This is not your everyday, kinda-cheezy-but-still-mostly-healthy, vegan grilled cheese sandwich. This vegan grilled cheese with toasty, buttery layers of bread hugging melty, swirling American and provolone cheeses is a grilled-cheese-sandwich-lover's kind of sandwich. Your nutritional conscience might be wagging its finger at you, but I promise that after your first bite of this toasty bliss, you will not care. Get my recipe and WATCH me make it in a how-to video! Plus, see what movie inspired this post! ... AND enter a giveaway to win a HUGE sampler pack of the vegan cheese I used..
(Enter giveaway at bottom of post!)
No no no. Every time I go to make a vegan grilled cheese sandwich, the nutritionally aware side of my cooking conscience whispers into my ear, "You are not going to put THAT much cheese on it are you? And vegan butter? Vegenaise too? You just need a little cheese! It is so flavorful dontcha know? Oh my." (Yes, my nutritional conscience looks like Alice from The Brady Bunch and talks with a sweet Minnesota accent. 1950's housewife smirk on her face.)
And after all my internal fussing, I always end up making a cheezy sandwich that has a reasonable amount of cheese and oil on it. Well, enter the movie Chef and I knew I needed to go full throttle on my toasty, melty, amazing veganized grilled cheese sandwich.
Bedbound Netflix Report. For the last four days I have been stuck in bed. Last week I had surgery on a torn meniscus in my knee. So all weekend long I basically stayed in bed, elevated my thickly bandaged knee and, watched loads and loads of Netflix. I watched the documentary Virunga, by Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, which was simply amazing. Must watch.
And I also watched the movie Chef which is about a professional chef who goes through a series of negative restaurant events and eventually opens up the food truck. I kept hearing from friends about the "grilled cheese" scene. And it delivered! This movie is full of food porn style shots, though obviously none of them are very vegan. The opening scene with the pig was completely fast forwarded through. Ugh. BUT the film was fantastic overall. Perfect for this food porn culture we live in. Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Sophia Vergara and Robert Downey Jr - and more. And that grilled cheese scene!
..Well, I KNEW I had to veganize that scene and that sandwich.
I also loved John Leguizamo as Martin in Chef! I loved him so much, I was inspired to re-watch Romeo + Juliet. (1996, with Leo and Claire!) John as Tybalt was just SO good - especially the opening scene. The fight scene choreography is stunning. And little Leo is adorable. And that soundtrack was amazing. A re-watch movie for sure! Also on Netflix 😉 Anyways! Back to food...
Chef Grilled Cheese. In the grilled cheese scene, the chef uses two thick slices of bread, loada of butter, and even mayonnaise - all spread throughout the cooking process to really add buttery, crispy flavor and texture to the bread. And of course he uses a variety of flavors of dairy cheese - and lots of it. Well I never have added vegan mayo to my grilled cheese recipes, but it absolutely gives it a sort of "diner" "home-style" "decadent" flavor accent.
Screw nutritional info, if you really want a decadent, rich, melty-OMG kind of vegan grilled cheese sandwich, use my recipe below.
And for a lighter version, yes you can ABSOLUTELY use less vegan butter and vegan mayo and cheese and maybe pile some veggies on the inside of the sandwich.
What Vegan Cheese Melts? I usually use Daiya when I want melty cheese. But I was sent a big pack of Follow Your Heart's new cheese slices and used the for these sandwiches. I was hugely surprised when the cheese melted very well and had amazing flavor. Daiya is still the most melty vegan cheese I have found (well, not counting Teese which is more of a liquid when it melts) .. but Follow Your Heart brings another option for sure!
ps. I am SO SO SO excited because in the next few weeks I am working on a BIG vegan cheese guide for you guys. In the same vein as my matcha guide and protein powder guide. So stay tuned for that!
And watch Chef! It is a fun flick. It makes me want a food truck!
Super Cheezy Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich
By
Published 03/24/2015
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bread, thicker and crustier varieties work best
- 2-3 slices of vegan cheese (orange and white mixed varieties)
- 1-2 teaspoon vegan mayo, Vegenaise
- 1-2 teaspoon vegan butter, like Earth Balance
- *adjust ingredients based on how large your bread slices are -and how rich you want your sandwich
Instructions
- Warm a skillet over medium heat.
- Butter the bread and place in warm skillet butter side down. After a minute, flip bread. Add torn bits of the cheese on the bread. The up side of the bread will be warm since you just flipped in on your skillet.
