Monte Cristo Sandwich is piled high with ham, turkey, cheese, and three slices of honey wheat bread that is dipped in batter and deep-fried to a golden brown. Try my Monte Cristo Salad for a lighter version of the sandwich or my Monte Cristo Sliders!
Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigans Copycat}
If you have ever been to a Bennigans restaurant, you have probably noticed, and maybe even tried, the ‘World Famous Monte Cristo Sandwich’ on the menu. We used to have one in Minnesota that I loved, but unfortunately, it closed. It is a sandwich filled with deli meat, coated in batter, and deep-fried. It is also served with raspberry preserves for dipping. In every bite, you get the sweetness of the batter and the protein in the meat.
Monte Cristo Sandwich Ingredients
There are three parts to this recipe–the sandwich, the batter, and the dipping sauce(s).
Sandwich: I prefer honey wheat bread and thick-cut deli meat. I also used both American cheese and Swiss cheese. You could definitely try making this sandwich with white bread or your favorite kind of bread.
Batter: I have a recipe for a homemade batter you can coat the sandwich before frying. However, you can also use a store-bought pancake batter, like Krusteaz. We tested both. Depending on the batter you choose, your sandwich may be sweeter, thicker, or even crispier with the different options.
Confectioners’ sugar: The sugar is dusted over the fried sandwiches to give them an even sweeter taste.
Dipping Sauce: Raspberry preserves are recommended to serve with a Monte Cristo sandwich. You could also use raspberry jam. I also like to have some honey mustard sauce to dip into.
Oil: Use canola or vegetable oil for frying. And, if you have any leftover oil, check out my How to Clarify Used Cooking Oil so it doesn’t go to waste!
How to Make the Sandwich
The sandwich, which is a variation of the hot sandwich, ‘Croque Monsieur’, has to be assembled and chilled before being dipped in the batter and deep-fried. Chilling the sandwiches helps hold them together while in the hot oil. If you are not planning to chill them, be sure to secure the fillings with a toothpick before coating them with batter and frying.
To make the sandwiches, start with a slice of bread, three slices of turkey, one slice of Swiss cheese, another slice of bread, three slices of ham, a slice of American cheese, and one more slice of bread. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. You will have three sandwiches.
Next, cut each sandwich diagonally in half, for a total of six servings. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and let them chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, up to overnight. Again, chilling is important to keep the sandwiches from falling apart when frying.
How to Make the Batter
After the sandwiches have had time to chill, prepare the batter. To make the batter, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the water with the egg. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth. Set that aside as you heat up the oil.
An alternative to this batter is using pancake batter for the sandwich coating. We tested the sandwich with both the written recipe and Krusteaz pancake batter and loved the sweetness that the pancake batter brought to each bite. The sweetness and texture of the fried sandwich depend on the batter you decide to use.
Frying Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigan’s Copycat}
Once the batter has been made, it’s time to coat the chilled sandwiches and get them fried in the hot oil to be devoured! Pour enough oil to cover each sandwich. Set it over medium heat until it reaches a temperature between 325°F-350°F. Do not let the oil get hotter than 350°F; if it is too hot, the sandwich will brown too quickly and won’t melt the cheese or heat up the meat, as you can see in the picture above. (Both are still delicious)
When the oil is ready, working with half of a sandwich at a time, remove the sandwich from the refrigerator and unwrap it. First, dip the sandwich in the batter with your hands. Then, with metal tongs, dip the sandwich in the hot oil. (You may have to hold down the sandwich or flip it to get the entire sandwich fried.) If the sandwich does fall apart while frying in oil, take it out immediately to avoid a lot of oil splattering.
Fry until the sandwich is a dark golden brown. The pancake battered sandwich took about 4 minutes to brown; the homemade batter takes a little longer (4-5 minutes).
Remove the sandwich from the oil and set it on a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Sprinkle the sandwich with confectioners’ sugar and serve with a side of raspberry preserves and/or honey mustard. Repeat with the remaining five sandwich halves, monitoring the temperature of the oil before frying each sandwich. Serve the Monte Cristo with a side of fresh fruit or a wedge salad.
