Reuben Sandwich with Homemade Russian Dressing
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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Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing the BEST Reuben Sandwich Recipe!
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 mayo
- 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
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Valentina Ablaev
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
That sauce was the best every. My husband who hates mayo loved it. I was in a hurry and didn’t feel like grating onion so I just used a little onion powder. Next time I’ll grate the onion but I can’t imagine it would be better but we will see. Thanks for the great sauce.
Hi Sheryl! That’s great to hear. Thank you. 🙂
I love your recipes, Natasha! But am confused about something — who is Valentina Ablaev? Why is her name on your recipe?
Hi Carol! On occasion, we have a guest recipe post like this one. She is a food blogger as well.
Delicious! Made these Reuben sandwiches tonight for dinner. Probably the best I have ever tasted. Loved the tangy, spicy Russian dressing. Extremely flavorful. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Amazing
Hi Janet! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. You’re very welcome. 🙂
YUM!
I felt like sandwich like this for a while now ….we had similar one in Czech Republic! Finally found one that taste similar!
So glad you found this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Best recipe I’ve found. Husband devoured the sandwich. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Amy! I’m so glad it was a hit. Thank you for sharing.
I’m very fussy about Rueben’s. I did use pastrami and eye balled the dressing recipe. Probably made it a little spicier than called for. Oh man …. This is the best recipe ever. Loved it so so so much!
Hi Connie! That’s wonderful to hear. So glad you loved it.
Best Rueben sandwiches I have ever made, thanks to the sauce. I do not like a sweet sauce, and this had just the right balance to make a great sandwich. Fresh cooked corned beef, machine-sliced thin, good Swiss cheese, sourcrout and rye. I’m keeping this as a family recipe to pass down.
Hi Tom! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I’m a little late to the party, but wanted to say thanks for your awesome Russian Dressing recipe!! Definitely made these the best Reuben sandwiches ever.
Hi Nichole! You’re very welcome. Thank you. 🙂
In lieu of the homemade or even store-bought Russian (Thousand Island) dressing, used a prepared Honey Dijon dressing. Also, drained sauerkraut and sauteed it with chopped Granny Smith apple until apple was soft and sauerkraut was slightly browned. Delicious and filling!
Thanks for sharing, Janice! So glad it was delicious!
Wow! Hubby and I just polished off a batch of these Reuben sandwiches. I’ve certainly made Reubens before, but this far exceeded any other I’ve purchased or made. I made the dressing using homemade mayo and used a little ancho chili powder with an extra clove of garlic since I didn’t have the chili garlic paste on hand. I also used my home fermented sauerkraut. When I tasted the sauce, I was a little worried because it’s very different from any other I’ve used. I though it would overpower the sandwich. OMG! It was utterly perfect. I can’t wait to make these over and over again. Thanks for such a great recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you loved them. 🙂
This is the best Reuben I have every tasted. I used my left over corned beef from my home cured brisket.
What a treat to eat!
Wow! Thank you for the awesome feedback!
I think your homemade dressing could be added to some rice pilaf fish dishes. Cannot say enough about the flavor boom you get!
Thank you and yes good idea!
excellent. I add a touch of yellow mustard to the sauce and… perfect-o!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Forget those other reubens: it’s all about the dressing. That red Russian dressing: throw it out for the sugar/corn syrup alone. Thousand island? Sawdust compared to this dressing. It’s all about this.
Terrific on other sandwiches/salads as well . . So double your batch.
Second time in two weeks that I made these sammies. That sauce is what brings the smoked meat sandwich to another level closer to heaven. Soooooo delicious. This is defs a two thumbs up.
Hi LeeAnne! That’s great to hear, I’m happy you enjoy this recipe.
Hi Natasha I made this sandwich and it was the best Rueben I ever made and husband loved it! Have made quite a few of your dishes all great! Thank you
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Pat!
Natasha, why does it say Valentina at the top of the recipe? did she make this recipe, also why is it sometimes i see natalyas kitchen, then valentinas corner, and sometimes natashas kitchen’s icon at the end of the recipe? please elaborate, my curiousity needs to know
Hi Vanessa, this is a “guest recipe” we like to share our favorite recipes from other bloggers on here, and we invited/collaborated with Valentina to post her recipe on our site! We also note who’s recipe is and link to their blog if we have a guest recipe. I hope that helps 🙂
Like the other colitis patient, I cannot do garlic and onion. For the garlic-chili sauce I got the heat from powdered chili (chipotle is medium hot, a bit smokey), and a tiny pinch of the dried crushed red pepper you find in pizza places. I also added 1 teaspoon ketchup. Because I had to use coleslaw instead of kraut, I added a tablespoon of chopped garlic-free dill pickle to add sourness.
