There’s nothing more simple to make and satisfying to enjoy than a warm, crisp and gooey cheese sandwich. Here I share two ways with step-by-step photos for how to prepare an easy grilled cheese sandwich recipe in less than 20 minutes. Try your preferred recipe for a quick and yummy breakfast, lunch, or even dinner.
Table of Contents
About Cheese Sandwich Recipes
Grilled cheese sandwich is one of our favorite quick and simple vegetarian recipes that only requires a few key ingredients. It’s made with a good loaf of bread (fresh or day old) a tangy block of cheddar or mozzarella cheese, a bit of softened butter, and flavorful spices and herbs.
Below I share with you two different but equally easy and delicious recipes and tips for how to make a tasty cheese sandwich at home.
- The first recipe is a skillet method for making a very classic and tasty grilled cheese on the stovetop. You only need a large pan plus a spatula.
- Our second recipe uses an electric grill, also known as a panini press. The grilled cheese sandwich made with the electric grill are spiced with Indian spices – roasted cumin powder, chaat masala and freshly crushed black pepper powder.
Both of these methods will make perfect grilled sandwiches with crispy toasted bread and warm, gooey cheese in every bite.
Simply choose whichever recipe you prefer based on whether you have an electric grill or not; or give them both a try and see which you like best!
Classic Cheese Sandwich
This cheese sandwich recipe uses the skillet to grill the sandwiches. Make sure to use a heavy cast iron skillet or pan, so that your sandwiches are grilled beautifully golden with a lovely crisp texture on the toasts.
1. First, slice your bread loaf in ½ inches slices. You want about 8 to 10 slices total, depending on how many cheese sandwiches you are making. Here I have used homemade Whole Wheat Bread.
2. Spread softened butter on the slices of bread.
3. Top half of the slices with 3 to 4 tablespoons or more (depending on the size of the bread slices) of freshly grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese, or a mix of both. For 8 to 10 slices you will need a total of about 1 cup of grated cheese.
4. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of various dried herbs, red chilli flakes and crushed black pepper. Here I’ve used parsley, thyme and oregano with bits of chilli pepper flakes. Feel free to add your favorite herbs.
5. For a bit of an elevated grilled cheese sandwich, top the cheese lightly with some chopped fresh basil and finely chopped celery. You can use dried basil in place of fresh basil.
Sprinkle with one to pinches of salt (to taste) evenly all over. If you don’t have fresh celery you can swap with celery salt, and omit the salt.
6. Cover the cheese topped bread with the buttered slice.
7. Heat a heavy or a thick bottomed skillet, or a frying pan, on low to medium-low heat on the stovetop. Spread some butter in the skillet, and allow it to melt. Then place the cheese sandwich in the skillet.
8. Spread some more softened butter on top of the bread.
9. Gently press the sandwich with a spatula so that you can get nice, evenly toasted and crispy texture. You can even place a heavy object, like a clean plate, on the sandwich.
10. When the bottom is crusty and golden, flip over gently with a spatula. I like my sandwiches to be more browned, toasty and crisp.
Grill the second side for another few minutes until crisp and golden, pressing with the spatula for even cooking.
11. Remove the grilled sandwich and transfer to a chopping board. Cut in two and serve hot with Ketchup, Mayo or any dip of your choice.
Make all the cheese sandwiches this way on the skillet. If you use a large skillet, grill two to three sandwiches at the same time on the skillet.
With Panini Press
Here we use the sandwich maker a.k.a panini press to grill the sandwiches. Remember to preheat your sandwich maker prior to placing the prepared cheese sandwich in the sandwich maker.
1. Spread butter on all the bread slices so that the surface is completely covered.
Note: For this recipe I don’t add salt as the butter, cheese and chaat masala already contains salt. If using unsalted butter, then you can sprinkle some salt.
You can slice of the edges if you prefer. Top half a portion of the slices with freshly grated cheese.
2. On each slice of cheese-topped bread sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of roasted cumin powder, chaat masala powder and black pepper.
3. Cover the cheese-topped slices with the remaining buttered slices, and spread more softened butter on the top of the slices.
4. Preheat the grill and place the cheese sandwich carefully, with the buttered side facing down, onto the grill.
Make sure your hands don’t touch the hot grill. If you are able, spread more butter onto tops of the sandwich. Be careful when doing this.
If you cannot safely do this then just skip the above step. Instead spread butter once the cheese sandwich are grilled.
5. Close the panini press and grill for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each cheese sandwich is crisp and golden.
6. Serve the grilled cheese sandwiches hot with a dipping sauce like tomato ketchup or Coriander Chutney or Mint Chutney.
