Authentic Pambazo Sandwich

Make authentic Pambazo Sandwiches at home! Bread dipped in savory guajillo salsa and stuffed with chorizo and potatoes. Simply delicious!

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Pambazo served on a white glass plate next to a basket of breads.

A Pambazo is a mouthwatering, tasty, sink-your-teeth sandwich. This Mexican street food favorite is hard to forget and easy to make at home.

Whether you are celebrating Mexican Independence Day or just craving an unforgettable weekend lunch, this authentic pambazo recipe delivers bold, comforting flavors in every bite.

If you’re a fan of Mexican street food, also try my recipe for elote en vaso.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️

Incredible Texture: Dunking the bread in savory guajillo sauce and frying it creates a wonderfully crispy exterior while keeping the inside soft.
Big Flavors: Packed with seasoned chorizo and potato filling, cool crema, and crisp lettuce for the ultimate bite.
Authentic Taste at Home: While traditional pambazo bread is tough to find in the U.S., using telera rolls gives you that classic street-food experience right in your own kitchen.
Customizable: Easily tailor your toppings with cotija cheese, pickled jalapeños, or your favorite salsa.

-Maggie

📖 The Story With Pambazos

When I was a teenager, I visited my aunt in Mexico City.

I can still picture my aunt—who usually turns her nose up at anything heavily fried—stopping dead in her tracks by a little cart selling pambazos.

There was a line of people waiting, watching the vendor dip the bread into the bright red sauce and drop it onto a hot griddle. Wait? What! Mind blown. 🤯

That very first bite, with the savory chorizo-potato filling and cool crema cutting through the spiced crust, it was next level delicious!

Now, I’m thrilled to share how you can bring that exact magic into your own kitchen.

🥪 Ingredients

Bread
Lettuce
Potato
Chorizo
Guajillo Chiles
Onion
Garlic
Water
Salt
Oil
Mexican Salsa
Crema Mexicana (or Mexican crema)

Where are Pambazos originally from?

One version says that pambazo bread was the worst quality made with the oldest flour and given to the lower classes. They would then soak the bread in guajillo salsa to make it edible.
Another version (and more popular version) is that Maximilian I (the Emperor of Mexico) and Carlota of Mexico (Empress consort of Mexico) visited Orizaba, a town in Veracruz. The chef made the bread which was inspired by the shapes of the volcano Pico de Orizaba, also known as Citlaltépetl. It is one of the highest mountains in North America.

A stainless steel pot filled with water and diced potatoes, sitting on a white countertop, ready for boiling.

🥣 Instructions

Boil the potatoes on medium heat . Drain.
Set aside until ready to use.

Or, if you have some leftovers from another dish, you can use that too to make this recipe.

The filling is similar to the Chorizo con Papas, but the chorizo filling has a smoother texture.

Collage of pictures showing how to make the filling for pambazos.

Cook the Mexican chorizo in a large skillet and drain excess fat.
Return the cooked chorizo to the skillet and add the boiled potatoes.
With a potato masher, start mashing until the filling is smooth. Even just a little chunky is ok.

Word to the wise, use a big skillet that’s to fit all the ingredients for the potato mixture.

Also, don’t forget to drain the excess fat from the chorizo. There will still be plenty of fat in the chorizo to give your sandwich plenty of flavor.

🌶️ Guajillo Sauce

In a stockpot, add guajillo chile, onion, and garlic clove with water.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat off.
Let chiles rest in hot water for 5 minutes. Then discard the water.

We are making a basic guajillo sauce. I like to make a big batch. It store well in the fridge for 5 days or freeze it.

Collage of images showing how to make the pambazo guajillo sauce.

Add the reconstituted guajillo chile in a blender along with all the sauce ingredients.
Add 1 cup of water just to get everything to blend.
Blend everything until smooth.
Pour the guajillo chile sauce into a deep dish.

If you need more water when making the sauce, don’t be afraid to add a splash water. The sauce is thin, not thick.

You need to use something that is deep enough to dip the bread in.

Telera bread cut in half dipped in guajillo sauce.

Don’t dip the inside of the bread. You don’t want the bread to fall apart.
Cut in half the bread and dunk each side in the guajillo sauce.

🥖 What Kind of Bread to Use?

Traditionally, a special type of bread called pambazo (or pan basso) is used. Hence, the name of the dish, but this particular bread is relatively impossible to find in the US. You can use either teleras, bolillos, or kaiser rolls.

Half a loaf of telera bread dipped in guajillo sauce frying in the pan.

Add vegetable oil to a pan on medium-high heat.
Fry both sides of the bread, sauce-side down in the hot oil.

Do not fry the inside of the bread. The inside of the bread should still be white.

Some people will fry the bread in butter, or skip the frying altogether, and toast it on a griddle.

My advice for those of you who decide to use the griddle, oil it well or your bread will stick.

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

You can customize your torta with grilled onions, tomatoes, refried beans, pickled red onions, cotija cheese, queso fresco, chiles toreados, pickled jalapeños, and more.
Use your best judgment when assembling your Pambazo sandwich so you can fit everything inside the bread.
For a vegan version of this dish, use vegan chorizo or soy chorizo.

How To Assemble

Begin cutting the bread in half.
Then spread the chorizo mixture on one of the bread halves and top with the lettuce, crema mexicana, and Mexican Salsa (if you like to add a spicy touch).

You can add more or less Mexican salsa, depending on your tolerance to spiciness. For a not so spicy salsa, try roasted tomato salsa. Like it spicy, I recommend tomato habanero salsa.

What is a Torta?

A torta is a sandwich. Tortas are either made with telera bread, bolillo, birote, or french bread. They can be hot or cold, grilled, toasted, or even fried.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Pambazo?

A pambazo is a famous Mexican street food sandwich made with bread that has been dipped in a mild, savory guajillo chile sauce, fried until crisp, and stuffed with a savory potato and chorizo mixture (papas con chorizo), lettuce, crema, and salsa.

What kind of bread should I use if I can’t find authentic pambazo bread?

Traditional pambazo bread can be very difficult to find outside of Mexico. The best substitutes readily available in the U.S. are telera rolls, bolillos, or even soft Kaiser rolls.

Do I have to fry the bread?

Traditionally, the sauced bread is shallow-fried in oil or butter to give it a signature crispy texture. However, if you want a lighter option, you can toast the sauced bread on a well-oiled griddle or skillet instead.

Can I make the filling ahead of time?

Yes! You can prepare the potato and chorizo filling up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Just reheat it before assembling your sandwiches.

More Mexican Sandwiches

There is nothing quite like biting into a warm, crispy, sauce-soaked Pambazo Mexicano. While it might look a little messy to make, every single step is entirely worth it for that authentic street-food experience. Grab your rolls, whip up a batch of guajillo sauce, and treat your family to a true Mexican classic. iBuen Provecho!

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