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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Ready in just fifteen minutes, loaded with meat and cheese, and dipped in a sweet batter, this sandwich hits both sweet and savoury notes. Try this Disney twist on a lunch classic.
Enjoy making your own, lower cost version of the Blue Bayou Monte Cristo Sandwich that the Cajun restaurant in Disneyland is famous for! Why not serve your sandwiches with some Air Fryer French Fries or a Kale Caesar Salad?
Reader Review
Thank you for the great recipe and the side trip thru nostalgia 😀 I first tried the Monte Cristo sandwich back in the very early 1980’a at an “Irish pub” – themed chain restaurant called Bennigan’s and loved it. I’ve not tried the Disney version so I can’t compare, but this sounds like a very similar sandwich.
For a bit of culinary history, an 1890’s French late-night after-party favorite was called the Croque Monsour, a ham and swiss sandwich spread both sides with bechamel sauce (a cheesy white sauce) and toasted or broiled to a crispy finish (“croque” means ‘crispy’). Topped with a soft fried egg it became the Croque Madame.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This sandwich is surprisingly easy to make.
- Time Required: Making this will take you about 15 minutes from start to finish.
- Variations: Like any sandwich, the variations here are practically endless. The batter is what makes this specific Monte Cristo an imitation of the Disney version. If you change up your fillings and add some Béchamel Sauce, you might be making a Croque Monsieur; if you add a poached egg, you’ll have a Croque Madame.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need some toothpicks, a medium frying pan, a whisk, a bowl, and some paper towel.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Batter: The simple and sweet batter for this recipe is what sets this Monte Cristo apart and make it an imitation of the sandwich served at Disneyland. You can use an alternative sweetener, reduce the amount of sugar, or make it even sweeter.
Bread: This sandwich will work with most square sliced bread, but the very best option is thick, Texas toast. Whether the bread is white, wholewheat, rye, or brioche is entirely up to you.
Fillings: The layers of turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese can be as thick or thin as you like. You can get them custom sliced at your deli counter or buy packages of meat and cheese that have already been sliced.
How to Make a Monte Cristo Sandwich
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions is in the recipe card below.
- On your first slice of bread, put a slice of Swiss cheese, then the four meat slices, followed by your second slice of Swiss cheese and your second slice of bread.
- Place a toothpick in each corner of the sandwich to hold everything together.
- Mix your sweet batter. Dip the whole sandwich in the batter, covering the surface thoroughly, and fry in 340°F oil until golden.
- Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Remove the toothpicks and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making a Monte Cristo Sandwich
Choose Your Bread Wisely: Pick the right thickness of bread for the type of sandwich you like best! Thick, Texas Toast-style slices or standard sandwich bread will work best. If you use thinner slices, just watch carefully to make sure you don’t burn your sandwich in the hot oil. if you use bread that’s shaped differently, you’ll have to get creative with toothpick placement, but you shoudl still be able to make it work.
Make it Even Sweeter: Many people enjoy this particular sandwich with a drizzle of jam (strawberry or raspberry) on top. You could keep a dish of jam on the side for dipping, or even spread some jam right inside the sandwich if you really want to. This, the batter, and the dusting of icing sugar, are the little extra elements that make this sandwich a signature at Disneyland.
Storage Instructions
This is one to eat right away. You could wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for a day or two, but it would likely get soggy. If you do end up saving a sandwich, try reheating it in an air fryer to get it crunchy again.
More Delicious Sandwich Recipes
You can’t beat the convenience of a quick, yummy sandwich!
Try this Classic Toasted Tomato Sandwich for a quick lunch or breakfast.
Best Ever Crockpot Beef Dips are an easy dinner for a busy weekday.
Change things up with a Curried Chicken Quinoa Wrap or a Salmon Salad Sandwich.
