Classic Reuben Sandwich Recipe

This 25-minute classic Reuben sandwich recipe is loaded with sliced corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on dark rye bread. I love this sandwich because you can easily customize it to your liking, and with my step-by-step directions, you’ll have no trouble making it at home for a delicious lunch.

I was a sous chef at Cardwells in Clayton, Missouri, and we ran the Reuben as a lunch special. We corned our own beef and picked up the pumpernickel from a local bakery down the road, and it was the kind of sandwich that made a Tuesday lunch shift the busiest hour of the week. Always insanely delicious. Much like my Monte Cristo sandwich and my baguette sandwich recipe. Three sandwiches a home cook can put on a plate that tastes like your favorite deli.

Reuben Sandwich

A Reuben is an American deli sandwich of hot corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and either Russian or Thousand Island dressing, layered between two slices of toasted rye or pumpernickel and pressed on a griddle until the cheese is fully melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides.

There are two origin stories, and both are worth telling. The first credits Reuben Kulakofsky, a Nebraska grocer who fed the sandwich to his weekly poker game with Thousand Island dressing. The second credits Reuben’s Deli in New York City, where the sandwich went out on Russian dressing. Nobody has settled which one is right, and both dressings still show up on the plate depending on the deli. Every version agrees on the same 4 parts, though. Corned beef, kraut, Swiss, and a creamy dressing, pressed hot between 2 slices of toasted rye. I mean, all of it’s awesome!

I may ruffle some feathers here, but Russian dressing over Thousand Island makes this sandwich better. It just complements the corned beef, the cheese, and the kraut to the T. The hint of horseradish in a good Russian is the seasoning that ties the whole plate together. I love a Thousand Island on a wedge salad or a shrimp cocktail, but on a Reuben? Hmmm, I have to agree that the Russian is the winner.

Funny enough, I had a stack of leftovers the first time I made a big batch of these, so I brought them over to my friends Clark and Summer and their girls. They legit said it was the best Reuben they had ever had, and to this day every time I see them, they harass me for it. That is the sandwich my recipe today is trying to be, now let me show you how to make it.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here is what goes into every Reuben I put on a plate at home:

• Corned beef – The backbone of the sandwich. Slice it as thin as it will go without shredding, and pile it high enough that the corned beef is the loudest thing on the sandwich, not the cheese. Store-bought sliced corned beef from a good deli counter works, and homemade corned beef is another notch of flavor. Pastrami is the natural substitution, dang tasty in its own right.
• Sauerkraut – The salty, acidic crunch that makes a Reuben a Reuben. It brightens the whole plate, and the crunch is my favorite part of the sandwich. Don’t you dare swap this for anything else. I’m watching you. A good homemade sauerkraut has the most snap, and a jarred kraut is fine as long as it has a real crunch and is not mushy.
• Rye or pumpernickel bread – The classic bread is rye, and pumpernickel is what I reach for first because it is earthier and slightly sweeter.
• Swiss cheese – The classic pick and the right one. Buttery, mild, and made to sit between hot corned beef and sauerkraut without shouting over either. Jarlsberg, comté, and gruyere all melt great in its place, but they are louder cheeses that start to take over the sandwich.
• Russian dressing – The single ingredient that makes this sandwich sing. Thousand Island is the other classic, and I tip my hat to the Russian every time. A good homemade Russian dressing with a real hint of horseradish is what ties the corned beef, cheese, and kraut together. Homemade thousand island is the traditional swap if that is what is in the fridge.
• Unsalted butter – What toasts the bread on the griddle and gives it a nutty, browned crust. Unsalted only, so the seasoning stays under my control between the salty corned beef and the salty kraut. A neutral oil works if that is what is at hand.

How to Make Reuben Sandwich

Heat the corned beef: Melt one tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet or on a flat-top griddle over medium heat. Add the sliced corned beef and warm it through, moving the meat around every minute or so, for 4 to 6 minutes. Set the warmed corned beef aside.

Toast the first side of the bread: Add another tablespoon of butter to the same skillet. Once it is melted and bubbling, lay 2 slices of bread down and toast them for about 2 minutes until the underside is golden. Take the bread off, add one more tablespoon of butter to the pan, let it melt, and put the bread back down toasted-side up.

Smear the dressing: Immediately smear 2 tablespoons of Russian dressing across the raw side of both slices of bread, right on top of the toasted-side-up loaf that is still warm.

Layer the sandwich: On the bottom slice, layer a quarter of the warmed corned beef, then 2slices of Swiss cheese, then about 1/2 cup of well-drained sauerkraut. Close the sandwich with the second slice of bread, dressing side down, and press it lightly with a spatula.

Sear and melt: Cook the sandwich for 1 to 2 minutes per side on medium heat, pressing occasionally with the spatula.

Slice and serve: Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and slice on the diagonal. Serve immediately with a good pickle spear and a handful of chips. Repeat the process for the remaining three sandwiches, or cook them all together on a wide griddle at once.

chef tip + notes

At this point I consider myself a pro at cooking this Reuben sandwich. I have to advise you not to skimp on any of the four pieces that make it work. Slice the corned beef thin enough that every mouthful catches three or four layers of meat instead of one thick slab. Use a good sauerkraut with a real crunch. Toast both sides of the bread in butter, inside and outside, before the sandwich ever gets pressed. It IS the way! And make sure the swiss cheese is fully melted from top to bottom.