Expert Tips
- Bread: Use a good fresh loaf of bread or even a day old to make your cheese sandwich recipe. Feel free to use bread made with either whole wheat, multi grain or oats for a healthier option. If using Homemade Bread, then don’t slice the bread too thickly or thinly.
- Cheese: Use a cheese that melts when grilled. Basically we are looking for a crisp golden exterior with a smooth melted cheese within. I generally use cheddar cheese to make these sandwiches.
- Types of cheese: You can use processed cheese or even mozzarella cheese or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella. However, I always use (and recommend you use) a block of cheddar cheese, which I then grate and add to the bread. Pre-shredded cheese or slices of cheese typically have starch or thickeners, additives and preservatives in them. The starch gives a different taste to the sandwich, so I personally prefer to shred the cheese.
- Butter: The butter has to be applied evenly and on the whole slice of the bread. I always use salted softened butter at room temperature and not melted butter. A generous amount of butter not only adds a lot of flavor and taste but also helps the bread slices to grill and brown evenly.
- Toasting Options: Instead of grilling the sandwiches you can also toast the sandwiches in an electric toaster or a hand held stovetop toaster. You can also check out this Mumbai style Grilled Sandwich.
- Herbs and Seasonings: Feel free to customize the seasonings and herbs to what you prefer or have in season. Fragrant herbs like mint, cilantro, basil, parsley are some nice options. Choose to add spices like cayenne or paprika or white pepper for that bit of heat and pungency. Swap with dried herbs if you do not have fresh herbs – 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herb = 1 teaspoon of dried herbs
- Grilling in Oven: To bake and grill these cheese sandwiches in the oven, first preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius/356 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Place the sandwich in a baking tray. Make sure that both the top and bottom elements of the oven are heated. Place the tray with the sandwiches in the middle rack of your oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius/356 Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sandwiches become crusty and golden from top. Turn over half way through the baking time if you see that the top has not become crusty or golden.
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Cheese Sandwich Recipe (2 Ways)
Ingredients
For Skillet Sandwich
- 8 to 10 slices bread (preferred soft bread of your choice)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons Butter unsalted, softened and as needed
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese or a mix of cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes – optional
- ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil – fresh, swap for 1 teaspoon dried basil instead
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped celery – optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt or as required
For Panini Press Sandwich
- 8 to 10 slices bread (preferred choice of soft bread)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons salted butter – softened or as needed
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese or as required
- 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper or as required
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder or as required
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chaat masala or sandwich masala, add as required
Instructions
Skillet Method
- First, slice your bread loaf in ½ inches slices. You want about 8 to 10 slices total, depending on how many cheese sandwiches you decide to make.
- Spread softened butter evenly on the bread slices.
- Top half of the slices with 3 to 4 tablespoons or more (depending on the size of the bread slices) of freshly grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese, or a mix of both.
- Sprinkle with a pinch or two of various dried herbs, red chilli flakes and crushed black pepper. I have used parsley, thyme and oregano with a few bits of red chilli pepper flakes.
- Top lightly with some chopped fresh basil and finely chopped celery. You can use dried basil in place of fresh basil.
- Sprinkle one to pinches of salt evenly all over. If you don’t have fresh celery, swap with celery salt, and omit the salt.
- Cover the cheese topped bread with the buttered slice.
- Heat a heavy or a thick bottomed skillet, or a frying pan, on low to medium-low heat on the stovetop. Melt and then spread the butter on the skillet. Place the prepared cheese sandwich on the melted butter.
- Spread some more softened butter on top of the cheese sandwich.
- Gently press the sandwich with a spatula so that you can get nice, evenly toasted and crispy texture. You can even place a heavy object, like a clean plate, on the sandwich.
- When the bottom is crusty and golden, flip over gently with a spatula. Grill the second side for few minutes until crisp and golden, pressing with the spatula for even cooking.
- Remove the grilled cheese sandwich from the skillet. Transfer to a chopping board and cut in two. Serve hot with Ketchup, Mayonnaise or any dip of your choice.
- Make all the cheese sandwiches this way on the skillet. If you have a large skillet, grill two or three sandwiches side by side on the skillet.
With Panini Press
- First grate the cheese and set aside. Then spread the softened butter on each of the bread slice.
- Top half of the bread slices with 3 to 4 tablespoons of grated cheese or more as needed, depending on the size of the bread.
- Sprinkle two to three pinches of black pepper powder, cumin powder and chaat masala on each slice which is topped with grated cheese.
- Cover the cheese topped bread slices with the remaining buttered bread slices.
- Spread butter on top of each slice.
