Oven Baked Grilled Cheese

This oven baked grilled cheese recipe produces a hot, crisp & cheesy sandwich. It also allows you to bake multiple grilled cheese sandwiches at once (versus one at a time with a frying pan). Feed the whole family at the same time… versus having hungry people waiting around for the next grilled cheese to be fried up!

Grilled cheese sandwich with Italian herb bread & cheddar

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

Beyond the ability to make multiple grilled cheese sandwiches with an oven, the use of an oven means less flipping of the sandwiches (versus the frying pan method of making grilled cheese) and this lowers the potential for hot melted butter splatters.

Oven Advantage – You Can Bake Multiple Sandwiches At Once!!

Ingredients

• 2 Slices – Bread – I think homemade bread tastes best!!
• 1 Tablespoon – Melted Butter – This will be used to coat the exterior of the bread slices. If you like, you can replace the butter with olive oil. You will need more melted butter if you make more than 1 sandwich and/or use large bread slices.
• 2 Slices – Cheese – Use your family’s favorite cheese such as American cheese, mild cheddar, pepper jack, provolone, etc.
• Optional – In between the 2 cheese slices, you can add extra ingredients such as cold cuts (e.g. 2 or 3 slices of thinly sliced ham or turkey), caramelized onions, pre-cooked crispy bacon, etc. See the tips section below for more information.

Servings – 1 Grilled Cheese Sandwich – However, just double the ingredients if you want to make two sandwiches, triple the ingredients for three sandwiches, etc.

Equipment Needed – Oven, baking trays, microwave (to melt the butter), small bowl (to hold the melted butter), pastry brush (to brush on butter), oven gloves/mitts, wide & soft heat-resistant spatulas, serrated knife and cutting board.

Oven Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Being Flipped – Use Large Soft Spatula

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C).
• Melt the butter in your microwave.
• Place 2 slices of bread on a large baking tray. FYI – Of course, just double all of the ingredients if you want to make two sandwiches, triple the ingredients for three sandwiches, etc.
• Brush a thin layer of melted butter on the bottom side of the 2 bread slices (the outer sides of the baked grilled cheese sandwich). FYI – You can replace the butter with olive oil if you prefer. You do not need to brush butter on the interior side of the bread slices (the side touching the cheese).
• Place 2 slices of cheese on top of one slice of bread.
• Optional – Place extra ingredients (e.g. 2 or 3 thinly sliced ham slices) between the 2 slices of cheese. FYI – Just don’t add too much or the interior ingredients might not get warmed up enough during the baking.
• Put the second slice of bread (butter side up) on top of the cheese in order to complete the construction of the sandwich.
• Place tray inside your oven and bake for 5 or 6 minutes at 425 F (220 C). FYI – Sandwiches made with thin slices of bread will brown faster than sandwiches made with thick slices. So if you use thin slices, check at the 5 minute mark.
• After the 5 or 6 minutes, remove the baking tray from the oven. Wear oven mitts. Then flip the sandwiches over with a large soft spatula for an even browning/baking.
• Place the tray back inside your oven and bake for another 5 or 6 minutes. Wear oven mitts. FYI – If you like your sandwiches even darker/more toasted, you should bake each side for 6 or 7 minutes (versus the 5 or 6 minutes called for in the recipe).
• Remove the tray from the oven and place the grilled cheese sandwiches on a cooling rack to cool for 1 or 2 minutes. Wear oven mitts. FYI – The time on a cooling rack allows the sandwich to cool down modestly so it is not super hot, helps to prevent a soggy bottom (versus placing it directly on a plate or cutting board), etc.
• Then use a large soft spatula to move the sandwich(s) to a cutting board and slice the sandwich into two pieces.
• Serve and enjoy!
• Read the tips section below in order for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common baked grilled cheese problems.

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Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help grilled cheese “novices”. Experienced grilled cheese sandwich makers probably know most of these tips already.
• Click on my “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include this recipe’s tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This oven baked grilled cheese sandwich recipe is one of Bread Dad’s easy Grilled Cheese & Panini Sandwich Recipes (such as air fryer grilled cheese and ham & cheese paninis).
• FYI – If you are looking for a faster way to make a SINGLE grilled cheese sandwich (or don’t want to heat up an entire oven), check out Bread Dad’s recipes for Air Fryer Grilled Cheese (made with an air fryer) and Grilled Cheese Panini (made with a panini press/grill).

