Childhood favorite: Here’s how most people in NJ prefer a PB&J sandwich

Picture it: you’re in your grade school cafeteria. You have your lunch box with your favorite movie or TV show character on it. You open it up, and what do you see?

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Bliss.

You likely have it most days for lunch, but is it always made the way most of New Jersey prefers it?

A new study by Chicco can answer that for you.

National PB&J Day is Thursday, Apr. 2, 2026

Just in time for National PB&J Day, Chicco put out a survey to determine the ideal way to make the staple elementary school sandwich.

If we’re being honest, some of us are still having them as adults, myself included.

Read More: Bagel etiquette: What's acceptable in New Jersey snacking?

How does New Jersey prefer their PB&J sandwiches?

In terms of whether the “J” in PB&J stands for “jelly” or “jam,” New Jerseyans opt for jelly. Specifically, strawberry flavored.

As for the ratio of peanut butter to jelly, we want 59% PB to 41% J.

Personally, I think we’re on the right side of history here. I don’t trust people who have a higher ratio of jelly. It makes the meal a little too wet.

Then there’s the matter of how you cut your sandwich once it’s prepared (if you cut it at all). While some prefer going right down the middle, we in the Garden State want our PB&Js cut diagonally.

Again, the right choice in my opinion.

By the way, if you’ve never tried it, I recommend preparing your sandwich like a grilled cheese.

Toast the bread first, apply your preferred amount of peanut butter and jelly, then after spreading butter on the outer sides, heat that bad boy up on the stove.

It’s truly a game-changer.

You can read the entire study from Cicco here.

Happy National PB&J Day!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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