Juicy homemade Reuben Sandwich Recipe. Slices of rye bread piled with corned beef, cheese and loaded with sauerkraut and a homemade tangy Russian dressing. This Reuben is everything a grilled sandwich should be.
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I’m sharing the BEST Reuben Sandwich Recipe! It’s simple, but the combination of flavors and textures is everything. Is your mouth watering yet?
What is a Reuben Sandwich?
A classic Reuben is a 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.
What Ingredients go on 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.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread.
- 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.
How to Make Russian Dressing?
Though you can purchase Russian dressing or even substitute with Thousand Island dressing instead, the homemade dressing is 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 a Reuben-
- Bread- You want to make sure to use a good quality rye bread as it adds so much flavor to the sandwich.
- 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 Coleslaw instead.
- 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 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!
More Sandwich Recipes:
- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich – the CLASSIC way to make it!
- Perfect Burger Recipe – plus how to assemble a burger
- Breakfast Sandwiches – one-pan quick breakfast
- Chicken Wrap- Perfect for a light lunch
- Cheesy Chicken Sandwich– loaded with cheese and veggies
Classic 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
- 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
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
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!!