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Is there anyone who doesn’t love to devour a delicious BLT? This Classic BLT Sandwich recipe is simple to make and packed full of flavour!

Classic BLT Sandwich in a white plate, some lettuce and a slice of tomato in background

It’s All About the Bacon

Although it’s simple to make, this Classic BLT Sandwich can end up being pretty sub-par if you don’t use the best ingredients. And the most important ingredient of all is the bacon. This isn’t the time for popping down to the local convenience store for some prepacked bacon. Convenience has its place, but this is not it.

For the perfect Classic BLT Sandwich, you’ll need to go to the butchers and pick up the thick cut of bacon with a nice wide strip of fat around the edges. If streaky is your thing, so be it, but I definitely believe that fatty is best in this case.

Once you have your bacon ready to go, the best way to make it is in the oven (stay away from that stove top!).

cooked bacon, sliced tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise in spoon

Classic BLT Sandwich Ingredients

Good-quality thick-sliced bacon: I prefer Kirkland, and a pound of bacon will do the trick.
Large beefsteak tomatoes: make sure they’re the best quality you can pick up!
Mayonnaise: Hellmans is my fave!
Your favorite bread
Butter leaf lettuce

BLT Sandwich ingredients - bread toast, strips of bacon, slices of tomatoes and lettuce leaf

How to Make the Perfect Classic BLT Sandwich

Preheat your oven to 375 °F to cook the bacon
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the bacon strips in a SINGLE layer.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until the bacon is crispy. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Lightly toast the bread slices. Slather each slice of bread with mayo to your liking.
To assemble the sandwiches, layer the tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce on four pieces of toast.
Salt and pepper to your liking. Top each sandwich with the remaining slices of bread.

BLT Sandwich with a layer of tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce on four pieces of toast.

Who Invented the BLT Sandwich?

The ingredients for the Classic BLT Sandwich have been around for years but there’s no mention of the “BLT” name before 1900. In fact, the earliest mention of it was in a 1903 cookbook called the “Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book” which featured a club sandwich made of lettuce, tomato, bacon, mayo, and turkey. But there is no clear consensus on when people started referring to the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich as a “BLT”.

In 1958, over 50 years after that first cookbook mention, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise started advertising their product as “traditional on bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches”. So it’s possible that when servers were taking orders they abbreviated this to BLT to save time!

close up Classic BLT Sandwich in a white plate

How Many Calories in a BLT Sandwich?

The Classic BLT Sandwich has around 400-500 calories depending on the ingredients you use. For example, if you opt for a low carb, low-calorie bread and go easy on the mayo then it’ll be on the lower end. I personally like to throw on the mayo like there’s no tomorrow and I love a nice thick wheaten bread to go with it!

If you are looking for some more tasty Sandwich recipes, try these:

Red Pepper & Feta Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Four Ingredient Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwiches

The Ultimate Clubhouse Sandwich

Bacon & Buffalo Chicken Tacos

We have already eaten these about 5 times this summer and there are more on the way. I love eating sandwiches and salads allllll summer long, thrown in with a little BBQ on the side. It’s a great way to use up summer tomatoes too!

Happy cooking!

Love,

Karlynn