6 Spreads to Elevate Your Sandwich (2024)

It would be too difficult to determine which component of a sandwich is the most important. (Dara does a great job of breaking down each one in her post on building a great sandwich!) But in my book, what you spread on the bread is right up there at the top. Not only does it enhance the flavors, it also improves the texture. It’s so sad to be served an otherwise fantastic sandwich that’s completely dry because there’s no spread!

Today I’m sharing 6 ideas for what to spread on your sandwich. I’ve included recipes for 4 of them, and they all have just 5 ingredients or less!

1 - Honey Mustard Mayonnaise

Let’s start off with a classic combo: honey mustard mayo! This spread is great for adding a little pizazz to a humdrum sandwich. It has creaminess from the mayo, zing from the mustard, and sweetness from the honey. It can really go with almost any sandwich.

I paired it with a very basic sandwich: butter, lettuce, tomato, muenster cheese, and deli chicken. So classic, so satisfying.

2 - Pesto

Next up, we have one of my favorites: PESTO! This spread really packs a large flavor punch. The basil flavor is WHAM! in your face. The Parmesan adds that cheesy goodness. The nuts give it a lovely rough texture. The garlic lends a tad bit of spiciness. And the olive oil brings it all together into a spread.

If you’d like a really easy recipe for pesto, you can go grab it on my blog. It’s only 7 ingredients—5 if you don’t count salt and pepper.

I made a dynamite sandwich by buttering a slice of bread, adding some spinach and arugula, sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced chicken, and a swipe of the pesto.

You could replace the chicken with shrimp or turkey if you prefer.

3 - Chipotle Mayonnaise

If you like a bit of heat and spice, this Chipotle Mayo is for you! It’s definitely on the bold end of flavors. Plus it’s very easy to make (just 5 ingredients, of course!). The only “special” ingredient required is chipotle pepper powder. You probably have the rest of what you need in your pantry already! Don’t have any mayo on hand? Check out my tutorial for how to make it yourself!

I decided to pair this chipotle mayo with a shrimp sandwich. I spread some butter (duh!) on a piece of bread, put down some broccoli slaw for crunch, arranged the shrimp on top, and spread the chipotle mayo on the other slice of bread. Boom. Flavor town.

I think this would also be excellent on a pulled pork sandwich or even a burger. Mmhmm.

4 - Spicy Avocado

Here’s another one for the spice lovers: Spicy Avocado Spread! I love the richness that avocados give to a sandwich, but I feel that they need some acidity and spice to cut through that creaminess a bit. The heat here comes from an all-time favorite: Sriracha!

This is awesome on a tomato and bacon sandwich. The flavors play so well together, and the spiciness of the avocado spread helps to balance out the bacon. Although, let’s be honest: does bacon really need balancing?

I think this would also be great on a breakfast sandwich or an egg salad sandwich.

4 - Cream Cheese and Chive

This spread is another one of my favorites: Cream Cheese and Chive! I love the tangy and rich cream cheese with the fresh, mild bite of the chives.

This is really really good on a cucumber salmon sandwich. You could also go with just cucumber and this would still be pretty fantastic.

6 - Jam

The idea for this one came from my dad and my friends. The thought of using a sweet jam on a savory sandwich used to be foreign to me. But then I saw my dad eating bread and jam with a slice of cheese on top. Whaaa?! It was apparently something my grandma served him growing up. Then some friends served a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce. It was so good.

And then I had a chicken curry sandwich spread with apricot jam at a local restaurant. I was sold. Done.

You may think that adding jam to a sandwich is gross, but trust me. It’s really lovely. You don’t have to go overboard: just a thin spread of it will suffice to add that touch of sweetness. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

So there you have it: 6 spreads that will amp up the flavors (and textures) of your sandwich.

If you have a favorite sandwich spread, make sure to share it with us in the comments. We love to be inspired!