Juicy homemade Reuben Sandwich with slices of crisp rye bread toasted to golden perfection, piled with thinly sliced corned beef, melted swiss cheese, and loaded with sauerkraut. You’ll love the creamy and tangy homemade Russian dressing. This Reuben is everything a grilled sandwich should be, and according to many of you, this rivals some of the best sandwiches in New York City!
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Helpful Reader Review
“I just made these Reuben Sandwiches for St. Patrick’s Day and oh my goodness they were the best Reuben sandwiches we’ve ever had, even better than NY Gandofol’s! I got the crust to crunch and the Swiss cheese all melty gooey, they were just amazingly delicious!” – Rhonda★★★★★
Reuben Sandwich
I’m sharing the BEST Reuben Sandwich! It’s simple, but the combination of flavors and textures is everything. A Reuben is the perfect balance of salty, sour, creamy, and crunchy. It’s a little messy but seriously satisfying. Is your mouth watering yet?
What is a Reuben Sandwich?
A classic Reuben is a deli sandwich consisting of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing between slices of rye bread that is grilled until the bread is crispy and the cheese melts.
Though the sandwich may be enjoyed hot or cold, we love serving it HOT. The meat is heated and cheese melts and the tangy dressing penetrates into the sauerkraut creating an irresistible grilled sandwich.
Ingredients for a Reuben Sandwich
- Meat- Corned beef that’s store-bought (deli dept), or use leftover homemade corned beef.
- Sauerkraut – Homemade Sauerkraut or storebought will work great.
- Dressing – Tangy homemade Russian dressing.
- Cheese – Swiss cheese is the classic cheese used.
How to Make a Reuben Sandwich?
- Prepare the Russian dressing – just stir it together. You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate until you need it.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread.
- Gently warm the beef in a skillet.
- Add the dressing, corned beef, sauerkraut and cheese to the bread and close to create a sandwich.
- Cook both sides of the bread slices as a grilled cheese until the cheese melts and bread slices are crispy and golden brown.
How to Make Russian Dressing?
Though you can purchase Russian dressing or even substitute with a store-bought Thousand Island dressing instead, I highly recommend trying the homemade dressing – it’s SO GOOD and really easy to make.
- In a bowl, whisk together the mayo, chili garlic sauce, lemon juice, creamy horseradish, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, onion, paprika, salt, and pepper until creamy.
Tips for Making the Best Reuben Sandwich
- Bread- You want to make sure to use a good quality rye bread as it adds so much flavor to the sandwich. Just like with our BLT Sandwich, buttering and toasting the bread adds another layer of flavor.
- Sauerkraut- Be sure to drain as much liquid from the sauerkraut as you can or the sandwich will be soggy. TIP- If you don’t like sauerkraut, you can use pickles or Coleslaw instead. You can also try optional extras light caramelized onions.
- Garlic butter- If you really like garlic, sprinkle some garlic powder over the butter spread on the bread slices before cooking the sandwich.
- Meat- Though corned beef is the classic meat used in a Reuben, you can substitute for pastrami.
- Panini- You can use a panini press or a griddle to cook the sandwich instead of a skillet if you have one.
- Dressing- The dressing does have some heat in it from the chili garlic sauce. If you don’t like spicy food, add the chili sauce to taste.
This Reuben Sandwich is not only great for a hearty lunch, but it’s also just as good for a quick dinner served with Baked Potato Wedges!
Reuben Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
Sandwich-
- 1/2 lb corned beef
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 6 slices rye bread
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained, storebought or homemade
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
Russian Dressing-
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp creamy horseradish
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp onion, finely grated
- ⅛ tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the Russian Dressing, set aside.
- In a skillet, over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add the meat and cook just until heated.
- Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread. Place the bread (butter side down) on a plate.
- Add the toppings to each sandwich: Spread the dressing, top with the meat, cheese and sour kraut. Close bread slices to create a sandwich.
- In a hot skillet, cook sandwiches over medium heat 4-6 minutes, flipping once. Cook until cheese melts and the bread is crispy.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
I don’t like soggy Reubens, so this is what I do. Swiss cheese on both slices of bread. Put the drained, patted dry sauerkraut BETWEEN the cheese and beef, so it not near the bread. Also, I DON”T put the Russian dressing on the bread as it breaks down when heated/grilled making the sandwich soggy. Put the dressing on the side of the plate and dip the sandwich in AFTER the sandwich is grilled and done. Guaranteed a crisp, NOT soggy Reuben.
I make Rubin sandwiches all the time. Only I bake them. 350 degrees for 20 minutes on each side. It makes them so crispy and they don’t get suggy.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Best sandwich ever! Want to make it for a gathering of about 20 people, is it possible to make ahead of time and reheat somehow?
Hi Paola! I worry they will get soggy. You may try assembling the sandwiches- leaving the dressing/sauerkraut off and then adding them on before heating and serving.
Hi can i omit corn beef to make turkeys?
Hope to hear from you.
Hi Crystal! You can, but it won’t taste like a traditional Reuben sandwich.
Went to a patio party where Reuben sandwiches were the main fare. They were fabulous and I asked if she’d share the recipe? Her response: “No. you already have it. You shared it with me from Natasha’s Kitchen”. She’s right, I did share it with her.
THIS IS THE BEST I’VE EVER HAD. BEATS N Y DELIS SEVEN WAYS FROM SUNDAY!!
That’s awesome! I’m happy they were enjoyed!
Delicious! I added extra horseradish, garlic, and chili sauce. Delicious! Used pastrami instead of corned beef. I’d never cooked the meat first, and it’s a great method in making these sandwiches.
This was an amazing sandwich. The homemade dressing was fabulous. I have hated rye bread since I was little, was very skeptical on using the bread. This recipe has changed my mind on the bread. Thanks for the recipe keep up the awesome work.
This was an amazing sandwich. The homemade dressing was fabulous. I have hated rye bread since I was little, as very skeptical on using it. This recipe has changed my mind on the bread. Thanks for the recipe keep up the awesome work.
I always look for the best recipes on the net searching up to ten pages and 9 out of 10 times, my search leads me to here, Natasha’s Kitchen. If I could 10 out 10 everytime here, I would not need to go anywhere eles. Your recipes are evry good.
Hi Larry! That makes me so happy to hear. Thank you so much.
Great flavor, but I would definitely toast the bread first so it doesn’t get soggy, than add everything than lightly toast for cheese to melt
Just prepared the sauce utilizing your recipe.
Very flavorful!!! My wife absolutely loves it as well.
Better than any restaurant sauce, including NYC
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re very welcome! I’m glad it was enjoyed.
My new favorite Reuben sandwich!!! Love the dressing and using the marbled rye.
This was GREAT!! I made my own corned beef from scratch and baked marbled rye the day before. The combination of ingredients, the sauce and the technique made a DELICIOUS dinner!!!
This turned out perfect – better than any Reuben I have had in a restaurant!
We made grouper reubens tonight. Had them several times in FL. Used your recipe and subbed the grouper for the corned beef. Used liberal amounts of the Russian dressing -so good! I used avocado mayo as the base and found i had to increase the amount of the other ingredients to overcome the avo mayo taste. This recipe is great!!