• You can make an oven baked grilled cheese sandwich with a wide variety of cheeses such as American cheese, cheddar, gouda, pepper jack, provolone, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, etc.
• You just need to use a cheese that melts well.
• Optional – You can use a combination of cheeses (e.g. 1 slice of cheddar and 1 slice of Monterey jack) in order to create different flavor combinations.
• Optional – You can also use different colored cheeses (e.g. the yellow cheese and white cheese) for a different interior look to your oven grilled cheese.
• Optional – If you are using large bread slices (e.g. slices from 2 lb bread machine loaves) or you like things extra cheesy, you should use 3 slices of cheese.
• Visitors – What is your favorite cheese to use when making a baked grilled cheese sandwich? Please leave your cheese suggestions in the comment section below.

• You can use almost any type of homemade bread to make this oven grilled cheese.
• For example, you can use bread slices from my bread machine recipes such as white bread, whole wheat bread, sourdough bread, etc.
• Optional – To add even more “cheesy” flavor to your oven baked grilled cheese sandwich, you can use my bread machine cheese bread.
• Obviously, the size of your bread slices will impact how much melted butter and cheese that you will need. Smaller slices (e.g. from 1 lb bread machine recipes) might need less and larger bread slices (e.g. from 2 lb bread machine recipes) might need more.
• Visitors – What bread do you like to use to make grilled cheese in your oven? White bread? Whole wheat bread? Rye bread? Multigrain bread? Cheese bread? Other? Leave your bread suggestions (for making the best grilled cheese) in the comment section below.

• Positives of Oven Baked Grilled Cheese
• You can make multiple grilled cheese sandwiches at one time. No more wondering how to keep the first sandwich warm while you fry up the second or third sandwiches.
• You often can fit 4 or more sandwiches on a baking tray. In addition, you can add a second tray with even more sandwiches if you have a large oven with multiple oven racks or shelves.
• Multiple grilled cheese sandwiches at once = great for parties or large families!
• Visitors – How many oven grilled cheese sandwiches do usually you make at one time? And what was the most that you ever made at one time? Please post any tips or tricks on how to more easily make multiple grilled cheese sandwiches in an oven in the comment section below.

• More Baked Grilled Cheese Positives
• Less flipping of the grilled cheese in an oven versus using a frying pan to make your grilled cheese sandwich. You only have to flip the sandwiches once with my oven baked grilled cheese recipe versus multiple times with the frying pan method.
• Less flipping means less hovering over a hot stove.
• Moreover, less flipping means less chance of hot melted butter splatters.
• Visitors – Am I missing any other positives for making a grilled cheese with an oven? Please post any additional positives or benefits for an oven baked grilled cheese in the comment section below.

• Negatives of Oven Baked Grilled Cheese
• FYI – Baking grilled cheese in an oven is NOT the best method if you are making only ONE grilled cheese sandwich (versus multiple sandwiches) for the reasons listed below. It is more efficient to make a single grilled cheese with the frying pan method, air fryer method or panini press method.
• More time required for an oven baked grilled cheese (versus frying pan, air fryer or panini press methods) because you need to preheat a large oven. Depending on the size of the oven, it can take 10-20 minutes to fully preheat an oven.
• Of course, you can use this preheating time to prepare your baked grilled cheese sandwiches (so there is not a ton of extra time required).
• Uses more energy as you are heating up a large oven.
• A little drier than a grilled cheese made with a frying pan or panini press. However, not as dry as the air fryer method. Frying pan & panini methods are better at sealing in the moisture of the grilled cheese sandwich.
• Moreover, if you use a convection oven, the sandwich will be even drier (because the hot air blowing in a convection oven more quickly evaporates any moisture in the grilled cheese sandwich).
• No grill “stripe” marks on the grilled cheese sandwich (versus panini method).
• While you get a nice toasted sandwich when using an oven, it is harder to get the “perfect” browning/toasting of your grilled cheese sandwich. Why? Because you are not constantly flipping the sandwich and watching the sandwich super closely (unlike the frying pan method).

