Best BLAT Sandwich Recipe

This BLAT sandwich recipe is a fresh take on the BLT with crispy toasted bread piled high with juicy sliced tomatoes, crisp lettuce, creamy ripe avocado and plenty of crunchy bacon. A special Ranch Balsamic Mayo elevates the flavors to a whole new level.

Bacon, lettuce and tomato on crispy toast is a classic sandwich combination, and you’ll love the addition of ripe avocado slices and a flavorful sandwich spread.

If you love B.L.T.s, be sure to check out our Mini BLT Sliders and BLT Crostini Appetizers. And for more sandwiches, 30 favorite bacon lunch ideas and our roundup of best turkey and bacon sandwiches.

Why These Deluxe BLTs are Worth Making

• The recipe is super easy, and you can make BLATs in less than an hour.
• Avocado is the perfect addition to the classic BLT. You’ll love how the creamy texture compliments the bacon, lettuce and tomato!
• You can customize the BLAT sandwich recipe to suit your tastes. See below for recipe substitutions and additional ingredients you can add.
• These tasty sandwiches are easy to eat, with no utensils needed! They’re perfect for a picnic or tailgating party.
• You can cook the bacon ahead of time and prep the lettuce, tomato and Ranch Balsamic Mayo.

Ingredients Needed

For each giant sandwich you’ll need:

• Sliced avocado
• Tomato slices
• Lettuce leaves
• 2 slices of toasted bread
• 4 cooked bacon strips
• and our delicious Ranch Balsamic Mayo (recipe below).

The Best Bacon for Sandwich Making

For bacon that cooks up nice and crispy, we prefer traditional sliced bacon for this sandwich. It’ll be a little easier to eat and not as chewy as thick sliced bacon.

Of course, if thick sliced bacon is what you have on hand, then by all means use that! You may wish to cook it on the crispy side. (For extra crunchy texture, try our flour coated bacon.)

We like to cook bacon in the oven for this recipe, but you can use your favorite method.

The Best Bread for Toasting

Each type of bread has different flavor and texture profiles that will elevate your sandwich to World Class status! Some of our favorites include:

• Sourdough bread
• Whole wheat bread
• Multigrain bread
• White bread
• Potato bread
• Challah
• Brioche

For the sandwich in the photograph, we used sliced potato bread. It makes the most perfect toast – crispy on the outside and soft inside. Plus, the mild potato flavor pairs really well with all the other tasty sandwich ingredients.

The Crispiest Lettuce

Butter lettuce, also known as Bibb lettuce or Boston lettuce, has tender leaves and a mild flavor.

Iceburg lettuce is a classic choice with mild flavor and lots of crispy crunch.

Romaine lettuce has long leaves and a slightly bitter flavor.

Leaf lettuce includes red, green and oak varieties. Red and green leaf lettuce have a mild flavor, while oak leaf lettuce has a slightly nutty flavor.

The Perfect Tomatoes for Slicing

Naturally, if you have garden-fresh summer tomatoes those will have the most delicious flavor. Or stop at your favorite farmer’s market for just-harvested ripe tomatoes.

Fresh-grown Beefsteak or Brandywine tomatoes are both a very flavorful choice for this sandwich, but any tomato will work.

If you’re using grocery store tomatoes, look for hothouse varieties like tomatoes on the vine. Smaller varieties like Roma tomatoes are generally picked a little riper since they’re not as prone to bruising.

If the tomatoes you buy are on the hard side, they may ripen if you let them sit in an open wire basket in the kitchen for a few days.

The Tastiest Avocado

While there are many avocado varieties, two types are commonly found in U.S. grocery stores.

Haas avocados (sometimes called California avocados) are smaller with pebbly skin, and have a rich flavor due to their high fat content.

Florida avocados are larger with smooth skin, and have a lower fat content and fewer calories.

If you buy an avocado that’s not quite ripe, store it in a paper bag with an apple or banana to speed the ripening process.

Conversely, if you have a perfectly ripe avocado but want to make sandwiches in a day or two, store the unpeeled avocado in the refrigerator to slow the ripening.

Fun fact: Did you know there’s a Bacon Avocado variety?

Step by Step Instructions

1. Cook and drain the bacon.
2. Make the ranch Balsamic mayo.
3. Toast the bread.
4. Slice the tomatoes and drain on paper towels.
5. Separate the lettuce leaves and tear in smaller pieces, if necessary.
6. Peel, pit and slice the avocado. (An avocado slicer makes the task super easy.)
7. Spread the Ranch Balsamic mayo on the toast.
8. Layer the ingredients on the sandwich.
9. Cut, serve and bliss out!

Ranch Balsamic Mayo Directions

In a small bowl, combine:

• 4 tablespoons real mayonnaise (we love Hellmann’s)
• 1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ranch dip mix from a 1 ounce package

Stir until well blended. Cover and reserve. You can make the spread up to 3 days in advance and store it, covered, in the refrigerator.

Assembling the Sandwiches

You can layer the ingredients however you like. For the final photo, this is how we layered ours starting from the bottom up:

1. Toasted bread slice spread with Ranch Balsamic Mayo
2. Lettuce leaves
3. Tomato slices
4. Crispy bacon strips
5. Lettuce leaves
6. Avocado slices
7. Toasted bread slice spread with Ranch Balsamic Mayo
8. Hold everything together with a toothpick!

What Can You Add to a BLT?

Feel free to experiment and get as creative as you like with these bacon lettuce tomato and avocado sandwiches. For variety you can layer in additions like these:

Thinly sliced cucumbers – English cucumbers and regular cucumbers are both delicious.

Sprouts – tender alfalfa sprouts, radish sprouts or bean sprouts add fresh flavor and crunch!

Sliced peppers – try bell peppers, drained pepperoncini or chopped, drained sweet Italian peppers.

Spinach leaves – add nutrients and flavor with raw spinach. Plus, you can then call your sandwich a B.L.A.S.T.!

Thinly sliced radishes – add a spicy crunch with sliced regular or white icicle radishes.

Turkey – honey turkey or smoked turkey are both delicious in this sandwich, and with this addition your sandwich will become a B.L.A.T.T.!

Bacon aioli – instead of mayonnaise you can substitute our delicious, creamy bacon aioli spread. Use it as a base for the ranch mayo with balsamic, or use it as is for a garlicky, lemony bacon flavor!

How to Make Cute Pig Sandwich Picks

To make the decorative toothpicks that hold these sandwiches together, I purchased some cute pink pig erasers (that’s an affiliate link in case you want to buy similar ones).

I used a sharp paring knife to cut a hole in the bottom of the eraser. Then I pushed wood picks (another affiliate link) in the opening, about 1/3 inch of the way in.

FAQs

More Great Bacon Recipes

If you like these tasty sandwiches, you might also like these popular recipes:

• Irish Bacon Cheeseburgers
• Tater Tots and Bacon Cheese Bites
• Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies

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