You’re here for one purpose – to learn how to make the ultimate BLT Sandwich – and this recipe delivers! You’ll love everything from the toasted bread, perfectly cooked bacon, thick slices of juicy tomato, and an irresistible layer of avocado (which is optional but highly necessary).
What makes this really memorable is our famous 3-ingredient sandwich sauce that makes this the best BLT recipe you’ll try. Love at first bite!

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Watch the BLT Sandwich Video
I’m sharing all of my best tips for making your best BLT Sandwich. This is one of the most popular sandwiches in America (right up there with Grilled Cheese). Watch the video tutorial and you will be craving it (you might as well get the ingredients first).
What is a BLT?
B L T stands for Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato. Okay, okay, so we snuck in some avocado, which makes it a BALT, or maybe it’s a BLAT? Either way, the important takeaway is that once you try this iconic sandwich with avocado, there is no going back.
Everyone loves the flavor profile of a classic BLT, which is why it has been one of the most beloved sandwiches in the world. We even have a BLT Salad and a Breakfast BLT Sandwich (technically a BELT? 😅), and even a BLT Pasta Salad.

BLT Ingredients
There are 3 components to this sandwich (bread, fillings, and sauce) and the quality of your ingredients can take your sandwich from good to exceptional:
- Bread – Honestly any bread will work here, but my all-time favorite bread for a BLT is Sourdough Bread for the elevated taste and texture. If using storebought sliced bread, look for a generous 1/2″ thick slice for a heartier sandwich. You’ll also need a bit of butter for toasting the bread which adds a ton of flavor to the sandwich.
- Fillings – bacon, lettuce and tomatoes are the iconic blend, but I also can’t ignore avocados. Use thick-sliced heirloom tomatoes if you can get your hands on them; they are so meaty and satisfying. Iceberg is the classic choice but you can also use green leaf lettuce, romaine, or butter lettuce (a.k.a. Boston or Bib lettuce).
- Sauce – Traditionally, mayo is used for BLTs, and it works in a pinch, but I’m here to tell you that there’s something better (more on that below).

The Best BLT Sandwich Sauce
We fell in love with this sandwich sauce when we tried the Chicken Bacon Avocado Sandwich at a restaurant called Kneaders. I loved the spread so much that I asked for an extra side to take home so I could re-create it. My love for copycat recipes runs deep.
It has just 3 ingredients and the combination is memorable: 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons sour cream, and 2 teaspoons yellow mustard. The sauce also keeps well in the refrigerator if you want to make a batch to have on hand. Try it on your next BLT and you will have a new favorite.

How to Cook Bacon for a BLT
The easiest (and least messy) way to cook a big batch of bacon is to oven-baked bacon. We prefer regular thin-cut bacon for BLT’s because it’s easier to bite through, but thick-cut bacon will also work well if that is what you have on hand.
- Regular Bacon: arrange in a single layer over a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven at 400˚F for 15-20 minutes.
- Thick-Cut Bacon: Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over the foil. Arrange bacon over the rack and bake at 400˚F for 20-28 minutes. You can omit the rack but you will need to flip the bacon halfway through so the bottom gets crisp.
- For a Single Sandwich or a smaller batch of bacon, I cook my bacon in the Air Fryer or on a skillet.

How to Make a Perfect BLT Sandwich
- Start by cooking your bacon and setting it aside to cool (instructions above) then prepare your sauce and refrigerate it until you need it. Also, butter and toast the bread on both sides.
- Spread 1 Tbsp sauce over the bottom bun then layer with lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, avocado, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Spread another 1 Tbsp sauce over the top bun and place it over the avocado.

Can I Make a BLT Ahead?
A BLT sandwich is delicious for a work or school lunch and you can prep the sandwiches a day ahead. To keep the avocados vibrant, toss the avocado slices in a little lemon juice before adding to the sandwich. To keep the bread from getting soggy, package the tomatoes and sauce separately and add them just before serving
The BLT Sauce can be made ahead, covered, and stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks.
Once the BLT is assembled, it should be enjoyed right away.

More Sandwich Recipes You’ll Love
Admittedly I’ve never been a sandwich person, but the BLT has my name all over it. It has to be truly special for me to love a sandwich and these never fail to impress. It’s so hard to pick just one favorite but you must try the Cheeseburger Sliders!
- Chicken Sandwiches
- Sloppy Joe
- Juicy Burgers
- Reuben Sandwich
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Smashburger
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches
BLT Sandwich with the Best Sauce

