I don’t think the turkey club gets enough credit. It’s one of those sandwiches that’s been around forever, and there’s a reason for that. When it’s made well, with good bread and crispy bacon, it’s hard to beat. It’s not trying to be fancy. It’s just solid, reliable, and satisfying in a way that more complicated sandwiches sometimes aren’t.
My version isn’t anything revolutionary. It’s a classic club done right: toasted bread, thick-cut turkey, bacon that actually crunches, ripe tomato, crisp lettuce, and a smear of mayo. Simple. Satisfying. The kind of lunch that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together even when you definitely don’t.
I started making these at home after getting tired of paying twelve dollars for a mediocre club at restaurants. Turns out it takes about ten minutes to make one that’s better than most of what I’ve ordered. The secret isn’t some special ingredient. It’s just giving each component the attention it deserves.
Turkey Club Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3 slices bread sourdough, white, or wheat — toasted
- 6 oz deli turkey thick-sliced
- 4 strips bacon cooked until crispy
- 2 slices ripe tomato
- lettuce leaves romaine or green leaf
- mayonnaise
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Toast all three slices of bread until golden. Spread mayo on one side of each slice.
- First slice: layer on half the turkey and two strips of bacon. Add a layer of lettuce.
- Second slice: place mayo-side down on the lettuce, then mayo-side up. Add remaining turkey, bacon, tomato slices, and more lettuce. Season the tomato with salt and pepper.
- Top with the third slice, mayo-side down. Press gently, slice corner to corner, and secure each quarter with a toothpick.
Notes
Nutrition
Here’s What Goes In
You’ll need 3 slices of good bread. Sourdough, white, or wheat all work, but whatever you pick, it needs to be sturdy. A flimsy sandwich bread will fall apart under the weight of three layers. Toast every slice until it’s golden and firm but not so crispy that biting into it launches the fillings across the table.
6 oz of deli turkey, thick-sliced if your deli counter offers it. Thin, papery turkey tears and clumps. Thick slices have more bite and better flavor. 4 strips of bacon, cooked until genuinely crispy. Not bendy, not chewy, crispy. This matters. 2 slices of ripe tomato (this is a summer sandwich at its best when tomatoes are in season). Lettuce leaves, romaine or green leaf, not iceberg (iceberg has no flavor and adds nothing but water). Mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. And a few toothpicks for holding the whole thing together.
How I Build It
Toast all three slices of bread until they’re golden on both sides. Spread a thin but complete layer of mayo on one side of each slice. Don’t be stingy here. Mayo is the glue and the moisture of the sandwich. Without it, everything tastes dry.
First slice: Place it mayo-side up on your cutting board. Layer on half the turkey, folding or stacking the slices so they have some height rather than lying perfectly flat. Add two strips of bacon side by side. Top with a layer of lettuce.
Second slice (the middle): Place it mayo-side down onto the lettuce. Then flip and add mayo to the now-exposed top side (this is the key to the triple-decker, both sides of the middle bread get mayo). Layer the remaining turkey, the other two strips of bacon, the tomato slices, and another layer of lettuce. Season the tomato with a pinch of salt and a crack of pepper. An unseasoned tomato just sits there. A little salt wakes up the flavor completely.
Top with the third slice, mayo-side down. Press the whole thing together gently but firmly with your palm. Slice corner to corner both ways so you get four triangular quarters. Secure each quarter with a toothpick pushed straight through from the top.
The Details That Matter
On the bread: The bread matters more than you’d think. It’s the structural foundation of the entire sandwich. Something too soft collapses under the weight. Something too crusty and everything shoots out when you bite. Toast it well. You want it sturdy enough to hold three layers but still pleasant to eat. Sourdough is my favorite because it has a natural tang that plays well against the salty bacon and turkey.
On the bacon: Cook it in the oven at 400°F on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for about 15 minutes. Oven bacon comes out perfectly flat, evenly crispy, and way less messy than the stovetop method. No curling, no splatter, no standing over a hot pan. This is the only way I cook bacon anymore. Check it at 12 minutes since oven temperatures vary. You want it dark golden and stiff, not burnt.
On the tomato: Use the best tomato you can find. In summer, that’s a garden tomato or a good heirloom from the farmers market. In winter, honestly, I sometimes skip the tomato altogether rather than use a mealy, flavorless one. A bad tomato drags down the whole sandwich. Roma tomatoes are a decent year-round option since they’re meatier and less watery than beefsteak.
Ways to Upgrade It
The classic club is perfect as-is, but here are some variations I’ve tried that work really well:
Avocado club: Add a few slices of ripe avocado. The creaminess against the crispy bacon is incredible. This is probably my most-made version.
Garlic aioli swap: Replace the regular mayo with garlic aioli (just mix mayo with minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt). It adds a layer of flavor without changing the character of the sandwich.
Dijon kick: Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on the middle slice. The sharpness cuts through the richness of the bacon and turkey.
BLT club: Skip the turkey entirely and double the bacon and tomato. Add an extra layer of lettuce. It’s a BLT in club format and it’s amazing.
Cheese addition: A slice of Swiss or sharp cheddar on one of the layers doesn’t overpower anything but adds another dimension. Pepper jack if you want a little heat.
What Makes a Club a Club
The triple-decker construction with three slices of bread is what technically defines a club sandwich. If you use two slices, it’s just a really good turkey sandwich, which is also fine. But the three slices give you that classic layered look, let you get more filling in without everything falling apart, and create distinct flavor zones in each layer.
The toothpick situation is important too. Don’t skip it. Without the picks holding the quarters together, the layers slide apart the moment you try to pick one up. Frilly toothpicks are fun if you want to feel fancy about it.
Serving Suggestions
A turkey club wants simple sides. Kettle chips or a handful of good potato chips. A dill pickle spear. Maybe a cup of tomato soup if it’s a cold day. Cole slaw works well too. Don’t overthink it. The sandwich is the star.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these ahead of time? You can assemble them up to a few hours ahead if you wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil. The bread will soften a bit from the tomato moisture, so if you’re packing it for a picnic or lunch, you might want to keep the tomato separate and add it right before eating.
What’s the best deli turkey? Look for oven-roasted or smoked turkey sliced fresh at the deli counter. Pre-packaged turkey in the plastic containers is fine but the texture and flavor don’t compare to freshly sliced. If you have a Boar’s Head counter nearby, their ovengold turkey is hard to beat.
Can I use turkey breast I cooked at home? Absolutely, and it’s even better. Roast a turkey breast, let it cool, slice it thin, and you’ve got sandwich meat for the whole week. Season it simply with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder before roasting.
