A peanut butter and jelly sandwich has about 9 grams of protein. It’s a great source of high-quality, vegan protein, as its protein digestibility is comparable with that of animal protein!
How much protein in a typical Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich?
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich has about 9 grams of protein. It has decent amounts of protein and contributes to the daily protein intake!
Peanut butter
Peanut butter has about 24 grams of protein per 100g. A tablespoon of peanut butter has about 4 grams of protein.[1]
Bread
Bread has some protein as well. Most common commercial breads have about 10–12 grams of protein per 100g.
Bread made of all-purpose wheat flour has the highest protein content. It’s 12–14% protein.[2]
A slice of bread has approximately 2.6 grams of protein. Two slices provide 5.1 grams of protein.
Jelly
On the other hand, all jellies have negligible amounts of protein. They’re mainly sugar.
Actually, the common PB&J sandwich is high in sugar. However, you can prepare a sandwich with 80% less sugar!
Does PB&J sandwich have high-quality protein?
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich isn’t a complete protein. As a plant-based food, it has low amounts of certain amino acids. But, it’s a great vegan protein source, as peanut butter has high protein digestibility!
Amino acid profile of Bread
In fact, bread has a low protein quality. It has low amounts of many essential amino acids, such as threonine, leucine and histidine. Above all, bread, regardless of the type of flour, is pretty low in lysine.[3]
Most noteworthy, protein in bread has a low digestibility.
Amino acid profile of Peanut butter
On the other hand, peanut butter is one of the best vegan protein sources.
Firstly, peanut butter has a high protein digestibility. It is comparable with that of animal protein. Peanut proteins are nutritionally equivalent to meat and eggs![4]
Peanuts contain all the essential amino acids. But, peanuts have relatively low levels of lysine, methionine and threonine.
Peanuts have 20 amino acids in total, though. They’re among the richest foods in arginine.
The Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) for peanuts is about 0.70 out of 1. For whole wheat is only 0.46.
How can Ι increase the protein content of my favorite PB&J sandwich?
If you want to boost your daily protein intake, you could add seeds or nuts to your favorite snack. Almonds, walnuts, hemp, and chia seeds are excellent vegan protein sources.
In fact, hemp and chia seeds are among the few vegan protein sources which are complete protein. Add them to your favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich to greatly improve its amino acid profile.
Also, if you like baking bread, you could add protein powder to the flour. This way, you can get more than 5 grams of protein per slice.
What’s the best time to eat a PB&J sandwich?
The best time of the day to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for weight loss is between meals as a healthy snack. Protein in peanut butter and bread can keep you full for hours!
For a higher satiating effect, you better prefer whole grain bread, though. It has 3 times more fiber than white bread. In fact, a PB&J sandwich with brown bread is high in fiber. Fiber provides a feeling of fullness for hours because it delays digestion.
Also, you could eat a PB&J sandwich before bed. It supports a good night’s sleep.
Should I eat a PB&J sandwich after exercise?
Another great time to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with white bread is after exercise. It’s a great post-workout snack. Net carbs in white bread and jelly help replenish muscle glycogen stores, while protein in peanut butter helps build muscle mass!