There you go. A quick and easy sandwich that looks extra fancy. Try this fun twist on a classic recipe and let me know what you think.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Ingredients
Sweet Batter Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Monte Cristo Sandwich Ingredients:
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 8 slices turkey
- 8 slices ham
- 8 slices Texas-style white bread, or any square white bread
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil , for frying
- powdered sugar , for dipping
- raspberry jam , for dipping
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the milk and egg thoroughly.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until there are no lumps. The batter should be fairly runny, yet still thick enough to stick to the sandwich. If needed, add a teensy bit more milk.
- Make the sandwiches by layering a slice of Swiss cheese, then the 4 meat slices, then Swiss cheese, top with the remaining slice of bread. Putting cheese on either side of the meat ensures a beautiful melty goodness when you are done! Leave the sandwiches whole for frying, as you lose the cheesy goodness inside otherwise. Only slice them after they are cooked up!
- Place a toothpick on each corner of the sandwich.
- Dip the whole sandwich in the batter, covering the surface completely and fry in 340 degrees Fahrenheit oil until golden. Fry one side until it's golden brown, then flip and continue to fry the other side until it's golden brown. The Texas toast will take longer to heat up the inside, thus the lower frying temperature. If you are using normal bread, you can go up to around 360 degrees Fahrenheit for frying.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Remove the toothpicks and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. If you want the real Disney deal, dip your sandwich in raspberry jam!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
baba says
what do you mean it’s not savory. making a sweet batter with powdered sugar on top of MEAT and CHEESE sounds absolutely horrid
Moon says
Why would you give this one star based on sounding ‘horrid’? The actual sandwich, made at Disneyland, isn’t savory. What the author meant was the batter isn’t savory & the sandwich isn’t meant to be savory. It’s the perfect combination of ingredients to copycat the original recipe. Also, you do realize that when you put 1 star it lowers the authors recipe. If you don’t like how it sounds, don’t make it. Don’t put 1 star just because it ‘sounds horrid’
Chef Pierre says
Having eaten this many times at the Disneyland Hotel back in the 60’s where it was created. I have fond memories of this sandwich. This is close but not acurate to the original. It consisted of a slice of bread, ham and chedder, another slice of bread, turkey and swiss, and a third slice of bread on top. Then cut into quarters. Dipped in egg batter and deep fried. Then it was dusted with powdered sugar and served with preserves on the side. Your tying it to a crouqe monsier is quite in accurate. Having been a classically trained French chef.
Sam Chiodo says
A Monte Cristo sandwich is NEVER made with cheddar cheese, at Disneyland or anywhere else.
Eileen says
Ever had M&M’s and popcorn together? If you’re not a salty/sweet kind of person then move on to a plain ole’ turkey on wheat.
sarah Scott says
What a stupid comment
Jim says
I tried this as soon as I saw it, holy smokes it was delicious, my bread was a little crumbly so instead of dipping the whole thing in the batter, I spooned over just enough to cover each side and flipped it before it could run down the sides. I used some black cherry raspberry and blood orange jelly that I run through my food processor to smooth out the chunky pieces. It was outstanding thank you very much for sharing. I will do this many times over, good Lord willing.
SULLY says
I just had my very first Monte Cristo at Disneyland , ORLEANS CAFE, last week. Hence my search which led me to this site. They change up the puree occasionally and they served it with blackberry jam.
I Will be making these for friends and family next week.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Elle says
I first fell in love with a Monte Cristo at Walt Disney World at the Polynesian hotel. They would serve it with currant jelly on a banana leaf.
Rosaline Linhart says
these are the best, we had them about 1978 when we were in Disneyland..
Mary P Hoffman says
Do they serve it with syrup or preserves? I’ve had it both ways. My fave is with raspberry preserves.
Jeddan says
Just made these for lunch today! Can’t compare them to the blue bayou version because it has been 9 months since I ate there… but these were awesome. Looking forward to making them again. They were a lot easier than I imagined they would be.
thekitchenmagpie says
Jeddan AWESOME!!! Yes, they aren’t that hard to make and boy, what a treat!
