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
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.