the deeply sweet, slightly acidic fruit perfectly contrasts with the rich, creamy nut butter. 

Of course, grape-flavored spreads are not exclusive to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They’re excellent for baking, glazing, and pairing with cured meats on a charcuterie board. But which grape spread is best? We tasted 11 grape-flavored jellies, jams, and fruit spreads to find out.

How we determined the contenders

We decided not to limit this taste test to grape jellies, since realistically, the average shopper is just as likely to use jams and fruit spreads (more on the differences between all of these below). 

We did not include any low-sugar, sugar-free, or organic versions, unless that was the brand’s standard product. For example, we didn’t try Smucker’s sugar-free grape jam because we tested its standard grape jam, but we did include Smash Foods, which only makes fruit spreads with “no sugar added.” With that in mind, we landed on 11 grape-flavored spreads that are available nationwide. 

The difference between jam, jelly, and fruit spreads

While grape jelly, grape jam, and grape fruit spread are all suitable for PB&J sandwiches, they are each inherently different. Both jam and jelly are made with fruit, sugar, and pectin (either naturally occurring or added). Jelly is made with strained fruit juice, typically making it smooth, firm, and jiggly like canned cranberry sauce. Jam contains crushed or blended fruit, and is usually softer or chunkier. Fruit spread is a more general term, but it is commonly used if a product is more fruit-forward or it doesn’t meet the FDA standards for a jam or jelly — for example, it might contain a lower percentage of sugar. 

How we tested

All of the grape spreads were emptied into bowls and labeled by number, so that our editors were unaware of which products they were tasting. Testers were encouraged to sample them by the spoonful and on white bread to test their spreadability. 

Our tasters evaluated the spreads on taste and texture. For taste, we looked for a balanced, grape-forward flavor that was natural and complex. For texture, we wanted something that spread well and didn’t feel gummy, tough, or watery. 

We also gave each product an overall score based on personal preferences and how likely we’d be to buy it again. We averaged the scores to determine the four best grape spreads on the market.

Best overall: Smucker’s Concord Grape Jam

Smucker’s Concord grape jam had all the sweet, nostalgic flavor of its iconic jelly, but with a softer, more spreadable consistency. “It’s so smooth,” said Assistant Special Projects Editor Emma Gehris. “It spreads easily and tastes just as good on bread [as it does alone].” 

While it leaned more sugary than some of the other products we tried, it was balanced with citric acid. That candylike quality makes it just as destined for pastry applications as your morning toast — use it as the filling for a hand pie or spoon it over a cheesecake.

Most Concord-forward: Stonewall Kitchen Concord Grape Jelly

Having a spoonful of Stonewall Kitchen’s grape jelly is like biting into a peak-season Concord grape: ripe, juicy, and winelike. “It punches you in the face with Concord flavor,” said Senior Editor Audrey Morgan. As with Smucker’s grape jam, our editors compared this product to candy, which makes sense — lots of grape-flavored candy mimics the flavor of Concord grapes. 

The texture was as wobbly as Jell-O but still soft enough to spread. We recommend using this jelly anytime you want grape to be the main character, or pairing it with savory ingredients like spiral-cut ham or Swedish meatballs. 

Best value: Welch’s Concord Grape Jelly

At only $4 for a 20-ounce bottle, this was one of the least expensive products we purchased. Even better, it was tart, bright, and zippy — reminiscent of a grape ice pop. Although Welch’s uses real grapes, several of our editors were turned off by a seemingly artificial flavor (perhaps from the high-fructose corn syrup, if not the grapes). “It has too much of an artificial vibe for me, and not in a fun, nostalgic way,” said Editorial Director Dylan Garret.

This jelly was much wetter and looser than the others, making it slightly less pleasant to spread. That said, Welch’s is a reliable choice for your everyday PB&J.

Most natural: St. Dalfour French Grape Fruit Spread

While our top four picks are all made with real grapes, St. Dalfour was the only one that had whole chunks of fruit. It’s made entirely of fruit-derived ingredients: grapes, grape and date juice concentrates, fruit pectin, and lemon juice. “This tastes the most like an actual, real-life grape that has been cooked down,” said Melanie Hansche, editorial director of special projects. 

We enjoyed the popping boba-like texture of the grapes, but the chunky consistency would make this spread difficult to actually spread — it’d be more suitable spooned over yogurt or soft cheese. “I don’t want to have to deal with whole grapes in my grape jelly anymore than I want to deal with whole tomatoes in my ketchup,” said Garret. “I wish I could pop it in a blender and smooth it out.”

The full list of contenders, ranked from highest to lowest

1. Smucker’s Concord Grape Jam
2. Stonewall Kitchen Concord Grape Jelly
3. Welch’s Concord Grape Jelly
4. St. Dalfour French Grape Fruit Spread
5. Bonne Maman Concord Grape Fruit Spread
6. Crofter’s Organic Concord Grape Fruit Spread
7. Smucker’s Grape Jelly Squeeze
8. Smucker’s Concord Grape Jelly
9. Smash Foods Concord Grape Superfood Fruit Spread
10. Market Pantry Squeezable Grape Jelly
11. 365 by Whole Foods Organic Concord Grape Jelly