BLT Bites ~ Mini Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches

BLT Bites are mini bacon, lettuce and tomato nibbles with an herby dill mayonnaise. Using the oven to fry the bacon is an easy hands off cooking method without the greasy mess. Prep all the ingredients at once to make assembling the BLT Bites a breeze.

Entertaining can be stressful. To make holiday parties less hectic, I like have a few go-to appetizers in my recipe repertoire.  My Super Easy Antipasto Skewers, Everything But the Bagel Chicken Bites, Spicy Deviled Eggs with Jalapenos, and BLT Bites are easy to make, fun to eat, and great tasting.  They will be a hit at any Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's party this holiday season.

It can be a daunting task to prepare an appetizer or 2 for a party at your own home or at a family or friends' house. With long holiday to do lists, spending hours in the kitchen preparing hors d'oeuvres is just not in the cards.  A perfect appetizer such as these yummy BLT Bites are fun to make, beautiful, and delicious!

the ingredients

BLT Bites are mini bacon, lettuce and tomato nibbles skewered on toothpicks. I love that no special ingredients are needed to make them. The local grocery store has everything needed to make this recipe.

• thick cut bacon
• mayonnaise
• dried dill
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• sliced bread ~ choose a sliced loaf of white, wheat or multi grain sandwich bread
• Boston bibb lettuce
• small tomatoes ~ plum or campari varieties are the perfect size of BLT Bites
• sturdy toothpicks

how to make BLT Bites

Prepping the ingredients all at once makes assembling the BLT Bites a breeze.

Cook the bacon ~ Start by keeping the mess at a minimum by cooking the bacon in the oven.  Cut the bacon into bite sized pieces. Place on a baking sheet and fry in the oven. To make it easy to skewer the bacon on the toothpick, bake it until just cooked. It should be a little soft.  If it is too crisp, it will crumble.

Cut the bread rounds and toast ~ Use a glass or a biscuit cutter to cut 2 inch bread rounds from the slices of bread. Place the rounds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven.

Make the herb mayonnaise ~ Stir the dried dill along with the onion and garlic powders into the mayonnaise.

Prep the vegetables ~ Tear the lettuce leaves into bite sized pieces. Slice the tomatoes and place on paper towels to drain off any extra liquid.

Assemble the appetizers ~ Have an assembly line of the prepped ingredients so that building the mini sandwiches on toothpicks is super simple. Start with sturdy toothpicks. Spread some of the herb mayo on a toasted bread round and place on a toothpick. Add a lettuce leaf, a tomato slice and finally a piece of cooked bacon on top of the toasted bread.

expert tips

• Thick cut bacon is ideal for making BLT Bites. It is more sturdy than regular cut bacon and perfect for skewering on toothpicks. The thickness and length of bacon varies. Baking times may vary depending on your oven.
• Oven fry the bacon until just cooked through. The bacon needs a little give to easily be added to the toothpicks. If the bacon is overcooked, it will crumble when poked with the toothpicks.
• Tomatoes are naturally watery. To avoid messy appetizers, drain the sliced tomatoes on a couple sheets of paper towels to absorb the extra liquid.

Large white platters are ideal for serving appetizers. The plain background is perfect displaying the festive red and green BLT Bites. There is no need for plates, forks or knives for these handheld morsels.  Just cocktail napkins will do.

To make BLT Bites in advance, assemble them on the toothpicks up to 30 minutes in advance. Cover lightly with plastic and store the refrigerator before serving.

With an easy to prepare and delightfully delicious appetizer like BLT Bites, you will be spending more time enjoying the holidays and less time in the kitchen.

more holiday appetizer recipes I love

• Korean Barbecue Shrimp
• Piquante Pepper Cheese Dip
• Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe
• Mini Thai Meatballs with Coconut Red Curry Sauce

just one more thing

If you make these festive BLT Bites, I'd love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I'll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.

Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.

Recipe

BLT Bites ~ Mini Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwiches

BLT Bites are mini bacon, lettuce and tomato nibbles with a dill mayonnaise. Using the oven to bake the bacon is an easy hands off cooking method. Prep all the ingredients at once to make assembling the BLT Bites a breeze.

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 32

Calories: 85kcal

Author: Amy Casey

Ingredients 

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• 1 pound thick cut bacon ~ about 10 to 12 slices depending in their size
• 8 to 9 slices of sandwich bread ~ white wheat or multigrain
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon dried dill
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 to 8 small tomatoes such as plum or Campari
• 1 head of Boston Bibb lettuce
• sturdy toothpicks

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut each slice of bacon into about 2 ½ inch pieces. You will need about 32 pieces of bacon. There will be some extra pieces of bacon to account for any waste and snacking. Place bacon pieces on a large baking sheet. Bake for about 20 to 22 minutes. Watch the bacon closely towards the end of the baking time. The bacon should be just cooked but, still slightly soft. Remove the bacon from the oven to a paper towel lined plate. The bacon will crisp up a little more while it cools.
• Cut 2-inch rounds out of each slice of bread using a biscuit cutter or glass. There should be about 30 to 32 rounds. Place the bread rounds on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 400 degree F for 3 to 5 minutes. You want bread to just be crisp with a little give when touched lightly. Remove from oven and set aside. The bread rounds can toast in the oven at the same time the bacon is cooking.
• In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, dill, onion powder, and garlic powder. Set aside.
• Slice the tomatoes into about ½ inch slices and lay on a paper towel. You will need about 30 to 32 slices. Set aside.
• Tear the lettuce leaves into about 2 inch by 2 inch pieces. You will need about 30 to 32 pieces of lettuce. Set aside.
• To assemble the BLT Bites, spread about ½ teaspoon of the dill mayonnaise on one side of a bread round. Skewer the round on a toothpick with the mayonnaise side up. Slide a piece of the lettuce, a slice of tomato and a piece of bacon on the toothpick. Place on a large serving platter. Continue assembling the remainder of the BLT Bites in the same way.
• The BLT Bites can be made up to 30 minutes in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator until served.

Notes

• Thick cut bacon is ideal for making BLT Bites. It is more sturdy than regular cut bacon and perfect for skewering on toothpicks.
• Oven fry the bacon until just cooked through. The bacon needs a little give to easily be added to the toothpicks. If the bacon is overcooked, it will crumble when poked with the toothpicks.
• Tomatoes are naturally watery. To avoid messy appetizers, drain the sliced tomatoes on a couple sheets of paper towels to absorb the extra liquid.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.7g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 6.9g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 137mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1.2g

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This BLT Bites recipe was originally posted in February 2016. Updates made in November 2021 include new photos and detailed recipe directions.