The best tomatoes for sandwiches are rich, balanced slicer tomato varieties that are best enjoyed as fresh as possible. Whether it’s a giant meaty beefsteak-types to standard round globe-type tomato, there’s a favorite for every tomato-sandwich lover. Here are 20+ of the best tomato varieties for garden-fresh sandwiches, including old-fashioned heirloom tomatoes and modern hybrid cultivars.
1. Mortgage Lifter tomato
The Mortgage Lifter Tomato is the classic beefsteak-type heirloom slicer tomato for fresh sandwiches. These big, firm tomatoes have a pink peel and a meaty texture that suits sandwiches. These giant fruits can weigh 1-2 pounds each, and it may take only one slice to cover an entire sandwich!
The Mortgage Lifter is certainly one of the best tomatoes for sandwiches. Mortgage Lifter is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety bred by M.C. “Radiator Charlie” Byles of West Virginia. Here’s a detailed guide all about how to grow tomatoes, so you can enjoy them for yourself!
2. Brandywine tomato
The Brandywine Tomato is the heirloom gourmet beefsteak-type slicer tomato with an incredible flavor by which all other heirlooms are measured. Brandywine tomato plants are inconsistent producers, but when they do grow their giant pink fruits, they taste like none other. Like Mortgage Lifter, a single slice can cover an entire sandwich. The Brandywine is a gourmet choice for a tomato lover’s sandwich.
Brandywine is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety from the Brandywine region in Pennsylvania. These are also consistently listed as one of the best-tasting overall tomato varieties. These heritage beauties deserve a spot in your garden!
3. Big Boy tomato
The Big Boy Tomato is a popular hybrid large globe-type slicer tomato known for its rich flavor and easy-growing plants. These tomatoes have a well-balanced taste and firm texture that works well on sandwiches. They are quite large for globe-type tomatoes, and it may only take a couple of slices to cover a piece of bread.
Big Boy is an F1 hybrid tomato bred by Burpee Seeds (USA) and introduced in 1949. It’s often considered the “original hybrid”, as it inspired a whole new type of tomato cultivar breeding.
4. Black Krim tomato
The Black Krim Tomato is an intensely flavored gourmet beefsteak-type heirloom tomato known for its deep, tart taste. These giant tomatoes have a richly-colored purple-brown peel. The intense tart flavor is balanced by enough sweetness to keep them from being overly sour, but these are decidedly acidic fruits.
The Black Krim tomato is a complex-flavored, foodie-favorite choice for a fresh tomato sandwich. Black Krim is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato from Krymsk in Eastern Europe.
5. Early Girl tomato
The Early Girl Tomato is a short-season, globe-type slicer tomato known for its early ripening and reliable production. While these fruits lack the full-bodied richness of heirloom beefsteak-type tomatoes, they do have a lovely homegrown taste and they are the first medium-sized tomatoes to ripen in the garden. After a winter of canned tomatoes and bland grocery-store fresh tomatoes, a homegrown tomato sandwich is extremely welcome! And what’s more, these plants keep producing in the fall, even as temperatures approach 40 °F (4 °C).
Early Girl is an F1 hybrid tomato bred in France and acquired by US seed company PetoSeed in the 1970s.
6. Cherokee Purple tomato
The Cherokee Purple Tomato is an old-fashioned beefsteak-type heirloom slicer tomato known for its complex, deep flavor and juicy texture. The taste is an intense yet balanced flavor of sweetness and acidity. The peel is a purple color with hints of deep red and brown.
The juicy texture can make the bread soggy if left too long, so be sure to enjoy this tomato on sandwiches soon after making them. Cherokee Purple is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato originally grown by the Cherokee people in the area of Eastern Tennessee.
7. Kellogg’s Breakfast tomato
The Kellogg’s Breakfast Tomato is an heirloom beefsteak-type slicer tomato known for its bright orange color and well-balanced taste. These tomatoes have a firm yet smooth texture perfect for enjoying on a sandwich.
They are quite large, potentially taking only a slice or two to cover a piece of bread. Kellogg’s Breakfast is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato from West Virginia, discovered by Darrell Kellogg of Michigan.
8. Pineapple tomato
The Pineapple Tomato is a large, yellow & red, beefsteak-type American heirloom tomato with a sweet and fruity taste. These hefty fruits grow on long-vining indeterminate plants that require vertical stakes and/or tomato cages.
While the fruit is mainly yellow, most have red vertical blush striping down the sides, making them an attractive large bicolor tomato. Pineapple is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety that possibly originated in Kentucky.