- Flip one slice of bread on the other to close the sandwich. Press and flip, press and flip, using a large spatula.
- Spread vegan mayo on both sides of the sandwich, again flipping the sandwich.
- Optional: use a heavy pot lid or another "press" tool to press down on the sandwich in the pan, this helps seal in the heat to melt the cheese.
- When sandwich edges are browned and cheese looks melted, remove from pan. Allow sandwich to rest for a minute before slicing. Slice and serve.
Yield: 1 sandwich
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 02 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 05 mins.
Total time: 7 mins.
Tags: vegan,cheese,grilled cheese,sandwich,lunch,kids,easy
Jim Gordon says
..."and talks with a sweet Minnesota accent."... Sort of like Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in Fargo...
Lesley F says
I like mine on sourdough bread, with butter & lots of yummy cheese!
Amy Lucero says
I tried this sandwich and added Daiya mozzarella on the outside with the veganaisse - delish!!
Or says
I really like mine on good sourdough bread with figs. Super yummy!
rlrlrlrl says
on rye!
RockMyVeganSocks says
I haven't had a grilled cheese sammy in awhile - sounds good. I'm super intrigued by this new Follow Your Heart cheese. I used to use daiya but I'll keep my eye out for this. Yum! Hope your healing is going well - take it easy. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Loved that chef movie with Leguiziamo in it! So cute!
Hannah Sharp Walker says
I like to put tomato on them 🙂
Jordyn Manucci says
I actually haven't had grilled cheese in a few years. I figured garlic toast or avocado toast goes well with tomato soup. I look forward to trying some good "cheese" products though.
Stefanie says
I love vegan grilled cheese with grilled mushrooms and onions. Yum!
Midmom58 says
I always loved grilled cheese with tomato and a cup of tomato soup. My Mom always made them on whole grain bread. ( Until grilled cheese stopped loving me) Haven't yet found a vegan cheese that did it. These pictures look amazing; just like the movie. Off to search for new cheese alternatives. Miyoko's kitchen creamy chive cheese might work: it's great on baked sweet potatoes.
julie murphy says
I like just a plain grilled cheese.
Rachel says
I like my grilled cheese sandwiches plain!
Abigail Brown says
So grateful that there's finally a vegan grilled cheese recipe that looks like what I grew up with! Can't wait to try this!
Curvatude says
one of the things i miss most about being vegan in my cheese...i love cheese and never met one i didn't love. I have tried a couple of the vegan varieties but have at times been so disappointed but the thought of having a big gooey grilled cheese sandwich with a mixture of cheeses is nirvana to me!
saniel says
Thin sliced tomato, basil leaf or ground basil and lots of vegan gooey cheese. Thanks
Kristy says
I love mine really cheesy with tomatoes!!! oo sometimes dipped in ketchup!
Celeste says
My favorite way to make it is with Swiss cheese!
mrsnikkinisly says
This is pretty much the way I grew up making grilled cheese. YUMMY!
Jennie Cake says
This is exactly how I like my grilled cheese, well with tomato soup on the side. I would love to try these slices!!
Christine GW says
I like mine with tomatoes in it
Amanda Thomas says
I always have a bowl of tomato soup with my grilled cheese.
Ashley Chew says
I love to add some tempeh bacon onto my grilled cheese!
gittie says
I love my grilled cheese with a side of tomato soup!
Laurie A. says
I like mine oh-so-cheesy, sometimes with mustard slathered on the inside. In the summertime, I like to have a juicy tomato!
1froglegs says
I like to add some powdered sugar to the butter to give it some contrast of flavors.
Miriam Fathallah says
I agree, no skimping on the cheese, butter, or veganaise!
Leah Pederson says
I love my vegan grilled cheese with a little mustard and avocado!
Anjali says
Love that vegan slice cheese! Hoping to try other flavors! And I love that movie btw...so inspirational!
Laura Olson says
I think i have to skip work so I can go make this!
Lauren Eggers says
Im not vegan, so I like them buttered with extra cheese. However, my sister is and she's been searching for a good cheese substitute as its the one thing she misses.
Athena ADSWEEPS says
I'm not one to make grilled cheese typically. Just bread and cheese for me. But I'll have to try the Vegenaise next time.
