24 Best Sandwich Recipes: From Viral Hits to Classics

There is genuinely nothing better in this world than a really good sandwich, and I've spent the better part of the last three years trying to prove it. A properly layered sandwich with crunch, a good sauce, something pickled and something melty, is one of the greatest meals you can make at home. So I've pulled together 24 of my best sandwich recipes in one place, from the viral TikTok and Instagram hits that blew up this year, to the global classics I've been collecting on my Sandwich World Tour since 2022.

The best sandwich recipes combine four things: great bread (focaccia, baguette, brioche, or ciabatta), a crunchy or crispy element, a punchy sauce that hits multiple flavor notes, and at least one fresh, acidic component to cut through the richness.

My personal top three right now are the crunchy chicken romesco sandwich (which went viral on Instagram with over 2.9 million views), the bulgogi cheesesteak, and the Vietnamese bánh mì chopped salad sandwich. Every recipe below has been tested multiple times in my own kitchen before being shared - I really hope you find a new favorite!

If you're new here, hi! I'm Emily - a published cookbook author, former restaurant cook, and the person behind Myriad Recipes. Sandwiches are an absolute obsession of mine. You could say I've built a big part of this blog around them.

Jump to:

• What Makes a Great Sandwich? (The 4 Pillars)
• My Sandwich Cheat Sheet
• The Viral Sandwich Recipes
• Chicken Sandwich Recipes
• Beef, Pork & Lamb Sandwich Recipes
• Japanese Sandos & Sushi Sandwich Recipes
• Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes
• Bonus: A Sweet Sandwich
• My Golden Rules for a Perfect Sandwich
• Make-Ahead, Storage & Packing Tips
• Final Thoughts
• Looking For More Lunch & Meal Prep Inspiration?
• Sandwich Recipes FAQs
• 24 Best Sandwich Recipes: From Viral Hits to Classics

What Makes a Great Sandwich? (The 4 Pillars)

Before we get into the 24 best sandwich recipes, I want to talk quickly about why the ones below actually work. After years of building sandwiches (both at home and when I worked in restaurants) I've landed on four non-negotiable pillars for anything that goes between two slices of bread.

1. The Bread. Bread is the most overlooked element because a sandwich is only as good as the bread you build it on. Soft, airy, and a little chewy with a light crunchy crust is gold - think focaccia, ciabatta, a proper baguette, milk bread, or a brioche bun.
2. The Protein (or Filling). This is where you decide the whole vibe. Cold cuts leans American-deli. Slow-roasted lamb gives Sunday-feast. Grilled chorizo goes straight to Buenos Aires.
3. The Sauce. Always more than one. I almost always build in two... like a creamy fat-based one (mayo, tzatziki, sour cream dressing) plus a punchy herb or acid-driven one (chimichurri, romesco, hot honey, chili oil).
4. The Fresh / Acidic Bite. Pickles, a lightly dressed salad, pickled red onions, or a shredded cabbage slaw. This is the part 80% of people forget. Don't skip it.

Get all four right and I promise the sandwich will taste expensive even if you spent $5 at the store.

My Sandwich Cheat Sheet

If you've scrolled down here because you can't decide what to cook right now, here's a quick-reference cheat sheet to help you pick the right sandwich for the right occasion. Every single one of these is linked to a full recipe below.

