40+ Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes

If you've ever thought about making Steak 'n Shake's Frisco Melt, then this recipe is for you! Our quick and easy version tastes just like the original and is totally doable at home. Want to kick it up a notch? Try adding caramelized onions, bacon, or an egg!

Loaded with nutty Wisconsin parmesan, creamy Wisconsin fontina, and rich real dairy butter, this chicken Alfredo grilled cheese is the definition of indulgence.

Pro tip: Make sure to wait a minute and let the grilled cheese sandwich rest before slicing and digging in. This will not only give the cheese time to thicken up, but it will also help everything stay together while making the flavors of the sandwich more robust and concentrated.

Since breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day - why not make one dish that has everything you need to get your day started?

This savory breakfast grilled cheese pairs nutty gouda with creamy avocado, a perfectly cooked medium boiled egg, and some spicy Sriracha all grilled between two buttery slices of wholegrain bread. And best of all - this breakfast sandwich is perfect to eat on the run! 

This grilled macaroni and cheese sandwich is filled with tender braised short ribs and umami-rich steak sauce.

We used Velveeta macaroni and cheese because it was all we had on hand, but you should totally use some of the good stuff. We recommend using one of our other mac 'n' cheese recipes because she has about a million of them and they all look amazing. 

We have to admit that we never planned this donut grilled cheese recipe out... We basically woke up, realized it was National Donut Day via Instagram, sprinted to Dunkin' Donuts to claim our free donut, went back to our place of work, and made this recipe all spur-of-the-moment like.

To be honest, though, this sort of delicacy is pretty perfect for any occasion! The combination of the light and airy donut against the sweet maple glaze, the smokey bacon, and the buttery muenster cheese make this sandwich totally irresistible. Don't take my word though - follow the recipe and try it yourself!

Arugula pesto, made with fresh walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil, salt, and fresh baby arugula leaves, is the star of this savory breakfast grilled cheese.

When this tasty pesto is paired with creamy scrambled eggs, some tangy goat cheese and two slices of crispy buttered whole wheat bread - the flavors combine to create one explosively flavorful sandwich. 

The Taylor Pork Roll is a classic New Jersey breakfast staple that sort of resembles Canadian Bacon mixed with Salami. Mostly comprised of ham, this product comes fully cooked, but when pan-fried the porky richness is amplified and the caramelized meat takes on a delicious savory flavor. And when covered in melted cheese - well as you could imagine, it gets even better. Add some tater tots and you've got an insane breakfast grilled cheese. 

Sweet and tart blistered blueberries and earthy basil cut through the rich creaminess of the mascarpone and brie while the bagel acts as a unique encasing for this delicious dessert grilled cheese.  

This bagel grilled cheese features everything that is beautiful in the world: farm fresh eggs, artisanal cheese, trendy NYC bagels, locally made hot sauce, and responsibly made breakfast meat. Basically, this is a grilled cheese in a metaphorical leather jacket.

Make your next camping trip even more special by grilling up some tasty bacon and cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches!

All you need are sandwich ingredients, a cast iron pan (or a waffle iron), and a fire. It's even better if you have some sort of mesh lid, like a grease splatter screen or a large sifter, so that it will help keep the ash off of your food. 

Caprese is a very popular Italian dish made with fresh sliced tomato, creamy mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

And it just so happens that caprese is even more delicious when it's grilled between two light and airy pieces of ciabatta bread in this caprese grilled cheese!

Remember making Funfetti cake as a little kid and licking the bowl until your tummy hurt? Well, now you can eat the cake mixture all you want without fear of getting sick from the raw egg contamination! Make this Funfetti grilled cheese and eat the whole dang thing!

This fried chicken and waffle grilled cheese sandwich is the perfect salty and sweet combination.

When we think of popular modern soul food breakfasts, chicken and waffles are probably one of the first menu items to comes to mind. This isn't surprising since it's basically the best combination that's ever existed... but when you pair this modern American classic with another classic - the grilled cheese sandwich - then you've got a combo that can't lose. 

We have to admit that when we dreamt up a poundcake grilled cheese with fig jam and rosemary butter, we thought that was pure genius.

The buttery, sweet bread crisps up so beautifully and when paired with sweet and earthy fig jam, and creamy brie, well the combo gets even more delicious. We've served this sandwich for breakfast with a side of bacon, for dessert with powdered sugar on top, and pretty much any time that we've had poundcake around. 

If you love cheese being melted on just about anything, we've combined our loves to create one special meal - a grilled macaroni and cheese sandwich!

This creamy Wisco gouda mac n cheese grilled cheese is served with a side of hot honey and let me tell you…It’s to die for!

Reusing Thanksgiving leftovers in this stuffing waffle grilled cheese is probably the best decision you can possibly make this holiday season. 

