This Cuban sandwich recipe is the ultimate pork sandwich made with marinated roast pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard and pickles, easy to make!
Cuban Sandwich Recipe
We're cooking up homemade Cuban Sandwiches in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen tonight, my friends. Would you care for one? If you've never tried a Cuban sandwich, you are about to jump for joy.
This is one of our favorite recipes, for both me and Patty. We fell in love with them during our stays in Florida. It's really hard to beat a sandwich that's layered up with thick slices of ham, loads of slow roasted pork (yes, two types of pork!), held together with melty Swiss cheese and slathered in butter, yellow mustard and topped with crunchy dill pickles.
It's a classic sandwich, really, incredibly popular in Florida but also all over the United States. This one needs to go into your recipe box, my friends. It's perfect for leftover pork shoulder or pulled pork.
It certainly isn't your plain old ham and cheese sandwich! Let's discuss!
What is a Cuban Sandwich?
The Cuban sandwich is popular American sandwich made with two types of pork (ham and roast pork), Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, sliced pickles and sometimes salami, depending on your location. It is a pressed sandwich served up on Cuban bread.
It's origins trace back to Florida where it was enjoyed by Cuban workers in Tampa and Key West. It eventually spread in popularity, no doubt due to its wonderful flavor, spawning a friendly rivalry between Tampa and Miami, with Tampa including salami and Miami omitting it.
Let's talk about how to make a Cuban Sandwich (aka Cubano), shall we?
Cuban Sandwich Ingredients
- Cuban Bread. Use 1 loaf Cuban bread. Use French bread or Italian bread as a substitute.
- Butter. I use 4 tablespoons butter, though you can use more. This is fairly butter sandwich. You can also use olive oil instead.
- Yellow Mustard. Use 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, though you can easily include more.
- Roast Pork. Use 1 pound roast pork. Use your favorite recipe, or use this Pernil Recipe (Puerto Rican Roast Pork) or Cuban Roast Pork (Mojo Pork). You can also use Pulled Pork or sliced and cooked pork tenderloin.
- Sliced Ham. Use 1 pound sliced ham. Glazed ham is great, or you can use your favorite thinly sliced deli ham.
- Swiss Cheese. Use 4 ounces Swiss cheese, or more if you want more melty cheese flavor.
- Sliced Dill Pickles. Use 4 ounces sliced dill pickles, or as many as you can fit on top of the sandwich. You can add as many as you'd like.
How to Make a Cuban Sandwich - the Recipe Method
The Bread. Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Butter the top and bottom half with 2 tablespoon softened butter. Spread the mustard on the top piece of bread.
Layer It Up! Layer the sandwich with roast pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese and pickles. Top the Cubano with the top bread slice.
Butter, Grill and Press. Slather the remaining butter over both sides of the sandwich. Heat a grill, grill pan or heavy skillet to medium heat. Grill the Cuban sandwich for 5-6 minutes per side, pressing it down very firmly with a cast iron skillet on top or spatula to "press" it tightly, until golden brown and bread is nice and crispy.
You can also use a sandwich or panini press for this.
NOTE: Aluminum Foil Option. Some people like to wrap their Cuban sandwiches in aluminum foil first before grilling and pressing, which can help with cleanup. I've done this several times and it works great, though it can get a bit messy if cheese and other ingredients leak out.
Serve and Enjoy! Remove, slice and serve.
Boom! Done! Your Cuban Sandwiches are ready to enjoy! What do you think? Pretty amazing, aren't they? A seemingly simple recipe with simple ingredients that is HUGE on flavor. That's perfect in my book.
I love this recipe.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Bread. Cuban bread is tradition for Cuban sandwiches. It's very much like French bread or Italian bread, though differs in the use of lard or shortening, and in how they are baked.
- The Roast Pork. Slow roasted pork is most commonly used, particularly Cuban roast pork. You can also use leftover pulled pork or sliced pork tenderloin or pork shoulder that's been seasoned and grilled if needed.
- The Ham. Use your favorite ham. Glazed ham is popular, though smoked ham is great. I usually get something from the deli and have them slice it thick for me.
- The Mustard. Yellow mustard is traditional. You can use other mustards, but a truly authentic Cuban sandwich uses yellow mustard only. Try it with my homemade yellow mustard recipe.
- The Pickles. My favorite are bread and butter pickles. They have a nice sweetness and a touch of spice. It's also great with hot pickles, for my spicy food lovers.
- Recipe Variations. Salami is often included in the Tampa version of the sandwich, though not in Miami. The choice is yours. Which do you prefer? Salami or no?
Storage & Leftovers
Leftover Cuban sandwiches will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. I like to warm them up in my air fryer toaster oven, or on low heat in the oven to enjoy again.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this homemade Cuban Sandwich recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. I think you'll love this one. So good!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.
- The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Muffaletta Sandwich
- Shrimp Po Boy
- Cuban Medianoche Sandwich
- Juicy Lucy Cheeseburger
- Pimento Cheese Sandwich
- Chicago-Style Hot Dogs
- Italian Beef Sandwich Recipe (Chicago Style)
- Choripan Argentina
- Molletes (Mexican Open-Faced Sandwiches)
- See all of my Sandwich Recipes
- Ropa Vieja - Cuban Shredded Beef
- Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)
- Pollo Guisado (Chicken Stew)
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Cuban Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Cuban bread
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard or to taste
- 1 pound roast pork
- 1 pound sliced ham glazed ham is great, or your favorite deli ham
- 4 ounces Swiss cheese or more to your preference
- 4 ounces sliced dill pickles or to taste
Instructions
- Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Butter the bottom half with 2 tablespoon softened butter. Spread the mustard on the top half.