Ingredients
BLT Sandwich Ingredients:
- 8 slices of bread, cut 1/2” thick
- 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, to toast the bread
- 12 slices bacon, regular sliced*
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 4 green lettuce leaves, rinsed and spun dry
- 1 large avocado, or 2 small avocados pitted, peeled and sliced.
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Sauce for BLT Sandwiches:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise*
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until browned and crisp then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Lightly butter both sides of the toast and toast on a dry griddle or skillet over medium-high heat just until golden brown.
- Arrange 4 slices of bread on a cutting board and spread 1 Tbsp of sauce over each toast. Add lettuce then tomato, bacon, avocado. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the avocado.
- Spread 1 Tbsp sauce over the remaining toasted bread and place over the sandwich, sauce side down. Cut in half if desired and serve.
Best BLT ever. Thank You so much for this recipe. A half was enough for my husband and I. Followed the recipe to the letter. Next time I may mash the avocado but other than that best BLT ever!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Elizabeth!
Hi! What specific kind of bread did you use?
It was a thick-sliced artisan bread (pre-sliced and purchased at Fred Meyer in the regular bread aisle).
Always our favorite. BLTA and a sprinkle of lemon pepper on the tomatoes. Yum, yum. Like the added toasting in the pan.
Yes so delicious! This is one of our favorite sandwiches too.
I made this for a lite dinner last night. It was a big hit! We love BLT’s and the sauce and avocado kicked it up several notches. Will definitely make again. Thanks for all the delicious and easy recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Liz! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Is the mustard French’s yellow, Dijon or English very hot mustard Colman’s?
Hi Nina, we used regular yellow mustard!
Greetings from the UK -Fabulous recipe can I sub the sour cream with buttermilk? Can’t get hold of it right now. Or do you have any other suggestions. Also, if I was making this vegan any ideas for a sub for sour cream. I would use vegan mayo and shitake mushroom bacon…. thanks
Hello Nina, I haven’t personally tried using buttermilk as a substitute I imagine vegan mayo should work well but I don’t know of any substitute for sour cream that I can recommend.
How about using %fat free yogurt instead of the sour cream? W W does it all the time and I think it works well.
Hi Phyllis, I haven’t tested that with this sauce but I think it’s definitely worth experimenting. I hope you love the BLT sandwich and sauce!
The sauce, sour cream, mayo and mustard is great on potato salad or mac salad, just Dijon rather than yellow mustard.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Jacky!
Natasha!
I made this today.. It was awesome!! I love love your recipes.. Keep them coming… I would love to see you make a quick and easy lobster tail.
Thank you!!!
Thank you so much for your excellent feedback! You can check out my Lobster Tail Recipes
Hi Natasha!! I’m a huge fan of yours. I LOVE all your recipes that I’ve tried so far. Can’t wait to try the sauce next time I make BLT .
Thanks for your compliments and support, Becky. I hope you love every recipe that you try!
We had your BLT for lunch, it was delicious as you had promised. The sauce is what I put on my Potato Salad, SO good as a sandwich spread…Thank you for that clever idea. Unfortunately, my Avocado was green (seems like they are always too ripe, or not ripe enough.) You and your little boy are the cutest! I love your videos. It was easy to get my 3 grown Gen Z grandsons to watch your videos and try some of your recipes.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with me!
This is a very good sandwich.
I love BLT’s and for this one, the sauce makes a big difference. It should be called BLTA though.
Definitely can’t skip the sauce! We love avocado so definitely like a BLTA! That’s so awesome!
BLAT!
FYI, my daughter has been calling mine the BLAT for ages.
I love that! A blat is far superior to a blt for any avocado lover!
Natasha, Thank you for this video. The next day I made the B.L.T. with the best sauce and it was a big hit with my wife Judy. She loved the way the sandwich was put together and she loved the sauce. Thank you very Much
I’m so happy you’re both enjoying this video, David! Thank you for that great review!
A little trick to save your clothes. When you take a bite, often the tomato skins or the edge of the bacon will not bite away free and drag ingredients out to run down your chin and clothes. I notch the edges of the tomato skins with a knife which gives you a cleaner bite. Same with the bacon BEFORE cooking and also smaller pieces of lettuce. Hopefully you will get to wear you clothes the rest of the day with this little trick. Great recipe Natasha. Thank you.
That’s a great trick! Thank you so much for sharing that with us Barry!!
Your sauce is basically my potato salad dressing. Now I must have it on my next
BLT! Yum.
I hope you love it Kay!
My guess how you did that trick is that you made a hole in the bag and someone was holding the bag and gave you the food through the hole in the bag
Thank you for watching Rubin! I’m glad you enjoyed our trick!
I love this recipe it is probably my favorite recipe especially the secret sauce
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Ok, I think I need to make this for lunch!! Love a good, classic blt! This is so good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Natalie!
The sauce sounds awesome, I will give it a try next time. We just had BLATS (sounds funny right) down the beach. Made a big sub on garlic bread (loaf, reheated) because it was a mustgo. OMGoodness!
One hint for oven cooked bacon – cover it with a sheet of parchment and there’s no splatters to clean up.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Greg! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This EASY blt sandwich recipe is my go-to for lunch! I love the sauce too!
Isn’t it the best! Thank you for that great review Valentina!
This is everything a gourmet sandwich should be, and then some! Looking forward to enjoying this classic sandwich for lunch today, indeed!
I hope you love this recipe, Sara! Thank you for that awesome review!
I made the BLT tonight it was perfect.
So great to hear that!