I’ve had Monte Cristos on several occasions in my life; nearly all of them while at some eating establishment with the word “diner” in the title and where someone says, “You’ve got to try their Monte Cristo.” It never occurred to me to try these at home until my friend Dawn, who is a great cook, invited me over for lunch last month and whipped up a bunch of these sandwiches. They were so yummy and it inspired me to make them at home for my family too- so thanks Dawn!
If you’ve never had a Monte Cristo Sandwich and you’re looking at the ingredient list thinking I’ve made a dreadful mistake, guess again! A Monte Cristo is an interesting concoction; basically a ham and cheese melt on French toast. Sound strange? It’s one of those things that sounds strange, but tastes oddly delicious! If you love a sweet and salty combo you’ll love these. My husband had never tried one before, and both he and my 2-year old thought they were awesome. This is actually a great meal that could be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or a snack.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- White sandwich bread – Any bread that makes good French toast will make a good Monte Cristo!
- Deli ham – Thin sliced. Smoked or honey ham.
- Swiss cheese – Swiss cheese can vary a lot in flavor and intensity. It’s good to have some contrast with the sweet components of this sandwich, but if you don’t like a strong Swiss, look for baby Swiss, which is more mild than regular Swiss. Jarlsberg, muenster, or provolone could also work.
- Butter – To fry the sandwich. Real butter is going to be best here, but you could oil your pan instead if you prefer.
- Eggs
- Milk – Any milk will do!
- All-purpose flour
- Strawberry jam – Raspberry is also good.
- Powdered sugar – For dusting
- Dijon mustard or maple syrup – Optional for serving, to taste.
How to Make a Monte Cristo Sandwich
- This goes quick! First you’ll make a quick French toast batter with flour, milk, and eggs.
- Then you just assemble your sandwich with meat and cheese between two slices of bread, dip each side in the flour/milk/egg mixture, and fry in a hot buttered skillet until the cheese is melted and the outside is toasty brown.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve with jam!
Storing and Other Tips
- These sandwiches are best enjoyed fresh out of the pan!
- If you find you’re having a hard time dipping your whole sandwiches, simply dip one side of a piece of bread, place it in the pan, then build your sandwich right in the pan, finishing with another piece of bread that’s been dipped on one side, just make sure the dipped sides are facing out!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, as long as you have a gluten-free bread that makes good French toast, it will also make a good Monte Cristo!
No, these sandwiches are best made and served fresh.
Sure! These cook up well on an electric skillet. If you don’t have one, I would recommend just using your largest pan. You can keep finished sandwiches warm in the oven set to it’s lowest heat while you finish up cooking the rest.
Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 8 slices white sandwich bread
- 8-12 ounces deli ham thinly sliced
- 8 slices Swiss cheese sliced
- butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons flour
- strawberry Jam or raspberry works too
- powdered sugar
- optional, for serving: Dijon mustard or maple syrup
Instructions
- Whisk flour and milk and then add in eggs and whisk until well-blended and place in a shallow dish. Now this isn’t rocket science- basically you want to put the cheese and the meat on the inside of the bread, then dip both sides of the sandwich in the egg/milk mix, then grill in a hot buttered skillet until the bread is browned and toasty and the cheese inside is melted.Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with Jam. Done.
- You can either assemble sandwiches with cheese, ham, and cheese again, and then dip each side in the egg/milk mixture, or you can dip one side of a piece of bread, place it in your pan, then assemble the sandwich in the pan, finishing with another piece of bread with one side dipped in the egg mixture. Just make sure the dipped sides of the bread are facing out!
- Fry in a hot buttered skillet until golden brown on the outside and hot and melty on the inside. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with jam for dipping, or you can spread a thin layer on the inside of the sandwich. Dijon mustard or maple syrup are other alternatives for serving as well.
Questions & Reviews
My husband and I both love Monte Cristo sandwiches. In our young and foolish days we used to get the double deep fried version at a restaurant called Bennigans. They were so good but dripping in fat. I made them thinking our kids would gag at the thought of them. I was surprised that they all tried them AND liked them! Thank you. Your recipes make me look like a rock star in my kitchen.
Made these tonight and my family loved them. My kids (ages 11, 9, 6 and 2) all gave good reviews. The all dipped the sandwiches in syrup. I preferred the jam (homemade blackberry). Perfect for a hot, busy summer evening.
I have loved Monte Cristo's since I was a little girl. I think I may try this recipe mixing it with the puffed french toast recipe here on this site. Now that would make an extra special french toast for this sandwich!
I made this for dinner last night—sooooo good! The jam just made the entire sandwich come together! My husband and I have a new favorite dinner! 🙂
Nice looking monte cristo! I like the way the sweet jam works in this sandwich!
K, the jam is throwing me off a bit…but I'll try it!
These look great! Every monte cristo I've ever had at a restaurant has been served with rasberry preserves instead of strawberry (mainly Bennigan's but also a place in my college town called Spanky's)…I'll have to try strawberry. I make a baked-in-the-oven version for my family quite frequently with the raspberry preserves and it is yummy! I bet it's better fried in a pan…:-)
oh I’m glad Morgan! Seems like such a weird combo, but I promised it would be yummy! Glad you liked them 🙂
I made these, they are AWESOME! I was totally terrified of the jam, but I did it and was glad. I even made it for dinner guests and it was a HIT!
Mmmm… looks so good. I am kinda disappointed that I didn’t get to try these while I was there!