Jif’s Weirdest Product Yet Has Two New Flavors

Earlier this year, Jif took a pretty big swing when it dropped its peanut butter noodles. The world – by which I mean, myself – looked on with curiosity. Peanut flavors and noodles are, of course, a rock-solid pairing, but the concept of the two of them being in an instant noodle cup and made by a peanut butter manufacturer felt strange. Left-of-center. Daring. 

Videos by Sporked

“Will this be a flash in the pan, or will it be the start of something totally new for the brand?” I wondered. Now, five months later, I have my answer. Jif’s added two new noodle flavors to its line-up. Here’s the deal.

Jif Stir-Fry Style Noodles: An Expanding Line

This week, we learned that Jif has added a duo of slightly more complex flavors to its Stir-Fry Style Noodles line-up. As @candyhunting reported, it now has Pad Thai and Hot Honey Peanut Butter Flavored Ramen options, which are slowly but surely being rolled out at major retailers. The former has been spotted at Hy-Vee, while the latter has been spotted at Walmart – and we’d imagine they’ll be showing up elsewhere, too. 

One of these new flavors makes a lot more sense to me than the other. Pad thai – the real, authentic pad thai – is made with crushed peanuts, and peanut butter often sneaks its way into adapted recipes as a non-traditional way to boost flavor. But hot honey peanut butter noodles? That one does feel a bit like Jif has just jumped on the hot honey trend. I’m not quite sold on it yet. 

Better Than Expected?

Jif’s new Hot Honey Peanut Butter Flavored Ramen noodles haven’t quite been in circulation long enough to garner any customer responses just yet, but its Pad Thai flavor has – and it seems that Jif’s done a pretty decent job here. The Ramen Rater, aka the internet’s go-to source on all things instant noodles, tried them a few weeks back and noted that while they were very clearly a variation on a theme, they didn’t taste terrible. If you’re in a pinch and want a suggestion of pad thai, they’re probably not the worst option out there. 

Jif’s regular Peanut Butter Flavored Ramen, meanwhile, has been collecting some pretty good reviews since it dropped earlier in the year. While the peanutty flavor is its main selling point, it’s actually getting most praise for its noodle texture, which has a decent bite to it. This one might not yet have a place in the instant ramen hall of fame, but it’s not half bad.