Thank you for sharing your version. I’m sure that will be helpful to others who are looking to substitute.
Pretty good, using Chili garlic sauce makes it fairly hot, so maybe not for everyone. If you don’t want the added heat then use regular chili sauce (Heinz) which is more like ketchup.
Thank you for sharing with us, Doug. I appreciate the feedback and the review!
I am an old time Reuben sandwich maker l used your Russian dressing recipe and it is outstanding I’ve got plans for that dressing for other things (love you r cooking shows thank you)
I’m so glad you loved it, James!
Made this tonight for supper. It was very good. Thanks for the recipe. Will make again.
You’re very welcome! So happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Just a different take on assembly. At my restaurant we would take the portion of sauerkraut with a pat of butter and put it on the griddle. Butter the bread slices and griddle with Swiss on one side. Once the bread is near done we we would quickly heat the corned beef on the griddle and put it on the slice of bread without the cheese. Add kraut on top of that. Give a squirt of secret sauce on the kraut and put the Swiss slice as a lid. Worked perfectly.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
For, TCRider, just an FYI…sauerkraut is an amazing probiotic IF it’s not vigorously heated. I make my own sauerkraut and would hate to miss out on all the great health benefits by heating the sauerkraut itself on a griddle. I’m sure it would still taste great, but, by combining the filling as written, all those good fermented bacteria in the sauerkraut would still be alive to nourish your gut biome.
Delicious!! The homemade Russian dressing made a huge difference!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
You are correct!! Better than you get in an Irish Pub! Ruebens are my favorite, and this is – hands down- the best I’ve had!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rachel!!
My corned beef is in the crock pot; just made your delicious dressing. About to pile on the rye bread. Our initial taste of the dressing is, “WOW!” Thank you for sharing. God bless you and prayers for Ukraine. ❤️
You’re very welcome. Enjoy and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Yum we added 1 teaspoon of dill relish. Super good Thank you Natacha. Delicious.
You’re most welcome! I’m happy that you liked it.
I made this last night for dinner but due to dietary restrictions within my family I had to modify the recipe.
Russian Dressing: Replace chili sauce with SHARACA
Bread: Replace rye bread with EXTRA SOUR SOURDOUGH BREAD
All other ingredients remained the same.
The sandwiches turned out great. Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Debbie!
I don’t normally like horshradish, but put it in the Russian Dressing just because it’s probably what makes this recipe so good. Tastes wonderful. Making the sandwiches tomorrow. Thanks for such great recipes—all of the time!
Hi Sheryll! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
I take back my post now that I looked at the pics. My mistake. You were loading onto the bread slices separately. I’ve never done that. I apologize.
No worries at all, Josh.
You originally wrote that the dressing blends in nicely with the kraut. Then you instruct to put the sandwich together with the meat as a barrier between the two. You don’t pour dressing on top of the kraut?
Hi Josh, there are a lot of ways to do it but I usually add the dressing, corned beef, sauerkraut, and cheese to the bread and close to create a sandwich.
What could a person with the name of ‘Natasha Kravchuk’ know about ‘Russian’ dressing? 🤣😂
Thanks SO MUCH!
I didn’t need the sandwich instructions, but I’m always looking for a better Russian dressing, and yours is now at the top of my ‘Russian dressing list’!
You’re very welcome! I’m happy to know that you enjoyed it!
Excellent recipe. The picture of your Rueben is not grilled yet I think (?)
I have never had much luck with recipes from the internet and my husband in a Pa Dutch man looking for meat and potatoes for evening meal. I made these Reuben sandwiches and they were delicious. Best Reuben I have had Husband agreed. GREAT Recipe.
Love your comment, Virginia. Thank you for sharing your great review with us, I’m happy that you and your husband enjoyed this recipe!
16 ads inside the recipe! I almost gave up looking for the ingredients. I know this is where you make you money but this was the worst I have ever seen.
Hi Sharon, Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback. The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site, so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes. But we will definitely take note of your feedback and use it to improve our website. Please click the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the recipe post to find the ingredients quickly.
I appreciate your feedback, and I hope you love every recipe you try.
Thanks for the recipe!!! I’m clicking on all your ads hopefully this gets you more money 🙂
Thank you, Cat. I appreciate your support!
