Reuben Sandwich

Name: Reuben Sandwich Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: ½ cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons ketchup; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; ¼ cup salted butter, (softened); 8 slices marble rye bread; 8 slices Swiss cheese; ¾ pound corned beef; 2 cups sauerkraut, (drained)

Combine tasty deli meat with melted cheese in this classic grilled Reuben sandwich, and your taste buds will thank you!

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Table of Contents

What is a Reuben Sandwich?
What’s in a Reuben Sandwich?
How To Make a Reuben Sandwich
How To Serve This Reuben Sandwich Recipe
How to Store a Reuben Sandwich
Reuben Sandwich FAQs
More Recipes You’ll Love
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The best sandwiches are always loaded with fresh, tasty ingredients, and a good Reuben sandwich is no exception. Enjoy layers of ooey-gooey cheese melted onto thick, flavorful corned beef, grilled until it’s perfectly brown and crispy on the outside while staying juicy on the inside.

What is a Reuben Sandwich?

The Reuben sandwich is a grilled sandwich that is made with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island or Russian dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread.

What’s in a Reuben Sandwich?

Reuben Sandwich raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

½ cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of ketchup
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
¼ cup of salted butter, softened
8 slices of marble rye bread
8 slices of Swiss cheese
¾ pound of corned beef
2 cups of sauerkraut, drained

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: If you don’t have any on hand, that’s okay! Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of granulated sugar into 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Add in ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice and add in a dash of hot sauce (any kind you like).

RYE BREAD: If you’d like to use another type of bread, we suggest sourdough as a great alternative.

PICKLES: Some people LOVE dill pickles on their sandwiches or even on the side. Give it a try!

PASTRAMI: Add some yummy pastrami to your sandwich! It’s so good!

INSTEAD OF BREAD: For lower-carb alternatives, use our cloud bread or this chaffle recipe instead of bread!

How To Make a Reuben Sandwich

STEP ONE: Use a small mixing bowl to whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice to make your own Russian dressing.

Reuben Sandwich process shot of ingredients being whisked together in a bowl

STEP TWO: Butter one side of the slices of rye bread.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Use bigger slices of bread for this meal. It’ll taste better and allow you to put more toppings on.

Reuben Sandwich process shot of butter and Russian dressing being spread onto bread

STEP THREE: Spread a spoonful (or however much you want) of the creamy Russian dressing on the other side of each slice of bread.

PRO TIP:

Make sure to drain the sauerkraut so that it doesn’t make the bread soggy.

STEP FOUR: Make sure your buttered sides are on the outside of the bread, and the dressing sides are in. For each sandwich, layer on one piece of bread, 1 slice of Swiss cheese, several slices of corned beef, ½ cup sauerkraut, another slice of cheese, and top it off with a second piece of bread. Repeat to make 4 sandwiches.

PRO TIP:

The best way to get your slices of cheese to melt is if you let it sit out for 15 to 20 minutes before you start making these.

Reuben Sandwich process shot of sandwich being assembled

STEP FIVE: Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place each sandwich into the hot skillet, you can cook more than one at a time if they fit into the skillet. Cook on the first side until the bread has browned and the cheese begins to melt. Carefully flip the sandwich and cook it on the other side.

PRO TIP:

As you cook your sandwich, gently press it down. This will help you eat it later on – you don’t want it too tall!

STEP SIX: Cook your sandwich until both sides are golden brown, the cheese is all melted, and the sandwich is completely heated through. You might need to lower the heat to make sure the cheese melts, and the sandwich heats through without the bread burning.

Reuben Sandwich process shot of sandwich being browned on a skillet

How To Serve This Reuben Sandwich Recipe

Serve this delicious sandwich with a cold salad such as our classic coleslaw or potato salad and potato chips on the side, add our iced tea, and you have yourself a perfect lunch.

Who doesn’t love a great sandwich? Try our grilled ham and cheese or our grilled cheese sloppy Joe for a couple of delicious new recipes!

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How to Store a Reuben Sandwich

IN THE FRIDGE: Store your homemade Reuben sandwich in an airtight container or a plastic zip bag for 1 to 2 days.

IN THE FREEZER: We don’t recommend freezing your Reuben sandwich as it may become soggy once thawed.

close up shot of Reuben Sandwich stacked on top of each other on a plate with a bite taken out of the top sandwich

We absolutely love to make Reubens for lunch at my house. This classic sandwich is hearty enough to be a full meal or a nice big lunch! Corned beef is juicy and flavorful, and blended with melted cheese, tangy sauerkraut, and yummy grilled bread – it’s absolutely perfect.

Reuben Sandwich FAQs

Is a Reuben sandwich made with corned beef or pastrami?

Both types of meat come from the same cut of beef, but pastrami is smoked while corned beef is boiled or steamed. A traditional Reuben is always made with corned beef. A similar sandwich that uses pastrami is referred to as a Rachel sandwich.

What is the best bread to use for a Reuben sandwich?

Classic Reuben sandwiches are made using marble or dark rye bread.

Can I store any leftovers in the fridge?

You can store your leftover corned beef sandwich in the fridge in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.

What’s the difference between a Rachel and Reuben?

The difference between a Reuben sandwich and a Rachel sandwich is that the Rachel substitutes pastrami for the corned beef and coleslaw for the sauerkraut.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Reuben Sandwich Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Combine tasty deli meat with melted cheese in this classic grilled Reuben sandwich, and your taste buds will thank you!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings

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Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup salted butter, softened
8 slices marble rye bread
8 slices Swiss cheese
¾ pound corned beef
2 cups sauerkraut, drained

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice to make the Russian dressing.
Butter one side of each slice of bread.
Spread a spoonful, or desired amount, of Russian dressing over the other side of each piece of bread.
For each sandwich, layer one piece of bread, 1 slice of cheese, several slices of corned beef, ½ cup sauerkraut, another slice of cheese, and topped with a second piece of bread. The dressing sides of the bread slices should be facing in, while the buttered sides of the bread should be facing out. Repeat to make 4 sandwiches.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place each sandwich into the skillet, you may cook more than one at a time if they fit in the skillet. Cook on the first side until the bread has browned and the cheese begins to melt. Carefully flip the sandwich and cook on the other side.
Cook until both sides are browned, the cheese is all melted, and the sandwich is heated through. You may need to lower the heat to make sure the cheese melts and the sandwich heats through without the bread burning.

Notes

Use bigger slices of bread for this meal. It’ll taste better and allow you to put more toppings on.
Make sure to drain the sauerkraut so that the bread doesn’t get too soggy.
The best way to get your slices of cheese to melt is if you let it sit out for 15 to 20 minutes before you start making these.
As you cook your sandwich, gently press it down. This will help you eat it later on – you don’t want it too tall!

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!