REVIEW: Jif Hazelnut Spreads (Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino)

Jif Hazelnut Spreads (Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino)

There are some of you out there who can blame Nutella for adding several pounds to your frame. I’m not one of them. For years, I heard from many people about the great hazelnut spread called Nutella, but never dipped a knife, spoon, fork, finger, or tongue into a jar of it.

If a lot of people were saying it was so wonderful, why didn’t I try it?

Maybe I purchased several Costco-sized jars of peanut butter because I had a coupon and didn’t want to try spreading something different on my bread until I used all of them up. Or perhaps I trust Flavor Flav when he says, “Don’t… Don’t… Don’t… Don’t… Don’t believe the hype.” Or maybe because Nutella comes from the Italian company Ferrero, I wanted to be patriotic and eat my way from a 30-inch waist to a 32-inch waist with American food.

However, my Nutella virginity was taken away from me during a foursome with a jar of Nutella and the two new Jif Hazelnut Spreads — Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino. I could’ve kept my Nutella virginity intact, but I thought who better to find out whether these Jif Hazelnut Spreads can compete with the world famous Nutella than a guy who would be trying Nutella for the first time.

So, what do I think of Nutella?

Holy balls! Nutella is nuterrific! It makes me want to go from a 32-inch waist to a 34-inch waist by eating lots of it. Oh man, so many years lost that could’ve been filled with spreading Nutella on top of 100 percent whole wheat bread or dipping shortbread cookies into it. Oh. My. Goodness. What else am I missing out on? Damn, I need to make a bucket list.

Jif Hazelnut Spreads (Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino) Closeup

But what about the Jif Hazelnut Spreads?

The Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is nuttier, while Nutella has a deeper chocolate flavor and is sweeter, but if you were to create your own 1980s Folgers-like commercial at someone’s house, where you’ve secretly replaced the Nutella they usually serve with Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spread to see if anyone can tell the difference, I think most people won’t. Personally, I prefer the stronger chocolate flavor of Nutella.

As for Jif’s Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread, it’s a shade darker than the chocolate spread and it had a noticeable coffee flavor, but after the initial coffee flavor, the chocolate and hazelnut took its place on my taste buds. At first, I wished the spread had a stronger coffee flavor, like I just ate some chocolate covered espresso beans, but then realized that would’ve been stupid because the spread would’ve been a bit too bitter. Overall, I enjoyed Jif’s Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread as much as the chocolate version.

While there isn’t a significant difference in flavor between Jif’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and Nutella there are notable differences between the two. The Jif Hazelnut Spreads have the visual consistency of Jif peanut butter and at times they also look like Duncan Hines cake frosting. Nutella, on the other hand, is creamy, silky smooth, and sexy. That silky smoothness isn’t only sexy, it also makes it easier to spread on bread or skin. Yes, Nutella looks like I should be using it as body paint. Another difference between the two are their prices. A 13-ounce jar of Nutella was a dollar more than a 14.1-ounce jar of Jif’s Hazelnut Spreads.

Jif’s Hazelnut Spreads are just as tasty as Nutella. I’m no choosy mom, but if I was one, I might consider buying a jar because of their lower price. And while I give my children Jif peanut butter, I’ll spread Jif Hazelnut Spread on top of my bread, and if my children ask if they could try it, I’ll tell them, “No, just like the grape juice in the tall glass bottles, this is for mommy only.”

(Nutrition Facts – 2 Tbsp – Chocolate – 230 calories, 120 calories from fat, 14 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein, 6% calcium, and 6% iron. Mocha Cappuccino – 230 calories, 130 calories from fat, 14 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein, 6% calcium, and 6% iron.)

Other Jif Hazelnut Spread reviews:
Foodette Reviews

Item: Jif Hazelnut Spreads (Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino)
Price: $6.49 each
Size: 14.1 ounces
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Chocolate)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Mocha Cappuccino)
Pros: As tasty as Nutella. Makes bread taste so much better. Cheaper than Nutella. Eating Jif Hazelnut Spreads with a spoon. Nutella. Secretly replacing things.
Cons: Has the consistency of peanut butter, which is less sexy than Nutella’s consistency. Being a Nutella virgin for so long. Expanding waist size.

26 thoughts to “REVIEW: Jif Hazelnut Spreads (Chocolate and Mocha Cappuccino)”

    1. I got mine at Wal-Marts, and each jar was $3.94 … very comparable to Nutella in price, can’t wait to enjoy a taste

  1. If you have a Sam’s club near you, you cam get 3 jars of the small Nutella for around 7.50. You should chek out Pinterest for some yummy sounding Nutella recipes!

  2. Did you try the European or American version of Nutella? I’m not sure what the offering is on that Rock of yours.

  3. your reviews make me smile, and I might actually have tried the new Jif spread, were it not for the price.

