This blog post is more of a love letter to my favorite summer meal than a “recipe.” Tomato sandwiches are one of the first foods I ever fell in love with, and I continue to look forward to summer every year just because of the tomato sandwiches. So it’s about time I formally celebrate their beautiful simplicity and share them with anyone who hasn’t yet had one. Tomato sandwiches are seriously my favorite thing. EVER.
What’s on a Tomato Sandwich
There are so many different versions of tomato sandwiches out there, but I’m partial to the classic tomato sandwich consisting only of juicy, ripe tomatoes, creamy mayonnaise, soft white bread, and salt and pepper. That’s it!
The juice from the tomatoes combines with the creamy mayo, salt, and pepper to form a sort of dressing that kind of soaks into the bread and creates the most delicious combo of flavors and textures. It’s so divine that I literally can not eat just one. As soon as I pop that last bite I always make second one!
It’s all about the Tomatoes
This sandwich is all about enjoying the beautiful and delicious tomatoes of summer. If you can, buy tomatoes grown locally for the best flavor. Heirloom tomatoes are gorgeous and delicious, but they will probably increase the price of your sandwich a bit. If you can, hit up your local farmer’s markets or neighbors who might be growing tomatoes to grab a few of those fresh summer beauties!
What Kind of Bread to Use for Tomato Sandwiches
A lot of tomato sandwich lovers insist on soft white bread, but I’m a bit more flexible when it comes to the bread. I do like a little texture, so if my bread is very soft I’ll pop it in the toaster just to give it a little tan. I also like whole wheat bread for tomato sandwiches quite a bit, but I think I’m in the minority there. Most bread will work for tomato sandwiches, but I would try to avoid super crusty or chewy bread, like a baguette, because it will overpower the soft texture of the tomatoes inside.
Real Mayo Only, Please
Talk to any Southerner and they’re likely to have very strong feelings when it comes to their favorite mayonnaise, especially for tomato sandwiches. Dukes and Blue Plate are both popular choices, but a good ol’ classic Hellmann’s mayo is also good, IMHO! Bottom line, it’s got to be CREAMY.
Tomato Sandwich Variations
A couple of years ago I posted a video about my love for tomato sandwiches on social media and I asked YOU how you like to make your tomato sandwiches. I got some wonderful responses! Here are some other ingredients people love to put on tomato sandwiches:
- Rub raw garlic on the bread before spreading on the mayo
- Lettuce and bacon (BLT!)
- Cucumber
- Cheese (goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, or cheddar)
- Fresh basil
- Sweet onion
- Cream cheese instead of mayo
- Pesto
- Hummus instead of mayo
- Cavenders Greek seasoning
- Everything bagel seasoning
What do you like to put on YOUR tomato sandwiches?? Let us know in the comments below!
Tomato Sandwiches
Servings 1 sandwichIngredients
- 1/2 large tomato ($0.77)
- 2 slices white bread ($0.64)
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise ($0.22)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.02)
- 1 pinch pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- If you prefer your bread toasted, begin by toasting the bread. Slice the tomatoes into large rounds (horizontally around the equator of the tomato).
- Spread a thick layer of mayonnaise over each slice of bread. Top one slice of bread with tomato slices, then sprinkle a generous pinch of salt and pepper over the tomatoes and second slice of bread.
- Close the sandwich with the second slice of bread, cut the sandwich in half, and serve immediately.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
How to Make Tomato Sandwiches – Step by Step Photos
Slice your tomato first. I like to slice horizontally across the tomato to get the biggest slices possible. The thickness of the slices are up to you, but I like to do a medium-width. Not too thin so I don’t have to do too many layers, but not so thick that I can’t overlap them at all.
If you prefer to have toasted bread, make sure you’ve got that going while you’re slicing the tomatoes. Spread a nice layer of mayonnaise over each piece of bread (about 1.5 Tbsp per slice, depending on the size of your bread).
