Homemade Patty Melt Recipe

This diner classic is easy to create at home with a few simple ingredients; ground beef, onions, and cheese!

An Easy Classic

Everyone loves a messy, juicy burger! The best patty melt is filled with all the good stuff but depending on what region you’re in, a patty melt recipe can be made with different kinds of cheese and on different kinds of bread and a great patty melt sauce (thousand island dressing)!

So, what is a Patty Melt? It’s almost like a smashup of a perfect grilled cheese sandwich melded with a juicy burger. In fact, the difference between a patty melt & burger is really just the grilling of the bread. They were invented sometime in the 1940’s and almost every restaurant has their own twist on it.

What’s on a Patty Melt?

Since a patty melt recipe is fairly simple and doesn’t contain many ingredients, using good quality ingredients is key!

Bread: Quality sourdough or rye bread will hold up against a juicy hamburger patty, cheese, and onions.
Onions: Caramelized Onions add tons of flavor and shouldn’t be skipped. (I make big batches in my crockpot and freeze them for recipes like this one and for Homemade French Onion Soup).
Beef: You want lean beef but not extra lean (80/20 should be good). A little bit of fat adds great flavor, keeps it juicy and is also great in the pan for grilling the bread!
Cheese: Swiss, cheddar, or American are great choices for a patty melt but really, any cheese goes! Add your favorite or layer a few for extra yum!

Optional additions: The sky’s the limit… Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic, grainy-style mustard for dipping, pickles, sauerkraut. Get creative!

How to Make a Patty Melt

A patty melt is super easy to make but does take a little bit of time. Caramelized onions add so much to the flavor of this sandwich, it’s worth the extra time!

Caramelize onions.
Cook burger patties.
Add cheese to the bread, and cook in butter in a skillet.

Talk about easy!

What to Serve with a Patty Melt

These juicy burgers go great with a handful of potato chips and dill pickles of course!

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