Pickles Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Pickles go surprisingly well with cheese. We add them to cheeseburgers, giving your cheeseburger a perfect zing of flavor. I figured pickles and cheddar would make for a great combo on a grilled cheese sandwich. Grab your favorite pickles, some good cheddar, and try out my simple pickles grilled cheese recipe.
Choosing ingredients for the pickles grilled cheese sandwich
This is a pretty easy sandwich to make. Use either standard dill pickles or sweet pickles, whatever type is your favorite.
But the important part is to use pickle chips or sandwich pickles if you can. These are flat cut pickles that will work much better in a grilled cheese sandwich. Pickle spears will work if that’s all you have, but they make the sandwich a little more bulky, and it’s a bit easier to fall apart.
Even with the flat cut pickles, I still recommend chopping the pickles up into smaller chunks. The first time I made this sandwich, I simply laid out my sandwich pickles in between the cheese and bread. After grilling it, everything started sliding around. You can even see a pickle slipping out of the sandwich in this next picture.

This made it difficult to eat without everything falling out of the sandwich! By chopping up the pickles, there was more room for the cheese to melt into the tiny gaps and hold the sandwich together. It definitely worked better this way.
I tried sliced cheddar and shredded cheddar, and I think they both work well. I didn’t think there was a huge difference, so choose whichever you prefer. But if you want to use shredded cheese, buy a block of cheddar and shred it yourself. Bagged shredded cheese has a starch coating on it that keeps the cheese from sticking to itself in the bag, but it also means it doesn’t melt as nicely.
>>Here’s how to make the best classic grilled cheese sandwich.
How to make a pickles grilled cheese sandwich
Wet pickles don’t really mix well with cheese and bread, so take out a couple of pickle slices or pickle chips and place them on a paper towel to soak up the excess liquid. It won’t take long, just the amount of time it takes you to set up the rest of your sandwich will do.
Put half of your cheese on one slice of bread. With this grilled cheese sandwich, I don’t think it makes a huge difference whether you use shredded or sliced cheddar.
Remove the pickles from the paper towel and chop them into small pieces. They don’t need to be tiny, but an inch or two wide should be fine. Pickle chips might not be a big deal to leave whole, but especially if you’re using sandwich sliced pickles, you’ll want smaller pieces to leave space for the cheese to melt around the pieces of pickles.
Spread your pickles onto the cheese. Then cover with the other half of your cheese and close up the sandwich.
Melt a slab of butter in a pan at medium. Once the butter has completely melted and starts forming little bubbles, your pan is hot enough. Put your grilled cheese sandwich into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Sometimes 3-4 minutes isn’t quite enough time for each side to grill completely to a perfect golden brown. If you’ve flipped your sandwich and you’re not quite satisfied with how the first side looks, cook each side for an additional minute or two. Better to flip several times than to have a burned grilled cheese sandwich!
>>Check out the Hot Dog Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe.
Variations
Spice up your pickles grilled cheese sandwich with a little of your favorite hot sauce. Or add a few slices of tomato. Another great variation is to add a slice or two of salami.
Pickles are more versatile than you might have thought, and there are lots of things you can add to this sandwich to make it your own!
I hope you enjoy the pickles grilled cheese sandwich recipe!
Pickles Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The Pickles Grilled Cheese Sandwich adds an extra burst of flavor to the classic grilled cheese sandwich with a few pickles.
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bread
- 2 slices of cheddar cheese
- 2 sandwich pickles, chopped into small pieces
- butter
Instructions
- Heat the pan on medium.
- Add a slab of butter to the pan and let it melt completely.
- Put two sandwich pickle slices onto a paper towel. This will soak up some of the liquid so your sandwich doesn't get soggy.
- Put one slice of cheese on each slice of bread.
- Chop up the pickles into small pieces. About an inch or so wide should be fine. Then layer the pickles onto one slice of cheese and close up your sandwich.
- Once the butter is completely melted, coats the whole pan, and starts bubbling a little, put the sandwich into the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side, checking to make sure it isn't burning.
- Once the first side is golden brown, flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes. If the first side isn't golden brown yet, cook each side for another minute or two.
- When both sides are a crispy golden brown and the cheese is melty and holds the pickles in place, your pickles grilled cheese sandwich is done and ready to eat.
Notes
Make this gluten free with your favorite gluten free bread.
For an extra kick, try adding a little bit of hot sauce. Or add sliced tomato or salami.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 652Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 1339mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 25g
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by a third party app and should not be used in place of the advice of a professional nutritionist.