I’m about to blow your mind. Did you know that you can make homemade Uncrustables with a Mason jar? Yup, a Mason jar. No fancy machine needed to make your own Uncrustables. This super simple Uncrustables recipe will impress your favorite PB&J fans and save you a whole lot of money at the grocery store!

Ode to Uncrustables and Other Convenience Foods

As much as I hate to admit this, I’m a huge fan of convenience foods. If you’re a regular reader, you probably already know this from reading a couple of my past posts about convenience foods here and also here.

I wasn’t always this way. Before having kids I didn’t understand why people reached for convenience foods. I straight up slammed people for buying overpriced and over processed foods. My husband loves to remind me of this every single time I buy packaged mashed potatoes- the ones that are already made, not the boxed ones from flakes. How is it that they are so good?

Do you have a favorite convenience food?

Are you obsessed with ready made potatoes too? Seriously, tell me your favorite convenience food in the comments. I’m always looking for easy ways to put a quick meal on the table!

For years I refused to buy convenience foods. Mostly because of the prices, but also for environmental and health reasons. I truly despise all the waste that is produced from convenience food packaging. And don’t even get me started on the preservatives in processed convenience foods.

Even though I know better, I’ve fallen prey to modern marketing and have given in to many convenience foods. With three kids ages 5 and under, I have a newfound love and respect for convenience foods. It makes me a little more sane, especially with a baby on my hip most of the day. So when my kids fell in love with Uncrustables, I happily obliged, until I realized I could easily make homemade Uncrustables for a fraction of the price without wasting a ton of my time.

How to Make Homemade Uncrustables

When it comes to easy school lunch ideas, PB&J is clearly the winner. You really can’t go wrong, but you can elevate it with this hack for how to make Uncrustables.

It’s super simple. All you need is a Mason jar or any other wide mouth jar or glass cup. A cookie cutter will work in a pinch, but I find that it cuts the bread instead of sealing it like the jar does.

Check out this video to see how easy it is.

The key to making homemade Uncrustables with a mason jar is to really press down to seal. Once you get the hang of it, you will be churning them out much quicker than I did in this video.

Once you have them made, throw them in the freezer until you pack them for lunch.

Save Money with this Easy School Lunch Idea

You know I’m all about saving money, right? But I’m also big on saving time. It’s the reason why I often reach for convenience foods.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I made 10 of these in 15 minutes. I spent less than $5 on all of the ingredients too!

The bread matters with these homemade uncrustables

I’m a huge fan of bakery bread. I love that it’s fresh and usually has less preservatives. As much as I love it, I’ve yet to find a bakery bread that works well for making your own uncrustables.

White bread works best, but I’m all about wheat bread these days. I’m loving the Nature’s Own bread. This is not a sponsored post, I just wanted to let you know the brand I’ve been using.

Wrap them up and freeze them

I’ve been a fan of using these recyclable and compostable paper sandwich bags. As an avid environmentalist and compost business owner, I’m in love. These bags are awesome and freeze really well.

I bought mine at Target, but you can order similar ones here on Amazon.

Need More Easy School Lunch Ideas?

I’ve got your covered with an easy back to school printable.

Head to this post to get all the details and print your own!

What’s your favorite convenience food?