I would rather see the adds than have to pay someone for the most wonderful recipes ever- we are getting a great deal!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much, Dianne! 🙂
I love Reubens. It’s the only time I will willingly easy sauerkraut. I was wonderinf, though,with recipes like this, is there any substitute for garlic and onion? Since I got colitis a while back, they are on the NO list. (I can, however, use homemade garlic-infused olive oil. And I can have the green part of scallions instead of onion, but it just isn’t the same.
Hi Cheryl, I think you can remove those from this recipe and it would still be good. I haven’t tried any other substitute but let us know how it goes in case you do an experiment!
Simply amazing!
awesome recipe especially for the sauce. thank you.
This is by far the BEST Russian dressing for Ruben’s that I’ve ever tasted, The only change I made was using hot smoked paprika. Excellent, thanks.
Love it! Thanks Tony, I’m glad you loved it!
I halved the Chile paste and subbed rest with ketchup. Also added some cider vinegar and honey.
Sounds good, how did it go?
I needed a recipe for sauce and all I can say is WOW!
So yummy! This will be my go to sauce when I make reubens
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
We enjoyed your recipe for this Reuben last night using the leftover corned beef from St. Paddy’s day. Your dressing made it delicious!!! Did you really use 1.5 T. Of the chili sauce? I used 1.5 tsp and it was plenty spicy with the heat of the horseradish
Hi Nanci, we love it really spicy but you are welcome to use less.
The Russian dressing is so delicious! I bought Boar’s Head sauerkraut at the deli along with their corned beef and baby swiss. The package of sauerkraut had a recipe for a Reuben sandwich and instructed to mix the drained sauerkraut with the Russian dressing. I liked the idea so I did that and it was good. Question: how to cook the sandwiches long enough for the cheese to melt. I used cast iron skillet and medium heat. I continuously have the problem of the bread burning before the cheese melts when I grill sandwiches with butter. The butter gets too dark too fast. It blackens in about two minutes even though cheese isn’t melted. I guess I have to use low heat instead of medium. Maybe this is a stupid question! Thank you!
Hi Lois, stovetops vary in heat. You may have a more powerful setting for medium, and I would turn it down a bit.
I will try low heat. it seems like it might not get hot enough to melt the cheese over low heat but then medium burns the buttered bread before the cheese melts. I hope I get get this dialed in because I like grilled sandwiches and usually burn them like I said!
I hope it works out for you Lois!
I find that if you cover The pan it seems to Heat through better and melt the cheese
I use to have this problem. I now put the butter side up for 1 minute then flip it over and add the cheese to the nice warm side.
I’ve been making Reubens this week. 🙂 Start the sandwich in the microwave for a few seconds before you put it on the griddle, so it starts out already warm; almost hot. It will be hot all the way through when it’s finished grilling.
Thanks for sharing that tip with us Robert!
“Best Sandwich you’ve ever made!” claims my hubs- and it was soooooo good! I bought the corned beef from Costco and put it in the slow cooker all day. I followed the recipe for the sandwiches (Thousand Island dressing!!!!) and the rest was history- thrilled we get to make them again for the next day or two! I’ve bookmarked this recipe for next year- can’t wait!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I love it 😋😋😋😋thank u for awesome recipe 🙏🙏🙏😋😋🥰🥰🥰🌷🌹🌷🌹
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Yum… Just Yum!
My MIL loves Reubens. She said It’s was the best she’s ever had!
I’m glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Awesome recipe! That sauce was amazing ! I made double so we could have it on other things ! I had made homemade marble rye so just had to have ruebens .Thank you for sharing !
You’re welcome, Debbie! I’m happy you enjoyed it! That sauce is one of our favorites.
I had some leftover homemade corned goose breasts, so I sliced them up and made us some Reubens last night. I mixed up this dressing and it is phenomenal!! My husband used it on his salad for lunch today as well. Fantastic. Thank you!
Sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing that with us, Amy. I hope you and your husband will love all the recipes that you will try!
I love Rueben sandwiches,can’t wait tp make them!
I hope you try this one soon!
This sauce makes the sandwich. The best Reuben I’ve ever tasted. I used Sambal Oelek ground fresh chili paste, which is really a sauce. A little spicy but perfect for this recipe. I also used the kraut that I ferment myself for eight weeks. I don’t like vinegar based kraut that is too sour. Being 85 yrs old, I am still learning. Wish I would have found this recipe 60 yrs ago. Thank you for this fabulous website.
Love it! Thanks for sharing that with us, Carol. We appreciate it!
