Copycat Disneyland Monte Cristo Sandwiches? You bet! I going to teach you how to make the Blue Bayou Monte Cristo Sandwich that the Cajun restaurant in Disneyland is famous for!
How to Make a Monte Cristo Sandwich
I have been meaning to recreate the Disneyland Monte Cristo Sandwich delight since we got home from Disneyland, but of course, I was waiting to write about my experiences once the new site design was done.
- Make the sandwiches by layering a slice of Swiss cheese, then the four meat slices,
Then, Swiss cheese is on top with the remaining slice of bread. - Place a toothpick on each corner of the sandwich.
- Dip the whole sandwich in the batter, covering the surface thoroughly, and fry in
340 degrees Fahrenheit oil until golden. - Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Remove the toothpicks and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Why is it called a Monte Cristo?
Apparently, Disneyland first called this sandwich the Monte Cristo. This sandwich is similar to the French Croque Monsieur, another famous sandwich everyone enjoys. From the 1930s to the 1960s, you can find this sandwich in cookbooks, listed as a “French sandwich,” “Toasted ham sandwich,” and “French toasted cheese sandwich.”
The Secret Sweet Batter
The first step is to create a sweet batter, as the batter they use at The Blue Bayou is NOT savory! You need to have some sweetness to it to counter the meat and cheese inside; otherwise, you are not getting the real deal. I sat there while eating it and mentally picked apart the batter, tasting the sweet twinge to it, knowing that sugar was definitely an ingredient. If you don’t use a sweet batter, you are not going to get anything close flavor-wise. It might still be good, but not great!
The second part was to figure out how to get all that goodness inside…well, to stay on the inside! While I think that the Monte Cristo at the Blue Bayou doesn’t have bread as much as it has all batter, I will use some white bread to give us that same effect.
These are as close as you can get to the real thing without actually eating them at Disneyland! When you are done, you will have one amazing-looking sandwich, like the one pictured below. I used Texas toast because it is so perfectly squared—easier to batter and fry up—but any white bread with a square shape will also work. Decide if you want thin or thick bread at the start and go from there.
Slice that beauty in half and dust with icing sugar if you want. (Dusted with icing sugar is how Disneyland does it)
Mike prefers them without the icing sugar, so this was his sandwich. When I say “his,” I actually mean “his half.” These are crazy decadent sandwiches, and I didn’t even finish the one I had at Disneyland! We made two sandwiches for a family of four to share, and it was plenty!
Ta-da! The Disneyland Monte Cristo Sandwich! From my own little kitchen! What a treat it was to recreate my favorite Disneyland sandwich! Make sure to dip it in a raspberry jam just like they serve it in Disneyland!
What is your favorite food from Disneyland? Make sure to read my Disneyland Food Bucket List; it has all the great things you need to eat! I really hope you all try this recipe at least once! Let me know if you do!
Also, if you want to try some more great sandwiches, try these recipes:
Love,
Karlynn
Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Ingredients
Sweet Batter Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 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
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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
_u**********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/115151324/" ns="true">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.