Bruce Springsteen’s Go-To Sandwich Is a Classic

I grew up in the 1980s and some of my earliest childhood memories involve driving around town  in my mom’s black Pontiac Trans Am and listening to Bruce Springsteen sing “Born in the U.S.A.” in his signature tone.

What I didn’t know back then was that the Boss and I have more in common than our appreciation for rock and roll and the open road. A few years back during a segment on The Late Show with Stephen ColbertSpringsteen shared that his favorite sandwich is the same as my childhood favorite from back in the day: a classic PB&J—with some added criteria.

During the Colbert Questionert (pronounced questionnaire) segment, in which Colbert asks his guests a series of rapid-fire questions about everything from food to what scares them, the late-night host asked Springsteen a go-to opening question: “What is the best sandwich?”

“That’s easy,” the rock icon responded without missing a beat, “3 a.m., peanut butter and jelly, big glass of milk.”

While I rarely find myself awake at 3 a.m. these days, I’m with Springsteen. There’s not much as delicious as a freshly-spread peanut butter and jelly sandwich accompanied by a cold glass of milk. What’s more, peanut butter may help support heart health and regulate blood sugar, and whole milk contains electrolytes and lots of bone health-promoting vitamin D, so it’s a snack you can feel good about making in your kitchen at any time of day.

Springsteen shared a few more food preferences with Colbert: he prefers flat water to sparkling and apples to oranges. And, unsurprisingly, he likes his apples smeared with peanut butter. As for what scares the Boss? Brown recluse spiders. (Same, Bruce, same.)

In addition to breaking out the PB&J-making supplies, it’s also a great time to jump into a playlist of Springsteen’s greatest hits. The trailer for the new Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me From Nowheredropped recently and already has close to 3 million views on YouTube. The film releases in October 2025, stars Jeremy Allen White (of The Bear) as the Boss, and looks pretty amazing.

Want to take your PB&J to the next level? Try our recipe for Intense Strawberry Preserves or read up on how to make sure you’re buying the freshest bread at the supermarket. Or, if peanut butter isn’t your thing, check out some other celeb-loved sammies, like Nicole Kidman’s tomato-and-cheese toastie or Sandra Bullock’s classic BLT.

Reminiscing about Springsteen’s and my shared love of a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich brings back another memory from eras past: during my twenties, my best friend and I swore by a late-night PB&J with milk when returning home from the bar to prevent a next-day hangover. It’s fun to think that at some point, Springsteen and I may have been dancing in the darksnacking on our shared favorite sandwich, at the exact same time. Talk about glory days!