The best lettuce for sandwiches includes iceberg, romaine, butterhead, and a few more varieties.
No sandwich, whether you make tuna salad, burgers, or salty deli meat, is complete without lettuce.
Lettuce adds a fresh texture, and the type of lettuce can add nutrition, flavor, and moisture. It can even prevent dreaded soggy bread by creating a barrier between bread and condiments.
And iceberg lettuce is just the tip of the… iceberg. The right lettuce is a game-changer from Romaine, peppery arugula, and the lesser-known Celtuce.
Let’s dive into the best lettuce for sandwiches and which works best for you!
How to Choose the Best Lettuce for a Sandwich
Selecting the right lettuce depends upon a few things, like flavor, crunch, and nutrition. Before piling on the leafy greens, consider these few essential factors.
Nutrition: Are you in it for the flavor, or do you want to sneak in some added nutrition? If fitting in leafy greens is the name of the game, add deep green lettuce like arugula, Romaine, or red leaf. Deeper green lettuce has more essential vitamins and minerals than lighter-colored lettuce.
Crunch: How much crunch do you want to bring to your bread masterpiece? Arugula is flavorful but won’t add very much crunch. Ultra-crunchy options include iceberg and butterhead lettuce.
Flavor: A common misconception about lettuce is that it’s flavorless. While that’s true about iceberg, other lettuces add a bright, flavorful kick. If you want to add extra flavor to your sandwich, opt for peppery arugula. For sweeter flavors, opt for green leaf lettuce.
Best Lettuce for Sandwiches
1. Iceberg Lettuce
Iceberg lettuce is the most popular lettuce option for a good reason. This classic has an amazing crunch, high moisture content, and mild flavor.
Adding iceberg lettuce to your sandwich won’t distract from the flavors of your filling and adds a sweet flavor.
The great thing about Iceberg is it’s versatile. Chop the leaves to pile high on a sandwich, or use a few leaves. Because of its high water content, iceberg lettuce is not the most nutritious option. But it’s certainly one the crunchiest!
2. Romaine Lettuce
Romaine lettuce works overtime, delivering a sharp crunch and a lot of leafy green nutrition. This style of lettuce leaf is exceptionally crunchy, and its dark leaves provide a high dose of vitamin A and vitamin K.
Romaine shares a lot in common with iceberg regarding its crunch. But it’s slightly more bitter, especially at the ribs. If you don’t want that bitter flavor, prepare the Romaine by tossing the ribs and using the leaves.
You can use Romaine lettuce on sandwiches where you would use iceberg for added nutrition.
3. Butterhead Lettuce
Butterhead lettuce goes by a few names at the supermarket, such as Bibb or Boston lettuce. It earned its name thanks to the buttery-soft texture of its delicate green leaves.
What it lacks in crunch, it makes up for in flavor! Butterhead lettuce has a very mild, slightly sweet taste. And it’s not at all bitter. If you dislike the sharp, bitter flavor of iceberg or Romaine, butterhead is the way to go!
4. Arugula
Technically, arugula isn’t a member of the lettuce family. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family of leafy greens alongside kale and broccoli. But that doesn’t mean arugula doesn’t make an excellent sandwich topping!
Arugula is known for its sharp, peppery flavor. This leafy green is the way to go if you want your lettuce to deliver bold flavors to your sandwich. It’s not ultra-crunchy, but this leafy green is incredibly flavorful.
Arugula pairs well with sandwiches like salty deli meats or roasted veggies.
Plus, just like kale, arugula is a nutritional powerhouse. One serving packs high amounts of calcium, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin K.
5. Green Leaf Lettuce
Green leaf lettuce looks like Romaine, but their similarities end there. The flavor is mild and tastes slightly sweet. It’s crunchy and perfect for making a juicy BLT!
While it’s not the most nutritious leafy green, it’s still more nutritious than iceberg. One serving of green leaf lettuce provides vitamin A and vitamin K.
Opt for green leaf lettuce when you want a good crunch, a little nutrition, and subtle sweet flavors.
It’s not an overpowering lettuce, so you can pile it high on your sandwiches!
6. Red Leaf Lettuce
Red leaf lettuce is similar in texture to green leaf but delivers more flavors to your sandwich. The flavor has a bold earthy flavor, and some find it has nutty hints of hazelnut.
It’s a little more bitter than green leaf, with notes of sweetness. Use red-leaf lettuce to add a hint of earthy, nutty flavors to your sandwich.
Red leaf lettuce pairs best with salmon sandwiches, burgers, or tuna. Plus, it adds such a beautiful red pop of color!
7. Celtuce
If you’ve never heard of Celtuce, let me introduce you. Celtuce is native to China and goes by the names stem lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or celery lettuce.
What makes it unique is the subtle nutty and smoky flavor with hints of earthy cucumbers. It’s a unique sandwich topping that delivers a ton of flavor.
And the best part? Celtuce is insanely crunchy! Slicing it thin adds an excellent crunch to your sandwiches with an amazing burst of flavor.
Celtuce is hard to track down at your local grocery store. Your best option is to head down to an Asian market. Trust me, it’s worth the trip!
When To Use Each Type of Lettuce
The type of lettuce you select for your sandwiches boils down to personal preference. What’s most important to you in a sandwich? Crunch, nutrition, or flavor?
If you love the crunch of lettuce, you can’t go wrong with iceberg or Romaine. They deliver excellent crunch without overwhelming flavors to distract from tasty condiments.
Or do you want something a little more nutritious? To check off boxes on the food pyramid, leafy greens like green leaf lettuce or arugula are the way to go.
For those sandwich artisans looking to add even more flavor, reach for Celtuce or red-leaf lettuce.
My advice? Try them all!
Best Lettuce for Sandwiches (7 Different Types)
Iceberg, romaine, and butterhead are some of the best lettuce for sandwiches. Learn more about how to use each.
Ingredients
Iceberg Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Butterhead Lettuce
Arugula
Green Leaf Lettuce
Red Leaf Lettuce
Celtuce
Instructions
- Select your favorite lettuce.
- Organize all the required ingredients.
- Prep a delicious sandwich in 30 minutes or less!
