Enjoy the best Patty Melt Recipe in minutes with this easy recipe. The caramelized onions, gooey cheese and hamburger patties come together for a crowd pleasing dinner.
Patty melts are one of my husband’s all time favorite dinners. Crispy, buttery sourdough, caramelized onions, melted Swiss cheese, and a smash style beef patty make them irresistible. We started making them at home years ago, and they are even better than anything we have ordered at a restaurant.
Whether you’re feeding a crowd or just satisfying a late-night craving, this homemade patty melt is pure comfort food. You may also love Bacon Sandwich, Prime Rib Sandwich, Smash Burger Recipe, and Turkey Melt Sandwich for other filling sandwiches.
What is a Patty Melt?
A patty melt is a diner classic American sandwich typically made with:
- A seasoned beef patty
- Caramelized onions
- Swiss or American cheese
- Grilled Slices of rye bread (or sourdough)
Unlike a burger, it’s cooked on a skillet or griddle and served like a grilled cheese, crispy, gooey, and incredibly satisfying. You can even add ketchup and pickles for amazing flavor.
Where Did the Patty Melt Come From?
The patty melt is widely credited to Tiny Naylor, owner of the Biff’s Drive-In and Tiny Naylor’s Coffee Shop restaurants in California, who added it to the menu in the late 1940s as a beef patty served between two slices of rye bread. It’s been a diner staple ever since.
Ingredients
- Sourdough bread, thick sliced — the sturdy tangy base that gives a patty melt its signature crispy toasted exterior. Always use thick slices — thin bread cannot support the weight of the fillings and will fall apart during cooking. Rye bread is the most traditional choice. Texas Toast and artisan bread both work beautifully
- Ground beef — lean ground beef gives the most flavorful result without excessive grease. Form into loose balls rather than tight compact patties so the smash creates a thin even layer with maximum browning
- White onion, sliced — the sweet savory element that transforms this from a basic cheeseburger into a proper patty melt. Slice as thin as possible for the best caramelization result
- Butter — used in two ways. Butter the bread for toasting and melt in the skillet for cooking the onions. Always use unsalted so you can control the final saltiness. Real butter is non-negotiable — do not substitute with cooking spray
- Swiss cheese — the classic patty melt cheese with a mild nutty flavor that melts beautifully over the beef. American cheese gives a creamier melt cheddar gives a sharper flavor and provolone gives a mild stretchy result — all work well
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
Patty Melt Sauce
A classic Thousand Island-style patty melt sauce is what takes this sandwich from great to genuinely restaurant-quality. It is completely optional but once you try it you will put it on every patty melt you ever make. Here is the simple stir-together version:
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon pickle relish
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt to taste
Stir everything together in a small bowl until smooth. Spread on one or both slices of the toasted bread right before assembling the sandwich. Store any leftover sauce covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Shortcut: Use store-bought Thousand Island dressing directly on the bread — spread a generous tablespoon on each slice for the same bold tangy flavor with zero prep time.
How to Make a Patty Melt
Follow my simple instructions to learn how you can make your own patty melt.
Step 1. Form the beef patties. Divide the ground beef into 2 even balls approximately 3 oz each. Season both sides of each ball generously with salt and pepper. For even more flavor add a splash of Worcestershire sauce — about ½ teaspoon per patty worked into the meat before forming. This small step makes a noticeable difference in the depth of flavor in the finished patty melt.
Step 2. Butter each slice of bread. Then add 1 tablespoon of butter to each side of each piece of the sourdough bread.
Step 3. Cook the onions. Next, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet (or cast iron pan) or cook over medium heat. Then top the melted butter with the sliced onions. Sauté the onions in the butter until they are caramelized (3-5 minutes). Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
Step 4. Place the ground beef in the skillet. Use medium low heat. Next, put a piece of parchment paper on top of the beef and use a spatula or a burger press to smash the meat into 2 thin patties.
Step 5. Cook the patties. Finally, cook the patties until they are browned and crispy (2-3 minutes). Then flip the patties over (do not smash) and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes until it is also browned and crispy.
Step 6. Top with cheese. Lastly, place a slice of cheese on each patty and allow it to melt. Then remove the patties from the skillet and set aside.
Step 7. Grill the bread. Put the bread slices on the skillet butter side down and toast the bread for a crispy texture.
Step 8. Assemble the sandwich. Place one piece of the bread on a plate (toasted side down), top with 1 of the patties, half of the fried onions, then the remaining patty, the rest of the fried onions and top with the 2nd piece of bread (toasted side on top).
Step 9. Cut and serve. Now, just cut in half and the patty melt is ready to serve and enjoy! You can even add Smash Burger Sauce for a delicious variation and amazing flavor.
Caramelized Onions Variations
The recipe uses a quick 3–5 minute sauté over medium heat which gives you soft golden onions with a mild sweet flavor — perfect for a fast weeknight patty melt that is on the table in minutes.
If you want deeply caramelized onions — the rich dark sweet jammy kind you get at a diner — here is how to get them:
- Cook the sliced onions in butter over medium-low heat for 25–35 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. Do not rush this on high heat — low and slow is what develops the deep sweetness.