Sandwich	Cuisine	Best For...	Effort (1–5)
1. Crunchy Chicken Romesco	Spanish-inspired	Picnics & showing off	3
2. Marry Me Chicken Chopped Salad	Italian-American	Date night in	2
3. Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich	American	Lazy dinner	2
4. Bulgogi Cheesesteak	Korean-American	Friday night treat	3
5. Greek Chicken Gyros	Greek	Summer lunch	2
6. Vietnamese Bánh Mì	Vietnamese	Meal-prep lunch	2
7. Bánh Mì Chopped Salad Sandwich	Vietnamese-inspired	Viral-chopped cravings	2
8. Shredded Buffalo Chicken	American	BBQ alternative	2
9. Mexican Cemita	Mexican	Big lunch + Picnic	3
10. Lamb Sandwich with Chimichurri	British/Argentinian	Leftover Sunday lamb	2
11. Meatball Sandwich	Italian-American	Feeding a crowd	3
12. Polish Kielbasa Sandwich	Polish	BBQ weather	2
13. Argentinian Choripán	Argentinian	Grilling season	1
14. The Mitraillette	Belgian	When you're ravenous	4
15. Brazilian X-Tudo	Brazilian	Ultimate indulgence	3
16. Mexican Pambazo	Mexican	Picnic days	3
17. Cheesy 'Nduja Slider	Italian-inspired	Sharing plate	1
18. Onigirazu (Sushi Sandwich)	Japanese	Meal prep	3
19. Katsu Onigirazu	Japanese	Lunchbox show-off	3
20. Tamago Harissa Sando	Japanese-Tunisian fusion	Quick egg lunch	1
21. Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich	Italian-American	Vegetarian lunch	2
22. Cypriot Halloumi Sandwich	Cypriot	15-minute lunch	1
23. Korean Gilgeori Toast	Korean	Weekend brunch	2
24. Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich	American	Summer dessert	2

Now let's actually get into the sandwich recipes. I've broken them up by type so you can find exactly what you're in the mood for.

---

The Viral Sandwich Recipes

These are the four sandwich recipes from my blog that absolutely took off on Instagram and TikTok this year. They're the ones I get the most DMs about, and honestly, for good reason... because they're just really, really good.

1. Crunchy Chicken Romesco Sandwich

This is the one. My Crunchy Chicken Romesco Sandwich went properly viral on Instagram with over 2.9 million views and 87,000 likes, and it's still the sandwich people message me about the most. It's everything I want in a summer focaccia sandwich: crunchy panko chicken cutlets, a super simple homemade romesco sauce made with jarred roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes, a garlic-parsley butter I grill into the focaccia, and a zingy little arugula-gem lettuce salad dressed with sour cream, lemon, and a ton of parmesan.

My top tip: The parmesan trick is non-negotiable. I spread the garlic-parsley butter over each half of the focaccia, then grate so much parmesan on top that you can't see the butter anymore, then stick it under the grill until it bubbles. This builds a salty, crispy crust on the bread that stops the romesco from making it soggy. Honestly, it turns a good sandwich into a great one.

Why you'll love it: Delicious flavor layering, properly portable for a picnic, and it comes together in just 30 minutes.

2. Marry Me Chicken Chopped Salad Sandwich

Two trends, one sandwich. The Marry Me Chicken Chopped Salad Sandwich combines my obsession with Marry Me Chicken ramen (which went viral on its own) with the chopped salad sandwich trend that took over TikTok in 2024. It's one pan — you fry the chicken, build a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce with garlic, chili flakes, oregano, chicken stock, cream, and parmesan in the same pan, then chop everything on a board with lettuce, arugula, basil, and a little extra parm. Pile it into a baguette.

My top tip: When you're frying the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes at the start of the sauce, add in a tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato oil from the jar. That oil is already infused with tomato and herbs and it takes the sauce from good to genuinely restaurant-level.

Why you'll love it: It's creamy, savory, herby, and the chopped-salad format means you get every flavor in every bite.

3. Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich

I called this one the Lazy Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich for a reason... because it tastes like you went to a fancy sandwich shop, but the effort level can be crazy low. Focaccia spread with a buffalo-chive-mayo-garlic butter, topped with super crunchy panko-fried chicken that's been coated in a hot honey oil glaze, a dill and lemon yogurt salad, and sharp cucumber pickles. The spicy-sweet-herby-acidic combo is honestly addictive.

