Jeff Daneils’ Favorite Sandwich Sent Grocery Shoppers Scrambling for Ruffles and BBQ Sauce
Actor Jeff Daniels ran out of jelly one day, reached for barbecue sauce instead, and accidentally created one of the most debated sandwiches on the internet.
His creation — a pita layered with creamy peanut butter, crushed cheddar and sour cream chips, and a drizzle of barbecue sauce — went viral after he described it on late-night television.
If you cook by instinct and love throwing unexpected flavors together, this one’s worth a shot.
An Improvised Lunch Became an Internet Sensation
Daniels shared his recipe during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Feb. 19, in a recurring rapid-fire segment called “The Colbert Questionert.”
Colbert led with a simple prompt: “What is the best sandwich?” Daniels’ answer baffled the host and audience.
He described his “personal favorite”: circular pita bread (without an air pocket), a quarter-inch layer of creamy peanut butter on half of it, crushed Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips and a layer of your favorite brand of barbecue sauce.
Simply fold it over and start chewing.
“It could be my three favorite tastes,” he said. “It’s like visiting three countries at once. And they’re all in your mouth.”
“It’s fun to eat in front of other people, too,” he joked.
How to Make Jeff Daniels’ Sandwich
Here’s how to recreate Daniels’ sandwich faithfully, based on his description.
The bread is a circular pita, the kind without an air pocket. This is the sturdy, foldable variety — not the type that splits open into two halves for stuffing. It acts as a flexible, neutral base.
For the peanut butter, spread a quarter-inch layer of creamy over half the pita.
In an interview with The Detroit News, published March 2, Daniels said: “As a kid, I believed Jif peanut butter was named after me.” He doesn’t mandate a brand, but his affinity for Jif runs deep.
The chips: crushed Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream. “Whenever I open a bag of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chips, I tend to eat more than just one,” Daniels added in his interview with the outlet.
The ridged texture and bold cheese-and-sour-cream seasoning bring crunch and tangy savoriness.
Then comes a layer of your favorite barbecue sauce. Daniels has a personal go-to — Sweet Baby Ray’s — though he accidentally referred to it as “Sweet Baby James” during his Colbert interview.
“I always thought if it was good enough for James Taylor to write a song about it, it was good enough for me. I have since learned to finish reading labels,” he continued in his email to The Detroit News.
Once assembled, fold the pita and eat. No toasting, no melting, no complicated technique.
The Viral Sandwich’s Origin Story
The story behind this sandwich is what makes it resonate with anyone who has ever stared into a half-empty pantry and improvised dinner.
Daniels was home one day and wanted to make himself a PB&J with a piece of pita bread. He only had crumbs of chips at the bottom of the Ruffles bag, so those joined.
When he opened the refrigerator, he realized he was out of jelly. He chose BBQ sauce instead.
“I squirted the smoky syrup over the peanut butter and chips, folded over the pita, and took a bite. I loved it so much, I offered to make it for the family,” he told The Detroit News.
“They promptly ordered pizza,” he joked.
That kind of cobble-it-together cooking — making something from whatever’s left on hand — is a familiar move for anyone comfortable winging it in the kitchen.
Three distinct flavor profiles (nutty, savory-tangy, smoky-sweet) collide inside a simple fold of pita.
The Internet Quickly Followed Along
In the two weeks after the clip went viral, people across the country rushed to their pantries to throw the sandwich together. Many took to social media with their reactions. Some loved it. Others didn’t have the palate for it.
The response was large enough that grocery stores reportedly felt the impact. If your local store was running low on peanut butter, Ruffles and BBQ sauce, this is why.
If you’re skeptical about the flavor combination, there’s at least one credentialed opinion on the record.
Today author and registered dietitian Heather Martin “laughed out loud with the first bite” before describing it as “finger-licking good.”
That reaction — genuine, visceral enjoyment from someone who evaluates food professionally — is about as strong an endorsement as an improvised pita sandwich can get.
In his interview with the The Detroit News, Daniels revealed he was just as baffled by the online response as people were about his sandwich.
“I’m not a foodie but I am a connoisseur of things that taste good,” he told the outlet in an email, adding that he was “stunned” by the reactions.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
