21 Grilled Cheeses & Melts

These 21 grilled cheese recipes include our favorites of the comforting childhood classic, including a few with a grown-up approach and others that we swear will keep the entire family quite pleased.

Two Hog Island grilled cheese sandwiches in a skillet with some cheese melting from them.
Hog Island grilled cheese is unlike any other you’ve had. Four kinds of cheese—fromage blanc, Gruyère, Havarti, and Cheddar piled blissfully high on hearty sourdough bread. What are you waiting for?
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Two waffle iron grilled cheese sandwiches on a wooden cutting board with a knife and a waffle iron nearby.
Waffle iron grilled cheese sandwich means no standing at the skillet carefully tending grilled cheese in a skillet so it doesn’t burn. Nope. Just slap some cheese on buttered bread, toss it on this underutilized piece of kitchen equipment, and dinner is as good as done.
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Two halved grilled cheese with onion jam on a wooden cutting board alongside a dish of onion jam and a butter knife.
These grilled cheese with onion jam, made with sharp Cheddar and a sweet and tangy red onion jam, still have all of the nostalgic comfort of traditional grilled cheese but feel a lot more special.
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A veggie grilled cheese sandwich sliced in half on a glass platter
This veggie grilled cheese sandwich adds mushrooms, onions, tomato, avocado, hot sauce, and basil to the comfort food staple that we all know and love.
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A grilled cheese sandwich with peppers is cut in half and stacked on a china plate with a jar of pepper jelly on the side
There's nothing conventional about this grilled cheese sandwich with peppers. And trust us, that's a very good thing.
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A patty melt sandwich filled with ground beef, caramelized onions and cheese.
The classic patty melt on rye bread is unbelievably satiating and surprisingly easy to slap one together at home. Think of it as one of the most indulgent cheeseburgers ever. Here’s how to make it.
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Four pieces of Cheddar, bacon, apple grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other.
These satisfying Cheddar, bacon, and apple grilled cheese sandwiches serve double-duty as easy comfort food or perfect party nibble.
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Two grilled cheese with caramelized butternut squash and kale on a pice of white paper with a green smoothie in the background.
This grilled cheese with caramelized butternut squash and kale is an incredibly satisfying sandwich filled with gooey melted goat cheese, sweet roasted squash, and kale.
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A classic grilled cheese sandwich--buttered grilled bread and oozing Cheddar cheese
This classic grilled cheese sandwich, just like what mom made or you got at the corner diner, is just as cheesy and comforting as it was when you were six years old. Nothing but gooey melted cheese between slices of buttery toasted bread.
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A challah grilled cheese sandwich with pastrami jam torn in half, still connected by melted cheese.
This challah grilled cheese is made with plenty of melty Cheddar and Gruyère cheeses and a schmear of savory pastrami jam, all nestled between slices of toasted challah.
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Three turkey reuben patty melts - one in a cast-iron skillet, and two on a dark surface, one sliced diagonally.
These turkey reuben patty melts are hearty rye bread sandwiches stuffed with lean turkey patties, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Comfort food with a healthy-ish twist.
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A cheese crusted grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet.
Cheese-crusted grilled cheese is just like what its name implies. It’s a grilled cheese sandwich whose insides are oozing with your favorite cheese while the outside is coated with a crisp, crunchy Parmesan crust. Sigh.
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Three pulled pork grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other and secured with a wooden skewer.
Don’t stop short with just a pork sandwich. Instead, load a pile of smoked pork on a bun, sandwiched between a few slices of American cheese. Over cast-iron, with a lovely dose of butter, the whole thing melds together into the most perfect food imaginable.
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Four quarters of a grilled cheese with everything sandwich lined up next to each other.
This grilled cheese recipe with everything came into existence when one day a line cook wondered what would happen if he put literally everything on a sandwich. Spectacularness ensued.
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A black metal skillet with a spatula ready to flip a Welsh rarebit grilled cheese sandwich.
This Welsh rarebit grilled cheese is a grown-up take on our favorite gooey, melty open-face sandwich. It’s made with mustard, ale, and sharp Cheddar and comes together oh so smoothly.
Recipe
Two halves of grilled cheddar jalapeno popper sandwich stacked on top of each other
This grilled Cheddar and jalapeño popper sandwich is stuffed with cream cheese, chile pepper, garlic, cumin, sharp Cheddar, and bacon. Just like those irresistible poppers you down with beer except in an over-the-top rich and gooey sandwich sorta way.
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Grilled Cheddar cheese sandwich cut in half, on a wooden cutting board.
Sharp New York Cheddar cheese is layered between sourdough bread and smeared with a tomato-chipotle spread to kick up these grilled cheese sandwiches.
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A grilled ham and cheese sandwich on a wooden cutting board.
For this grilled ham and cheese sandwich, a simple substitution of Gruyère for American cheese and a slather of French mustard is all it takes to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary.
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A grilled mac and cheese sandwich cut into four squares on a wooden board with pickle slices beside it.
Grilled cheese and mac and cheese collide in this glorious sandwich.
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A grilled vegetable and goat cheese sandwich, made with grilled onion, eggplant, and squash on a cutting board being drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.
These grilled vegetable and goat cheese sandwiches have everything going for them. Toasted ciabatta bread, tender grilled vegetables, creamy goat cheese, and a tangy balsamic vinaigrette.
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