My top tip: The crunch comes from a "triple-dredge". I dip my chicken cutlets in seasoned flour, then egg, then flour, then egg again, then flour one more time - scrunching the coating between my fingers before it hits the pan. Those little clumps are what give you those lovely crunchy edges. It's worth it! If you're short on time and you're looking to make this even easier, feel free to use pre-made crispy chicken cutlets from the store!

Why you'll love it: Spicy, sweet, juicy, pickled, creamy. It hits every flavor note you want from a fried chicken sandwich.

4. Bulgogi Cheesesteak Sandwich

This is one of the best sandwiches I've ever made, full stop. The Bulgogi Cheesesteak is what happens when you take a classic Philly and drag it through Seoul. My recipe combines thin-sliced rump or sirloin marinated in grated pear, dark soy, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and gochujang; melted mozzarella and American cheese; a quick gochujang mayo with rice wine vinegar; plus a scoop of kimchi for that funky, tangy cut-through. Then you put it all in a crusty bread roll.

My top tip: Put your steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before you slice it. Semi-frozen meat is so much easier to slice paper-thin with a sharp knife, which is the whole point of a bulgogi-style cut. Thin slices pick up the marinade better and stir-fry in minutes.

Why you'll love it: The cheese pull, umami-packed beef, kimchi funk. Every sandwich textbook element hit perfectly.

---

Chicken Sandwich Recipes

Chicken is the single most-requested protein in my DMs, so it makes sense that I've built out the chicken sandwich section the most. These five sandwich recipes cover every craving from crispy to shredded, to grilled, marinated or chopped. All are ready in 30 minutes or less (except the gyros, which needs a marinade).

5. Greek Chicken Gyros

After spending two months traveling around Greece, chicken gyros became the one snack I ate nearly every single day. My Greek Chicken Gyros recipe is made entirely in the air fryer (Ninja Foodi Dual Zone, specifically), with marinated chicken thighs on skewers in one basket, hand-cut chips in the other. I serve it in a garlic-herb flatbread with fresh tomato, red onion, parsley, and a classic homemade tzatziki made with Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper.

My top tip: Marinate the chicken thighs for minimum 20 minutes, maximum 24 hours (the lemon juice in the marinade starts to break down the chicken's fibers) if you want that melt-in-your-mouth texture you get from proper gyros-shop chicken. I find that 2 to 6 hours is the sweet spot.

Why you'll love it: Fresh, juicy, air-fryer easy, and genuinely tastes like the ones I ate in Athens.

6. Vietnamese Bánh Mì

My Vietnamese Bánh Mì Recipe is the sandwich I keep coming back to. I worked in a Vietnamese restaurant for a couple of years, and honestly it's what sparked my whole obsession with Vietnamese food (the bánh mì especially).

In my opinion the elements that really make this are two separate pickles (grated daikon + carrot in one bowl, sliced red onion in another... both in a quick rice-wine-vinegar brine), a sticky marinated chicken (soy, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, sugar, lime), and a stacked pile of fresh herbs such as mint and cilantro. Optional extras that I almost always add: chicken liver pâté, sriracha mayo, and chili oil.

My top tip: Don't skip the pickles. I know it adds 10 minutes and an extra bowl to wash up, but a bánh mì is the pickles. They deliver the acid and crunch that the whole sandwich is structured around. You can also make them the day before and keep them in the fridge.

Why you'll love it: Every bite is different. It's the closest thing to restaurant-quality street food you can make at home in my opinion.

7. Bánh Mì Chopped Salad Sandwich

The Bánh Mì Chopped Salad Sandwich is what happens when the chopped salad sandwich trend meets the greatest sandwich on earth. This sandwich recipe takes everything from a bánh mì, all chopped on a board and piled into a baguette with pickled cucumber, carrot, and red onion, fried marinated chicken thighs, coriander, mint, sriracha mayo, chili oil, and a swipe of pâté. Honestly, what's not to love.