Charlene Harris says
We love Disney’s Monte Cristos. If you ever go to a Cheddar’s Restaurant, theirs are very similar.
Jennifer McCormick says
Disney’s Monte Cristo is the stuff dreams are made of. Can’t wait to try this recipe
Heather Pollock says
Saw these and thought of you!
Pamela Innes says
My favorite sandwich 😀
LeilaniWanderlust says
I’ve had this sandwich only once, and that’s all it took to fall madly deeply in love with it. I analyzed this sandwich with its cracks and slight crunch on the outside, its dense cakey soft inside, and that tangyness required to balance the sweetness of the the powder sugar dusting and the blackberry preserves. This sandwich is made from an Old Fashioned donut. I’m not sure if its made from buttermilk or sour cream, but I do plan on putting my theory to the test tomorrow.
Elisa Boyce says
Did u get to little Cuba and try the Cuban sandwich? So good !
Rozanne Stephenson says
I’m going to make them. I’ll have to serve a berry jam sauce and some fresh fruit. The presentation at Disneyland was amazing
Clea Billie Correa says
I love a good Monte Cristo!!
Rozanne Stephenson says
I am so glad that you posted this. I was at Disneyland in August and had one of these sandwiches and both my hubby and I loved them.
Marcella Lamb says
Looks good !!!
Rosaline Linhart says
I had one of these way back in 1978 when I took my girls to Disneyland in California….it was memorable and I have never had one that good since.
The Kitchen Magpie says
Give them a whirl!
Vern Ledger says
Oh those look soooooo good!!
Linda Foster says
cant wait to try this!
Laura Van Scoyk-Myers says
We just got back from Disneyland and actually didn’t eat one of these this time!!\U0001f633\U0001f633 dang it, I must now try this recipe!! Lol
Kelly Matthews Noble says
I’ve made them and they are awesome!
Mary Markoulis says
Suzanne Marie-Latin
VSwanson says
I grew up 1/2 hour from Disneyland and remember my mom raving about the best sandwich she ever had was this Monte Cristo! As a kid, I never did get to go to the restaurant that made these (it was considered fancy and expensive). I moved to the Chicago area as an adult and have made my own Monte Cristo’s – but I always wondered about the Disneyland version and how mine compared. Thank you for posting this, maybe I can make it for my mom when she comes to visit :)
KG says
I’m confused. there’s enough bread to make four sandwiches yet it sounds like she only made two…. So two slices of cheese, turkey and ham on each sandwich and make four? Is that correct?
thekitchenmagpie says
@KG Hi KG, if you look at the printable recipe where I round up all the correct info (and not just what I did which can be a little scattered) the real recipe is for four people and has all the correct amounts. I did only make two, but that’s why I do a proper recipe at the end for everyone to print!
Salvador Arteaga says
Monte Soni
Sonia Lucero says
Salvador Arteaga 😛
James Lori Shipley says
Jen Mcleod these are yummy!!!
thekitchenmagpie says
@James Lori Shipley These are a must make!! And yes, yummy! Have you eaten them in Disneyland?
Kelly Neil says
HOLY SHIT THIS SANDWICH IS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. I made one tonight and dipped each bite in dijon. GREAT recipe!
Marie says
OOOOOh! Great idea, dipping in dijon. My mouth is watering at the thought. I am trying out this recipe for my uncle, who took my sister and me to Disney and introduced us to “fine dining” out almost 50 years ago. Waffles with strawberries and a mountain of whipped cream, oh my, THEN sandwiches with sweet and savory ingredients. Really? We thought he was making it up because he was always teasing and joking around, but he was quite serious about this sandwich with powdered sugar on top and preserves on the side. For my son’s 14th birthday we took him to Disneyland and he tried the MC sandwich, and it is just as good now as it was back in the day. It looks like they use croissants at Cafe Orleans, but any fresh white bread will do.