9. Green Giant tomato
The Green Giant Tomato is a beefsteak-type heirloom slicer tomato known for its intense flavor and bright green color. These giant tomatoes have lots of thick, meaty pulp and few seeds/gel, making them perfect for enjoying on a slice of bread.
This is a gourmet variety that surprises and delights with its incredible taste. Green Giant is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato, possibly from Canada which was first introduced by Reinhard Kraft of Germany.
10. German Johnson tomato
The German Johnson Tomato is a large, pink, beefsteak-type heirloom slicer tomato with a subtle yet sweet taste. This tomato was one of the parent varieties of the wildly popular Mortgage Lifter slicer heirloom tomato. German Johnson is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety from Germany.
11. Magnus tomato
The Magnus Tomato is a medium-sized, pink, globe-type heirloom slicer tomato. This classic heirloom tomato variety has a sweet yet balanced flavor. This heritage tomato is perfect for enjoying fresh on a sandwich (or right in the garden). The Magnus Tomato was bred by Alexander Livingston of the Livingston Seed Company in the late 1800s (Ohio).
12. Black Prince tomato
The Black Prince Tomato is a medium-sized, brown, round, globe-type slicer tomato with a complex sweet flavor. These flavor-packed, juicy, rich fruits grow on long, indeterminate plants.
The dark peel color makes them a gorgeous addition to a sandwich or other fresh culinary application. Black Prince is an open-pollinated tomato variety developed in Irkutsk (Russia).
13. Arkansas Traveler tomato
The Arkansas Traveler Tomato is a medium-sized, pink, slicer tomato with a sweet flavor. These reliable, crack-resistant tomatoes grow on long indeterminate vines.
Arkansas Traveler is an open-pollinated tomato variety bred by Joe McFerran of the University of Arkansas Horticulture Department (reference: University of Arkansas).
14. German Queen tomato
The German Queen Tomato is a large, pink, beefsteak-type slicer tomato with an old-fashioned sweet taste. These flattened/oblate tomatoes can grow to be 1-2 pounds per tomato, easily covering a slice of bread with a slice from the middle of the tomato.
These potato-leaved plants make a great substitute for Brandywine tomatoes in the garden (and are perhaps a bit sweeter). German Queen is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety from Germany.
15. Caspian Pink tomato
The Caspian Pink Tomato is a large, pink, beefsteak-type slicer with an old-fashioned, balanced sweet taste. These oblate-shaped fruits ripen before some of the really giant beefsteaks but grow on similarly large indeterminate vining plants.
Caspian Pink is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety thought to originate from the region between the northern Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
16. Eva Purple Ball tomato
The Eva Purple Ball Tomato is a medium-sized, pink, round slicer tomato with an old-fashioned sweet taste. These tomatoes grow on long, indeterminate vines. Eva Purple Ball is an open-pollinated tomato variety.
17. German Pink tomato
The German Pink Tomato is a large, pink, beefsteak-type slicer heirloom tomato with a full, sweet taste. These big, flattened tomatoes grow on long indeterminate vines. The delicious slices hold up well on sandwiches and are cubed in salads. German Pink is an open-pollinated tomato variety from Bavaria (Germany).
18. Anna Russian tomato
The Anna Russian Tomato is a medium-sized, pink, oxheart-type slicer. heirloom tomato with a full-bodied sweet taste. Anna Russian is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety.
19. Porter tomato
The Porter Tomato is a small, pink, globe-type slicer tomato with a sweet flavor. The fruits are slightly egg-shaped and known to grow well in hot climates (plants are indeterminate). Porter is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato from Texas.
20. Kosovo tomato
The Kosovo Tomato is a large, pink, oxheart-type slicer heirloom tomato with old-fashioned rich sweetness. The fruits are meaty, but are often juicier than beefsteak-type tomatoes (eat your sandwich quickly!). Kosovo is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety from Kosovo in Southeastern Europe.
21. Ponderosa tomato
The Ponderosa Tomato is a large, pink, beefsteak-type heirloom slicer known for its classic old-fashioned sweetness. These tomatoes have a flattened/oblate shape and are late-season ripening (they take a long time to grow!). Ponderosa is an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety.
22. Anna Banana Russian tomato
The Anna Banana Russian Tomato is a medium-sized, yellow, oxheart-type tomato with a sweet taste. This tomato was bred as a yellow version of the famous heirloom Anna Russian Tomato (described above). Anna Banana Russian is an open-pollinated tomato variety.