• I like to use melted butter to make this oven grilled cheese sandwich recipe. Why? Because that is what I grew up on! Classic grilled cheese sandwiches (like my Mom’s!!) were made with melted butter.
• Optional – Some people like to use flavored butters (such as garlic butter or herb butter) to add even more flavor when baking grilled cheese in an oven.
• Optional – If you do have or not want to use melted butter (e.g. due to the saturated fat), you can replace the melted butter in the recipe with olive oil. However, be aware that an oven baked grilled cheese made with olive oil doesn’t taste the same as a grilled cheese made with melted butter. It will be less rich, creamy… and buttery!!! tasting. The grilled cheese sandwich will taste more like the underlying flavor of the olive oil (which might be slightly peppery, fruity and/or earthy).
• Use a light/mild olive oil (versus extra virgin olive oil) if you want to add less of an olive oil taste to your baked grilled cheese sandwich.
• Some people like to make use a VERY thin layer of mayonnaise to coat the exterior of the bread slices (instead of melted butter or olive oil). Why? Because some people think that mayo has a more even “browning” effect on the crust, mayo helps to make a crispier crust and it adds a slightly “tangy” flavor.
• However, I prefer to use melted butter or olive oil as they seem to create a crisper panini or grilled cheese sandwich. My “mayo” based attempts get less consistent results and the grilled cheese sandwiches are sometimes soggy.
• Visitors – Do you like to use regular butter, flavored butter, olive oil or mayonnaise when baking a grilled cheese in an oven? Please add your butter, olive or mayo suggestions & tips in the comment section below.

• Optional – Want to make a fancier oven cheese sandwich? Then add some of your family’s favorite sandwich ingredients in between the cheese slices.
• You can add meats to your baked grilled cheese such as sliced ham, crispy bacon, roast chicken, prosciutto (very fancy!), etc. For example, it is super easy to add a few thinly sliced ham cold cuts to this recipe and make an oven grilled ham and cheese sandwich.
• Or you can add veggies to a baked grilled cheese such as caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, thin tomato slices, avocado slices, etc.
• Some people even like to add things such as apple slices, fig jam, jalapenos, etc.
• Optional – You can turn this recipe into a vegan grilled cheese by replacing the dairy butter with olive oil or vegan butter, using vegan cheese (instead of dairy cheese) and choosing a vegan friendly bread (e.g. a bread made without any dairy, eggs or animal-based products).
• If you want to make a vegan grilled cheese sandwich, you should also use a vegan cheese that melts well (such as Follow Your Heart American Style vegan cheese). Be aware that some vegan cheeses do not melt well!!
• Visitors – What extra ingredients do you like to add to your baked grilled cheese? Meat cold cuts? Veggies? Something spicy? Fruit? Please post your oven baked grilled cheese “extras” in the comment section below.

• I like to use large soft spatulas (e.g. silicone spatulas) to move and flip my oven baked grilled cheese. The sandwich can fall apart during movement or flipping if you use just one spatula. FYI – I often use large silicone “pancake” spatulas to do this job (because they are very wide!).
• Make sure that your oven has been completely preheated. If the oven has not been properly preheated, your oven grilled cheese could come out under baked or take longer to bake properly.
• It takes roughly 10-20 minutes to preheat most ovens with some variability due to the size of the oven, planned baking temperature (hotter takes longer), etc.
• If your oven does not have a built-in thermometer, you can buy an inexpensive hanging oven thermometer that you can place inside your oven. It helps you to see if the oven has been preheated to the correct temperature.
• Moreover, some ovens can be 25-50+ degrees F hotter or colder than the number you set with your oven dial. An oven thermometer (which usually costs less than $10) is an easy way to measure the actual temperature inside your oven.

• Always be careful with ovens. Wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with hot oven, hot baking trays, etc.
• Make sure to READ your oven manual in order to operate your machine safely & correctly. Always follow the safety instructions in your instruction manual.
• In case you want to make this oven grilled cheese recipe with homemade bread (such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal bread and multigrain bread), you should explore Bread Dad’s Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Cheese
2. Wikipedia, Grilled Cheese
3. Wikipedia, Oven
4. Wikipedia, Types of Cheese
5. Wikipedia, Vegan Cheese

Related Recipes

1. Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
2. Grilled Cheese Panini – Made with panini press
3. Panini Recipes – Cheese steak panini, ham & cheese panini, etc.
4. Bread Machine Cheese Bread
5. Bread Machine Sourdough
6. Bread Machine White Bread
7. Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

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