Hey Carol, I am almost 82 and am still learning-coming from a small southern town I had never heard of Ruben sandwiches until this wonderful lady, who cooks like a dream, put this out. I am fixing this tomorrow !!!!!
Hi Dianne! That is very sweet, thank you! I hope you love the recipe.
I’m going to make these this week. First time making Ruebens (it is one of my favorite kinds of sandwiches)
If I buy store bought sauerkraut, do I have to heat the sauerkraut before putting on the sandwich bread? Or will grilling the sandwich be enough to heat it through? Thanks!
Hi Connie, if you prefer it to be really warm you can.
Rubens are my favorite sandwich. My husband doesn’t like corned beef or sauerkraut so I have to make these when he is eating something else. More for me though. Can’t wait to try your dressing.
I hope this becomes a favorite for you, Marlene!
This is the best dressing, and best reuben sandwich i have ever had. Thanks for this recipe.
Where does the Reuben sandwich originate from? Being in the UK it is something I have not heard of. And the bread, it looks amazing, like nothing I have seen over here.
Hi Barb, I recommend a Google search but it did originate here in the States.
Hi,
This sounds really good. I love all the ingredients. But I remember a long time ago as a kid having a Reuben in a diner and the only thing I recall not liking about it was that it had a slight sweetness to it. None of the ingredients here though seem sweet to me. Is my recollection of that diner Reuben off (I’m 55 now)? Or maybe that diner just didn’t know how to make a good Reuben? Would you say this recipe has a sweetness to it, maybe in the dressing perhaps? Thanks, John
Hi John, perhaps it was a specific dressing.
Hello, I don’t usually comment, but I will here. Yes, the sweetness comes from the American version of Russian dressing – Thousand Island dressing which has sweet chopped pickles, or a bit of the sweet pickle juice. American Diners will often just use a bottle of Thousand Island as the dressing for this sandwich. Hope that helps 😋
Undoubtedly, the best Reuben I have ever eaten. The sauce is exceptional!
Wow! Sounds like you found a new favorite Sally! Thank you for that amazing review!
Really, truly amazing! I used pastrami instead of corned beef, but didn’t change anything else. It’s as good (or better) than any sandwich I’ve had from a deli.
Thanks for your great feedback, Paula. We appreciate your excellent review!
So you know, the rye you show is a marble rye, a blend of traditional and pumpernickel. Light and dark.
Thank you for sharing that with us Lesli!
Just getting ready to try it. All homemade ingredients. It smells wonderful.
Awesome! Enjoy and please share with us how it goes.
Pretty much the same recipe I use but I prefer Thousand Island for the sauce…the more the better! Dash or two of Frank’s adds the heat. Good point about draining the sauerkraut!
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
So delicious! I used corned beef left over from St. Patrick’s Day. The sauce was spicy and delectable!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Yolanda! Thank you for that great feedback.
Although I haven’t made this yet, giving a five star because it is almost exactly the way I make them. I butter both sides of the bread slice, because, well, I am that kind of girl! I use Wishbone Russian dressing (clear looking not creamy) and mix a little of in with my kraut. But your recipe for sauce intrigues me, I am going to save it for when I don’t have the bottle on hand. It has all the things I like in it.
Thank you for the great feedback, Jane. I would love to know how you liked the sauce once you give it a try. Please share with us how it goes!
I made the Reuben sandwich, sauce and kraut and it was all delicious. Natasha since I found your site I have followed many of you recipes and the all are the best. Keep up the great job.
So great to hear that, Claude! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback and review.
Could I use regular chili sauce for the dressing? Love Rueben sandwiches and can’t wait to fix this!
Hi Janet, I haven’t tried that yet but I imagine that should work too. Please share with us how it goes if you give it a try!
Wow, this sandwich was amazing. The sauce is my favorite part.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Laura! That’s so great!
Haven’t tried a Ruben yet, but I think it’s one sandwich to try, we have light rye bread here, will have to put the missing ingredients on the shopping list for Saturday 😋😋😋
I hope it becomes a new favorite sandwich for you!
Do you make the chili garlic sauce, or is it store bought?
Hi Tammie, we used this Chili Garlic Sauce here. I hope that helps.
So a Sriracha sauce?
My family would go crazy for this. Can’t wait to try this!
Hooray! I’m so glad to hear that. I hope it becomes a hit with your family.
M’mm…..reuben sandwiches are so good. That homemade dressing beats all!
It really does! Thank you April and I hope this becomes your new favorite hot sandwich!