The Ultimate BLT
Last updated on October 21st, 2025
BLT’s are a FAVORITE over at our house! You just can’t beat them! They’re so fresh, crunchy and creamy! I love the warm toast with the warm bacon, then the cold mayo, lettuce, tomato combo! Yum! It just totally hits the spot for me! BLT’s are perfect for a quick lunch, snack, even supper when paired with a yummy side! They’re easy to make, but if you want to make a quality sandwich, I like to follow some specific steps to make sure it turns out incredible! Today I want to share with you how I make “The Ultimate BLT!”
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What’s the history of the BLT?
The BLT is thought to have evolved from bacon sandwiches that were served during Victorian-era England along with afternoon tea. These bacon sandwiches were tiny, dainty, crustless sandwiches often made by buttering the bread and serving thinly sliced bacon on top! In 1903 “Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book” dropped a recipe for a club sandwich featuring bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and turkey, which is sort of like the BLT’s cousin! By the 1950’s, sandwiches with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo were featured in diners all over America!
Did you know?
The abbreviation “BLT” was actually just a slang that servers and line cooks would use to refer to the sandwich back in 1940! It wasn’t used by public until around 1970! Another little fun fact – at one point, this sandwich was the second most popular sandwich in America, with Ham taking the lead! Pretty cool stuff!
What ingredients do I need to make this?
Bacon
Bread
Tomato
Mayo
Artisan Lettuce
Salt
Pepper
What equipment do I need?
How do I make it?
To start, get out all your ingredients and start prepping your veggies! That way when the bacon is done cooking, you can just assemble your sandwich and enjoy it while it’s warm! That’s a big part of the BLT, the temps and textures! So, wash your tomatoes and lettuce, then thinly slice the tomato. Get your bread out and just put it in the toaster, so it’s ready when you want to start toasting!
Get out your skillet and add the bacon to the cold pan. Why? By doing this, it allows the fat to render slowly, so your bacon turns out crispy but not burnt! Next, fry bacon until crispy! It’s important to cook bacon low and slow, on medium-low heat. Babysit the bacon, flipping every minute or so. As it starts to get more done, move the middle pieces to the outer edges of the pan, and keep rotating them like that to avoid burning. Tip your pan and render the fat in the grease pool to achieve a nice crunch with no flab! When bacon is done, set aside on a paper towel lined plate. This helps to absorb the excess grease and keep it crispy!
Next, toast your bread and apply a GENEROUS amount of mayo to each side, about 1 1/2 tbsp per sandwich is a good rule of thumb. Then, assemble the sandwiches!
Break your slices of bacon in half and add the bacon slices in a nice line of three, then two pieces over those to make a little bacon basket. On the other slice of bread put your lettuce down first, that way it’ll stick to the mayo and create a nice area for the tomatoes to lay! Add the tomatoes, enough so there’s some in every bite (there’s nothing worse than a dry BLT!) and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the tomato slices. Why salt and pepper? Because salt and pepper is like a magnifying glass for flavor! I actually learned that from a cooking show, and boy – it couldn’t be more true! I love the way salt brings out the flavors in a tomato, yum!
So now, put your beautiful sandwich together and cut it in half, if desired! Enjoy!
Tips:
- BLT’s are best made fresh, but you CAN prep the fixings so all you have to do is fry the bacon when you want one! You can definitely make bacon, allow whatever you don’t eat to cool, then refrigerate it too! Just add it to a paper towel lined plate and zap it in the microwave for 10-25 seconds when you want to eat it! It will never be as crispy as fresh but it’s still yummy and great for when you’re short on time.
- Add whatever other ingredients you want to this bad boy! That’s the beauty of the BLT! Toss on some onion, avocado, use whatever bread you want, make it spicy, add an egg! I mean, you can do anything with this delicious framework!
Check out some more of my yummy sandwich recipes!
The Ultimate BLT
Ingredients
- 5 Slices Bacon
- 2 Slices Bread a nice quality bread!
- 2 Tomatoes quality tomato like on the vine, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp Mayo divided
- 2 Leafs Artisan Lettuce or any quality lettuce like hydroponic
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Fry bacon until crispy! It's important to cook bacon low and slow, on medium-low heat. Babysit the bacon, flipping every minute or so. Tip your pan and render the fat in the grease pool to achieve a nice crunch with no flab! Move the middle pieces to the outside of the pan as they start to get more done and continue to rotate them to avoid burning. When bacon is done, about 5-7 minutes, set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
- Next, toast your bread and apply about 1 1/2 tbsp of mayo per two slices of bread. Break your slices of bacon in half and add the bacon slices in a nice line of three, then two pieces over those to make a little bacon basket. On the other slice of bread put your lettuce down first, that way it'll stick to the mayo and create a nice area for the tomatoes to lay!
- Add three tomatoes to each sandwich and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the tomato slices.
- Now put your sandwich together and cut it in half, if desired! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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A favourite at our house too! I’ve never tried artisan lettuce, but will do sometime, now that Ive read your recipe,
Awh I’m so happy to hear, Terry! I love that! BLT’s rock! So easy and yummy!
Hubs takes it a step further to make it even easier. He uses packaged real bacon bits. I haven’t tried it, but he swears by it 🤷♀️
That does sound easier! I’m not usually a fan because they tend to have a fake flavor in my opinion but that’s not the first time you’ve mentioned them and now I feel like I REALLY need to check them out 😍
They need to say “real” bacon bits, not simulated. 😊
Well I mean that’s a serious hack, I LOVE that! 😍
This was delicious and it comes together so quick for a good weekday lunch
That’s awesome, thank you so much!
This looks great for a filling lunch!
Thank you! It absolutely was!