18 Vintage Ideas for Picnic Sandwiches

Ideas for picnic sandwiches from Grandma's day offer a delightful journey back to simpler times when homemade meant wholesome. These cherished recipes, carefully preserved from the 1950s and earlier, bring together unique combinations of ingredients that modern sandwiches rarely feature.

From classic Club Sandwiches that graced the plates of royalty to Elvis Presley's famous fried peanut butter and banana creation, each recipe tells a story while promising a memorable picnic experience. Have fun unwrapping these vintage sandwich treasures. They are just as delicious today as they were in Grandma's day.

18 Classic Ideas for Picnic Sandwiches to Enjoy

Mom's Recipe Scrapbooks (c.1920s)

Baked Bean Sandwich

Mash thoroughly one cupful of plain baked beans. Add four tablespoonfuls of grated American Cheese and a dash of salt. Moisten with four teaspoonfuls of orange juice. Spread between buttered slices of white or brown bread.

Egg and Olive Sandwich

Looking for ideas for picnic sandwiches that call for ingredients with flavor? Chop two hard-boiled eggs fine, add twelve large stuffed olives that have been minced, season and moisten to a paste with mayonnaise. Spread between buttered slices of bread.

Puerto Rico Sandwich

4 slices bacon, 2 square slices bread, 1 ounce American cheese, 1 small cucumber pickle, 2 lettuce leaves. Cook bacon until crisp and brown. Remove crusts from bread, and spread lightly with fat left from cooking bacon.

Cover with thin slice of American cheese, then with thin round slices of cucumber pickle. On the other slice of bread place the bacon. Put the two slices together, cut once diagonally, and toast first on one side, then on the other.

Summer Strawberry Sandwich

The bread should be cut thin and buttered lightly for this old fashioned sandwich. Slice large firm strawberries and spread over slice. Sprinkle with blended powdered sugar and cinnamon and cover with second slice. These sandwiches should be made just before time to serve to ensure freshness of flavor.

Ham and Chicken Sandwich

Ham sandwiches and chicken sandwiches are both appetizing, but when one combines the two the result is delicious.

Cream one-half cupful of butter, using a wooden spoon, add one cupful each of finely chopped cold boiled ham and cold boiled chicken; season to taste with salt and pepper and spread the mixture between slices of buttered bread. —Ryzon Baking Book

Cream Cheese & Walnut Sandwich

Moisten one package cream cheese with a tablespoonful of milk. Work in one-eighth teaspoon of salt and one-fourth cup of chopped walnut meats.

Cut bread in rather thin slices and spread with filling. If a dainty size is desired, cut each sandwich in four small triangular shaped pieces.

Exotic Date and Walnut Sandwich

1 cup dates, 1/2 cup walnuts. Put both through meat chopper and add the grated rind and the juice of 1 orange. Mix well. This is fine for whole-wheat bread sandwiches.

Double Pinwheel Sandwich

One thin slice of fresh brown bread, one thin slice of fresh white bread, cut lengthwise of loaf. Butter and place together as a sandwich. The top of brown slice is buttered, and pimento cream cheese spread on thin. Roll like a jelly roll. Chill and cut in thin slices.

Royal Sandwich

1/2 cup shrimps, 1/2 cup cooked chicken livers, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 Bermuda onion, salt, mayonnaise dressing.

Mix and force through a meat chopper, shrimps, livers, pepper from which seeds have been removed, and onion. Season with salt and moisten with mayonnaise. Spread mixture between thin slices buttered bread and cut in fancy shapes.

Sardine & Egg Sandwich

Looking for tasty ideas for picnic sandwiches and ingredients? You can't go wrong with this healthy sandwich if you're a sardine lover!

Remove skin and bones from sardines and mash to a paste. Add to an equal quantity of yolks of hard-boiled eggs rubbed through a sieve.

Season with salt, cayenne and a few drops of lemon juice; moisten with olive oil or melted butter. Spread mixture between thin slices of buttered bread.

The Open Sandwich

Remove crusts from bread and slice about 1/4 inch thick. Cut in diamonds, spread with softened butter. Spread with deviled ham, or cream cheese, put a border of chopped olives around the edge, and a slice of stuffed olive in the center.

The Elvis Sandwich

Fried Peanut Butter & Banana

2 slices white bread
1 mashed ripe banana
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter

Lightly toast the bread slices. Generously spread peanut butter on one slice, and the mashed banana on the other. Form the sandwich by putting the two slices together.

Melt butter in frying pan and slowly fry sandwich on both sides until golden brown. Cut sandwich in diagonals and enjoy — really enjoy!

The Duke of Windsor Club Sandwich

Make ready the desired number of pieces of toast. Prepare each sandwich as follows: Place a lettuce leaf on one of the slices; sprinkle over it a teaspoonful of salad dressing, add the sliced chicken; put on a little more lettuce and dressing, then the bacon and tomato, and more lettuce and dressing. Finish with the second slice of toast.

Cut the sandwich cornerwise. Garnish with very small lettuce leaves or parsley and serve at once.

Florentine Seminole Sandwich

Arrange boned sardines on a slice of buttered toast, cover with thin slices of tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover with another slice of toast, sprinkle generously with soft grated cheese seasoned with salt and cayenne and put in oven long enough to melt the cheese. Serve at once on two lettuce leaves. —Fannie Farmer

Cheese & Walnut Sandwich

Roll 1/2 cup walnuts fine, add 1/2 cup grated cheese. Moisten with salad dressing of choice.

The Sembrich Sandwich

Cut and spread seven slices of bread. Put between slices, finely chopped, boiled ham, moistened with cream and moistened with mayonnaise, and chopped nut meats moistened with dressing. There should be two layers of each filling.

Remove crusts, fold in cheesecloth and press under weight. Cut in slices and arrange on lettuce leaves to serve.

Anchovy Watercress Sandwich

Cut some bread and butter, very thin, and in fingers. Chop some watercress, lay it on a finger, sprinkle a little Tarragon vinegar and water (equal quantities) over it, and then lay on a fillet of anchovy, cover with more cress, and a finger of bread and butter.

Put them in a pile under a plate to flatten and before serving trim the edges. —Mrs. Brian Luck

White House Cheesy Egg Sandwich

These are extremely nice and are very easily made. Take one hard-boiled egg, a quarter of a pound of common cheese grated, half a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, half a teaspoonful of mustard, one tablespoonful of melted butter, and one tablespoonful of vinegar or cold water.

Take a yolk of the egg and put it into a small bowl and crumble it down, put into it the butter and mix it smooth with a spoon, then add the salt, pepper, mustard, and the cheese, mixing each well. Then put in the tablespoonful of vinegar, which will make it the proper thickness. If vinegar is not relished, then use cold water instead.

Spread this, and you could not require a better sandwich. Some people will prefer their sandwiches less highly seasoned; therefore, season to taste. —White House Cook Book

A Taste of Nostalgia: Your Picnic Legacy

These time-tested sandwich recipes offer more than just sustenance — they're a window into our culinary heritage. From the Duke of Windsor's beloved Club Sandwich to Fannie Farmer's sophisticated Florentine Seminole, each recipe carries its own fascinating history.

Whether you choose the presidential-inspired White House Cheese Sandwich or Elvis's indulgent creation, these authentic recipes promise to make your next picnic truly memorable. Why not start your own family tradition with these classic sandwiches?