Best Patty Melt Ever (2024)

The Best Patty Melt Ever - Made with rye bread, a mustard grilled hamburger patty, caramelized onions, burger sauce, muenster and cheddar cheese. This burger comes together in less than 20 minutes and is absolutely delicious!

It's been a while since I've had a patty melt and wow I forgot how good they are! The classic way to make a patty melt is with a grilled hamburger patty, grilled onions and Swiss cheese on rye bread.

When I make a patty melt I like to add thousand island dressing or burger sauce to the sandwich before grilling. I also like using multiple cheeses for more flavor. It really brings the patty melt together in such a delicious way.

Serve these delicious grilled sandwiches with french fries, a fresh side salad, potato salad, or just by itself! I will link some of my favorite side dishes that pair amazingly with this recipe for you below.

This recipe makes 2 patty melts. If you are cooking for a crowd, simply double the recipe.

Ingredients you need for this recipe:

Ground Beef - I used 85/15 but you can use whatever ground beef you prefer. You'll need about a half pound for two burgers.

Onion - Red or yellow onions, sliced.

Rye Bread - If you don't like rye bread, you can also use sourdough or french bread.

Muenster and Cheddar Cheese - Or you can just use cheddar, provolone, havarti, swiss or american cheese. Pretty much, you can use any cheese you prefer!

Mustard - For the grilled hamburger patty and burger sauce.

Worcestershire Sauce - For the grilled hamburger patty and grilled onions.

Red Wine Vinegar - For the grilled onions.

Butter - For grilled onions and grilling the patty melt.

Mayonnaise - For the burger sauce

Dill Pickle Relish - For the burger sauce. You can also use sweet relish.

Ketchup - For the burger sauce.

Salt & Pepper

Tools to have on hand:

• Cast Iron Skillet or Large Skillet (with lid)
• Spatula
• Small Bowl
• Measuring Spoons
• Cutting Board + Knife

How to make Patty Melts:

First, make the burger sauce. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, mustard, relish and ketchup. Cover and place in the fridge for later.

Add sliced onion, 2 tablespoons butter, red wine vinegar and worcestershire sauce to a skillet over medium-low heat. Let cook for about 20 minutes with lid on stirring occasionally. When, done transfer onions to a plate.

In the meantime, form two hamburger patties and season them with salt and pepper on both sides. Drizzle a little worcestershire sauce on the patties and rub mustard on both sides of the patties.

Heat your cast iron skillet or skillet to medium-high heat. Place burger patties on the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes. Flip burgers over and cook for another 3-4 minutes for a medium-well done burger.

Butter four pieces of rye bread and place two of the slices butter side down in the same skillet you cooked the onions. Spread burger sauce on the top of all four slices of bread (opposite side of the butter). Then, add a slice of cheddar cheese to the two slices in the skillet. Top cheddar with grilled onions then top onions with a burger patty. Place a slice of muenster cheese on top of the burger patty and then top with the slice of rye bread burger sauce down.

Turn skillet up to medium-high heat and cook until bottom rye is nice and golden. Then, carefully flip sandwich over and grill the other side until golden and cheeses are nice and melted.

Recipe Notes:

Feel free to switch up the cheese you want to use. You can use Swiss, cheddar, American, muenster, provolone, etc. Also, you can substitute sourdough or french bread for the rye.

Here are some delicious side dish ideas to serve with your patty melt:

Perfectly Crispy French Fries - These french fries are doubled fried in batches giving them a crisp outside and a soft center making them the perfect fry.

Baked Potato Wedges- A delicious healthier alternative to the traditional fried potato wedge. They are seasoned in paprika, garlic, salt, and onion seasonings then baked to golden perfection.

Classic American Potato Salad - Classic American Potato Salad is the perfect side dish for your upcoming summer BBQ’s! Made with hard boiled eggs, this classic potato salad is creamy and delicious!

Classic Caesar Salad - My quick and easy caesar salad is made with homemade dressing, crunchy romaine, croutons and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more sandwich recipes I think you'll love:

Fried Chicken Sliders - The most delicious baked fried chicken sliders served on toasted Hawaiian rolls with dill pickle chips, shredded lettuce and sriracha aioli.

Big Mac Sliders - The most delicious copycat Big Mac recipe in mini slider form! Layered just like a Big Mac with burger sauce, lettuce, beef patties, cheese, pickles and onions with three bun layers!

Meatball Sub Sandwiches made with flavorful homemade meatballs with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses on top of a french roll.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches - Made with baked parmesan chicken, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce on toasty bread!

Frisco Burgers - A juicy cheeseburger layered with grilled onions, creamy burger sauce, lettuce and tomato on a hot grilled slice of sourdough bread.