If layers of ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese sandwiched between two slices of French toast sound like heaven to you, then you will love this Monte Cristo sandwich! It’s especially good with a side of raspberry jam or preserves.
The Monte Cristo sandwich is well known for its appeal to lovers of sweet and savory, and is typically found in diners, delis, and even some restaurants.
It’s a bit of a spin on the French croque monsieur and very easy to make!
Since the monte cristo includes sweet and savory elements, it’s especially good for brunch, but is just as good for lunch or dinner along with a simple green salad, French fries, or a cup of soup.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Bread. If possible, use an uncut loaf of country white bread. This gives you greater control over the thickness of the slices. You can also use pre-sliced bread.
- Turkey and ham. I’m using a combination of Boar’s Head oven gold turkey and honey maple ham. You can also use Black Forest ham or Virginia ham. When at the deli counter, ask for the meat to be sliced thin.
- Cheese. Monte Cristos are usually made with gruyere cheese, however, I am using deli sliced Swiss cheese for this recipe. You can use either, but if using gruyere, you will need to shred it on a cheesegrater.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat your oven to 225f and set the rack to the middle level. In a large bowl beat together 3 large eggs, 1 cup of milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, then set aside. (Photo #1)
- If using uncut bread, cut 8 slices of bread, about 3/4″ thick. Evenly divide and spread 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise onto the slices of bread. Note: you can either put the mayo and mustard on each slice together or spread mayo on 4 slices and mustard on the other 4. (Photo #2)
- Layer 3 slices of turkey, 3 slices of ham, and 2 slices of Swiss cheese onto each sandwich, then close them with a slice of bread on top. (Photo #3)
- In a large pan over medium-low heat melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Dip 2 sandwiches into the egg batter, then drip off the excess and place into the hot pan. (Photo #4)
- Cook the sandwiches for 3-4 minutes per side or until well browned. (Photo #5)
- Place the sandwiches on a wire rack-lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm while you repeat the process for the remaining 2 sandwiches, adding more butter if required. Remove the sandwiches from the oven, and sprinkle them with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry jam, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy! (Photo #6)
Top tips
- Pan temperature. Be sure to keep the pan temperature on medium-low, or even lower. This will help prevent the butter from burning and will allow you to achieve the perfect golden color on the outside of the Monte Cristo while slowly warming the meat and melting the cheese.
- Keeping warm. Unless you have a giant griddle, you’ll likely only be able to make 2 sandwiches at once. To keep the sandwiches warm while you work on the remaining sandwiches, keep them in the oven on a wire rack at 225-250f. This will encourage the cheese to continue to melt too!
- Serving. I love some raspberry preserves on the side of the Monte Cristo and powdered sugar is also a great sweet element. Feel free to serve with other condiments too, such as maple syrup, blueberry, or blackberry preserves.
More recipes you’ll love
If you love Monte Cristo sandwiches, here are a few recipes I think you’ll enjoy!
If you’ve enjoyed this Monte Cristo Recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and tell us about it in the comments below.
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Monte Cristo
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread
- 12 slices honey ham
- 12 slices turkey
- 8 slices swiss cheese
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise divided
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
- raspberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225f.
- Beat the eggs, milk, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside.
- Evenly divide and spread the mayo and mustard onto one side of each piece of bread. Layer 3 slices of turkey, 3 slices of ham, and 2 slices of swiss cheese onto each sandwich and close them up with a top slice of bread.
- Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a large pan.
- Dip 2 sandwiches into the batter then drip off the excess and place into the hot pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until well browned. Place the sandwiches on a wire rack lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat for the second batches of sandwiches, adding more butter if required.
- Sprinkle the sandwiches with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry jam. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Setting the oven to ~225f and placing them on a baking sheet will keep the sandwiches warm while making multiple batches.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated on a wire rack lined baking sheeti at 350f until hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m not sure why mine didn’t come out crunchy. It had a good golden brown color.
Yay!!!! I can’t wait to try this!! Thanks for posting this awesome recipe! I voted for it in a previous episode. Thanks, family!!!
Michele
Thanks for the comment, Michele! We’re filming a video for this one today so it should be up in a few weeks.
this is one of my all time favorites, yet I don’t get them all that often.They are a real treat!
Hello James…Love Your videos and recipes…Your Family is awesome…
Where did You purchase Your charcoal grill???
Hi Suse, we’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes! Jim’s grill is a Weber and is in the shop linked here on the website. It’s in the “outdoor cooking” category.
Sooo Delicious !!Thanks for sharing all your great recipes.
We’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Marjanne!
M one of my favorites! I love using Swiss!
We’re happy you enjoyed this one, Pamela!