My top tip: Chopping "as finely as you'd like" is literally the whole point. Go more coarse if you want big contrasting bites, or chop to an absolute mince if you want every bite to hit every single flavor. I like mine somewhere in the middle where there's enough structure that you can still see what's going on, but it's small enough that you're not fighting the sandwich.

Why you'll love it: Banh mì intensity + chopped-salad-sandwich texture = genuinely one of the best sandwich recipes on this list.

8. Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

My Easy Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich is my BBQ alternative for when it's hot outside and I still want something spicy and indulgent. Poach and shred chicken breasts, then fry the shreds in a pan with hot sauce, honey, paprika, garlic powder, and half a chicken stock cube until everything soaks in and crisps slightly at the edges. Pile onto a sesame brioche bun with cucumber-celery slaw (yogurt, mayo, lemon) and a blue cheese sauce (yogurt, mayo, danish blue, lime).

My top tip: Poach, don't grill. I know poaching chicken sounds a bit sad, but for a shredded filling it's the best way because the meat stays really juicy and pulls apart into silky strands. Then you get your crispy texture from the frying-off step at the end. it's the best of both worlds.

Why you'll love it: Hot sauce heat + creamy blue cheese + crunchy slaw. An absolute crowd-pleaser.

9. Mexican Cemita

The Mexican Cemita is a traditional sandwich from Puebla, Mexico and it's one of the tidier "big" sandwiches out there. A sesame seed bread roll is filled with a crispy breaded chicken cutlet (butterflied and pounded thin, then flour-egg-breadcrumb-fried), avocado, Oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella, which is texturally very similar if you can't find Oaxaca), rehydrated chipotle chilies, red onion, and cilantro.

My top tip: Butterfly and pound your chicken breast before breading it. Slice it in half horizontally and open it like a book, cover with cling film, and gently pound to just under 1 cm thick. Thin cutlets cook in 4 minutes a side without ever drying out, and they're much easier to bite through once they're stacked up in the sandwich.

Why you'll love it: It's smoky, creamy, crunchy, and actually one of the least drippy sandwich recipes on the list, which makes it brilliant for packing.

---

Beef, Pork & Lamb Sandwich Recipes

This is the hearty section. If you're cooking for someone who loves a proper hunger-killer of a sandwich, this is where you want to be looking. Several of these come from my Sandwich World Tour Series which was a challenge I set myself in 2022 to properly explore and cook sandwiches from around the world - from Brussels to Buenos Aires!

10. Lamb Sandwich with Chimichurri

This is my favorite way to use up leftover slow-roasted lamb (especially around Easter time)... and honestly, I sometimes roast the lamb specifically for the sandwich. The Lamb Sandwich is built on toasted sourdough and loaded with pulled lamb, my fresh homemade chimichurri (shallots, garlic, parsley, cilantro, red chili, oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar), grilled cheddar, deeply caramelized red onions, pickled beetroot, crispy onions, and arugula.

My top tip: Fry the onions low and slow. Caramelizing onions is not a 5-minute job. I start mine in a drizzle of olive oil for 5–10 minutes until softened, then add balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they're genuinely golden and glossy. If yours aren't darkening, your heat's too low and your patience is too high.

Why you'll love it: It's meaty, herby, sweet, sharp and every bite is a little different. In my opinion it's actually better cold the next day.

11. Meatball Sandwich

This Meatball Sandwich is proper Italian-American comfort food. Homemade beef meatballs (500g beef mince, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, sugar, chili flakes - rolled into about 15 small balls), a simple marinara you let simmer as long as you have patience for, and a generous layer of both mozzarella and cheddar over the top, melted until bubbling.

My top tip: Breadcrumbs are the meatball secret. A single tablespoon in a 500g pack of beef mince completely changes the texture as the crumbs soak up the juices as they cook, so each meatball has a deeper squelch (I know, a weirdly specific word, but it's exactly right in my opinion) when you bite into it. Don't skip them.

