Is there anything better than a classic Patty Melt? This diner staple is a cheeseburger, but better. A juicy burger patty is sandwiched between melted slices of Swiss cheese and caramelized sweet onions on toasted, earthy Rye bread. No sauce needed! You get the crunch from the bread, and a balanced taste of nutty cheese, sweet onions, and of course perfectly seasoned ground beef. While this patty melt recipe is best enjoyed fresh, you can assemble the sandwiches ahead of time, and then toast or press them just before serving.
Truly, this is my idea of the perfect sandwich. Our favorite way to serve them is with homemade potato chips or french fries and pickle spears. When you’re craving a burger, there’s no better lunch or dinner.
If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to give our Cheeseburger Sliders or Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions a try next! Or check out all our easy sandwich recipes!
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet Vidalia onion: We’ll quickly caramelize these in a cast-iron skillet. If you have time to cook them longer, you can follow our guide on How To Caramelize Onions.
- Unsalted butter: You’ll need 2 tablespoons for cooking the onions in.
- Ground beef: We like a mix of 90/10 ground beef so the burgers aren’t too greasy, but you can use any mix you like.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: To season everything (and please note that beef needs a good deal of salt!)
- Yellow mustard: About ½ a teaspoon is spread onto each burger patty before cooking. This adds so much flavor! (If it’s good enough for In & Out, it’s good enough for me!)
- Rye bread: This is the traditional bread choice for a classic patty melt. You can substitute with Pumpernickel or white bread.
- Swiss cheese: Or split band use a couple slices of Swiss cheese and American cheese.
For serving, enjoy with homemade potato chips and pickle spears!
How To Make Patty Melts
- Make caramelized onions. This is a low and slow process of cooking thinly sliced onions over low heat.
- Season and portion the burger patties. Form the ground beef into patties that are roughly the same size as the bread you’re using. Remember that meat requires a good deal of salt for seasoning, so really be generous.
- Cook the burgers. Make sure the cast iron skillet is preheated and hot! The beef patty will need about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Toast the bread. Remove the burgers, then melt a few tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add slices of bread, then cook over medium heat. While they’re toasting, begin assembling the patty melt sandwiches.
- Assemble the patty melts. Place 1 slice of Swiss cheese on each piece of bread, then add a burger patty and some onions. Place another slice of Swiss (or American) on top, then add the remaining bread slice. Press down firmly on each sandwich. Spread a little butter on the top of each slice of bread, then carefully flip the sandwich over. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese has fully melted and the bread is toasted.
- Serve immediately with pickle spears and chips!
FAQs
The patty melt is a hamburger topped with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions, so you get a sweet, mild, nutty flavor from the melted cheese and a little extra sweetness from the onions. It’s balanced out by being sandwiched between Rye bread, which has an earthy, slightly malty taste.
Yes. Rye bread is the classic choice, but you could substitute with Pumpernickel, sourdough, or Texas toast. Even white bread is fine! While traditional cheeseburgers are served on a hamburger bun, patty melts are served on toasted sliced bread.
Swiss is such a classic, but if you want to stray from the norm, consider doing a mix of Swiss cheese and American cheese. Save the Cheddar cheese for classic cheeseburgers and smash burgers.
Patty melts are said to have originated in California in the late 1940s. They are believed to have been invented by Tiny Naylor, the owner of Biff’s and Tiny Naylor restaurants.
Of course! There’s a lot of melted, gooey cheese, so we don’t think it needs it, but you can add Ketchup, spread some mayo on the bread, or make your own burger sauce (Ketchup, mayo, chopped pickles or relish, a splash of worcestershire sauce, and yellow or Dijon mustard).
Expert Tips
- Use a good quality ground beef (or consider grinding the meat for the hamburger patties at home yourself!). We like 90/10, but use whichever fat content you like.
- Don’t overcook the patties. They should be cooked through, but still juicy.
- Do not cook more than 2 sandwiches at a time in a skillet, or you’ll overcrowd the ingredients. If making more patty melts, consider cooking them on a griddle top or flat top grill.