Layer the tomatoes onto the bread, using as much as you’d like (this part is just personal preference). Top the tomatoes and the other slice of bread with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Place the other slice of bread on top and slice the sandwich in half (horizontal or diagonal, you do you). Enjoy the sandwich immediately. …And then make a second one. ;)
Seriously. My mouth is watering just looking at that. 🤤
OK…so I went off the grid a bit. My knee & I hobbled to the kitchen & made a tomato & mini cucumber sandwich, with Miracle Whip (I like the extra tang it gives), & freshly cracked black pepper, on some freshly baked whole wheat baguette. I was fortunate enough to have a friend go shopping for me. Best thing I’ve eaten in DAYS! Have a great weekend!
In one of those “so wrong it’s right” moments, I have to say I love the addition of a Kraft Single cheese slice to this sandwich. We used to have it that way when I was growing up, and sometimes your heart just needs that little hit of nostalgia!
Wow, you just unlocked a core memory for me. Haha! Definitely need to revisit that combo.
Yum. Tomato sandwiches made with my grandpa’s homegrown tomatoes, still warm from the sun, and my grandma’s homemade bread. Heaven!!
Here on the Pacific Northwest coast we have a condiment called “Yumm Sauce” (ingredients say oil, almonds, nutritional yeast, chickpeas, lemon juice, salt garlic, basil). I rarely eat tomatoes without it and it only gets better once bread becomes involved.
I like to sprinkle a little dill on my tomato sandwich.
Oh. My. Goodness. What a summertime treat this is with homegrown tomatoes! (Don’t even THINK about trying this with store-bought!) And the mayo . . . well, it just has to Blue Plate!
Oh YES, the same recipe passed down for generations in my family. ;) Summer bliss, especially when the tomatoes were pulled fresh from Grandma and Grandpa’s garden. I believe Grandpa added paper-thin slices of onion. I make a milder version with chopped chives.
I like celery salt instead of plain salt, and fresh ground pepper
I’m team celery salt, too! Celery salt is also perfect for corn on the cobb.
I make these every summer, but I use butter instead of mayo. One of my favorites.
The recipe is spot on and has my mouth watering as well just thinking about the tomato sandwich. Agree with others, Dukes is my go to. I hope this isn’t sacrilegious, but every so often, I go heavy on one side with Dukes and Grey Poupon on the other side to jazz it up.
I love an open faced tomato sandwich — toasted sourdough topped with tomatoes, drizzled with honey and topped off with Maldon sea salt. It’s my perfect summer food.
Ok, you don’t really need a recipe for this but I applaud the amount of may you have on there: it has to be three dimensional. Mayo haters not welcome here
I pulled my first tomato from my plants this week and had this sandwich last night! I can seriously eat one every day during the summer and there is nothing that compares. I’m a purist in that I just want the basics: soft white bread, tomato, Duke’s Mayo, and salt/paper.
We used to eat tomato and cheese with mayo as kids. My Grandma used to make PNB, lettuce and tomato sandwiches for us. I love them now and even my 17 yo daughter eats them. Best with homegrown tomatoes!
Kenji Lopez-Alt recommends spreading the INSIDE of the bread with a little soft (or melted) butter or mayo and toasting it on a dry non-stick pan or griddle. This gives some browned flavor and some texture while keeping the soft bread outside.
Love Kenji!
I tried that recently! It was good. I like being able to have the squishy bread on the outside while still getting a little toasty flavor. Good for egg sandwiches, too.
I used to think tomato sandwiches needed bacon and was surprised to discover that the tomato, mayo, on whole wheat toast was perfectly flavored. I now like my tomatoes sliced very thin which allows me to overlap without large bumps. If I do thick slices, then I puzzle piece them and cut to fit the corners etc. Yum!
This is probably the food closest to my heart. I smiled when I saw it this morning. And thank you for keeping it sweet and simple. Just as it should be. I once saw a certain television food host make tomato sandwiches with “heirloom” varieties and 9 grain artisan bread. I love both of those things, but not for this. This is pure summertime southern nostalgia. I also caught the Duke’s mayo. You got it right.