Monte Cristo Sandwich (2024)

A classic Monte Cristo Sandwich is layers of cheese, ham and turkey in between bread that is dipped in an egg batter and then pan or deep fried. You can finish it off with a dusting of powdered sugar and jam if you’d like. It’s the ultimate form of grilled cheese and you can make one at home!

The Monte Cristo Sandwich is one of my favorites when I go to a restaurant and they have it on the menu. It’s like a cross between a grilled cheese sandwich and French toast and is so, so delicious! I love that it’s super simple and comes together for a quick lunch on a weekend.

I’m always a little surprised when I make a restaurant dish at home and discover they’re not that complicated. I’ve made French dip sandwiches, restaurant-style salsa and other copy cat recipes like breadsticks and soup recipes and it’s so fun to recreate them at home!

These sandwiches are my new favorite – they look fancy and like they might be hard to make, but they’re not! If you’ve ever made a grilled cheese you can make a Monte Cristo. There are just a few more steps and ingredients.

I love the combination of sweet and savory – this sandwich is loaded with ham, turkey and cheese and when you add some warm jam and a dusting of powdered sugar the flavors just really work. Plus, it’s great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner – I love that! You can serve it with potato chips or French fries for lunch or dinner, but it’s also great with fruit salad on the side for brunch.

This is the ultimate hot sandwich recipe and now you don’t have to go out to a restaurant get one!

What is a Monte Cristo?

Have you ever heard of Croque-Monsieur? It’s similar to that French sandwich but instead of broiling it, a Monte Cristo is battered with an egg and milk mixture and fried. It’s also known as French toasted ham and cheese. Every recipe is a little different and mine is a combo of ham, turkey, Swiss cheese sandwiched together and then battered and fried. I love mine with warm strawberry jam spread on top, but you can also drizzle maple syrup over the sandwich.

These are easy sandwiches to make in just a few simple steps: assemble the sandwiches, batter and fry them, and garnish them for serving! I love making a batch of Monte Cristo sandwiches for a special weekend brunch or lunch. They’re also super fun for dinner!

Step 1: Assemble the Sandwiches!

For the sandwiches you will need:

• Sturdy white bread. You want it to be sturdy enough to hold the meat and cheese even after it’s been battered.
• Yellow mustard and mayonnaise
• Swiss cheese
• Ham and turkey

I like to make one sandwich with three slices of bread – here’s how you assemble it!

• First, cut the crusts off your bread slices.
• Take two slices of bread and slather each with mustard and mayonnaise. Add the ham and a slice of cheese on top. These two pieces will be the top and bottom of the sandwich.
• Take one of those and place another slice of bread on top of the ham. Layer on the turkey and another slice of cheese. Top this layer with the other piece of bread with the ham.
• Press your sandwiches using a heavy pan or cutting board. Pressing them will ensure they don’t fall apart when you batter and fry them.

Now the sandwiches are assembled – time to batter and fry them!

Step 2: Batter and Fry the Sandwiches

• The batter is just a combination of eggs and milk with some salt and pepper. It’s just like making a French toast batter – just mix them up together until its well combined.
• Carefully dip each sandwich into the batter completely coating it.
• Heat butter in a skillet over low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the sandwiches and cook them on one side until they’re golden, about four to six minutes. Turn the sandwiches and cook them on the other side until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Step 3: Serve the Monte Cristo!

Slice your sandwiches in half and now it’s time to dress them up! These are all optional – the sandwiches are delicious just as they are – but adding a touch of sweetness makes it extra-special.

• Once the sandwiches are cooked you can dust them with some powdered sugar.
• I love to spread some warm strawberry jam on my sandwich!
• Or, you can serve some warm maple syrup on the side, too. This is nice if you’re serving the sandwiches for brunch.

This buttery hot sandwich is so delicious! Now that I make them at home I skip them when we go out and get something else! I hope you love this sandwich recipe as much as I do.

More Hot Sandwiches

We are all about the hot sandwiches at my house, especially during the colder winter months! Here are more ideas to browse!

• You can’t go wrong with simple hot ham and cheese sandwiches. I use my crockpot to make them which makes it even easier.
• Crack chicken is just what sounds like – a totally addictive slow cooker chicken recipe that makes delicious sandwiches!
• We call them barbecues, but you might know them as sloppy joes! Whatever you call them they’re a hearty hot sandwich that we love to make!
• A Fried Egg Sandwich is easy to make and always delicious!
• The Ultimate Grilled Cheese is French Bread Stuffed with THREE Different Types of Cheese and Grilled to Perfection!