More Delicious Sandwiches
Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigan’s Copycat}
Ingredients
Sandwich
- 9 slices honey wheat bread
- 9 slices roasted turkey, deli meat – we prefer a thick cut
- 9 slices honey ham, deli meat – we prefer a thick cut
- 3 slices mild cheddar cheese
- 3 slices Swiss cheese
Batter*
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ⅔ cups water
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- vegetable or canola oil, for deep frying
- ½ cup (62.5 g) confectioners' sugar
Dipping Sauce
- red raspberry preserves, for dipping
- honey mustard, (optional) for dipping
Instructions
Sandwich
- Assemble sandwiches on a work surface. Start with one slice of bread, three slices of turkey, 1 slice of Swiss cheese, another slice of bread, three slices of ham, 1 slice of cheddar cheese and one final slice of bread.
- Slice the sandwich diagonally and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours (up to overnight). Chilling allows the sandwich to firm up which will help it hold together in the frying process.
Batter
- After chilling the sandwiches, make the batter*.
- In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl combine water and egg, whisking to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk well until all ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Set aside while you heat the oil.
Frying the Sandwiches
- Pour about 2 inches (or more) of oil into a large pot (enough to cover the sandwich) and set it over medium heat. Heat the oil to a temperature between 325°F-350°F.
- Working one half a sandwich at a time, remove the plastic wrap from the chilled sandwich and dip it into the batter with your hands. Then, use metal tongs to dip the sandwich into the hot oil. You may have to hold down the sandwich to submerge in oil or flip it. Fry until golden brown (4-5 minutes with homemade batter or closer to 4 minutes with pancake batter ). Remove from the oil and set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain slightly. Repeat with the remaining halves.
- Sprinkle the fried sandwich lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve with a side of raspberry preserves for dipping.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
Making this for dinner tonight,are there anymore Bennigans restaurants anymore?
First time and the recipe turned out perfect. I also added a little vanilla flavoring to the batter. Thanks for the information. Keep on cooking. God bless you and your family.
My husband requested Monte Crisco for his birthday breakfast! I have never made them before so I searched for a great recipe and I found yours! I made 2 sandwiches thinking he could eat a whole one, but no way the sandwich is big. It is the best Monte Crisco I have ever had. And will for sure make this again! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Loved thus recipe! Brings me back to when I worked for Bennigans, so much fun and great food!
Hey James,
You have literally made my day! My Best Friend & I would go to Bennigan”s back in the late 80’s & early 90’s together. We would go every other Saturday & we both LOVED their Monte Crisco Sandwiches. We would always plan ahead of time to order something different for a change. But as you yourself all ready know, as soon as we sit down & the waitress approached us so she could take our order, even with us looking at their menu we STILL would always end up ordering their Monte Chrisco Sandwich, lol. I’ve have tried all different recipes that said that is was the “copy cat recipe”from Bennigans but none of them ever tasted like the ones we got at the restaurant. So I am going to fix this tonight for supper thanks to you. I didn’t mean to write this much, so please forgive me BUT thank you for sharing the Original recipe with all of us. Stay safe my fellow Cooks!!👩🍳
Made as printed but didn’t have time to chill the sandwiches. I used 6 toothpicks to help compensate. Worked out well! Super delicious.
Having worked in a Bennigan’s kitchen in the late 80s, the Monte Cristo is three slices multigrain bread, a layer of ham, a layer of turkey, Swiss cheese on both layers, four toothpicks inserted through the sandwich, cut diagonally, each half dipped in beer batter and then each half fried. Those were the days when I didn’t have to worry about what I ate!
I loved this sandwich at Bennigans!! Thanks for the recipe, my granddaughter loves it too but the different eateries don’t even come close. I remember it being made in beer batter as mentioned above (thank you for that too) I’ll be making this for her 23rd bday in a few weeks!