Nutella vs Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spreads

 In case you don't see the note below, this post has been updated here.


You knew it had to happen eventually right? If you've read this blog in any sort of meaningful way, you know of my love for Nutella. Although I still never know if I should be capitalizing the "n" or not.

Anyway, I found it interesting when I noticed a store brand chocolate hazelnut spread maybe a year or so ago. A few weeks ago, I noticed that Jif came out with their own chocolate hazelnut spreads.

I was a bit startled at first. Was Jif really going after Nutella like that? But then I noticed the mocha cappuccino flavor and was a bit intrigued. Hmmm. This could be kind of good.

So I bought some and tried it on some wheat toast. It was pleasant enough. How bad could a chocolate hazelnut spread possibly be? Not really bad at all, I'd say.

Maybe if I had never had Nutella, it would have been mind blowing. It would have been new. But I have had Nutella. It's a staple in my house now. Like flour and salt. Pepper and oregano. Basil and balsamic. You get the drift. Olive oil and lemon! : )

I feel a little anxious when I'm running low on any of these things. Including Nutella. I wouldn't want World Nutella Day to sneak up on me and be unprepared to bake!


Maybe because I grew up in a Skippy household and not a Jif one, I have remnants of a childhood bias against Jif? I don't know. My mom was choosy, but she didn't choose it.

So I decided that I needed to do a plain side by side comparison of the two. I got two spoons and tried a spoonful of each. Maybe the healthy wheat toast was interfering with things.

The texture of Nutella was gooier. Richer. Fuller. Jif felt drier. Firmer. More solid. Also, the coffee flavor was okay, but it seemed out of place. To me Nutella wins.

Maybe the market for Jif chocolate hazelnut spreads is for people who grew up with Jif peanut butter and have some nostalgia for the brand, but have never tried Nutella. My peanut butter nostalgia is for Skippy. And now I usually just buy the store brand.

It's probably a sizeable demographic. But I'm not in it.

I've read several other comparisons out there between the two. What about you? Would you trade in Nutella?

*3/15/2013* An update to this post has been written based on an anonymous comment below. Please take a look here.

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Comments

Chris O said…
Hi Lisa, once you've had Nutella there's nothing else. I also have a jar of Nutella in the closet. As you wrote it's gooier, richer, and fuller. I also grew up in a Skippy household but now I only use Smart Balance peanut butter. Thanks so much for this comparison because I've been tempted to try Jif's product but now I don't have to.
Lisa Johnson said…
chris - I don't remember if I tried Smart Balance peanut butter. For some reason I think I did, but have gone back to the store brand. I guess I'm pretty happy with it and it's usually cheaper.
Robin said…
Please don't judge me, but I've never had Nutella. Or anything like it actually. Guess I better get on that.

Happy Sharefest. I hope you have a lovely week.
Lisa Johnson said…
missrobin - Thanks for the visit! Actually it would be easier for you, because you don't have the burden of loving Nutella already. Maybe try Jif first and see how you like it, then try Nutella. I'd be interested to see how this would play out. I hope you have a great week too! : )
Chris L. said…
Your review is a little unfair. You compared two completely different flavors. Like comparing two different brands of apple juice, one apple juice but the other apple cider. If you try the Jif Chocolate Hazelnut(not mocha) you will find that they are both almost identical in flavor, texture and consistency. So factoring in cost, Jif is the way to go.
Lisa Johnson said…
chris l. - True the flavors are different, but I didn't like the texture. Maybe like you said, it's more economical to buy Jif, but at that rate, I'd rather just buy the store brand chocolate hazelnut spread, which is probably even cheaper. Right now, I'm not convinced and will stick with Nutella.
Anonymous said…
Goodness, JIF hazelnut spread is so much more delicious! Nutella came out first, so I can understand why you have a certain bias towards it, but the taste is just so different!
Lisa Johnson said…
anonymous - I agree that the taste is different. We have to disagree on the more delicious part. By the way anonymous, it's quite a coincidence that at a similar time to when you left this comment, someone from your parent company read this post and appears to have left a comment.
Anonymous said…
Nutella has artificial vanilla in it, vanillin. I won't eat anything with vanillin in it. On the other hand, Jif chocolate hazelnut spread has real vanilla in it. So, for me, Jif wins hands down! And it tastes wonderful.
Lisa Johnson said…
anonymous - Well, Jif has another convert!

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