- In the last 5 minutes add a splash of apple cider vinegar or a pinch of brown sugar to brighten and deepen the flavor. The result is completely different from the quick version and genuinely worth the extra time when you have it.
Make extra and freeze them. Deeply caramelized onions freeze beautifully — portion into an ice cube tray and freeze then transfer to a freezer bag. Drop a cube or two into your next patty melt burger soup or grilled cheese directly from frozen.
Want it even more diner-style?
After toasting the bread, immediately layer torn pieces of cheese onto the warm, just-toasted side while it’s hot enough to begin melting, then assemble the sandwich with the patty on top. A mix of American and Swiss gives a different, extra-melty result compared to Swiss alone.
Recipe Tips
- Serve fresh. We do not recommend making them in advance. Serve the patty melts fresh.
- Cast Iron. We love to make patty melts in a cast iron skillet. It cooks evenly and turns out amazing. You can also make with a panini press.
- Thin patties. Smash the ground beef into thin patties. This is what makes a classic patty melt.
Making Patty Melts for a Crowd
This recipe as written makes 1 sandwich — easily the most requested weeknight dinner in our house but also one that requires a little planning when you are feeding a family of 10. Here is how to scale it up without losing your mind:
Work in batches on the stovetop. Cook 2 sandwiches at a time in a large skillet or cast iron pan — any more than 2 and the temperature drops too much for proper browning.
Use a griddle for 4 at a time. A large flat griddle or Blackstone lets you cook 4 patty melts simultaneously — cook all the patties first then toast all the bread while keeping the finished patties warm.
Keep finished sandwiches warm in the oven. Place completed patty melts on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven for up to 15 minutes while you finish the rest of the batch — they stay warm and the cheese stays melted without the bread getting soggy.
Caramelize a big batch of onions. Make a full batch of caramelized onions at the start of the week and refrigerate — they reheat in 30 seconds and make weeknight patty melts significantly faster.
Recipe Variations
- Cheese. You can use any of your favorite types of cheese in this recipe if you do not like Swiss Cheese. Some ideas include: cheddar cheese, provolone, muenster and more. Combine American and Swiss cheese for the smoothest melt with the most flavor. American melts exceptionally smooth while Swiss adds a nuttier depth.
- Bread. Any thick type of bread will work in this recipe. Our favorite is sourdough but you can use rye, artisan, Texas Toast or your favorite type of bread.
- Onions. You can omit the onions if you are not a fan. We personally love how they taste with the cheese and beef.
- Veggies. Add sautéed mushrooms and peppers to the onions. It is so good.
- Dressing. Try adding a little bit of Thousand Island dressing to the bread.
Best Bread for Patty Melt
The bread needs to be thick and sturdy to hold up to the cooking process. We used sourdough but rye bread is another good option.
You can use artisan bread or Texas Toast if you prefer, but do not use regular sandwich bread as it will likely fall apart in this recipe.
What to Serve with Patty Melts?
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically a traditional hamburger is served on a soft hamburger bun. Whereas a patty melt is served on bread cooked on the griddle or skillet.
The bread is cooked on the griddle with the hamburger patties until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Caramelized sweet onions top the burger patties.
Everything is cooked together in a patty melt. It is cooked on the griddle similar to a grilled cheese.
Swiss is the classic choice, but American, cheddar, or a combo all melt beautifully.
If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The leftovers will last about 1-2 days. You can also store separately and the leftovers will last about 3-4 days. Storing separately will prevent the bread from getting soggy.
The secret is medium-low heat and patience — cook the assembled sandwich low and slow so the cheese has time to melt completely before the bread over-browns. Covering the pan with a lid for the last 1–2 minutes of toasting traps heat and melts the cheese perfectly without burning the bread.
A simple Thousand Island-style sauce — mayonnaise ketchup pickle relish and smoked paprika stirred together — is the classic patty melt sauce that diner versions use. See the full recipe in the Patty Melt Sauce section above or use store-bought Thousand Island dressing as a quick substitute.
More Easy Sandwich Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make Patty Melt Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Patty Melt
Ingredients
- 2 Slices Sourdough Bread
- 6 oz Ground Beef
- ½ White Onion sliced
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Slices Swiss Cheese
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Divide 6 ounces ground beef into 2 even balls, approximately 3 ounces each, and butter one side of each of the 2 slices sourdough bread with 1 tablespoon butter.
- Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium high heat. Top the melted butter with ½ sliced white onion.
- Sauté ½ sliced white onion in the butter until caramelized, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
- Place the 6 ounces ground beef on the skillet over medium heat. Put a piece of parchment paper on top of the beef and use a spatula or burger press to smash the meat into 2 thin patties.
- Cook the 2 patties until browned and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the patties over and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes until browned and crispy.
- Place 1 slice Swiss cheese on each patty and allow it to melt. Remove the patties from the skillet and set aside.
- Put the 2 slices sourdough bread on the skillet butter side down and toast the bread.
- Place 1 piece of bread on a plate toasted side down. Top with 1 patty, half of the fried onions, the remaining patty, the rest of the fried onions, and the second piece of bread toasted side up.
- Cut in half and the patty melt is ready to serve and enjoy!
This is so good. I love making these.
This was AMAZING! Followed directions, so easy and delicious!