Grilled Cheese Recipe

The best-grilled cheese recipe in the world

We hear you're looking for the ultimate grilled cheese recipe. Here's the thing: it's a matter of taste. Our best-grilled cheese recipe is almost certainly not going to be the same as yours. You say baby swiss on rye, we say muenster on sourdough, let's call the whole thing…you know.

But here's one thing we can agree on: grilled cheese may be the most perfect sandwich ever created. It's got bread, the most essential food in the world, and it's got cheese, the tastiest food in the world. It's got gooey melty goodness and warm chewy crunchiness. There's just one way to improve on that combination – to make sure the cheese you use is from Wisconsin. We've got hundreds of melty prizewinners that can take a grilled cheese recipe from good to "oh-my-goodness!" in seconds flat.

Browse through our website to find tons of grilled cheese recipe ideas. Or scroll down for some tips on perfecting your grilled cheese recipe techniques.

Tips for perfecting your grilled cheese recipe

In Wisconsin, we've made A LOT of grilled cheese sandwiches. So that you can learn from our victories and our (still very tasty) defeats, we've packaged our knowledge up into seven quick tips you can use to up your grilled cheese game and perfect any grilled cheese recipe.

  1. Pick a bread with personality. Skip the average-looking pre-sliced loaf from the grocery store and try a homemade bread or a loaf from your local bakery instead. Don't slice it too thick, or the cheese will have a harder time melting. Using day-old bread is just fine – the fat from the cheese and the heat from the oven will bring it back to life.
  2. Give the bread a running start. It takes a little more time, but pre-toasting your bread before adding the cheese will result in a crispier sandwich. Spreading lots of butter on the outside of the bread also helps to create a crispy flavorful grilled cheese.
  3. Play with cheese choice. You don't have to use standard slices of pasteurized cheese in your grilled cheese recipe. Try a butterkäse or havarti, a fontina or swiss. You'll get a grilled cheese sandwich with a whole new world of flavor.
  4. Shred the cheese. Your cheese will melt more quickly.
  5. Use two or three cheeses. You'll get greater flavor combinations, and if one of the cheeses is a soft cheese like a mascarpone, it will help the cheeses spread across the bread more evenly.
  6. Take it slow. A savvy grilled cheese recipe will suggest cooking the sandwich on medium heat to ensure the cheese melts before the bread gets overly toasty.

Videos: Discover Your Next Favorite Cheese

FAQs: Who invented the grilled cheese recipe?

Who invented the grilled cheese recipe?

Humans have been eating cheese with bread for thousands of years, and the ancient Romans used recipes that melted cheese on top of bread. The American grilled cheese sandwich as we know it originated in the early 1900s when pasteurized cheese and loaves of sliced bread became popular and widely available. During the Great Depression, families relied on grilled cheese sandwiches as an inexpensive meal, and the grilled cheese recipe has been part of the average American home ever since.

What kind of cheese is best in a grilled cheese recipe?

Any cheese that melts can work in a grilled cheese sandwich. Mixing multiple kinds of cheese can add even more flavor.

Why the best-grilled cheese recipe is made with Wisconsin cheese

Wisconsin is the cheese capital of the world, so it's no wonder the best-grilled cheese sandwiches are made with slices of Wisconsin cheese. When you're preparing a grilled cheese masterpiece with cheese from Wisconsin, you can be sure you're grating the tastiest, most award-winning, highest-quality cheese in the universe. Our cheesemakers have been producing amazing cheeses since the early 1800s and today we make more flavors, styles, and varieties of cheese than anywhere else in the world. We've also won more awards for our cheese than any other state or country – just saying.

This just goes to show, when a whole state works to be the best at one thing, the world takes notice. And trust us, when you choose Wisconsin cheese for your grilled cheese recipe, people will pay attention.

Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?

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