The best grape jelly will make you reexamine the virtues of a beloved childhood condiment. Whenever we’d eat at diners when I was a kid, I’d always sit there and eat it with a spoon out of those little foil-top containers while I waited for the actual food to come. But over the years, grape jelly and I sort of grew apart. I developed enough impulse control to forgo eating jelly off a spoon while I wait for my eggs and toast. And although I never outgrew a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I moved on to strawberry preserves. It just seemed more dignified.
Revisiting the world of grape jelly—and eating it right off a spoon, no less—was a delightful experience. Prior to this taste test I would have assumed that all grape jelly is pretty much the same—like, buy the generic and you’ll be fine—but that’s actually not the case! The best grape jellies are special. Some of them are so special you can serve them with expensive cheese (see: St. Dalfour). Whether you’re looking for something to smear on toast or something to pour into a crockpot with a bunch of cocktail meatballs, there’s a grape jelly for you.
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- St. Dalfour French Grape Fruit Spread
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Okay, including this fancy-ass fruit spread on a list of the best grape jellies is a little bit of a stretch. Before you crack open this jar, forget everything you know about grape jelly—what it tastes like, even what it’s used for. St. Dalfour grape fruit spread isn’t for your seven-year-old’s PB&J, unless you have one of those precocious seven-year-olds who, like, wears a suit to school and is constantly fact checking you … “Um, actually, mother …” This spread is loaded with big, squishy whole grapes (with seeds; be forewarned if that irks you). It’s a fascinating condiment that’s bursting with real grape flavor. I can’t really recommend it as a grape jelly, but I can recommend it as a charcuterie board accoutrement. Scoop a dollop of this onto your favorite fancy piece of wood and serve it with something salty and nutty like manchego.
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- Crofter’s Concord Grape Organic
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Crofter’s looks like a high-quality grape jelly and, spoiler, it is. This has a totally different consistency than most grape jellies and I think some people, particularly grownups, will really like that deviation. This spread is more like a jam or preserves than a jelly. It smells outrageously grapey as soon as you open the jar, almost like grape Fruit Roll-Ups. It’s the best grape jelly for slathering on a slice of buttered cinnamon raisin bread—twice the grape action!
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- Smucker’s Concord Grape Jelly
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Smucker’s is the brand when it comes to flavorful jellies and jams. This glass jar of jelly with the gingham lid is a classic for a reason. I tasted this head to head with a cheap store brand (Signature Select) and even though their top ingredients are pretty much the same (concord grapes and high fructose corn syrup), Smucker’s is just so much more flavorful and has a much better consistency—smooth and gelatinous rather than thick and slimy. This is precisely what I was compulsively eating out of diner packets as a kid, and it’s just as delicious and satisfying today.
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- Welch’s Natural Concord Grape Spread
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I know that Welch’s is known for all things grape, but I kind of didn’t expect a grape jelly in a big ol’ squeeze bottle to be the best grape jelly we tried during our in-office taste test. Welch’s Natural Concord Grape Spread is absolutely bursting with concord grape flavor. And unlike most grape jelly, it isn’t made with high fructose corn syrup. It’s just concord grapes, sugar, lemon juice concentrate, and fruit pectin. Don’t be turned off by the fact that it’s a “spread” rather than a jelly—it’s the consistency of jelly, I promise. Important note: We also tried Welch’s regular old concord grape jelly, and it’s not as good as the natural fruit spread. Pick up a bottle of this and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s the best grape jelly we tried.
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Best for a Board
Best Organic
Best Classic Flavor
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Signature Select Grape Jelly, 365 Organic Grape Jelly, Welch’s Concord Grape Jelly, Great Value Squeezable Grape Jelly
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!