Why you'll love it: Classic sub-roll energy, cheese pull for days, and it reheats better than almost any other sandwich on this list.

12. Polish Kielbasa Sandwich

I lived in Poland for part of my childhood, so kielbasa has always been in heavy rotation in my family. The Polish Kielbasa Sandwich is smoked Polish sausage (butterflied and pan-fried to get some color and heat through), stacked into a crispy white roll with sauerkraut, red onions, and my 9-ingredient homemade BBQ sauce (ketchup, maple syrup, Worcestershire, tomato purée, garlic, paprika, pepper, mustard, rice wine vinegar).

My top tip: Butterfly the sausage instead of slicing it into rounds. Slice the kielbasa lengthways but not all the way through, then press it flat into the pan. You get so much more caramelized surface area, which means more of that sweet-salty Maillard crust on every bite. And the flat sausage actually fits inside the bread roll properly.

Why you'll love it: It's smoky, tangy, deeply savory and if you don't think you like BBQ sauce, the homemade version will genuinely change your mind.

13. Argentinian Choripán

If you only cook one sandwich from this list, make it Choripán. My recipe includes grilled chorizo sausage inside a crusty white baguette-type roll with a homemade chimichurri (cilantro, parsley, oregano, garlic, red chili, onion, red wine vinegar, salt, olive oil) and a quick salsa criolla (red onion, tomato, red wine vinegar, olive oil, chili flakes, salt, pepper). It's minimal, it's mind-blowing, and it's the absolute king of grilling-season sandwiches across Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and beyond.

My top tip: Fry the bread in the chorizo pan. After you've grilled your sausage, slice the bread roll lengthways (but not all the way through, like a mouth) and press the cut sides into the hot pan to toast in all that rendered chorizo fat. It's the single best move in the whole recipe.

Why you'll love it: It's got an unforgettable flavor, and it comes together in about 15 minutes.

14. The Mitraillette (Belgian Sandwich)

The Mitraillette is a classic Brussels street sandwich and very obviously designed for hangovers. Four components, all in a baguette: a baguette-style roll, a spice-infused beef patty (chili flakes, paprika, salt, pepper), Belgian fries (deep-fried in beef fat/tallow, ideally), and either an andalouse or béarnaise sauce. In my recipe I make a quick homemade andalouse with mayonnaise, ketchup, and roasted red pepper blended smooth.

My top tip: The beef patty should be a rectangle, not a circle, so try to shape your mince into a long, thin rectangular patty roughly the size of your baguette. Round patties leave gaps at the edges where the bread is just empty bread. A rectangle gives you beef in every single bite (genius!).

Why you'll love it: It's absurd. It's fries inside a sandwich. You will not be hungry for anything else for the rest of the day. Have this recipe on hand when you've pushed it a bit too far at last night's party, trust me.

15. Brazilian X-Tudo

The word "Tudo" literally means "everything", and the Brazilian X-Tudo holds true to that promise. It's a stacked monster of a burger sandwich: batata palha (shoestring potatoes... you fry grated, rinsed potato in about an inch of oil until lightly golden), a beef patty, two slices of bacon, a fried egg, two slices of American cheese melted over the top, tinned corn, tomato, lettuce, ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard. All in a burger bun.

And if you're more in the mood for burgers, my full burger toppings guide has 35 ideas to choose from.

My top tip: Rinse your grated potato before frying. This is the difference between shoestring potatoes and a sad, soggy mess. Rinsing in cold water gets rid of excess starch so each little strand fries crispy instead of clumping together.

Why you'll love it: Maximum indulgence, maximum layers, maximum reason to lie down afterward...

16. Mexican Pambazo

The Mexican Pambazo Sandwich is the picnic sandwich in my house. The filling is a rich, spiced chorizo-potato mix (boiled cubed potato, rough-chopped chorizo, onion, oregano, paprika) topped with creamy cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and avocado. Traditional recipes dip the bread in a guajillo chili sauce before assembling, but I serve the Guajillo chili dip (rehydrated guajillos, garlic, red onion, blended with the spicy water) on the side so the sandwich is picnic-friendly and actually travels without turning into a red-stained disaster.