- Layer the sandwich with roast pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese and dill pickles. Top the Cubano with the top bread slice.
- Slather the remaining butter over both sides of the sandwich.
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill the Cuban sandwich for 5-6 minutes per side, pressing it down very firmly with another pan or spatula to "press" it tightly, until warmed through and bread is nice and crispy.
- Remove, slice and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 11/27/24 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 10/28/20.
Ben Kaylor says
I've been wanting to make this sandwich even before the competition and it was so good I made another one the next day!
I used French Torchon deli ham, for the pork I ended up doing a Missouri pork shoulder steak recipe on the barbecue. For some reason, it seemed to be difficult to find Swiss cheese slices, so I used Dutch Emmental which worked nicely. It wasn't necessary but I served a Cuban-style hot sauce called Mojo Roco on the side to dunk.
Absolutely fantastic and will be a staple round here!
Cheers and all the best from Inverkeithing, Scotland.
Mike Hultquist says
Boom!! I love to hear this, Ben! Glad you enjoyed it, and it just goes to show how versatile this sandwich can be. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Maryse says
This cubano sandwich was good!
With mojo pork and old fashion sliced ham, it was a delish!
Thank you so much for the recipe Mrs. Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes! Thanks, Maryse!! Very happy you enjoyed it!
Brian. Seckinger says
Loved this recipe I did use a spicy mustard .
Mike Hultquist says
Spicy mustard is perfect here! Extra heat! Glad you enjoyed it, Brian! Thanks so much.
Todd Thompson says
Great selection this month! For the roast pork, I followed Chili Pepper Madness Mojo Pork recipe and smoked it on an old-fashioned stick burner with pecan wood to 201°F and then cooled it and pulled it. Found some Black Forest Ham (deli sliced) and Grillos classic dill chips. I got the big loaf of pan Cubano and piled it high as the recipe outlines. I sawed off chunks of various sizes to meet the request of the guest and grilled it on a cast iron grill pan using a heated bacon press to smash it down. Melty cheese everywhere and life is good!
notes: pairs nicely with Maduro brown ale from Cigar City Brewing, or Coke or Sprite from a can.
Mike H. says
Great suggestions, and happy you are ejoying the mojo pork. So good!
Tamir says
This was so good!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Tamir.
Bruce Kimbrough says
Luv Chili Madness Mike keep the great recipes going!!!
I put a few tweak's on my cuban sandwich. I use a sirloin pork loin roast it's the big end with the fat cap. Start by cutting 1/2" to 3/4" chops, then open them down the middle to make a nice pocket. Then I use a meat tenderizer tool with 48 blades stainless steel and terderize on both sides. Then I put the chops in a Cuban Mojo marinade with a bitter/sour oranges are used or combine 1 1/2 cups orange juice, 1/3C of lime juice and grapefruit with agave, dried oregano, chopped onion, cilantro, garlic cloves, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, kosher salt and pepper for 4-12 hrs.That out of marinade(reserve the marinade for grill/reduce for basting just before taking chops off) season it with you favorite cuban seasoning or just salt and pepper. open pockets and stuff with a lice of swiss and muenster cheese adds a little creaminess. Grill only 3-4 minutes per side. I like mine a little pink. Now toast some cuban rolls or your favorite ones add yellow mustard, whole chop or you slice them and put them on the roll with glazed ham, sliced pickles and to spice it up some sliced pepperoncinis.
That's just me Enjoy
Mike Hultquist says
Pure amazingness, Bruce!! I love to hear it, and thanks for sharing this!! ROCK ON!!
Todd Thompson says
Great selection this month! For the roast pork, I followed Chili Pepper Madness Mojo Pork recipe and smoked it on an old-fashioned stick burner with pecan wood to 201°F and then cooled it and pulled it. Found some Black Forest Ham (deli sliced) and Grillos classic dill chips. I got the big loaf of pan Cubano and piled it high as the recipe outlines. I sawed off chunks of various sizes to meet the request of the guest and grilled it on a cast iron grill pan using a heated bacon press to smash it down. Melty cheese everywhere and life is good!
personal notes: pairs nicely with a Maduro brown ale from Cigar City Brewing, or Coke or Sprite from a can.
Mike Hultquist says
This sounds like perfection to me, Todd! BOOM!! Thanks so much for sharing this! I need a nice brown ale now. Cheers!!! Very happy you enjoyed it.
Bob Kozloski says
One word describes the Cuban Sandwich!
“DYNAMITE”
Mike Hultquist says
Yeah!! Thanks, Bob! I agree, that is the perfect word for this sandwich!
Ja'el says
I had always wanted to make this sandwich as it's so so delicious and the day I saw your challenge Mike, I had the basic components to make this. I used a slow cooked pork that I had made the day before, deli ham, didn't have dill pickles so I used regular pickles with some fresh dill, jarlsberg cheese and the local bollios (buns) that are made in my neighborhood. I didn't use as much meat as your recipe called for (it's too much for me) but the overall flavor combination was absolutely incredible!! I loved the grilled crunch on the outside of the sandwich! And the mustard and butter combo!!! Wow!!! Just love it!! My daughter and I ate them with a side of jalepeno carrots but next time I would defintely put pickled jalepenos directly on the sandwich for some extra heat! I can't wait to make this again!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful! Very happy you enjoyed it, Ja'el! Perfection. I love the little ways you truly made it your own. That's the fun of cooking! Thanks so much!