The Classic Patty Melt combines perfectly seasoned ground beef with caramelized onions and melted Swiss cheese sandwiched between two grilled slices of rye bread. It’s easy to make, easy to eat, and downright delicious.
When I’m in a diner I have a few go-to dishes: the Monte Cristo, a Greek salad, and the epic Patty Melt!
The thing I love best about the patty melt is the mingling of textures from the perfectly seasoned ground beef patty, to the melted swiss, to the just crispy grilled rye bread that holds it all together.
As far as sandwiches go, the patty melt just works.
Serve it with a side of french fries, some coleslaw, and a dill pickle for the full diner experience!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Ground beef. I’m using 80/20 ground chuck but you can also use 90/10.
- Bread. Rye bread is the bread of choice for the patty melt sandwich. You can use pre-sliced rye bread, or if you prefer thicker slices, buy unsliced from a bakery and slice yourself.
- Cheese. I am using Swiss cheese. Ask the deli clerk to slice it “sandwich cut” so it’s not overly thin.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Thinly slice 2 large onions and heat a large pan or pot to medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions to the pan along with 1/4 cup of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cover. Allow the onions to cook for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize (about 20-30 minutes), then remove from the heat and set aside. While the onions are cooking, make the sauce. In a medium bowl whisk together 5 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic, and 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.
- In a large bowl mix togehter 1 1/2 pounds of 80/20 ground chuck, with 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Use your hands to shape the meat into 4 oblong patties. Heat a large cast iron pan to medium heat with a touch of olive oil and once hot, add the patties.
- Cook the patties until they reach medium (or to your liking), about 3-4 minutes per side, then remove them from the pan and wipe out any excess grease.
- Distribute 4 tablespoons of butter across 8 slices of rye bread, then add 4 pieces of bread, butter-side down, to the pan.
- Add 1 slice of cheese to each piece of bread, then add a patty on top, followed by the onions.
- Place another slice of cheese on top. Spread the sauce on the other slices of bread and place them on each patty.
- Once the bottom of the bread is nicely browned, carefully flip the patty melt and brown the other side. Once both sides are browned, remove them from the pan and serve right away with any extra sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Top tips
- The onions. After the initial 10 minutes over medium-high heat, be sure to turn the heat down to medium-low and stir often and/or add a touch of water to prevent burning. For this patty melt recipe, I cook the onions for roughly 30 minutes. You can cook them less, or longer for true caramelized onions similar to how I do in my French onion soup recipe.
- The butter. Letting the butter come to room temperature will make it easier to spread on the bread.
- Grilling the bread. Be sure to keep the pan on medium to medium-low heat when grilling the bread to avoid burning and work quickly when assembling. Use a spatula to sneak a peak under the bread to ensure it’s not burning and flip back and forth if required.
More amazing sandwich recipes
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Patty Melt
Ingredients
For the onions
- 2 large onions sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
For the sauce
- 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
For the pattys
- 1 1/2 pounds 80/20 ground chuck
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 slices rye bread
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
Instructions
For the onions
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium-high heat with the olive oil. Add the onions, salt, and water and cover. Let cook for 10 minutes then remove lid and turn the heat down to medium-low. Continue to cook stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized (about 20-30 minutes). Add water and lower heat to prevent burning as necessary.
For the sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients. Taste and season with salt and pepper if required. Set the sauce aside for later.
For the patty melts
- Mix the beef, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Form into 4 oblong patties (the shape of the bread slices).
- Heat a large cast iron pan to medium heat with a touch of olive oil. Once hot, add the patties and sear until medium or your liking (approximately 3-4 minutes per side). Remove the patties from the pan and wipe out any excess grease.
- Spread the butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Add 4 pieces of bread, butter side down, to the pan. Add 1 slice of cheese to each piece of bread, then add a patty on top, followed by the onions, followed by another slice of cheese.
- Spread the sauce on the other pieces of bread and place on top of each patty. Once the bottom is nicely browned, carefully flip the patty melt and brown the other sides. Once both sides are browned, remove from the pan, and serve right away. Enjoy! Note: Any remaining sauce can be served as a dipping sauce.
Notes
- Any type of ground beef can be used.
- Make sure to keep the pan on medium to medium-low heat when grilling the bread to avoid burning and work fast during assembly.
- Leftovers can be saved for 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated in a medium heat pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Stopping in and having a sandwich certainly is the way to go. Not all resturants make a patty melt so if I see a patty melt on the menu that’s my go to sandwich. I am disappointed when no sauce comes with my order. Can’t wait to try your receipe . Great take on the onions and the sauce looks very tasty. Keep the favorites coming.
We hope you love it, Richard!
Wow, this was fantastic! The only thing I did different was use a GF seed bread and cheddar and havarti for the cheese. A total taste sensation, thanks for sharing!
So happy you enjoyed!
How did i neverhave a patty melt??? It is perfection….thanks so much.
I have to say……the black glovesare gross. Why are people afraid to handle food?
it’s kinda nutty………lotsof love, Lucy
We’re happy you enjoyed it, Lucy!
Absolutely Delicious‼️😋My husband is a frequent Patty Melt orderer! He said Hands down this is the best he’s had❣️The sauce was a great addition❣️
Thanks so much for the great comment! We’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed!
Goodness Gracious! I’ve never had a patty melt but my well traveled husband convinced me to try it. This recipe is going into my Sip & Feast collection. So good! The sauce really adds to the overall flavor, the onions are easy to do, but you have to have all the components laid out because it goes quickly.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Cynthia!
As always great recipe. Brings me back to when I was a kid in NY. My mom made these on the occasional Saturday. It was special because it was the only time we were allowed chips and clear soda with a meal.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Diane!
Made this tonight and it was very well recieved. Bit of an effort, but sooo very worth it. Instant hit wilth the husband. Definately will be added to the dinner rotation. Another 10 at our house. Thank you.
So happy you enjoyed!
Patty melt=delicious!
We’re so happy you enjoyed it!
The Patty melt is one of my all-time favorites! If it’s on the menu, I’m gonna get it.
This sounds great! I’m going to look it up on YouTube!
🤙
Hi Arthur, we hope you enjoy the recipe! The YouTube video will be up in a few weeks but in the meantime you can refer to the step by step photos here in this recipe post.