My top tip: Boil your chilies before blending. Rehydrating guajillo chilies in boiling water for 15 minutes is what unlocks their real deep, smoky, almost sweet flavor.

Why you'll love it: Spicy, creamy, potato-chorizo heaven, and the dippable format is genuinely fun to eat.

17. Cheesy 'Nduja Slider

If you've been sent by the sandwich gods to feed a table full of hungry people with very little effort, this one is for you. The Cheesy 'Nduja Slider takes 15 minutes from start to finish, it's honestly so simple - you just fry some onion and garlic, mix with chorizo, parsley, mozzarella, 'nduja paste, salt, and pepper. I spread the lot over a half of ciabatta, dot with three thin slices of butter, and grill for about 5 minutes.

My top tip: Keep an eye on the grill. The butter-mozzarella combo goes from "not yet" to "dangerously close to burnt" in about 30 seconds, so this is not a sandwich you walk away from. Worth it for the slightly crispy bits around the edge though.

Why you'll love it: Sharing-plate magic. Every bite is spicy, cheesy, and about 50% chorizo (yum!)

---

Japanese Sandos & Sushi Sandwich Recipes

Japanese sandwich culture is genuinely unmatched! The sando (fluffy white bread, immaculately filled, wrapped in baking paper and cut on a clean diagonal) is a thing of beauty and I've got three Japanese sandwich recipes on the blog that cover three totally different styles.

18. Onigirazu (Japanese Sushi Sandwich)

The Onigirazu is a Japanese sushi sandwich and is basically a giant, square, wrapped-in-nori version of an onigiri that you can pack with literally anything. My version is filled with tuna mayonnaise, a quick square omelette, avocado, and the fluffiest sushi rice (short-grain rice with a rice wine vinegar, salt, sugar seasoning). Wrap it up, slice it on the diagonal, and dip in spicy sriracha mayo.

My top tip: Use short-grain sushi rice. I know you might have long-grain in the cupboard and think "surely it's fine", but honestly long-grain doesn't really have the stickiness you need to hold the sandwich together. Short-grain is the difference between a sando and a sandwich that falls apart in your hand.

Why you'll love it: Meal-prep dream, eaten cold, endlessly customizable. The best lunchbox sandwich on this list.

19. Katsu Onigirazu

The Katsu Onigirazu is my personal favorite of the two... a chicken katsu sushi sandwich combining two of my absolute favorite Japanese dishes in one package. I use chicken katsu (breaded fried chicken, similar to the method in my hot honey sandwich), egg, avocado, white cabbage, a homemade beetroot pickle, and grated carrot. The cross-section when you slice it is genuinely a work of art.

My top tip: Lay your colorful ingredients horizontally across the rice, not just in a big pile. When you slice the sandwich on the diagonal, you get a stunning layered cross-section... this is what makes onigirazu so satisfying to look at and eat. Stack carrot + beetroot + cabbage + chicken + egg in that order and you'll never go back.

Why you'll love it: Gorgeous to look at, protein-packed and travel-proof.

20. Tamago Harissa Sando

The Tamago Harissa Sando is one of my favorite fusions on the whole blog — a Japanese-Tunisian mash-up egg sandwich that looks like a traditional tamago sando but tastes completely unique. Three eggs: two are boiled for 6 minutes (to stay jammy) and sliced in half; the third is boiled for 10 minutes (to hard-boil) and chopped into a creamy, spicy harissa mayo salad with spring onion and parsley. The jammy halves go face-down on buttered bread, the harissa mayo fills in around them.

My top tip: One saucepan, two timers. Put all three eggs in the same pan. Pull two out at 6 minutes, the last one out at 10 minutes. Ice bath immediately for both so you don't lose your jammy centers. No need for multiple pans or fancy kit.