We're all familiar with everyone's least favorite leftover from Thanksgiving - soggy stuffing - the major dilemma being that by the time you're ready to eat it during the-late-night-leftovers-feast, the crispy goodness of your previous meal has sogged over, becoming a sloppy pile of mush. But wait, don't throw it out just yet. 

Reutilize those leftovers and put that slop into a waffle press and get ready to make the best thing that’s ever been created. Add some muenster cheese, some cranberry jelly, and a big ole heaping pile of mashed potatoes and grill it for a few minutes until BOOM! Edible magic happens.  

Breakfast on the go is easy with this creamy and rich scrambled egg and tomato grilled cheese!

Alpine-style Alpha Tolman Cheese by The Cellers at Jasper HIll melts beautifully alongside scrambled eggs and fresh slices of salted tomatoes. Hearty Texas toast helps keep everything glued together and the Garlic Habanero Hot Sauce adds an extra zing of flavor and helps awaken the taste buds early in the morning. This sandwich definitely will make your breakfast more exciting.

You've probably had about 10 meatball subs in your life but have you ever tried a meatball grilled cheese?

Imagine this: Creamy asiago, that's blended with rosemary and olive oil, clings to savory meatballs between to crispy buttery slices of bread. Add a side of marinara and get ready to dip the night away. Sounds pretty good, right? Right. 

Did someone say spicy jalapeño mac 'n' cheese grilled cheese? That's right! And with this quick and easy recipe, feel free to use any leftover mac n cheese you have on hand or follow the recipe for my take on it. 

Beet-infused goat cheese sounds fancy but it's actually super easy! And when you add sauteed kale and three kinds of mushrooms, this veg-loaded grilled cheese becomes even more colorful and flavorful.  

Sauteed butternut squash, crispy bacon, and melted gouda come together between two buttery toasted slices of lard bread to create a sweet and savory grilled cheese sandwich that highlights the beautiful flavors of fall. The bread this sandwich calls for is made with lard, so the fat content is much higher than regular store-bought bread. 

Fresh grilled balsamic glazed strawberries, cream burrata, and a bright mint pistou make this sweet and fresh sandwich perfect for summer.

Quick pickled slaw, made with carrots, cucumber, onion, mint and cilantro, paneer cheese, and yellow curry sauce get grilled between to crispy pieces of naan bread to make one Indian-style grilled cheese that is crisp and fresh.  

Buttery roasted corn, spicy jalapeños, and rich Manchego cheese come together in this zesty grilled cheese.  

This green bean casserole takes all the goodness from the classic dish and transforms it into a holdable green bean casserole grilled cheese sandwich! Camembert not only adds a richness to the sandwich but it also mocks the gravy aspect of the dish. And by adding the french onion dip seasoning to the top, you get even more of that awesome retro-ness. 

This roasted artichoke grilled cheese is unique and impressive. 

We always think about marinated artichoke hearts but have you ever tried your hand at roasting them? Not only does this bring out their natural sweetness, but when oven roasted, the artichoke's texture completely transforms into a more crunchy and caramelized version of its soggy self. In this sandwich, we combine the crispy and golden roasted artichoke hearts with creamy and rich Mecox Cheddar between two slices of sourdough and a hefty drizzle of hot pepper infused olive oil. This sandwich may sound simple but the flavors are totally complex and exciting.

There's nothing quite like bacon jam. Let's be real this is the edible form of crack. It's sweet and salty goodness comes from slowly rendering bacon and then cooking it down with brown sugar, caramelized onions, and red wine vinegar until a thick and chunky jam develops. Add some fresh ricotta, nutty parmesan, and crispy brussels sprouts and you've got one serious bacon jam and ricotta sandwich on your hands.

This grilled cheese sandwich with sausage and kale was Inspired by one of our favorite warm soups and is a satisfying meal by itself.

It combines spicy sausage, citrusy kale, savory caramelized onions, and slightly tart Wisconsin Kasseri cheese, which melts perfectly. We recommend serving it alongside a jammy Cabernet Sauvignon to help balance the saltiness of the sandwich.

Grabbing a slice of pineapple and ham pizza is nothing out of the ordinary, but what about transforming that dish into an exotic grilled cheese filled with sweet vibrant chunks of fresh pineapple, spicy rings of pickled jalapeños, milky strands of melted mozzarella and an umami-esque tomato sauce.

All these ingredients melodically combine to help pack this Hawaiian pizza style grilled cheese full of flavor. Want more protein? Add some ham or pepperoni – Either way, this sandwich is to die for.

This comte grilled cheese with rosemary ham, pineapple, and smoked sea salt uses one of our favorite cheeses.

