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Copycat Denny's Moons Over My Hammy
Denny's iconic Moons Over My Hammy is a griddled egg sandwich with ham, Swiss, and American cheese on sourdough — the ultimate late-night diner classic.
copycat · dennys · casual-dining · breakfast
🕑Prep5 min
🍳Cook10 min
⏱Total15 min
🍽Serves2
⭐DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 4 large eggs
- 6 slices deli ham
- 2 slices Swiss cheese
- 2 slices American cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Cooking spray or extra butter for the eggs
Instructions
- 1.Cook the eggs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a pat of butter or cooking spray. Crack 2 eggs side by side and break the yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for 1 more minute. The eggs should be fully cooked but not dry. Repeat with the remaining 2 eggs.
- 2.Warm the ham. In the same skillet, quickly warm the ham slices for 30 seconds per side until lightly browned on the edges.
- 3.Butter the bread. Spread butter on one side of each slice of sourdough bread.
- 4.Build the sandwiches. On the unbuttered side of each bottom slice, layer: 1 slice Swiss cheese, 3 slices ham, 2 cooked eggs, 1 slice American cheese. Top with the second slice of bread, butter-side out.
- 5.Griddle until golden. Cook the assembled sandwiches in the skillet over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes per side until the bread is golden brown and crispy, and the cheese is melted. Press lightly with a spatula.
- 6.Slice and serve. Cut each sandwich diagonally and serve immediately. At Denny's, it comes with hash browns and toast, but it's honestly a complete meal on its own.
Copycat Denny’s Moons Over My Hammy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 sandwiches
Denny’s Moons Over My Hammy might have the best name of any menu item in fast-casual dining history. It’s a griddled sandwich on sourdough bread with sliced ham, scrambled eggs (with broken yolks, not fluffy scrambled), Swiss cheese, and American cheese. It’s the kind of sandwich you order at 2 AM after a questionable evening, and it fixes everything.
The two-cheese approach is deliberate: Swiss adds nutty, slightly sweet flavor, while American provides that smooth, creamy melt. The sourdough bread gives a tangy counterpoint that cuts through all the richness. It’s diner engineering at its finest.
Diner Sandwich Secrets
- Break the yolks. This isn’t a fried egg sandwich — Denny’s breaks the yolks so they cook through and create a flat, even egg layer that fits neatly in the sandwich. Think of it as a very thin omelet.
- Sourdough is essential. The tangy flavor of sourdough balances the richness of the ham, eggs, and double cheese. Regular white bread makes a blander sandwich.
- Low and slow on the griddle. Medium-low heat gives the cheese time to melt fully before the bread burns. The goal is evenly golden bread with completely melted cheese inside.
Late Night Economics
Moons Over My Hammy at Denny’s costs about $11-13 with hash browns. Two homemade sandwiches cost about $6 total in ingredients. You can make them at 2 AM without putting on pants or tipping a server, which may be worth more than the monetary savings.