- On a heated panini press place the sandwich carefully with the buttered side touching the bottom grill.
- Spread butter on the top bread slices. Close the panini press or the sandwich maker and grill for 2 to 3 minutes until the sandwiches are crisp and golden.
- Serve grilled cheese sandwich hot as is or accompanied with Coriander Chutney or tomato ketchup or mayo.
Video
Notes
- Bread: Use a good fresh loaf of bread or even a one to two day old bread. Feel free to use bread made with either whole wheat, multi grain or oats for a healthier option. If using a loaf of Homemade Bread, then don’t slice the bread too thickly or thinly.
- Cheese: For a melted gooey cheesy sandwich use a cheese that melts when grilled. Basically we are looking for a crisp golden exterior with a smooth melted cheese within. I generally use cheddar cheese or mozzarella or a mix of both to make these sandwiches.
- Types of cheese: You can make these sandwiches with processed cheese (American cheese) or only mozzarella cheese or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella. However, I always use (and recommend you use) a block of cheddar or mozzarella cheese, which I then grate and add to the bread. Pre-shredded cheese or slices of cheese typically have starch or thickeners, additives and preservatives in them. The starch gives a different taste to the sandwich, so I personally prefer to shred the cheese.
- Butter: The butter has to be applied evenly and on the whole slice of the bread. I always use salted softened butter at room temperature and not melted butter. A generous amount of butter not only adds a lot of flavor and taste but also helps the bread slices to grill and brown evenly.
- Toasting Options: Instead of grilling the sandwiches you can also toast the sandwiches in an electric toaster or a hand held stovetop toaster.
- Herbs and Seasonings: Feel free to include the seasonings and herbs that you like or have in season. Fragrant herbs like mint, cilantro, basil, parsley are some nice options. Choose to add spices like cayenne or paprika or white pepper for that bit of heat and pungency. Swap with dried herbs if you do not have fresh herbs – 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herb = 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
- Grilling in Oven: To grill these cheese sandwiches in the oven, first preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius/356 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Place the sandwich in a baking tray. Make sure that both the top and bottom elements of the oven are heated. Place the tray with the sandwiches in the middle rack of your oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius/356 Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sandwiches become crusty and golden from top. Turn over half way through the baking time if you see that the top has not become crusty or golden.
- Note that the approximate nutrition info is for the cheese sandwich grilled on the skillet.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Cheese Sandwich recipe from the archives first published in Jan 2014 has been updated and republished on April 2023.
What a delightful site. I was looking for a potato recipe with curry leaf and black mustard seed and stumbled across you this morning. A friend’s mother used to send me some and I just loved it. Thank you for a wonderful surprise.
thanks 🙂
this looks sooo veryyyy simple……. gonna definitely try it…… thnks
welcome shreya
Hi,
How can I grill the toast without a griller. As I don’t have griller in my home.
you cannot grill, but you can toast the sandwich on a tava. just apply some butter on the tava or on the bread slices and then place the sandwich on a hot tava. now place a heavy object like a heavy plate/tray or a steel masala dabba (spice box) on the sandwich. toast till the sandwich is browned from the bottom. flip and repeat with the other side. the sandwiches really get toasted well with this method.
Hi,
I have tried some of your recipes and all come out nicely. Keep trying for more recipes. Thanks a lot for sharing awesome north indian recipes. I have a doubt whether this grilled cheese sandwich and all other sandwiches can be done in oven. I have got the bread toaster which can be used for dry only. I have samsung oven with grill / grill stand model. Pl confirm so that I can start using that oven for all sandwiches. Pl also explain how to bake on that .
thanks. grilling can be done in the oven. but you have to use the broiler technique in the oven. i will share a link below. i have made cheese toasts sandwiches in the oven. i assume you have a microwave oven with the grilling function. just use the grilling function and place the bread sandwich on the rack or in the pan. when the top gets brown, turn over and toast the other side. depending on the temperature used, you can set the time. 180 to 200 degrees Celsius if good enough for browning as well melting the cheese for 15-20 mins. but do check as the heat temperatures vary from oven to oven. the taste and texture of these sandwiches made in the oven are not like the grilled ones. they are more like toast sandwiches.
broiler link below – http://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-basics-how-to-use-your-112585
Hello,
I have tried making cheese sandwich before,but u know the cheese melts and sticks to the machine everytime I make it.so I had to give up nd cook on gas instead. 🙁
What do u think goes wrong?
possibly the cheese is overstuffed or the bread slices are thin and not able to take the amount of cheese. use a medium thick bread slices and an adequate amount of cheese. this way the cheese won’t spill over.
Thanks,will try that!! 🙂
welcome shalini