The BEST Torta de Jamón (Made Vegan)
Torta de jamón or Mexican ham sandwich is easy to make and you can easily customize it to your taste. This vegan ham torta is ready in minutes, can be made with bolillo or telera bread and makes a perfect lunch or quick dinner.
Torta de Jamón or Mexican Ham Sandwich
A torta is a classic Mexican sandwich that’s typically served for lunch or even a quick dinner — though you could also make a breakfast torta.
Tortas are very popular in Mexico and have all sorts of fillings.
Typically they are made using soft and fresh bolillo, or birotes or even telera bread rolls. Some Mexican sandwiches are also made using a cemita bread rolls.
Tortas can be filled with all sorts of different fillings and toppings. This can depend on different Mexican regions too.
One of the most classic fillings for tortas is jamón or ham.
Believe it or not the classic torta de jamón is one of the EASIESTS tortas to veganize!
Just a couple of swamps and you too can enjoy a warm and crunchy bolillo stuffed with salty ham (vegan of course), creamy crema, avocado slices, and other typical torta ingredients.
I grew up eating tortas de jamón and and I always craved one after watching El Chavo del Ocho — that show may be responsible for the popularity of these classic Mexican sandwiches.
But my torta is different than other recipes and also the BEST way to make a ham torta, keep reading to find out why.
Ingredients for Mexican Torta de Jamón
This Mexican sandwich ingredients are pretty much standard. There are a few variations, but for the most part it’s the same.
- Bolillo
- Mexican Crema
- Ham, vegan ham in this case.
- White Onion
- Roma Tomato
- Avocado Slices
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Pickled Jalapeño Juice
Additional Ingredients You Can Use
- Lettuce: Either romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce.
- Cheese: Use any of the following asadero cheese, Mexican Manchego cheese, or Chihuahua cheese.
- Pickled Onions: Instead of the white onions.
- Refried Beans: You can spread some on after toasting the bread. But generally a torta de jamón doesn’t use frijoles refritos.
Ingredient Substitutions
If you can’t find bolillo, try using telera rolls, or in a pinch you could also use baguette.
Instead of crema you could use mayonnaise, or even a mixture of both would work.
More Mexican Torta Recipes
How to Make THE Best Torta de Jamon
- Heat a comal or large frying pan.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the bolillo rolls lengthwise.
- Spread each half with Mexican crema.
- Place the bolillos with the crema side down onto the comal. Press down to flatten evenly onto the comal.
- Grill until the crema side turns golden or a little crispy.
- Flip over and drizzle with some juice from the pickled jalapeño juice.
- Arrange the ham on one half.
- Layer the onion slices, tomato slices, avocado slices, and jalapeno on top of the ham.
- Place the other bolillo half onto the layer with the ham.
- Carefully remove from the comal or pan.
- Serve immediately.
Don’t Skip The Grilling or The Jalapeno Juice
Amigos, trust me you don’t want to skip the grilling step or the one to drizzle with the jalapeno juice.
These two steps are what make this torta the BEST torta de jamón. I promise.
Sure it’ll still taste delicious with out these two steps, but with them it makes the torta taste phenomenal.
Warming up the bolillo makes it taste even more delicious. It’ll be a little bit crispy and creamy. Plus it’s savory and a tad bit spicy. Honestly, it’s a winning combination.
How to Serve
Mexican ham tortas make quick meals for picnics, packed lunches for kids and adults, quick dinners on busy nights, and are also perfect road trip meals too.
You can serve them them with a bag of chips or French fries or a green salad for a healthier option.
But typically speaking, in Mexico, tortas are served on their own.
Should You Remove The Inside of The Bolillo
So a lot of people will remove the inside doughy part of the bolillo before preparing the tortas.
This is completely up to you.
I’d say if you aren’t toasting the bread then go ahead and do so, but leave it if toasting.
I personally leave it either way because I LOVE bread, removing it will save you on a few calories but I don’t bother with it.
It’s up to you.
Mexican Ham Sandwich Recipe or Torta de Jamón
Ok amigos below is the recipe for this delicious torta. Remember it’s vegan becasue we are swapping out the regular ham for vegan ham.
Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts or remove others as you desire.
Buen Provecho!
The BEST Torta de Jamon – Mexican Ham Sandwich (Vegan Recipe)
Video
Ingredients
- 4 bolillo rolls or telera rolls
- 16 Tablespoons vegan crema or vegan sour cream
- 4 Tablespoons jalapeño pickle juice
- 16 slices vegan ham your favorite brand
- 1 large avocado sliced
- 4 pickled jalapeños sliced into long slivers
- 2 large tomato sliced
- 1/4 white onion sliced
Instructions
- Heat a comal or large pan over medium-high heat.
- Slice the bolillo rolls in half, lengthwise. Spread 2 Tablespoons or less of vegan crema on the bolillo halves. Place on the hot comal with the smeared side down. Grill until the crema side is toasted.
- Flip the bolillos over and drizzle with some jalapeño juice over the rolls, as much as desired. Lay 4 pieces of the vegan ham on top of the bolillos.
- Then add avocado slices, onion slices, tomato slices and the jalapeno pieces on each torta.
- Place the top of the bolillo on to the bottom piece to close. Carefully remove from heat and place on serving plate.
- Serve immediately with your favorite agua fresca flavor and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
Never thought to grill the bread rolls that way. Does the jalapeno juice make it soggy?
The grilling and jalapeno juice add another level of delicious flavors. No your bolillo won’t go soggy at all. Enjoy!