This mouthwatering Classic Patty Melt combines beef patties grilled to perfection with sweet, melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions, homemade Thousand Island dressing, and plenty of melted Swiss cheese. The flavor is even better than the old diners and dives that your parents took you to.
As a kid, the patty melt was standard at the local diners Mom and Dad took us to. I remember the sweet smell of the onions and beef searing on the grill. This recipe will bring back all kinds of wonderful memories and good times. You are going to love every ounce of this sandwich.
You can prepare it with or without onions, but the true classic always comes with grilled onions. For even more fun diner nostalgia, serve with beer-battered onion rings, sweet potato fries, or chili cheese fries.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Mayonnaise: I love Duke’s mayo, but you can use your favorite.
- Pickle relish: I use sweet pickle relish in this recipe, but you can use dill pickle relish.
- Onion: preferably a sweet yellow onion or a Vidalia onion
- Ground beef: Use ground beef with a bit of fat. Fat gives the patty flavor.
- Bread: Use bakery-quality sourdough bread, rye bread, or Texas toast
- Swiss cheese: Thick slices of baby Swiss are the best, but it’s your sandwich. If you don’t like Swiss Cheese, try provolone, cheddar, or American cheese.
How to Make a Patty Melt
This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
Grab a good-sized skillet and melt a few tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over the heat, stirring every few minutes. However, do not stir them constantly; you want them to brown up a bit. Once cooked to a golden brown and caramelized, remove them from the skillet and cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, mix a little Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and pepper into the ground beef. Shape the ground beef into four burger patties and add to the skillet by scooting the onions over. Cook those patties over medium-high heat until they are nicely browned on both sides and cooked through.
To assemble the melts, spread each slice of bread with a little bit of Thousand Island dressing. Top each slice of bread with a slice of Swiss cheese and position the cooked patties in the middle. Then add a heaping spoonful of the cooked onions to each patty. Bring the slices of bread together to form four sandwiches. Butter the tops of the sandwiches and place them butter side down in the preheated skillet over medium/low heat. Butter the tops of the sandwiches and cover the pan with aluminum foil, but stay close by to check on them. Once browned on the bottom, flip and brown the other side.
Preparation Tips for Success
- If you have a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, patty melts cook great in it.
- Stir the onions but not too frequently. Every few minutes or so will do the trick, as you want the onions to soften and brown on the edges. The process can take 30-40 minutes.
- To save time, use your favorite bottled Thousand Island dressing.
- Preheat the pan before adding the hamburger patty and sear those juices in.
- The melts are best served right out of the pan or off the grill while the cheese is melted, and the bread is warm, buttery, and toasty.
What to Serve with a Patty Melt
- Potatoes: fried potatoes, potatoes O’Brien, or air-fried potato wedges
- Slaw: creamy coleslaw or vinegar coleslaw
- Salad: Southern potato salad, dill pickle pasta salad, creamy pea salad, broccoli bacon salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
A cheeseburger is a cooked patty topped with cheese and placed between a soft bun that may or may not be toasted. It may also have toppings like bacon, pickles, tomatoes, or lettuce. A patty melt is a cooked patty topped with onions and cheese on rye or sourdough bread, and toasted on a griddle to melted perfection.
My two favorites are sourdough and rye bread. However, many types of bread are hearty enough for this sandwich, and they grill up well. You might like ciabatta, multigrain, whole wheat, pumpernickel, Texas toast, or white sandwich bread.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Classic Patty Melt Recipe
Ingredients
Patty Melt Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
Patty Melt
- 1 large onion cut in half and then sliced
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 8 slices rye bread or sourdough
- 8 thick slices Swiss cheese
- Butter
- Pickles optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, grated onion, pickle relish, and paprika.
- Place 2 tablespoons butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until golden brown, approximately 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Plate the onions and cover to keep warm. For more caramelization, cook longer.
- Mix ground beef, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Divide into four equal portions and form patties. Preheat the skillet and cook over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through, flipping halfway through the cooking process.
- Spread a little more than 1 tablespoon of dressing on each slice of bread. Place a piece of Swiss Cheese on each slice of bread. Add browned onions and one beef patty to four of the slices. Top with the remaining slices to form four sandwiches.
- Butter the top side of the bread and place butter side down in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook until golden brown. Butter the other side of the bread before flipping. Flip and brown the other side until golden brown and the cheese is melted. It is helpful to cover the skillet with aluminum foil while it is browning.
Video
Notes
- If you have a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, patty melts cook great in it.
- Stir the onions but not too frequently. Every few minutes or so will do the trick, as you want the onions to soften and brown on the edges. The process can take 30-40 minutes.
- To save time, use your favorite bottled Thousand Island dressing.
- Preheat the pan before adding the hamburger patty and sear those juices in.
- The melts are best served right out of the pan or off the grill while the cheese is melted, and the bread is warm, buttery, and toasty.
Nutrition
Are you on the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Amy
I ended up using extra sharp cheddar and guyure cheese. Oh what a wonderful combination. I also put thin sliced roma tomatoes as well. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make it so many different ways. Excellent just excellent 👌
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Amy! I am so happy that you liked it.
Tam
My husband loves this recipe!!!!!!! He says this is the best hamburger he has ever had!!!!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Tam! So glad that the liked it.