Smucker’s Jelly is a popular brand in the US and is famous for making fruit jams, jellies, preserves, and other spreads made with natural fruit extracts. It is great for on-the-go lunches and 5-minute snacks.
And the best thing about them is that they are 100% vegan-friendly! All the ingredients they use are sourced from fruits, and nothing is derived from animals. All their products are also kosher certified.
In this article, we will talk about the different flavors of Smucker’s jelly, its nutrition facts, and address the concerns about certain ingredients. So, without further ado, let’s start!
What Is Smuckers’ Jelly?
Smuckers engages in environmentally friendly agricultural practices and focuses on high-quality production. Smucker’s Jelly is available in five mouth-watering flavors, made entirely from the goodness of real fruit. These are:
Strawberry jelly
Concord Grape jelly
Black Raspberry jelly
Blackberry jelly
Apple jelly
They contain fruit extract, high fructose corn syrup, fruit pectin, citric acid, and corn syrup.
Smucker’s Jelly is a versatile product that you can use in various recipes, some of which are available on their website.
Potential Non-Vegan Ingredients
The Smuckers jelly is a vegan product, and there is no second thought about it. But, with the internet being such a big place, there is bound to be some misinformation floating around.
When you take a look at the ingredients, you will not see anything that raises red flags for vegans. But, for the sake of our readers, we will discuss the ingredients that can be a bit troubling.
Sugar
Sugar is a controversial ingredient in vegan foods. Unless it is specified that the sugar used is not processed from animal products, vegans are hesitant to use it. But if you look at the ingredients of all five flavors of the Smucker’s Jelly, you will find that sugar is not listed as an ingredient.
They use high fructose corn syrup and some other added sugars, but none of them is derived from animals and is safe for vegans.
If you are buying Smucker’s jam, two flavors contain sugar, which are the strawberry and seedless strawberry jams.
The J.M. Smucker Company has stated that they use cane sugar in their products. Cane sugar is bleached using bone char to attain its white color. Bone char is an animal-derived substance made from grinding cattle bones. Vegans are against animal cruelty and, thus, exclude sugar of unethical origins from their diet.
Gelling Agent
Gelatin is the most commonly used ingredient in the production of jelly. It is used as a gelling agent, which gives a gelatinous and firm texture to the jelly. America’s most famous dessert company Jell-O, a brand that is synonymous with jelly, uses gelatin in all its products.
However, gelatin is not vegan. It is made from grinding cattle bones, skin, and tendons. Kosher gelatin is made from fish parts. Gelatin is a by-product of animal cruelty and definitely not vegan-friendly.
But, all you vegans will be relieved to know, that Smucker’s Jelly does not use gelatin to set its products. They use fruit pectin, which is extracted from citrus fruit peels and apple pomace under acidic conditions.
This is a form of vegan gelatin which gives Smucker’s Jelly a gelatinous texture. So you can rest easy, knowing Smuckers is a vegan-friendly jelly!
Difference Between Jam and Jelly
People often get confused about these two products. They are both made from fruits but have some differences in texture.
Here is the basic difference between a jelly and jam
Jelly
Jelly is made from boiling fruit juice until it thickens. Then, sugars and pectin are added to it to give it a gelatinous texture. Jelly is firmer and can hold its shape when taken out of a container. It is not a nutritious option.
Jam
Jams are made from chunks of fruits and fruit puree. They are less firm than jelly. They too can hold their shape but not as much as jelly. Jams are thicker in texture. They come in seedless options as well.
Nutrition Facts
Here, we have listed the calories, carbs, and other nutrients found in one serving of the Smuckers jelly.
Total calories- 50 per serving
Total carbohydrates- 13g
Total sugars- 12g (Including 9g of added sugars)
Protein- 0g
As you can see, this is not the most nutritional product, and it is not advertised as such. You can see on the label that this jelly is not a significant source of dietary fiber, vitamin D, iron, calcium, and potassium.
This may not be a nutrient-rich food, but not everything needs to be!
High fructose corn syrup in excess amounts is unhealthy for the body. It is proven to be the cause of type 2 diabetes, weight gain, obesity, fatty liver disease, and high blood pressure.
People Also Ask
Here, you will find the answers to the frequently asked questions about store-bought jelly products.
What Brands of Jelly Are Vegan?
If you are out shopping for a vegan jelly then all you have to do is check the label and make sure they don’t use any animal-derived ingredients. Some of the popular vegan jelly brands are Welch’s concord grape jelly, 365 by Whole Foods Market, Smuckers, and Hartleys.
Why Is Jelly Not Vegan?
Most of the jellies available in the market are vegan since they use fruit pectin. But it’s better to be safe than sorry! So check the label and if gelatin or cane sugar are listed as ingredients, then the jelly is not vegan.
Conclusion
Smucker’s jelly is completely vegan-friendly. You can enjoy it with peanut butter and bread or mix it with yogurt and top it off with fresh fruits to make a healthy snack!
If you still have some questions about the Smucker’s Jelly then you can email the company to inquire about the ingredients.
And be sure to check the ingredient list as the recipe keeps changing over time. The company may add or remove some ingredients, so it is important that you check what you put in your body if you abide by strict dietary rules.
Hi, my name is Brett White, and I have a passion for cooking, and following a raw diet. Eating raw has completely changed how I view food, and has led me down a much healthier and happier path in life over the last three years.
Through Addicted To Veggies, I want to share with you my favorite raw recipes. From brownie recipes, to recipes containing pumpkin, my site is full of delicious and wonderful options to consider.
