Looking for an old fashioned Monte Cristo recipe? This copycat of the Disney Monte Cristo tastes every bit as good as the theme park’s famous sandwich.
Why this Monte Cristo is the Best
You take a turkey and ham sandwich, batter it up, deep fry it, coat it in powdered sugar, dip it in raspberry jam, and you’ve got the most ultimate sandwich you’ll ever hold in your hands.
The Monte Cristo is a spin on French croque-monsieur (fried ham and cheese sandwich) and has Cajun origins.
Is it the healthiest sandwich in the world? Definitely not, but what’s life without a little indulgence, right?
For years, I thought of the Bennigan’s Monte Cristo as the best Monte Cristo. After all, my husband and I more or less fell in love over these sandwiches.
Then, I tried the Monte Cristo at Disneyland.
The Blue Bayou restaurant in the park is famous for its Cajun fare and especially their Monte Cristo.
DISNEY FAVORITES: Churro Bites | Dole Whip | Churro Toffee
This sandwich is savory, salty and sweet with a crisp exterior. The inside is perfectly balanced with meat and gooey cheese.
A light dusting of powdered sugar brings everything together to make this one of the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever made.
Ingredient Notes
- Bread – Use your favorite white or wheat sandwich bread. Each sandwich will use 3 slices of bread.
- Crescent Rolls – These get rolled out and cut into strips to wrap the sandwiches in before they are fried. Use two packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls or use the newer dough sheets.
- Ham and Turkey – Deli meat works great here, just make sure it’s thinly sliced so the sandwich is manageable.
- Cheese – Using both Provolone and American cheese is classic for these sandwiches, but you could certainly swap in your favorite cheese if you’d like.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar, this is sprinkled on the hot sandwiches after they are fried.
How to Make a Monte Cristo
Prepare the bread. Stack three slices of bread on top of each other and cut off crusts on all four sides. Do the same for the remaining sandwiches.
Assemble the sandwiches. Layer the turkey and one slice of American cheese on the first piece of bread. Top with a slice of bread then a layer of ham and one slice of provolone cheese. Complete the sandwich with a slice of bread. Repeat for remaining sandwiches.
Wrap the sandwiches. Stretch and roll out one package of the crescent rolls on a lightly floured surface. Cut 3 strips from the dough and wrap one sandwich in one strip of dough. Wet fingertips to wet the seams and pinch them together. Repeat with last two strips and then the second package of dough to cover all 6 sandwiches.
Fry. In a large skillet, heat the canola oil until very hot. Working 3 sandwiches at a time, place them flat side down in the hot oil. They should brown in 1-2 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and cook until all sides are browned. Remove from oil and repeat for remaining sandwiches.
Finish. While sandwiches are hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately with jam for dipping. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- To check if your oil is hot enough, sprinkle a little flour into the pan first. If it sizzles right away (without smoking), you’re good to go. Keep an eye on the Monte Cristo as they’re frying and adjust the heat as needed.
- Fry the sandwiches in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. You should be able to get 3 sandwiches in your pan at a time.
- Raspberry jam is my preferred accompaniment for Monte Cristo but it would also be good with blackberry, strawberry or boysenberry preserves for dipping.
- The recipe is written to make 6 sandwiches, but you can adjust this up or down to make however many sandwiches you need.
Recipe FAQs
Monte Cristo is a Cajun style layered sandwich filled with turkey, ham and cheese that’s wrapped in dough and deep fried, then sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with jam.
If you can’t get your hands on crescent rolls or crescent dough sheets, you can swap it for a refrigerated or homemade pie crust dough.
You can assemble the sandwiches in advance and store, wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before frying the sandwiches then serve immediately.
More Easy Recipes:
Monte Cristo
Ingredients
- 1 loaf wheat or white bread 18 slices
- 2 packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or the new sheets works better
- ½ lb thinly sliced turkey
- ½ lb thinly sliced ham
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 6 slices American cheese
- cooking oil
- Raspberry jam for dipping
- Powdered sugar to garnish
Instructions
- Stack three slices of bread on top of each other and cut off crusts on all four sides. Repeat for remaining 5 sandwiches.
- On first slice of bread, layer turkey with one slice of American cheese. Top with a slice of bread, a layer of ham and one slice of provolone cheese. Complete the sandwich with a slice of bread. Repeat for remaining 5 sandwiches.
