NEWS: Choosy Moms Choose Jif, But Will They Choose Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Over Nutella

Marvo Spotted on Shelves

2012-05-24 04.08.04

Update: Click here to read our Jif Hazelnut Spreads (Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino) review

To be honest, before today, I didn’t know much about hazelnut spreads, except for the world famous Nutella.

If you were to have asked me two days ago to name another hazelnut spread brand and recite all 50 states and their capitals or else be pantsed in the middle of a busy public area, I would’ve had my jeans around my ankles. But if the same thing happened today, lots of people would still see my black Hanes boxer briefs, but I would be able to name another hazelnut spread brand because Jif recently introduced a line of hazelnut spreads.

Jif Hazelnut Spread comes in two flavors: Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino.

If you’re wondering how they compare with Nutella, read through the next two paragraphs filled with commas.

The Jif Hazelnut Spreads are made using sugar, vegetable oils (rapeseed and palm), hazelnuts, cocoa processed with alkali, skim milk, whey powder, contains 2% or less of: butter oil (milk), sunflower lecithin, and natural flavors. While Nutella is made with sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor.

Two tablespoons of the product from Jif has 230 calories, 14 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. And, Nutella has 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

If you’ve tried either Jif Hazelnut Spread, let us know what you think of them in the comments.

Source: Foodbeast

21 thoughts to “NEWS: Choosy Moms Choose Jif, But Will They Choose Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Over Nutella”

  1. i’m intrigued… i’m a lifelong nutella fan, but i might (MIGHT) try the jif version out. it would feel like cheating, though…
    anyway, did you list the ingredients of domestically-produced nutella, or imported? they are slightly different, but the italian version is way, way WAY better than the one made in canada.

    2. I agree the imported version tastes better (though really, I still happily hoover down the domestic stuff) but the ingredients are almost identical. The Italian version states ‘vegetable oil’ instead of palm oil, and the vague ‘flavors’ instead of the fake vanilla.

      But other than that, the ingredients look the same and are in the same order. The nutritional profiles are very similar as well. Clearly the secret ingredient is magic, for which there are no legal labeling requirements.

  2. “The Jif Hazelnut Spreads are made using sugar, vegetable oils **(rapeseed** and palm)

    I really hope you meant “Grapeseed” :/

      1. Pretty sure canola oil is made from canola. Just saying. Canola is an acronym for CANadian Oilseed, Low Acid. It is a esentualy ‘highbreed rapeseed’that has much lower acidity…therefor they are indeed different

  3. The ingredients of the new Jif spread are identical to Nutella (the US version, not the European)

  4. What kind of message are we giving children if we serve them a product that contains seeds that rape? I for one will not serve my child a sandwich that has committed sexual assault, why not just serve them Roman Polanski between two slices of wonder bread instead?

  5. Hmmmph. So you only knew one and now you know two? Let me expand your hazelnut horizons a little beyond Nutella and Jifella.  Kettle makes an excellent plain hazelnut butter, you can always add cocoa or chocolate on any form.  Justin’s also has a chocolate hazelnut blend without milk products (also available in handy squeeze packets, I think) which gets rave reviews from the nutty crowd although I’ve never tried it.  Couldn’t find an Artisana one but they do have a chocolately blend of cacao butter and coconut butter which is probably to die for (Cacao Bliss), based on the fact that I’ve had their plain coconut butter and several nut butters and they haven’t disappointed me yet. Veganessentials (online) is now peddling an unabashed vegan version called Rawtella made from hazelnuts and “cacao nibs” whatever they are, I’ve seen happy reviews. There are a lot of hazelnut butters on the market, actually, in addition to butters of just about every nut and some seeds (had a pumpkin seed butter sandwich tonight, after some walnut butter on a cracker earlier, and yesterday ate a sunflower seed and pickle sandwich). I am saving my pennies to try pecan butter, brazil nut butter, pistachio butter etc. since only the lovely peanut butter is cheap here. Macademia butter is divine, I will take out a loan to get more. Then there is cashew butter, not quite as pricey.  But anything made with coconut butter or coconut oil is bound to be especially decadent (and those medium-chain triglycerides are even good for you). 

    I would suggest just adding cocoa or whatever to coconut butter myself with some sweetener, or use any nut/seed/legume butter. Being a cinnamonoholic,  I routinely mix 1tbsp coconut butter/coconut oil (usually half tbsp each) with 1tbsp honey and 1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon into a very tasty paste. This is basically cinnamon toast without the toast, although mom always made it with dairy butter and cane sugar. I always liked the topping much more than the soggy substrate. Was supposed to be put into warm water for a therapeutic tea for a sinus infection but I just eat the paste with water on the side… So I assume you chocoholics could do the same with any convenient form of your drug of choice. Heck, you could do this with Jif peanut butter… I assume with some significant cost savings over Jifella. At least Nutella is pricey in my local grocery store compared with peanut butter.
          

    2. yo jwoolman, i’m really happy for you and i’ma let you finish, but nutella had the best hazelnut spread of all time.

  6. Judging by the number of comments I was kinda hoping someone had actually tried the stuff haha

  7. I just tried the Jiff…Nutella is much better. I couldn’t taste any hazelnut or chocolate.

  8. i’ve had nutella before, and my mom bought the jif one, so i had to try it. it was the mocha cappuccino one. it didn’t really taste like mocha cappuccino though. i think that nutella and jif taste the exact same, but nutella is better for you healthwise.

  9. I’ve tried both Nutella and Jif Chocolate Hazelnut spread and I have to say Jif was definitely better! Nutella had a dry after taste. Jif was more creamy and sweet. I know Nutella is a little bit healthier but not by much so I’ll keep buying based on taste and for me, Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is the clear winner.

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