Michelle Spencer says
I usually indulge with some tomato soup for dipping. I also like to put some Dijon or spicy brown mustard on my sammy.
copycatchic says
Looks so cheesy and decadent. I usually like a tomato and some fresh basil in my grilled cheese, but will definitely have to try this!
vegyogini says
I like my grilled cheese sandwiches with any amazing vegan cheese on any amazing vegan-friendly bread.
Mara says
I like them with tomato soup.
Shannon Hickman says
I like my grilled cheese sandwiches as decadent as possible. They don't call it comfort food for nothing!
Kathy Patalsky says
True true!!
Olivia Price says
I like my grilled cheese with lots of mustard and tomato slices (plus lots of Daiya cheese)!
Kathy Patalsky says
Ooo mustard! I've actually never tried that
amber says
I didn't like mayo before becoming vegan, so I have only had vegan mayo once (Just Mayo) because of a recipe that called for it. I wasn't very fond of it, but I'd be willing to try the FYH brand just to make sure. 😉
Jessie Rochford says
I love to make my grilled cheese with sourdough bread, earth balance and Daiya pepper jack shreds. Excited to see another melty vegan cheese on the market! Can't wait to try it!
Barbara LaRosa says
With LOTS AND LOTS OF CHEESE!!!!
ChicagoWriter says
Looks great! I've missed grilled cheese so much since going vegan.
Kathy Patalsky says
No need to miss it!!
Nicole says
This is perfection! I like to add tomato and avocado for extra decadence!
Kathy Patalsky says
Yes! Maybe some fresh basil too? 😉
amber says
Okay, I don't like mayonnaise and even this has me drooling. Grilled cheese sandwiches are perfect alone, but even more delicious with a piping hot bowl of creamy tomato soup. And, the cheesier and burnt-er (it's totally a word!) the better! 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
Mayonnaise or vegenaise? I think everyone likes vegenaise! Ok I am bias because I freaking adore it 🙂
Keleigh Friedrich says
The vegan mayo goes on the exposed (grilled) side of the bread, not inside? Never considered that!
Kathy Patalsky says
Right??? New tip for me too. But it works!!! Omg the flavor.
Adriane says
omg this looks incredible!! I'm making this asap!
Elin Roberts says
I like grilled cheese with tomato and a little honey mustard.
Lizzie says
I've had a craving for a warm vegan grilled cheese with tomato soup for the past week! Think I'll whip one up after my ultra marathon race this Sunday!
Kathy Patalsky says
Yum and yum. Enjoy that!!!
Nicole {VeganShowOff.com} says
I love the new Follow Your Heart slices! I like my grilled cheese with butter on both sides of the bread and caramelized onions!!
Kathy Patalsky says
Oo caramelized onions... YES
Jennifer {Peppers and Peaches} says
I loved reading through all the comments and seeing the excitement for vegan cheese! It keeps getting better and better! Love this post 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
Haha yes! Truth: VEGANS LOVE CHEESE! the cruelty free kind. And nowadays it can ROCK.
jeanne says
I love that movie too! I like my grilled cheese slightly burnt!
Kathy Patalsky says
Yes me too! Obviously from my pics... Better to be over done than under done!
Kathy Patalsky says
Thanks for that info!! I am always curious and forget which brand options you guys have!
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
We've got Cheezly, which has been around for ages and is a pretty good option as a solid cheese for sandwiches, cubed in a salad, etc. It doesn't melt all that well, I find, except maybe in a sauce. But in a grilled cheese sandwich, not so much.
Vegusto makes good vegan cheeses: some solid, and a 'melty' one, which works really well in toasties (as we call grilled cheese sandwiches). They're mostly available online and haven't gone fully mainstream yet, though hopefully soon 🙂
There might be other ones but I haven't tried them yet.
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
I LOVE that film! The opening scene did take me by surprise (I wish there were warnings for that but that's just how it is living in a non-vegan world...) but the rest of it was beautiful. I thought it perfectly illustrated what's so great about food: sharing it with loved ones, creating and eating it with passion.
Oh and this grilled cheese sandwich is making me drool all over my keyboard!! I wish we had Daiya in the UK :'(
Kathy Patalsky says
I am curious, what vegan cheese options do you have in the Uk?? (If you see this..) 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
And yes, SUCH a great movie for this "food porn" world we live in. More food in film!! Haha next time a vegan version 😉
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
No joke, one of the most exciting things I'm keen to try in America when I come again is actual vegan cheese- Will try it with this recipe yum!