    1. to the lady who said she might have tried it if not for the price…if you are going by the price quoted in the review, I’m not usre where the reviewer is located by you might want to check your local walmart. It has been there priced anywhere from 3.50 down to sale for 2.50 over the last three months. (I bought three jars when it was down to 2.50. I say grab some while you can, it will probably become illegal before to long

  4. A Nutella alternative; interesting.

    I’ve had 3 versions of Nutella: in the UK, in Asia, and in the USA.

    I have to admit – they ALL taste the same, and there isn’t that discrepancy like what you get with Cadbury (China) or Hershey’s (China again)

    Probably explains why Nutella is so expensive… They ship it all the way from its point of origin.

    I shall venture forth to my grocery stores soon to get a hold of some imported Jif Hazelnut spread!

    1. You’re the first person I’ve seen say they taste the same. Most say there is a definite difference between the US version and the real imported stuff.

  5. how interestingly suspicious it is that there was such villification (by uneducated idiots) of Nutella and it’s “health claims” right before mainstream companies that have control over a majority of the food available in the supermarket introduce their own version of that same product…

  6. I am a huge fan of Nutella — especially on Ritz crackers!! However, today at the grocery store I gave in to temptation and bought a jar of the new Jif Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut spread. Let me clarify that I am a major consumer of any mocha-type drink, so I expected a nice blend of coffee and chocolate and nuttiness in this spread. Got home, tried it out — no coffee taste whatsoever, as far as my taste buds could tell. So I’ll probably throw it out and just stick with my Nutella, or buy the Jif imitation of it. But I don’t know why they put the word “cappuccino” on the jar, when there is just no coffee taste at all.

  7. I too was a Nutella virgin for 30 years of my life….then just this year 2012 I found that Chocolate delicious sexiness! Now I use a thin layer of Nutella with a smear peanut butter on top of a bagel in the morning. Ironically walmart was completely out of the Nutella and had only just Jiff chocolaze hazlenut . I hated it!! Tastes like chocolate pistachio, which you would think would be tasty but I assure you friends it’s not!!!

  8. While I would not consider Nutella healthy, it has fewer calories, grams of sodium, and grams of fat.

  9. how does this guy say you can’t tell the difference between nutella or the jiffs version????? if you opened a jar of nutella blindfolded you’d know it was nutella, with jiff you would have no idea you just opened a jar of chocolate FLAVORED hazelnut spread!!! something has got to be wrong with the guys tastebuds!!!!!!! please tell me i’m not the only one that threw the jiff jar in the trash where it belongs!!! by the way jiff should get sued…. on the jar it say DELICIOUS!!!! hahaha

  10. ok so I tasted Nutella before and now I bought some of the Jif Hazelnut Chocolate and while I like both waste expanding items while digging into the Jif jar with a spoon I was reading the label and saw it is Made in Belgium so there is no patriotic way to eat yourself to a expanded waist size …. just saying

  11. I can’t find a email address for Jif Hazelnut chockocalte sprsead very easily, so you wown’t hear much, whichis what you want to hear. You can and will sell a lot at first because you are promoting it so heavily. But, the test wll be how sales are about a year from now.l
    Frankkly, you goofed. People don’t associte chocolate froting on bread or crackers. You haves to finish the job. make a wafer like an ice creame cone wafrer, frotst it in the middle and you have thse comoploete package. People will love it. Ice cream sold gazillions of ice cream cones. Oreo just had a chocalte cookie and some filling, neigther of which was too good, but put them togesther and BAM it was a sucess. So, get with it guys, finish the job. The Jif chocoate haze nut wafer cookie. Good luck.

  12. 6.49 ??where on earth do you live? It was half that here (midwest US) and 2.50 last week at our local walmart.

    I didn’t care much for nutella and the straight chocolate flavor of Jif didn’t do much for me, but the cappuchino flavor I suspect has somethign illegal in it, it’s tastes to damn good.

  13. I recently tried the Jif chocolate hazelnut since I am a HUGE Nutella fan and was hoping to find something equally as delicious for a lower cost. NOT. I can’t stand the Jif stuff, plus trying to actually spread it on something? Nearly impossible. It’s like wallpaper paste. You know it is too thick if you have a difficult time even scooping some out with a spoon to taste it. Even my 14 year old daughter said “Ewww..Nutella is way better.” I won’t be buying it again. (Which is sad, since I love regular Jif peanut butter.)

  14. Wonderful review, very funny, I laughed out loud at the reaction to finally trying Nutella.
    I have had Nutella in the house for years and it is wonderful but usually get half way through the large jar and get tired of it for long enough that it gets a bit thick but put it on a warm piece of toast and it’s back to silky heaven. I look forward to trying the Jif because I am cheap but my wife will always prefer the Nutella even though I am sure she would fail the ‘Folgers taste test’. But I only buy Nutella when it’s on sale and like I said it usually ends up lasting longer than it should. BTW, Aldi has a Nutella knock off that is good to but only comes in the smaller jar so the cost savings is less pronounced.

  15. Krogers stores sell their brand for $1.50 less than Nutella. And Im fairly certain Nutella makes it. Says “made in Italy” and is the same consistancy and tastes the same.

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