This scrumptious toasted Reuben Sandwich is piled high with melty Swiss cheese, thin layers of sliced corned beef, sauerkraut, and homemade thousand island dressing, all on rye bread. Discover the ultimate Reuben sandwich recipe with this step-by-step guide.
The Ultimate Reuben Sandwich
From perfectly toasted bread to layers of flavorful corned beef, sauerkraut, and melty Swiss cheese, this recipe will satisfy all your sandwich cravings. This classic sandwich was the brainstorm of Reuben Kulakofsky at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1914. Serve with homemade air fryer potato wedges, potato salad, fried potatoes, or homemade potato chips. Don’t forget the dill pickle spear.
What is a Reuben Sandwich
A traditional Reuben Sandwich is a grilled sandwich with thinly sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut on rye bread or pumpernickel slathered with thousand island dressing or Russian dressing.
What’s in a Reuben Sandwich
To make the sandwich, you will need corned beef, rye or pumpernickel bread, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and butter.
To make the Thousand Island Dressing, you will need mayonnaise, onion, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, paprika, and salt.
How do you make a Reuben Sandwich?
Start by mixing all the ingredients for the Thousand Island dressing together. Next, place a slice of Swiss cheese on each slice of bread. Spread the cheese with the homemade Thousand Island dressing. Now add the corned beef to one side and the sauerkraut to the other side. If desired, spread a little more Thousand Island dressing.
Then, carefully fold the two sides together to form a sandwich. Spread soft butter over the top and place butter side down in a hot nonstick skillet over medium heat. Now spread butter over the side facing up. Cover the skillet loosely with aluminum foil. Cook until both bead slices are golden brown, flipping halfway through. The sandwich should be heated through, and the cheese should be melted.
Recipe Tips
- Use good quality dark rye bread, pumpernickel, or a rye/pumpernickel blend or swirl.
- Drain the sauerkraut well and squeeze or press against the side of the colander to release any excess moisture. No one likes a soggy sandwich.
- Put the cheese on the bread first, as this helps the cheese melt better by being close to the heating element, and it also helps keep the bread from getting soggy.
- Ask the deli counter to slice the corned beef thin. I like using thinly sliced corn beef so the Swiss and homemade Thousand Island dressing can meld between the slices.
- Protip – microwave the corned beef for about 45 seconds at 50% power to take the chill off. You don’t want to cook it; just ensure that your sandwich is heated all through and is one glorious hot mess.
- The dressing can be made up to several days in advance.
- Cover the skillet loosely with aluminum foil so the whole sandwich warms through and the cheese melts perfectly.
Thousand Island Dressing or Russian Dressing
I like the Reuben Sandwich made with Thousand Island dressing, but some prefer Russian dressing. Russian dressing has horseradish and Worcestershire sauce, which Thousand Island does not have. Thousand Island has pickle relish, while Russian dressing does not.
More Sandwiches to try
Classic Reuben Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
Thousand Island Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons grated onion
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1 pinch salt
Sandwiches
- 12 ounces corned beef
- 8 slices rye or rye and pumpernickel mixed
- 8 slices swiss cheese
- 1 cup sauerkraut well drained
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise, grated onion, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, paprika, and salt together.
- Place a piece of Swiss cheese on each slice of bread. Spread about 1 tablespoon of dressing over each slice of bread. Add the corned beef to four of those slices of bread, dividing evenly. Add the sauerkraut to the other four slices of bread, dividing evenly. Carefully fold the corned beef sides onto sauerkraut sides to form 4 sandwiches.
- Spread soft butter over the top of each sandwich. Place the sandwich butter side down in a hot skillet over medium-low heat. Spread butter over the side facing up. Cover the skillet loosely with aluminum foil. Cook until the bottom is golden brown then flip. Cover and cook until the other side is golden brown. The sandwich should be heated through and the cheese should be melted.
Nutrition
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Kaylee
I love saurkraut and it works so well in this reuben sandwich with the corned beef and the swiss cheese. This is definitely a new favorite!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kaylee! So glad that you liked it!
Michelle Lawrence
My husband loved this sandwich—homemade thousand island dressing and all! He said it was the best reuben has has had in years. He told me to tell you thank you for the recipe.
Beth Pierce
Tell him I said that he is most welcome! Glad that he loves the sandwich!
Clarence
I had never tried a classic reuben sandwich before, but I was curious about the combination of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on rye bread. So I made one at home, and as soon as I took a bite, I was hooked. It was the perfect balance of salty, sour, creamy, and crunchy, and I knew I had found my new favorite sandwich. Thanks for the recipe.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Clarence!
Ally Gibson
The sandwich was so easy to make with your directions and incredibly tasty! We loved it.
Erren
This is my new favorite reuben sandwich. It is incredibly delicious! I’m definitely be making this again, soon!
Sofia
This was really really good! We had it for lunch on Saturday and everyone loved it! The reuben has alway been my favorite sandwich and your recipe is beyond delicious!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Sofia! We love it too!
Janelle D
Oh my goodness, this was soooo juicy and tasty. YUM! We loved it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Janelle! So glad that you liked it!
Gigi M
Oh my word, the corned beef, the melty Swiss cheese, and the homemade thousand island dressing, it was phenomenal! Much better than the diner down the street. Thanks for the great recipe!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Gigi!
Van Nichols
recipe looks great
Teresa from Alexandria
I tried this recipe for the first time today, St Paddy’s day, and maybe I used the wrong pan, but the first one just stuck to it, turned into a mess, which my daughter ended up eating with a fork. She still loved it! I made mine with a panini pan and it turned out awesome and much easier to eat.