- On lightly floured surface, open one package of Crescent rolls. Stretch and roll the dough until it is nearly twice the size. Cut 3 strips from the dough. Wrap one sandwich in one strip of dough. Wet fingertips to wet the seams and pinch them together. Repeat with last two strips, then repeat with second package of dough until all 6 sandwiches are covered.
- In large skillet, heat canola oil (about 1 inch deep) until very hot (sprinkle of flour should make it sizzle). Working 3 sandwiches at a time, place them flat side down in oil. They should brown in 1-2 minutes. Flip all sandwiches until all sides are browned. Remove from oil and repeat for remaining sandwiches. While sandwiches are hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve and dip in raspberry jam. Enjoy!
Notes
Video
Nutrition
A copycat recipe inspired by the Disney Monte Cristo, these cheesy fried ham and turkey sandwiches are a must-try!
Made these this evening–YUM! They turned out great! Much easier and better than other attempts with a batter. Thanks!
I’m not sure how to use the crescent rolls…how thick should the strips be?
Hey Michelle, you want to press the dough out until it’s almost twice as big. Then cut each roll into 3 even pieces. You want them big enough to stretch around the sandwich. Hope that helps!!
Thank you for posting this! My hubby and I loved to eat these while we were dating and first married. Then the Bennigan’s closed and no more Monte Cristos.
Bennagans were good but the Very Best Ever Monty Cristo Sandwich I have ever had was from a little place calledThe Magic Pan, in Virginia, they made their own egg bread just for the Monty Cristo sandwiches , they dipped iit into an egg batter somewhat like french toast & then fried it & served with hot rasberry jam, it was to literly to die for good, The Egg bread was what made them extra special tasting as well as being very light. We would drive the 23 miles every weekend just to have one for brunch, I have never been able to find a recipe or the egg bread though
Oh that sounds fabulous!!
When I said to die for I was not kidding, if the Magig Pan was still around I would fly from the NW back to the east coast a coupple times a yrar just to have one again
Wonder if it could be baked instead
You probably could bake them, but you would lose the texture of a Monte Cristo, which is the crunchy fried coating!
or you dip em in pancake syrup
I will try this !!!!!!!!!!!!
I have had this sandwitch at a place called Cheddars in Omaha Ne. It is FABULOUS! also comes with raspberry jam. The serving size is so big that it will make two meals. It warms up beautifully in a low degree oven. I love the sandwitch, I might have to try this recipe tho and see if it as good as Cheddars.
YESSSS!!!!!!! I go to Bennigans all the freaking time and have never stopped being upset that they can’t make the Monte Cristo without meat (without a whole days notice)! So glad to see this crescent roll trick– I am trying this with as soon as physically possible, maybe with fake meat or just super fancy grilled cheese style! 🙂
Ok..weird! Me & my husband met while working as server/hostess at Bennigan’s also! To this day we mourn the loss of their Monte Cristo..lol! And we’ve been married 18 years~ SMALL WORLD!! Such fun memories of working there..thanks for the flashback! 🙂
Haha!! very small world! Where did you work? Ours was in South suburbs of Chicago!
We worked a the Bennigan’s in Albuquerque, NM…..still miss that place!
Suzy, You MUST try the crescent roll. Way easier than batter, and absolutely delish. Honest. I worked there. Remember. It works!
Possibly my favorite sandwich in the world. Bennigan’s makes the best. I tried their copy cat at home! Whoa – I think I will leave the batter frying to the experts. Your crescent roll version has me intrigued though.
love, Love, LOVE! thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club.
Hi Aimee,
A Monte Cristo is one of my favorite sandwiches and your recipe looks great! Thank you for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
This is one of my favorite sandwiches. My son too! Yours looks fantastic. Great job.
Hi Aimee, this is such a treat.Thank you for sharing.My children will really love this.
spring time to us means sandwich weather thanks for sharing these come see what I shared today http://shopannies.blogspot.com
@ Sinful Sundays…I love them too, but have to limit the exposure, not a healthy option 🙂
@ Jackie- I have a special place in my heart for bennigan’s…have to remind myself it’s because I met my husband there, NOT because of this sandwich 🙂
@ Dad…keep trying!!!!
I tried the web and your site didn’t come up today.
Dad
Loved this sandwhich! We seldom went to Bennigans but, when we did I would get this and my husband would look at me like I was insane! LOL
I love monte cristos. They’re like the perfect sandwich for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like dipping mine in jam too!