• Drain the sauerkraut hard before it goes on the sandwich: Grab a handful, squeeze the kraut over the sink until the liquid stops coming out, then pile it on. Wet kraut is what makes the bread go soggy in the second mouthful.
• Cover the pan for the last minute if the cheese is not fully melted: The lid traps the steam over the top of the sandwich and takes the swiss the rest of the way. A sandwich that comes off the pan with unmelted cheese in the middle is the most common way this dish goes flat. Cover it. Do it.
• Russian dressing takes this from good to great: The hint of horseradish in a good Russian is the seasoning that ties the whole sandwich together. Try it once. I’m 99.9% sure you will like it more than the Thousand Island version.

Serving Suggestions

Most weekends this is a lunch plate for me, yup, plated with a spear of homemade dill pickle and a small pile of potato wedges or potato chips on the side. My daughter usually cuts hers in quarters and eats it as 4 smaller sandwiches.

When the plate needs to look more like a diner counter, I set it up with a scoop of vinegar-based coleslaw. Leftover corned beef from St. Patrick’s Day is the exact right reason to make this sandwich the next day. The leftover meat also becomes a great corned beef hash with jammy eggs the morning after that.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: A Reuben sandwich is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done being made. However, you can keep it warm for up to 15 minutes in an oven at a low temperature (200°) before serving.

How to Store: It’s best if you can keep all ingredients, i.e., corned beef, bread, dressing, cheese, and sauerkraut, covered and separated. I will stay like this in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Freeze: I skip the freezer for the assembled sandwich. The bread and the kraut both come out sad on the other side. Cooked corned beef freezes well on its own, sliced or in a whole piece, covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before it goes back on the griddle.

How to Reheat: When the ingredients are kept separate, simply assemble the sandwich according to the recipe instructions. If the sandwich is already made place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 5-7 minutes or until hot.

More Sandwich Recipes

• Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
• BLT
• Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
• Ribeye Steak Sandwich
• Croque Monsieur

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Classic Reuben Sandwich Recipe

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5 from 6 votes

This 25-minute classic Reuben sandwich recipe is loaded with sliced corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on dark rye bread. I love this sandwich because you can easily customize it to your liking, and with my step-by-step directions, you'll have no trouble making it at home for a delicious lunch.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 pound thinly sliced corned beef, or the desired amount of your liking
• 8 thick slices of rye bread
• 8 slices of swiss cheese
• 2 cups of sauerkraut
• 1 cup of thousand island dressing or Russian dressing

Instructions

• Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a cast iron pan, flat top, or griddle over medium to medium-high heat, and heat up a 1/3 pound of corned beef. This will take about 4-6 minutes in total, so be sure to move the meat around every minute or so. See chef notes.
• Next, melt 1 tablespoon of butter until melted and place on 2 slices of bread to toast, which takes about 2 minutes.
• Remove the bread, add 1 more tablespoon of butter and heat until melted before flipping the bread over toasted side up.
• Immediately spread a ¼ cup of the dressing between both slices of bread.
• Next, layer on as followed, corned beef, 2 slices of swiss cheese, about a ½ cup of sauerkraut.
• Place the other toasted piece of bread with dressing on it to the top of the sandwich dressing side down and press down with a spatula.
• Cook the sandwich for 1 to 2 minutes per side once it is assembled, and then slice and serve.
• Repeat the process 3 more times for a total of 4 sandwiches. You can cook this all together at once as well.

Notes

At this point I consider myself a pro cooking this Reuben sandwich, so I have to advise you not to skimp on any of the four pieces that make it work. Slice the corned beef thin enough that every mouthful catches three or four layers of meat instead of one thick slab. Use a good sauerkraut with a real crunch. Toast both sides of the bread in butter, inside and outside, before the sandwich ever gets pressed. It IS the way! And make sure the swiss cheese is fully melted from top to bottom.

Drain the sauerkraut hard before it goes on the sandwich: Grab a handful, squeeze the kraut over the sink until the liquid stops coming out, then pile it on. Wet kraut is what makes the bread go soggy in the second mouthful.

Cover the pan for the last minute if the cheese is not fully melted: The lid traps the steam over the top of the sandwich and takes the swiss the rest of the way. A sandwich that comes off the pan with unmelted cheese in the middle is the most common way this dish goes flat. Cover it. Do it.

Russian dressing takes this from good to great: The hint of horseradish in a good Russian is the seasoning that ties the whole sandwich together. Try it once. I’m 99.9% sure you will like it more than the Thousand Island version.

Make-Ahead: A Reuben sandwich is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done being made. However, you can keep warm for up to 15 minutes in an oven at a low temperature (200°) before serving.

How to Store: It is best if you can keep all ingredients i.e., corned beef, bread, dressing, cheese, and sauerkraut, covered and separated in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Freeze: I skip the freezer for the assembled sandwich. The bread and the kraut both come out sad on the other side. Cooked corned beef freezes well on its own, sliced or in a whole piece, wrapped tightly for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before it goes back on the griddle.

How to Reheat: When the ingredients are kept separate, simply assemble the sandwich according to the recipe instructions. If the sandwich is already made place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 5-7 minutes or until hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 980kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 33gFat: 88gSaturated Fat: 38gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gMonounsaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 219mgSodium: 2931mgPotassium: 676mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1477IUVitamin C: 51mgCalcium: 323mgIron: 4mg

Course: lunch

Cuisine: American

Author: Chef Billy Parisi