Toasted Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (2024)

This Toasted Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich is comfort food at its best. Buttery, crispy, sweet, and delicious!

This is less of a recipe and more of a general PSA. If you have a toaster oven, you need to make a toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich with it. Like right now.

The bread gets buttery, golden, and perfectly toasted on the outside but stays tender and squishy inside. Just like a classic PB&J…but better.

When it comes to the fillings, I’m old-school and prefer your basic peanut butter + jelly. Tim likes his with banana slices, walnuts, and honey.

Whether you get creative or keep things simple, you really can’t go wrong. Like a cozy toaster oven grilled cheese or piece of cinnamon toast, this simple sandwich is the kind of comfort food that’s just good for your soul.

How to Make a Toasted PB&J

The easiest way to make this sandwich is using the TOAST setting on a no-frills toaster oven. If you’ve got a fancier machine, we’ve included directions for using the Broil, Bake, or Air Fry settings in the recipe card below.

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread.
2. Flip the slices over and spread each piece with your favorite peanut butter.
3. On one slice, top the peanut butter with some jam (avoiding the edges).
4. Cover the jam with the other slice (peanut butter side down) and pop the sandwich in the center of the toaster oven’s cooking rack.
5. Set the dial to Toast on Medium and let cook until the bread is golden and toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Swap The Jam For Fruit

If you’re not into jam or don’t have any you can try adding some fresh fruit.

Crisp apple slices (sprinkled with cinnamon) taste great in the toasted sandwich. But moist fruits like berries and banana slices release juices as they are warmed.

The juices can make the sandwich soggy. So I like to add them after the sandwich has been toasted. Here’s how we make a toasted peanut butter and banana sandwich:

1. Omit the jelly.
2. Prepare and toast the peanut butter sandwich using your preferred method (toast, broil, bake, or air fry).
3. Let the sandwich cool for a minute and then separate the two bread pieces.
4. Layer one side with banana slices and chopped walnuts. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle on a pinch of salt.
5. Top with the remaining bread slice and devour.

Toaster Oven Tips

The main toasting method works best in a basic toaster oven like our little Oster. It’s the kind where you just pop your food in and turn the dial.

We did try using the TOAST setting in our larger Breville Countertop Oven but found the top got over-browned before the bottom was toasted enough.

Using the BROIL setting on LOW resulted in a more evenly toasted sandwich. The only drawback is that you have to remember to flip the sandwich so both sides get evenly toasted.

You can also toast your PB&J using the BAKE or AIR FRY settings. For either setting, you’ll need to flip the sandwich after a few minutes to get it evenly toasted and browned.

If you’re cooking for a crowd, you can even use a traditional oven to toast a bunch of sandwiches at one time.

Whatever method you choose, you might need to play around with it a bit to find the perfect timing for toasting your sammie. But trust me, it’s worth it!

More Tasty Sandwich Recipes

• Toasted Caprese Sandwich
• Make-Ahead: Frozen Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Classic Veggie Subs
• Greek Yogurt Chickpea Salad Wrap
• Zucchini and Hummus Pita Sandwiches

Toasted Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Yield: 1 Sandwich

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes

Pop your PB&J in the toaster oven and transform it into a buttery, warm, and crispy lunchtime treat. Try swapping the preserves with fresh fruit like bananas or berries!

Ingredients

• 2 slices bread
• 2 teaspoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon fruit preserves

Instructions

1. Spread butter on one side of each bread slice. Flip slices over and spread with peanut butter. Spread preserves onto one slice and top with remaining bread slice, buttered-side-up.
2. Adjust the cooking rack to the center position if possible, otherwise use the bottom position.
3. Place sandwich directly in the center of the toaster oven cooking rack.
4. Set toaster oven to TOAST on MEDIUM and cook until bread is toasted about 2½ to 3 minutes, adding more time as needed.
5. Use tongs or a spatula to carefully remove the sandwich. Cool slightly, then slice in half and dig in!

Notes

Broiler Method

1. Set the Broiler to LOW and use the middle rack position.
2. Place prepared sandwich on a baking sheet and add to oven or toaster oven.
3. Cook until the top of the sandwich is golden and toasted, about 1 to 3 minutes.
4. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the pan and flip the sandwich.
5. Return to oven and broil the second side until browned, about 1 to 2 minutes more.

Air-Fryer Toaster Oven

1. Do not preheat, select the AIR-FRY function, and set the temperature to 350°F.
2. Add sandwich to air fryer basket, turn the oven on and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden on top.
3. Carefully remove the basket, flip the sandwich and continue cooking until the other side is toasted about 1 to 3 minutes.

Traditional Oven

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Add prepared sandwich to a sheet pan and cook until the bottom is golden, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Wearing oven mitts, carefully remove the hot pan and use a spatula to flip the sandwich.
4. Return to the oven and cook until the other side is toasted, about 2 minutes more.

*As ovens and types of bread vary, you’ll probably need to adjust the timing for your sandwich. Stay close by the first few times you cook one and take note of any changes for your specific oven / chosen method.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 425Total Fat: 25.8gSaturated Fat: 7.8gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 273mgCarbohydrates: 36.6gFiber: 6.9gSugar: 10.3gProtein: 14g

See Also

Greek Yogurt Pancakes