Why you'll love it: A proper 15-minute sandwich with a runny-jammy yolk surprise in every bite. The harissa gives it a little kick you don't expect from an egg sandwich.

---

Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes

Three proper vegetarian stunners that aren't just a meatless version of a meat sandwich... they stand on their own. Honestly, the eggplant parm sandwich below is so good my partner makes it as often as some of my chicken ones.

21. Easy Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich

The Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich comes together in under 20 minutes, is very filling, and proof that vegetarian sandwich recipes can absolutely hold their own next to meat. Slice an eggplant into discs, coat in flour → egg → panko, shallow-fry until crispy, stack into focaccia with a quick marinara sauce (tinned tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, parmesan), melted mozzarella, and fresh basil.

My top tip: Keep the heat on medium-low, not medium... and make sure you have about ½ inch of oil in the pan. Low and slow is what gives you that golden, crispy outside without burning the breadcrumbs before the eggplant has cooked through.

Why you'll love it: Genuinely meaty-feeling, crunchy-outside-soft-inside, and it's my favorite work-from-home lunch.

22. The Ultimate Cypriot Halloumi Sandwich

My Cypriot Halloumi Sandwich is done in 15 minutes and hits every box for a summer lunch. The recipe combines thin focaccia, pan-fried halloumi, fresh tomato, lettuce, black olives, red onion, and a homemade Talatouri sauce (the Cypriot version of tzatziki which brings together plain yogurt, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, mint, lemon).

My top tip: Make sure you grate and squeeze your cucumber before making the Talatouri... if you skip this step the sauce goes watery very quickly and you lose that thick, creamy consistency that makes it worth making from scratch.

Why you'll love it: Bright, Mediterranean, and genuinely as good as anything you'd eat on a beach holiday.

23. Korean Gilgeori Toast (Street Food Sandwich)

The Korean Gilgeori Toast is a classic Korean street food sandwich and one of the most deeply satisfying, weirdly-sweet-but-it-works things I make. Simply fry a square omelette loaded with shredded cabbage, onion, carrot, and spring onion, then top with cheese, a teaspoon of sugar, and a squeeze of ketchup, all stacked between two thick slices of pan-fried milk bread (or white bloomer).

My top tip: Shape your omelette into a square slightly larger than your bread slices before it sets so the filling protrudes out the edges just like the street food version.

Why you'll love it: Sweet-salty-savory, surprisingly filling, and unlike any sandwich in most American lunch repertoires.

---

Bonus: A Sweet Sandwich

I know an ice cream sandwich is a stretch, but I couldn't do a sandwich roundup without including it. It's been on the blog since the very beginning and it's genuinely one of the most fun things I make in summer.

24. Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich

My Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich uses a 4-ingredient no-churn ice cream that's super easy to make. You just whip double cream to stiff peaks, fold in condensed milk, vanilla essence, and chocolate chips and freeze for about 6 hours. Then you scoop the ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies and Voilà.

Fun fact: ice cream sandwiches were invented by a NYC pushcart salesman in 1899, and Americans apparently eat 48 ice cream sandwiches every second. I feel like we should all be chipping in more.

My top tip: Don't skip the chocolate dipping sauce. Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, dip your assembled sandwiches in halfway, then back into the freezer for 30 minutes. It turns them from a nice homemade treat into something that looks genuinely impressive.

Why you'll love it: Four ingredients, no ice cream maker, better than store-bought. The perfect summer dessert.

---

My Golden Rules for a Perfect Sandwich

Twenty-plus sandwiches later, here's the tiny shortlist of rules I follow every single time I build one. No matter what recipe from the list above you're making, these will apply.

Rule 1: Toast the bread, even if it doesn't "need" it. A quick toast (dry pan, grill, or toaster) creates a slightly crispy outer surface that acts as a moisture barrier. Your sauce doesn't soak through, your bread doesn't go limp 10 minutes after assembly. This one move is probably 50% of the difference between a homemade sandwich and a sandwich shop one.

