Jambon-Beurre Recipe: Dream Sandwich, Three Ingredients

A taste of Paris in your kitchen. This sandwich is stupidly easy to make, and it’s like a French kiss on your taste buds.

Listen up, foodies, because I’m about to drop a knowledge bomb on you that’s going to knock your socks off. I’m talking about the Jambon Beurre sandwich, the uncontested king of all French sandwiches, the one and only, the true O.G. This bad boy is like a work of art, crafted with the finest ingredients, and put together with the precision of a master chef.

Think of it like this: you’ve got that perfectly sliced, crispy French baguette that crunches like a fresh bag of chips, but with a delicate, golden brown finish. Then, you’ve got that rich, buttery spread that’s going to melt in your mouth like a dream. And let’s not forget about the star of the show—that succulent, salty, and oh-so-delicious Jambon de Paris, a.k.a. ham cooked Paris style.

It’s like a trifecta of perfection, my friends, with each ingredient playing its own unique and important role, but coming together to create something truly special. But don’t just take my word for it, give this bad boy a try for yourself.

Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. This is the kind of sandwich that’s going to have you coming back for more and more.

Jambon Beurre Sandwich

Dim Nikov

Jambon Beurre: French classic sandwich with Paris ham, room-temperature butter, and baguette. Perfectly crispy on the outside, deliciously decadent on the inside.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe

Cook Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Breakfast, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine French

Servings persons

Equipment

Chef's knife
Cutting board

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread baguette or ficelle
4 oz cooked ham Jambon de Paris or cooked ham
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Bring the butter to room temperature 15 minutes before making the sandwich to make it more evenly spreadable.
Make two sandwiches out of the bread by cutting it in half, then crosswise in the middle.
Spread butter on both sides. Put the ham in the middle. Close the sandwich and serve.

Notes

Some like to add halved gherkins or sprinkle capers on their Jambon Beurre sandwich. The acidic brininess goes well with the butter and cooked ham.

If you’re feeling frisky, you can also add cheese to your Jambon Beurre. In my experience, Comté and Gruyère cheese work the best, though you could also use Emmental or Gouda.

Keyword baguette, beurre, ficelle, jambon, jambon-beurre, sandwich

Questions & Answers

What does Jambon Beurre mean?

The name “Jambon Beurre,” pronounced jam·buhn bur, is French for “ham and butter.” It refers to the two main ingredients of the sandwich: ham and butter on crusty French bread.

Which ham to use for Jambon Beurre?

Traditionally, a Jambon Beurre sandwich is made with Jambon de Paris, also known as Paris ham, a cooked ham made from the rear leg of pork. The ham is lean, deboned, and cooked in a broth seasoned with salt and spices, but not smoked.

What can I use instead of Jambon de Paris?

If you can’t get your hands on Jambon de Paris, which can be impossible to find outside of France, try using Italy-imported Prosciutto Cotto or any type of other wet-cured, unsmoked ham sliced thinly (stateside, that’s city ham).

What kind of bread to use for Jambon Beurre?

Jambon Beurre is best made with a French baguette, a long, thin loaf of bread with a crispy crunch and a light, airy interior. The baguette is ideal for this sandwich since it has the right balance of chewiness and crunchiness that pairs well with the rich, decadent butter and ham. Jambon Beurre can also be made with ficelle.

Written by Dim Nikov

Dim is a food writer, cookbook author, and the editor of Home Cook World. His first book, Cooking Methods & Techniques, was published in 2022. He is a certified food handler with Level 1 and Level 2 Certificates in Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering, and a trained cook with a Level 3 Professional Chef Diploma.