Make-Ahead, Leftovers, & Storage
- We do not recommend making patty melts ahead of time. These are best enjoyed fresh, to get the crisp texture of toasted bread and that juicy beef patty.
- Leftovers and storage: If you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- While you technically can freeze any leftovers, the texture of the toast will not be the same reheated, and you risk overcooking the burger patties when reheating from frozen.
How To Serve
The best side dishes are sometimes the simplest: french fries, homemade potato chips (that crunch!!), or onion rings are out go-to’s. Coleslaw or potato salad are delicious too.
Substitutions and Variations
Obviously, the base of any good patty melt relies on 3 essential parts: bread choice, cheese choice, and sweet caramelized onions. You can have fun experimenting with different varieties, noting that the flavor and taste will vary tremendously if you stray from Rye bread, Swiss cheese, and onions.
- Bread: Pumpernickel, sourdough, or even Texas toast work well. Skip the hamburger buns for this patty melt recipe. Sliced white bread or sourdough bread will work, too!
- Cheese: If you want to stick close to the original flavor, try using shredded (or thin slices of) Gruyere cheese. And we like the combination of half Swiss, half American cheese. Otherwise any cheese that melts well and that you enjoy on a cheeseburger will work.
- Onions: I like to use Vidalia onions, but yellow onion, white onion, or even caramelized red onions are fine.
This one satisfies all our diner cravings and then some. All you need is a cold milkshake to wash it down after! If you make our homemade Patty Melt recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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Juicy Patty Melts with Caramelized Onions
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion peeled, halved, and thinly sliced into half moons
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 8 oz ground beef 90/10
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 4 slices Rye bread
- 4 slices Swiss cheese or split and use 2 pieces of Swiss cheese and 2 pieces of American
- potato chips and pickle spears for serving
Instructions
- Caramelize the onions. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, then add 2 Tbsp unsalted butter. Once melted, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally every few minutes, until the natural sugars release and the onions take on a deep, golden brown color, about 35-40 minutes total. Season with 1 tsp Kosher salt, stir well, then cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. The onions should be nutty, caramelized on all sides, and almost breaking apart in the pan. Remove the caramelized onions from the skillet. This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
- Season the burger patties. Divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions, then shape them to roughly match the bread slices. Each should weigh ~4 ounces. Season the top of each patty generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. If using mustard, spread about ½ teaspoon on top of each patty. Heat the same cast iron skillet to medium-high. Do not wipe out the skillet.
- Cook the burgers. Place the burger patties in the skillet seasoned side down, then use a spatula or a weight to press down firmly. Immediately season the top of each with additional Kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook an additional 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate or wire rack.
- Toast the bread. You can wipe out the skillet or not. Heat 1 of the remaining tablespoons of butter in the skillet over medium heat, then add 2 slices of rye bread. Begin assembling the sandwiches
- Assemble the patty melts. Place 1 slice of Swiss cheese on each piece of bread, then add 1 burger patty and a few tablespoons of caramelized onions on top. Finish with a second slice of Swiss cheese (or American cheese), then place the remaining bread slices on top. If you have a sandwich weight, press down firmly on each sandwich. Alternatively, you can press down with a spatula. Spread the last remaining 1 Tbsp of butter on the top of each slice of bread, then very carefully flip each sandwich over. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese has fully melted and the bread is toasted.
- Slice, then serve. Transfer each patty melt to a cutting board, then slice on the diagonal. Serve immediately with chips and pickle spears!
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include additional toppings, potato chips, or pickle spears.
- Rye can be substituted with Pumpernickel or white bread, if preferred, but rye bread is traditional.
- This recipe can easily be doubled, but we recommend only cooking and assembling 2 sandwiches in the skillet at a time so as not to overcrowd or overcook the patty melts.
- We do not recommend making patty melts ahead of time. These are best enjoyed fresh. If you want, however, you can assemble the sandwiches a day in advance, then cook just before serving.
- Leftovers and storage: If you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- While you technically can freeze any leftovers, the texture of the toast will not be the same reheated, and you risk overcooking the burger patties when reheating from frozen.
Nutrition
Photography by Alana of Your Home Made Healthy.
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