Grape Jelly substitute

Best substitute

Red currant jelly

Use the same amount as the grape jelly you are replacing

Best for cocktail meatballs

Different taste

What grape jelly does in a recipe depends entirely on which recipe. In cocktail meatballs or a barbecue glaze it is sweetness plus a firm pectin set that thickens the sauce and makes it cling, and there the flavour barely matters, so red currant jelly, apple jelly or any smooth seedless jam works at 1:1. In a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the grape flavour is the whole point, and the closest you will get outside America is Concord or black grape jam, or blackcurrant jam, which is the standard swap in Britain and Australia. For the meatball recipe specifically, 1 cup of grape jelly plus a 12 oz bottle of chili sauce is the classic ratio, and swapping in apple jelly or red currant jelly changes almost nothing.

Other grape jelly substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Concord grape jam, or black grape jam
Different texture
Use the same amount
The right flavour, slightly different body.
What changes
Grape jam includes the crushed fruit rather than just the juice, so it is thicker, less glossy and a little grainier, and it may contain skin flecks. In a sandwich this is arguably better because there is more actual grape flavour. In a glaze it will not go quite as clear and shiny as jelly does. If your jar is labelled with skins or seeds, sieve it while warm before using it in a sauce.
Best for
peanut butter and jelly, toast, meatball sauce, thumbprint cookies
Look for it in international and kosher aisles, where Concord grape products are most common.
3Apple jelly
Different taste
Use the same amount
The neutral workhorse.
What changes
Apple jelly has almost no flavour of its own beyond clean sweetness, a firm glassy set and no colour to speak of, so it does grape jelly's structural job perfectly and contributes nothing else. That makes it excellent in savoury cooking, where chili sauce, ketchup or barbecue sauce is providing the actual flavour, and poor in a sandwich, where you would notice immediately that the grape has vanished. The finished sauce will be lighter in colour.
Best for
cocktail meatballs, glazed sausages, ham and pork glazes, thickening a sweet sauce
Add a tablespoon of dark grape juice or a splash of balsamic if you want the dark colour back.
4Blackcurrant jam or blackcurrant jelly
Different taste
Use the same amount
The usual British and Australian answer to a recipe that calls for grape jelly, and a good one.
What changes
Blackcurrant is dark purple like Concord grape, so the colour is right, and it is far more tart and wine-like, which cuts richness in a meatball sauce or a glaze better than grape jelly does. In a peanut butter sandwich it reads as sharper and more adult but works completely. If you use blackcurrant jam rather than jelly, expect small seeds and a slightly thicker body.
Best for
peanut butter sandwiches, meatball and sausage glazes, sauces for duck and lamb, toast
Because it is tarter, taste the sauce before adding any extra vinegar or lemon the recipe calls for.
5Strawberry, raspberry or plum jam, sieved
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount
Any smooth sweet jam will run the meatball or barbecue recipe successfully, because what those recipes actually need is a jar of concentrated sweet fruit to balance a tangy chili or tomato sauce.
What changes
Strawberry gives the sweetest, roundest result, plum the darkest and most caramelised, raspberry the tartest. All three are looser than jelly, so the sauce will take a few extra minutes of simmering to thicken to the same glossy cling. Sieve out seeds for a smooth sauce.
Best for
cocktail meatballs, slow cooker sausages, barbecue sauces, glazed chicken wings
Plum or damson jam is the closest of these in colour to grape jelly.
6Grape juice reduced with sugar (last resort)
Different texture
1 ½ cups Concord or dark grape juice plus ⅓ cup sugar, reduced to about ½ cup
Honest assessment: this gets you real grape flavour and none of the set.
What changes
Simmer the juice and sugar for fifteen to twenty minutes until syrupy, and you have a grape syrup that tastes right and stays runny. In a cooked sauce that is fine, because you can thicken it with a teaspoon of cornstarch slaked in cold water. On a sandwich it will soak straight through the bread. Use this when flavour matters more than texture and you have no jelly of any kind.
Best for
meatball sauce, glazes brushed on hot food, dessert sauce
Bottled Concord grape juice reduces down to the most grape-tasting result; white grape juice tastes thin and generic.

What is Grape Jelly?

Grape Jelly is strained Concord grape juice set with sugar and pectin into a firm, glossy, deep purple jelly with no skins or seeds in it, an American staple that is genuinely hard to find in much of the rest of the world.

Cooking tips

For grape jelly cocktail meatballs, the ratio that recipes use is 1 cup of jelly to one 12 oz bottle of chili sauce for about 2 lb of meatballs. That works with red currant jelly, apple jelly or plum jam swapped in one for one; the jelly is there to sweeten and thicken, not to taste of grape.
Grape jelly is a jelly, not a jam, so it sets firm and wobbly and it melts to a clear glossy liquid. If you swap in a chunky jam, sieve it while warm and simmer the sauce a little longer, or the finished glaze will look cloudy and thin.
Concord grape is a specific flavour, that grape-soda taste from American slip-skin grapes, and no European grape jam has it. If a recipe names Concord specifically and you cannot find it, accept the change rather than trying to imitate it.
Grape jelly burns fast in a hot pan because it is mostly sugar. Add it to a glaze in the last ten minutes and keep the heat moderate.
If you are making grape jelly to keep in sealed jars, use a tested recipe and do not cut the sugar or skip the added acid. Sugar and acidity are what make the jelly safe to store, and the National Center for Home Food Preservation publishes reliable tested versions.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the grape jelly out?

Not in the two recipes people usually need it for. In cocktail meatballs the jelly is half the sauce, and without it you are left with straight chili sauce, which is sharp, thin and unbalanced; use any other jelly or jam instead. In a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the jelly is the moisture and the sweetness against the peanut butter, so leaving it out gives you a very dry sandwich. In a marinade where jelly was one of several ingredients, you can skip it and add a tablespoon of brown sugar.

What can I use instead of grape jelly outside the US?

Blackcurrant jam is the closest widely stocked match on flavour and colour, and red currant jelly is the closest on texture and behaviour in cooking. Both are excellent in savoury recipes. If you want the actual Concord grape flavour, look in kosher or American import sections, where Concord grape jelly and jam are usually the one grape product on the shelf.

Is grape jam the same as grape jelly?

Nearly. Jelly is made from strained grape juice, so it is clear, smooth, seedless and firmer. Jam includes crushed fruit, so it is thicker, cloudier and can contain skin or seed. They substitute at 1:1, but jelly gives a glossier sauce and a smoother sandwich, and jam gives more grape flavour.

What is the best grape jelly substitute for meatballs?

Red currant jelly, one for one, is the best answer, with apple jelly a close second. Both melt to the same glossy consistency and thicken the sauce the same way, and since the chili sauce is doing the flavouring you will not miss the grape. Plum jam is the best option if you want to keep the dark colour.

Can I use jam instead of jelly for peanut butter and jelly?

Yes, and many people prefer it. Any jam works, though the softer, wetter ones like strawberry preserves will soak into bread faster, so spread peanut butter on both slices to seal them if you are packing the sandwich for later. Blackcurrant or Concord grape jam keeps closest to the expected flavour.

Related substitutes

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Grape Jelly substitute

Other grape jelly substitutes

2Concord grape jam, or black grape jam

3Apple jelly

4Blackcurrant jam or blackcurrant jelly

5Strawberry, raspberry or plum jam, sieved

6Grape juice reduced with sugar (last resort)