BEST Bacon Sandwich with Caramelized Onions & Chipotle Mayo
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If you’re looking for the best bacon sandwich, look no further. Lightly pan-toasted bread, crispy bacon, sweet caramelized onions, smoky chipotle mayo, thin slices of tomato, and a little arugula come together to make one irresistible sandwich.
This is the kind of sandwich that makes you stop whatever you’re doing and give it your full attention. If you’re looking for the best bacon sandwich, this is it. Lightly pan-toasted bread, crispy bacon, sweet caramelized onions, smoky chipotle mayo, juicy tomato slices, and a handful of arugula come together to make something truly irresistible.
It’s messy, gooey, and absolutely not a first-date sandwich—and that’s part of the charm. Rich, sweet, smoky, and just a little spicy, every bite hits hard. Fair warning: when you’re finished, you’ll already be thinking about when you can make it again.
Key ingredient notes
- Bacon – Use thick-cut bacon for the best sandwich.
- Chipotle mayonnaise – We mix some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to make this. You can also look for some store-bought chipotle mayo.
- Caramelized onions – These are best sauteed in some of the leftover bacon oil.
- Bread – We like soft sandwich bread the best for this recipe. Sourdough is great, too.
- Tomatoes – If tomatoes aren’t in season either omit them or use cherry tomatoes.
- Arugula – The slightly spicy bite works well in the recipe. You can also substitute another type of lettuce.
Bacon sandwich ideas
The great thing about sandwiches is that they are incredibly versatile. Here are a few tasty variations to try:
- Bacon Egger – fry an egg and put it in the middle of this sandwich. Yum!
- Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich – start and finish the sandwich with a layer of cheddar cheese, butter the bread, then sear it in a pan until the bread is golden and cheese has melted.
- Avocado Bacon Sandwich – scoop a generous amount of guacamole on top of the bacon.
Serving suggestions
While you can easily eat one of these bacon sandwiches and call it a meal, sometimes we like to add a side dish. Here are a few that go well together:
BEST Bacon Sandwich with Caramelized Onions & Chipotle Mayo
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- ½ medium onion ( sliced thin)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon adobo sauce (see notes)
- 2 slices sandwich bread
- 1 small tomato (sliced)
- ¼ cup arugula
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a medium-sized pan over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon oil.2 slices bacon
- Add the onion to the pan and cook until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes.½ medium onion
- While the onions are cooking, mix the mayonnaise and chipotle peppers in a small bowl.2 tablespoons mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon adobo sauce
- Remove the onions from the pan and put the bread into the pan. Let it toast for 1-2 minutes, until lightly golden.2 slices sandwich bread
- Spread the chipotle mayo on the toasted bread then top with the caramelized onions, crispy bacon, tomato slices, and arugula. Put the other slice of bread on top then serve right away.1 small tomato, ¼ cup arugula
Equipment Used
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This recipe was inspired by Simone’s comment on our chipotle sea salt post about how she mixes chipotle peppers in mayonnaise. The bacon and caramelized onions seemed like the only logical things that belonged with chipotle mayonnaise on a sandwich.
Hi!! This looks fantastic!! And i have a question, do you think it would still taste good with re heated bacon? For example if i cook the bacon in advance to use for the week and re heated in the mricrowave when ready to use. Thank you!!
Yes I think that will work great in this sandwich!
This recipe was fantastic. The combination of the smokey bacon with the sweet caramelized onions was so good and the chipotle mayo brought it all together! This one is definitely a keeper.
I don’t normally write food reviews, but here I am now because this sandwich was truly spectacular. My in-laws said it was better than the food they had at Guy Fieri’s restaurant. The adobo sauce was great and everything complemented each other perfectly. Thank you! This is a new favorite!
Hello Kristen. I am drooling 🤤 by just reading the recipe. I am planning to prepare these sandwiches this week but I have a question. I am intolerant to spicy food. Can you please advise what can I substitute the adobo sauce with?
Regular mayo will taste delicious with this sandwich, too!
You did A great job with this recipe! It looks delicious. I haven’t actually tried it yet. But I’m planning to try it as soon as I go to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients.
I live in the states. Washington State.
We don’t have the best bacon selection here in the states. Most grocery stores have thinly sliced bacon, extra thinly sliced bacon or ham. Which is a different cut of meat entirely.
I know you mentioned thick cut bacon. But besides thick do you have any preference on the type of bacon, such as flavor? Nowadays there are so many flavors. Maple, brown sugar the list goes on..
Is there a specific brand of bacon you suggest?
Perhaps a brand that’s sold in the states.
I’m so tired of spending $13 for a half pound of bacon that’s so thinly sliced it falls apart before you can place it in the pan.
I appreciate any suggests.
I always look for local bacon as it tastes the best to me. But honestly this sandwich is so good that it will taste great no matter what type of bacon you use. 🙂
I just buy bacon by the slice from the meat counter. Since there’s only 2 of us, I’ll buy 4-5 slices, which usually costs $3. Much cheaper than buying a pkg. But my gosh, $13 for bacon up there in Washington??? That’s outrageous
I’m here for anything bacon. But the caramelized onions and the sauce… 😍🔥
This is like a BLT on overdrive and absolutely amazing! Don’t think I can ever go back to the regular kind now.
I love a good bacon sandwich but I’ve never had one with caramelized onions before today. Feel like I’ve been missing out! Making this way from now on.
This is the easiest and most delicious bacon sandwich recipe ever! It’s perfect for meal prepping and so flavorful.
This was amazing! I hate it when a sandwich is stingy on the sauce.
“sandwiches that make you stop what you are doing and give them your full attention”
I’m glad to find someone who feels the same way I do about sandwiches. Great recipe, I’ll try it soon. Thanks for a great website.
Delicious! Made this as a panini sandwich and without the tomato. Was a huge hit.
Lori,
So happy to hear it turned out for you!
Instead of bacon I also like to fry up pieces of prosciutto. They get crispy and salty and I LOVE BACON, but also they are not as fatty as bacon.
I love crispy prosciutto too. I had it for the first time this summer on a caesar salad. It was so delicious!
You’ve done it again… you made me drool on my keyboard… 🙂 Love the look of that sandwich and as it so happens, I still have some chipotle left in the fridge (good thing it keeps forever!) and some really nice sourdough bread that I am gonna be baking for lunch… Guess what will be on it?
Thanks Simone! Your comments always put a smile on my face. The whole reason I am doing this whole blog thing is so that people will, well, ‘drool on their keyboards.’ 🙂 Best compliment ever!
Now that is one nice looking sandwich!
Thanks, Kevin!
Wow – That looks amazing!
Thanks, Laura!