Not only does it melt perfectly but its got a sweet and nutty bite that lends well to just about everything. When it's melted down with sweet and tart fresh pineapple and savory rosemary-infused ham, the flavors of this cheese intensify and become even better. 

This challah bread french toast sandwich is stuffed with creamy mascarpone cheese, delicious hazelnut Nutella, and fresh ripened strawberries and definitely needs to be made for a special someone's breakfast in bed. 

This grilled cheese with smoked Polish oscypek cheese and strawberry jam uses a particular cheese is called Oscypek. 

It’s a delicious smoked cheese made of salted sheep’s milk from the Tatra Mountains region of Poland. We discovered this seductive brine-soaked, 14-day-smoked bundle of goodness last year when we visited Kraków, Poland.

This sandwich has been known to make hardened men cry.  It’s warmed up on a grill and then drizzled with some hot strawberry jelly. It tastes as if the sheep that birthed this smoky-salty treat was milked by the gloved hands of an angel. A real one, straight outta the cheesiest heaven. 

This ricotta, stewed sweet potatoes, and hot honey grilled cheese has smoked ricotta, fragrant stewed sweet potatoes, and sweet and spicy hot honey and is packed with flavor. We recommend using Salvatore Brooklyn's smoked ricotta because it is the best thing that's ever been invented, ever!

Sure, we all know that pizza is pretty much every human's favorite food ever... but what happens when you combine that Italian deliciousness with an American classic? A super insane white pizza grilled cheese - that's what!

Crispy bacon, fruity taleggio cheese, light, and airy ricotta, fresh spinach and fragrant basil get grilled between two olive oil and red pepper flake infused slices of focaccia. This crispy creamy sandwich is truly something that will change the way you think about pizza and grilled cheese forever. Swap out ingredients to make it your own - but don't back out on the taleggio - it makes the sandwich irresistible.

Imagine this: Beautiful squash blossoms drizzled with honey and topped with candied pumpkin seeds layered between a toasted pretzel bun full of fluffy fresh ricotta, melted sharp cheddar, and truffled taleggio cheese. This insane truffled grilled cheese sounds pretty amazing, right? Yeah!

Oh and if you can't find squash blossoms, or have never heard of them, check out your local farmers market during summer months to find these beautiful and delicate flowers that are perfect for all sorts of recipes. 

This ultimate Wisconsin Cheddar grilled cheese sandwich is loaded with Wisconsin's best aged sharp cheddar, sweet and savory homemade bacon jam, and spicy pickled jalapenos. It's rich, creamy, crunchy, meaty, cheesy, sweet, and spicy and basically encapsulates every delicious flavor between two hearty slices of buttery Texas toast. 

This bomb sweet and savory Wisconsin grilled cheese uses three of our favorite cheeses from Wisconsin...muenster, aged sharp cheddar, and blue cheese. It's sweet and savory, vegetarian and is always a hit!

With some spicy pepper jack cheese from Tillamook Cheese, a heaping spoonful of sweet and creamy apple butter, and a buttery and perfectly flaky croissant, this apple butter and pepper jack grilled cheese encompasses one of my favorite flavor combo’s SWEET & SPICY (and buttery) and it’s an excellent little treat that pairs nicely with an acidic Sauvignon Blanc.

These little slider grilled cheese sandwiches are packed with flavor and they make the perfect bite-size appetizers and party snack. Filled with a dollop of woodsy mulberry jam, some salty slices of Virginia ham, a couple of bright pickled peach segments, and nutty shreds of gouda and then grilled between two buttery sweet slices of Hawaiian bread, this sandwich packs quite the flavorful punch.

Want your kids to eat more veggies but are having a hard time doing so? Try grilling up this tasty broccoli macaroni and cheese sandwich. It's stuffed with delicious and nutritious broccoli florets.

Also, this recipe calls for leftover macaroni and cheese, but it can totally work if you make it on the spot as long as you let it cool and thicken up for a bit. We recommend following this mac and cheese recipe if you don't have some already on hand.

There's a ton of variations for the Reuben sandwich, and some people have said that this recipe resembles a sandwich known as the Rachel - that is if you swap the pastrami for turkey and the cheddar out for Swiss cheese - but this buttery rich sandwich deserves its own category. 

In this Rueben spin-off recipe, sharp cheddar cheese is melted over warm peppery pastrami, creamy coleslaw and zesty thousand island. Everything is sandwiched between two slices of rye bread and is until crispy and buttery. 

Although Reuben sandwiches aren't typically made with turkey, this healthy updated version is totally delicious. And once you make your own homemade 1000 island, you'll never buy a bottled version ever again. And a word to the wise, you don't have to be exact with that recipe – if you just eye it, it'll probably be even better!