Make-Ahead DIY Uncrustables
Make your own homemade uncrustables frozen sandwiches and you get to control the quality of the ingredients AND save money. They are perfectly portable, great for road trips, vacations, as well as packed lunches!
Make your own homemade uncrustables frozen sandwiches part of your weekly meal prep day. And you control the quality of the ingredients. Perfectly portable, great for road trips, vacations, as well as packed lunches!
Most kids LOVE Uncrustables sandwiches —they are convenient and easy! But expensive. Making them yourselves saves a lot of money…and they taste better!
To ensure they don’t get soggy from the jelly, put a very think layer of peanut butter on both pieces of bread. Then about a tablespoon of jelly or preserves (slightly less if you’re using honey) and keep it confined to the center of the bread. Be careful of using too much jelly — or it will leak out.
Ingredients:
I prefer 100% whole-wheat bread. And I like al kinds of variations of fillings. I’ll list some of those ideas below.
As for the tools. This uncrustable maker is actually two separate pieces and works fabulously! I found that the sandwiches turned out the best when you cut and seal in two steps. But I had to try it with an inexpensive and readily available mason jar lid, because, you know I love a mason jar! The sandwich maker I linked above works better, but it’s definitely doable with the lid if you use the help of a knife or pizza cutter to cut around the lid after pressing down, and use a fork to crimp/seal the edges.
Freezing an uncrustable sandwich
To freeze the sandwiches, simply lay them out individually on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them for about two hours. At this point you can transfer them all to a large freezer Ziploc bag or package them up in individual Ziploc sandwich bags.
PB&J of course
Honey and Peanut butter.
Peanut Butter and a slice of banana
Nutella and banana
Ham and cheese. Use butter on both sides fo the bread and then add mayo or mustard above that if you’d like. The butter keeps it from getting soggy.
Now to kick them up a bit!
Uncrustable french toast. Uncrustables French Toast turns the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich into a tasty breakfast treat!
4 Uncrustables sandwiches, thawed
½ cup milk (I use skim)
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optinal)
Instructions
In a shallow bowl, whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Preheat the skillet to medium heat and add a knob of butter.
Dip both sides of each thawed sandwich in egg mixture and place on preheated skillet. Cook until browned, and flip to cook the other side until golden. Serve with syrup, jelly, or powdered sugar.
Uncrustable donuts
Preheat oil to 375°F in a saucepan over medium-high.
Fry each sandwich in hot oil until browned, just a few seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Stir together sugar and cinnamon on a plate; dredge donuts lightly in cinnamon sugar.
Air Fried Uncrustables
Spray cooking spray or spread butter on both side of Uncrustables and place in a single layer in the air fryer.
Cook at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes flipping over halfway. (cooking times may vary by air fryer)
For the Cinnamon Sugar Mix: Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon to a bowl, mix together and dip the air fried Uncrustables into the mixture making sure it's covered on both sides.
For the Powdered Sugar Mix: Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar to a bowl. Dip the air fried Uncrustables into the mixture making sure it's covered on both sides.
MAKE-AHEAD DIY UNCRUSTABLES
Make-Ahead Uncrustables
Ingredients
- 12 slices white or soft wheat bread like Oroweat
- 6 tbsp jelly
- 6 tbsp peanut butter (or other type of butter)
Instructions
- Arrange the bread on a flat surface and spread a THIN layer of peanut butter on each slice of bread. This prevents the jelly from making the bread soggy. Next, add a tablespoon of jelly into the center of 6 of the slices.
- Repeat the procedure with the remaining six slices of bread and the peanut butter. Sandwich the two slices together and press down slightly.
- Using a sandwich cutter, cut out the center of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches pressing firmly to seal the edges. Alternatively, if using a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or mason jar lid, cut out the center of the sandwich and seal the edges by pressing down with a fork around the perimeter of the sandwich. You may need to run a sharp knife around the edge to create a clean line.
- To freeze: Place the sandwiched in individual zip top bags. Press out the air and seal. Transfer to the freezer and freeze until firm.
- To thaw: Remove the sandwich from the freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Notes:
Variations:
- PB&J of course
- Honey and Peanut butter.
- Peanut Butter and a slice of banana
- Nutella and banana
- Ham and cheese. Use butter on both sides of the bread and then add mayo or mustard above that if you’d like. The butter keeps it from getting soggy.
Homemade Uncrustables can be frozen for up to a month.
What to do with leftover bread crusts:
Turn your uncrustables into french toast or donuts!
MAKE BREADCRUMBS
This is probably the easiest option of all. Making homemade breadcrumbs with leftover crusts is a simple, three-step process.
- Toast crusts in a 250 degree oven for about 2 hours, until they’re completely dry and crispy.
- Crush into breadcrumbs. To do this, you can either: a) put the toasted crusts in a large plastic food storage bag and crush with a mallet or rolling pin, or b) place the crusts into a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.
- Store your homemade breadcrumbs in an air-tight container (metal or plastic works best) for up to 2 weeks.
MAKE A BREAD PUDDING, BAKED FRENCH TOAST OR A STRATA
Use leftover bread crusts in place of bread cubes in your favorite bread pudding or strata recipe.
One thing to note if you do this – the taste will be exactly the same but the dish might not look as “full” and pretty as it does with bread cubes.
I’ve used bread crusts successfully in French Toast and Bread Pudding.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
122.84Fat (grams)
8.09Sat. Fat (grams)
1.56Carbs (grams)
20.88Fiber (grams)
1.31Net carbs
19.57Sugar (grams)
12.08Protein (grams)
4.06Sodium (milligrams)
107.01Cholesterol (grams)
0.00