Julia Roberts’ Favorite Sandwich Divided Our Editors—Would You Try It?

When you think of classic sandwiches, the humble peanut butter and jelly often comes to mind. It’s a staple of childhood lunches and a quick, comforting meal for adults. But what if a beloved celebrity revealed a secret ingredient that could completely change the game? That’s exactly what happened when Julia Roberts sat down on The Late Show to take the Colbert Questionert.

Host Stephen Colbert asked her a simple question: “What is the best sandwich?” Roberts didn’t hesitate. Her answer wasn’t just a standard PB&J. She described her favorite as a “peanut butter and jelly with sour cream and onion potato chips smashed into it.”

She explained that her bread of choice is wheat, adding that as a child, white bread would get stuck in the gap she used to have in her teeth. While the choice of bread was a practical one, it also happens to be a great nutritional start.

As a dietitian, I can appreciate the foundation of this seemingly quirky sandwich. Choosing whole wheat bread over white adds a satisfying dose of fiber, which is great for digestive health and helps keep you feeling full longer. Peanut butter is another excellent choice, delivering valuable plant-based protein and healthy fats. It’s a classic for a reason—it provides a solid base of nutrients for a simple meal.

But it’s the addition of sour cream and onion potato chips that really makes you pause. This is where the sandwich goes from a simple classic to a conversation starter. Julia’s unique sandwich combination surprised us so much that our editors couldn’t keep their opinions to themselves. The idea of adding chips to a PB&J sparked a lively debate over at the EatingWell office.

Carolyn Malcoun, our editorial director, was intrigued by the texture. “One of the things I dislike about a PB&J is that unless you use crunchy peanut butter, there’s no texture,” she said. “However, some crushed potato chips would add the texture and salty balance that could really level up the PB&J—but only if they were plain, or maybe honey barbecue.”

The flavor of sour cream and onion was the sticking point for some. Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, our senior nutrition editor, shared that sour cream and onion might be a step too far for her. “Texturally, I’m open to it,” she commented. “But flavor-wise, I’m not sure I can get behind that.”

But associate editor Dani DeAngelis is a long-time advocate for chips in her sandwiches. “Peanut butter and jelly is great with chips—we all know this,” she declared. “My mom was the first to show me how to do this, and I haven’t known a peanut butter and jelly otherwise. I do like a classic PB&J, but there’s something about chips inside.”

DeAngelis usually opts for plain Ruffles, but she can see the appeal of a flavored chip. “My mom will even put honey barbecue chips in there, so that kind of emulates Julia Roberts’ flavored chips,” she says. “I’ve never put in sour cream and onion chips, but I can get behind it as a savory and sweet girl—I can’t see it going wrong.”

She championed the crunchy addition, explaining that “if you love crunchy peanut butter, it’s kind of the same consistency. It’s that salty crunchiness that you don’t get if you only use creamy peanut butter. Don’t knock it until you try it—I’ve been telling people this for what feels like decades.”

Julia Roberts isn’t the only celebrity who enjoys a creative spin on this classic. For example, Padma Lakshmi recently told us that her go-to midnight snack is her own pomegranate-packed version of a PB&J.

If you’re feeling curious (or just snacky), why not give Julia’s wacky PB&J twist a whirl? Layer your sandwich with those chips, take a big, satisfying bite and see what kind of happy dance your taste buds do. Chip flavor experiments encouraged. Who knows? Maybe you’ll invent the next big lunchbox legend!