Rule 2: Dress the salad, don't just pile it in. If I'm adding a leaf element like arugula, gem lettuce or rocket, I always try to toss it in dressing first in a separate bowl. Bare leaves in a sandwich are just padding; dressed leaves are a flavor layer. See my Crunchy Chicken Romesco Sandwich for exactly this move.

Rule 3: Spread sauces on both slices of bread. If you're using romesco on one side and mayo on the other, that's two different flavors your mouth gets in different bites. Pick whatever two sauces make sense for the sandwich and use them both.

Rule 4: Wrap in baking paper and wait 5 minutes. Especially for any of the focaccia sandwich recipes above... wrapping the finished sandwich tightly in baking parchment and leaving it for 5 minutes before eating lets all the flavors meld. The romesco soaks slightly into the chicken, the cheese firms up, the bread compresses a little. It's a 5-minute upgrade for free.

Rule 5: Acid is your best friend. Almost every single sandwich on this list has at least one acidic element like pickled veg, lemon-dressed salad, balsamic marinara, chimichurri. If your sandwich is tasting a bit flat, you need acid. Not salt, not more cheese. Acid.

Make-Ahead, Storage & Packing Tips

A handful of these sandwich recipes are built for making ahead (onigirazu, bánh mì, halloumi, cemita, kielbasa). Others do not travel at all (x-tudo, mitraillette, nduja slider). Here's a quick breakdown so you know what you can pack and what you need to eat immediately.

Best sandwich recipes for meal prep & lunchboxes:

• Onigirazu and Katsu Onigirazu: designed to be eaten cold, wrap in plastic or baking paper and eat within 24 hours.
• Bánh Mì and Bánh Mì Chopped Salad: keep the pickles separate and assemble just before eating for maximum crunch.
• Mexican Cemita: one of the least-juicy sandwiches on this list, genuinely brilliant for packing.
• Cypriot Halloumi Sandwich and Crunchy Chicken Romesco: both wrap beautifully and actually improve after 20 minutes in the fridge.

Eat-immediately sandwich recipes:

• The Mitraillette, Brazilian X-Tudo, Cheesy 'Nduja Slider, and Meatball Sandwich all need to be eaten hot because a cheese-melt-based sandwich loses its soul the second the cheese firms up.

Component storage:

• Most of the sauces in these recipes (chimichurri, romesco, marinara, tzatziki, talatouri, buffalo butter, gochujang mayo) keep perfectly in the fridge for 3–4 days in an airtight container. Make them ahead on Sunday and you've basically meal-prepped your entire week of lunches.
• Cooked proteins (fried chicken, shredded buffalo chicken, slow-roasted lamb, meatballs) keep for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat gently rather than zapping in the microwave.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it... 24 of my best sandwich recipes, all tested and retested, from viral hits to global classics. My honest advice? Don't be precious about these. Swap the bread, swap the sauce, swap the protein. The whole point of sandwiches is that they're built for your fridge and your mood on a Tuesday night. Everything on this list is a starting point.

If you make any of them, please let me know in the comments! I love hearing which ones people go for, and which little tweaks become favorites. And if you want more global-lunch energy, jump into my dumpling recipes or my noodle recipes next. Enjoy!

Looking For More Lunch & Meal Prep Inspiration?

If you're into the global, meal-prep-friendly lunch vibe this roundup is built on, you'll love a few of my other archive favorites:

• 19 Ultimate Ramen Toppings: From Classics to Viral Hacks
• What to Eat with Dumplings: 30 Best Dumpling Side Dishes
• Chicken Salad Without Mayo
• 17 Best Korean Dishes I Make on Repeat at Home
• Chicken Salad Without Celery
• Venezuelan Arepas Reina Pepiada

Sandwich Recipes FAQs