A classic tomato sandwich is one of summer’s great simple meals: just juicy tomato slices, mayo, and salt and pepper between your favorite sandwich bread. Give ripe, thick-cut ripe tomatoes the starring role they deserve and enjoy a perfect Southern summer lunch.
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A Classic Tomato Sandwich Recipe
When done right, a classic tomato sandwich is one of the great pleasures of summer. Forget those other sandwiches with tomato like caprese and B.L.Ts. It’s really about the tomato (plus a little mayo and the bread, of course).
Tomato sandwiches are extremely easy to make. All you need to make this popular Southern sandwich is: good sandwich bread; the very best, ripest tomatoes you can find; mayo; salt and pepper; and an appetite.
As with any recipe that requires only a few ingredients, quality is key. So be sure to read on for helpful tips on the best mayonnaise, how to choose the best tomatoes, and which bread makes the best version of this simple, classic Southern meal.
And if you love tomatoes as much as I do (especially in summer), check out these recipes for Fried Green Tomatoes and Burrata With Roasted Vine Tomatoes.
Choose the Best, Ripest Tomatoes You Can Find
Tomatoes play the starring role here, a major upgrade from their usual place as filler in other sandwiches. Because tomatoes are the main sandwich ingredient, it is imperative to use only the best-quality tomatoes.
The need for high-quality, ripe tomatoes makes a tomato sandwich best in summertime. Summer is tomato season. Choose a large, ripe tomato. Heirloom tomatoes are a great choice, but a juicy beefsteak tomato also makes a great tomato sandwich. And make sure that your tomato is at room temperature (bonus points if it is still warm from the sun). Refrigerators are not kind to tomatoes; the flavor will dull and the texture can become mealy.
Which Mayonnaise to Use for Tomato Sandwiches
Other than tomato, mayonnaise is the only other sandwich ingredients for a traditional tomato sandwich. So again, quality is key. Duke’s mayonnaise is the go-to Southern brand, but Hellmann’s is a high-quality mayo as well. But if you are a Miracle Whip devotee, Veganaise lover, or something else, go for it. Use your favorite
Mayonnaise Substitutions
Though mayonnaise and tomato are the classic ingredients for a Southern tomato sandwich, feel free to riff as you’d like. Soft, spreadable cheeses like cream cheese or Boursin make the best substitutes or variations here. Goat cheese is also very tasty–sprinkle a little herbes de Provence on top for a French take.
Choosing the Right Bread for Your Tomato Sandwich
A true Southern tomato sandwich calls for good-quality, soft white bread. But whole wheat, multigrain, and sourdough breads also taste great. My one tip is to use a soft-crusted sandwich bread. If the bread is too crusty, it will be harder to eat with the soft tomato, and gets away from the essence of what a traditional tomato sandwich is supposed to be.
Should I Toast the Bread?
Strictly speaking, a traditional Southern tomato sandwich recipe calls for plain sandwich bread, no toast. But toasting the bread has become a somewhat popular option, in the vein of a B.L.T., so if that speaks to you, then I say go for it!
How to Make a Tomato Sandwich
Tomato sandwiches are a summer favorite in the South, and becoming more popular throughout the country for good reason. It’s a nearly effortless sandwich, and takes advantage of seasonal produce in the best way.
Because the only ingredients in a tomato sandwich recipe are 1) sandwich bread, 2) fresh tomatoes, 3) mayonnaise, and 4) salt and pepper, it is essential that the ingredients all be top quality.
Tomato sandwich recipe steps:
- Slather good mayonnaise on one side of two slices of sandwich bread.
- Add in thick-cut, ripe tomato slices on top of one slice of bread.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper.
- Add the top slice of bread. Slice, and serve.
Enjoy. A fresh tomato sandwich is the ultimate late-summer meal.
More juicy recipes you’ll love:
Classic Tomato Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 large, ripe heirloom tomato at room temperature
- 4 slices soft sandwich bread (white bread preferred)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons good-quality mayonnaise, such as Duke's
- Pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Slice the ripe tomato into 1/2-inch thick slices. Sprinkle each slice with a little salt and pepperPRO TIP: I always use a serrated knife, such as this tomato knife, to cut tomatoes.
- Slather the bread slices with mayonnaise. Stack tomato slices equally on half the bread. Top each tomato stack with the remaining bread, mayo-side down.
- Slice each tomato sandwich in half and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
12 comments
scott
I love tomato sandwiches. Sometimes I’ll add goat cheese or homegrown pesto. Heirloom tomato sandwiches are the best.
Lisa Ruland
I am glad you love them, too! Tomato sandwiches are just so good. I can’t wait for July and August! I love the idea of adding pesto or goat cheese–both are such fantastic complementary flavors.
Wendy
Simple and simply perfect. I use Hellmann’s mayo but I know some people would say Duke’s is more authentically Southern. Either way, this is great. Soft bread is necessary.
Samantha
It just isn’t summer without one! This recipe is just right.
Deb Polson
Make these all the time. My all time favorite sandwich. Sometimes, not often, I add some lettuce and bacon. ???
Unpeeled
I LOVE bacon with this! Great call. Aren’t these sandwiches just so simple and good? I hope you enjoy some extra-juicy ones this summer!
Linda
I love this sandwich and have been making it forever. Born and raised in the north, we love the sandwich also. I do use Dukes mayonnaise however?. I have a beautiful farm fresh tomato in the kitchen right now waiting to be used tomorrow at lunch. Prefer soft white bread but whole wheat is all I have right now so I’m going to give that a try. I know it will be delicious!
Unpeeled
Mmm…I love that you are in the tomato sandwich club! Isn’t it the best? You are right; soft white bread is the ultimate way to go, but I find that soft whole wheat is good, too. I think the key is a soft sandwich bread. Thanks for writing about this!
Enid
Delicious. Very true to the Southern way of eating tomato sandwiches. You need the soft bread, for sure!
Jane
Delicious and messy! One bite and tomato juice ran down my chin, lol!
My southern mother and grandmother often made these for us kids in the summer, but this is the first time I tried it with pepper – that really adds a bit of zing to the sandwich.
I usually eat only dense, whole-grain, seeded homemade breads, but for this sandwich soft, white bread is the way to go. And don’t skimp on the mayo!
Unpeeled
Hi, Jane! So glad you enjoyed it. This is hands-down one of my favorite ways to eat tomato, period. And I am completely with you on the bread. Normally, I eat really crusty, artisan multigrain bread. But this is one sandwich that really does need the soft sandwich bread. Enjoy and happy summer!
Anita
I have been eating this sandwich since I was a child. Every Summer I chomp at the bit waiting for the tomatoes to get ripe enough to have my Tomato Sandwich on untoasted bread.