History

The Fried Peanut Butter, Banana and Bacon Sandwich is the canonical Elvis Presley snack, by reliable accounts cooked nightly at Graceland through the 1960s and 1970s by the King's cooks, particularly Mary Jenkins Langston. The recipe is documented in the 1991 cookbook Memories Beyond Graceland Gates by Pauline Nicholson and Mary Jenkins, with Elvis reportedly requesting up to a dozen at a time at his peak. The Memphis Arcade Restaurant (operating since 1919, claimed to be Elvis's regular booth) put a version on its menu in the 1980s and runs it as a tribute sandwich. The modern Memphis version often skips the bacon for the simpler peanut-butter-and-banana original.

Common allergens: Gluten, Peanut, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 thick slices good white sandwich bread (Texas toast thickness, about 2cm; or use slightly stale country white bread)
  • 100g creamy peanut butter (Skippy or Jif are the American canonical brands; do not use natural peanut butter; the structure is different)
  • 2 ripe yellow bananas, peeled and sliced into 5mm coins
  • 8 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, cooked until very crisp
  • 60g unsalted butter, very soft
  • Optional: 1 tbsp honey or 1 tbsp strawberry jam (a 1970s addition some Memphis kitchens include)
  • Pinch of flaky sea salt
  • To serve: dill pickle chips on the side (the canonical Memphis-side counterpart), and a glass of cold whole milk or sweet tea

Method

  1. Cook the bacon in a heavy frying pan over medium heat until deeply crispy, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper.
  2. Spread one side of each bread slice with a generous tablespoon of softened butter.
  3. On the unbuttered side of two slices of bread, spread a thick layer of peanut butter (about 30g per slice).
  4. Drizzle the optional honey or jam over the peanut butter.
  5. Lay banana slices in a single layer over the peanut butter, covering the entire surface.
  6. Lay 4 strips of crispy bacon across the bananas, breaking to fit.
  7. Top with the other two slices of bread, peanut-butter side down, with the buttered sides facing out.
  8. Heat a heavy cast-iron or non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat (medium-low is the structural rule; too hot and the bread burns before the inside warms through).
  9. Lay the sandwiches in the pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until the bread is deep golden brown and the peanut butter inside is warm and melted.
  10. Lift onto a plate, finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt over the top, slice on the diagonal.
  11. Serve immediately with dill pickle chips and a glass of cold milk; the Memphis Graceland convention is to eat with the right hand while watching Elvis movies.

Tip from the editors. Medium-low heat is essential; cooking too hot gives a burnt outside and a cold peanut butter inside. The peanut butter must be creamy (not crunchy) and a non-natural type that softens evenly with heat. Add bacon for the canonical Memphis Graceland version; skip for the simpler 1950s original.

Where to eat fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich (the elvis)

Fried Peanut Butter, Banana and Bacon Sandwich (The Elvis) in Memphis

Arcade Restaurant ★ 4.2

BrunchClassic diner$$$8-14south-mainDaily 07:00-15:00Walk-in

Arcade Restaurant on South Main downtown Memphis is the city's oldest diner since 1919, with sweet potato pancakes, fried PB and banana sandwiches.

Order: Sweet potato pancakes with bacon.

Tip: No reservations. Sit at Elvis's marked booth for the photo; weekday mornings are quietest.

540 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

Alcenia's ★ 4.5

Soul food$$pinch-district

Alcenia's in the Pinch District north of downtown Memphis runs Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's soul food and her famous door-greeting hug since 2002.

Why locals love it: Tourists rarely walk this far north of Beale; B.J.'s hug is what brings everyone back.

Tip: Counter service, cash preferred. Closed Sundays and Mondays. B.J. greets every diner.

317 N Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

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