Make a patty melt with secret sauce next time you're craving some seriously indulgent comfort food! A thin ground beef patty is layered with caramelized onions, two types of melty cheese, and a tangy secret sauce.
A variation of the classic cheeseburger, the patty melt is a diner menu staple. Served on buttered rye bread instead of a bun, the patty melt is pan fried until golden brown and melty. It's hearty, comforting, and delicious!
This patty melt starts with thin, oblong, ground beef patties. The thinner the better - you'll want to leave room for plenty of caramelized onions, two types of cheese, and a tangy sauce on top. Rye bread is the classic bread choice, slathered to the edges with plenty of butter.
And the "secret sauce"? Not so secret anymore - I've included the recipe below! You'll be adding this tangy, thousand island-esque sauce to everything.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Ground beef - I suggest using 85/15 or 90/10 ground beef. Higher fat ground beef makes this sandwich extra greasy and your patties will shrink significantly. Readers have also used ground turkey for a lighter variation.
- Rye bread - This is the classic bread of choice for a patty melt, but Texas toast or white sandwich bread make good alternatives.
- Cheeses - I used a combination of swiss cheese and cheddar cheese. You're welcome to use all swiss or all cheddar if you prefer.
- Worcestershire sauce - Can be substituted with soy sauce or steak sauce if needed for allergy reasons.
- Onions - You'll need two large onions for this recipe. If that seems like a lot - don't worry. They cook down significantly during the caramelizing process.
- Oil - I used olive oil, but any cooking oil you have on hand will work in this recipe.
- Salt & pepper - Add flavor to your sandwiches.
Secret sauce ingredients
- Mayonnaise - Necessary as the base of the sauce. Feel free to use your favorite brand - I prefer Duke's mayonnaise.
- Ketchup - Necessary as the base of the sauce. Feel free to use your favorite brand.
- Dijon mustard - Can be substituted with yellow mustard.
- Pickle juice - Any type of pickle juice works in this recipe. I usually use dill pickle juice, but a bread and butter pickle juice also works. It can also be substituted with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
- Seasoning - Garlic powder and paprika are added for flavor.
Tips and tricks
Caramelizing your onions - If you've never caramelized onions before, it takes more than just a few minutes of browning onions in a pan. It's best done low and slow on the stove top. For this recipe, it will take about 30 minutes or more to caramelize your onions. This is the longest part of the recipe but is well worth the effort.
Spread patties thin - Your beef patties will shrink slightly while cooking due to the fat rendering out. To account for this, make your patties as thin as possible. Ideally, slightly larger than your bread slices.
Frequently asked questions
Many fast food and sit down restaurants serve burgers, fries, and patty melts with a "secret sauce". Secret sauce is usually a variation of thousand island dressing. The base is made with mayonnaise and ketchup, with other flavors added like mustard, paprika and garlic.
The main difference is that thousand island dressing usually contains pickle relish, whereas burger sauce does not. I like to use a dash of pickle juice in my secret sauce to get the same flavor, but without the chunky texture.
French fries or onion rings are classic sides for a diner patty melt experience. Ranch roasted potatoes, cheesy broccoli, or a side salad make great sides as well.
Ground beef patties shrink because the fat melts, or renders, out of the beef as it cooks. If you're using a high fat ground beef, like 75/25, your patties will shrink significantly because 25% of those patties are fat. I recommend using a lower fat beef, like 85/15 or 90/10, to ensure your patties shrink less. Keep a close eye on your beef and don't overcook it, because lower fat beef can dry out more quickly than a higher fat beef.
This recipe makes enough for spreading and dipping four patty melts. You may have some leftover - it's great for dipping fries too! Secret sauce will keep for about 2 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Patty Melt with Secret Sauce
Ingredients
Secret sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Patty melts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, thin sliced
- 12 ounces 85/15 ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 8 slices rye bread
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 swiss cheese slices
- 4 cheddar cheese slices
Instructions
Secret Sauce
- In a bowl, add mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickle juice, paprika, and garlic powder. Mix until smooth. Set aside.
Patty Melts
- In a skillet over medium-low heat, add olive oil. When warm, add onions to pan and cook until softened and deep golden brown, about 30 minutes or more. (If onions begin to dry out or look like they're going to burn, add a splash of water to the pan and reduce the heat slightly.) Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a bowl, add ground beef, salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce. Mix to combine and form into four thin, oblong patties (shape patties to match the shape of your bread). In a skillet over medium heat, add patties and cook until browned on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside. Wipe excess grease from the pan.
- Butter one side of each piece of bread. In a skillet over medium heat, layer your sandwiches as so: one slice of bread (buttered side down), one slice of swiss cheese, beef patty, caramelized onions, secret sauce, slice of cheddar cheese, and one slice of bread (buttered side up). Cook until golden brown on the bottom, flip, and cook until golden brown on the opposite side (this should take 1-2 minutes per side).
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Secret sauce recipe will make more than enough to top four sandwiches, with leftover for dipping or enjoying again later. Store any leftover sauce in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Prepared exactly as recipe indicated. Turned out perfectly delicious! Nice change from a burger.
I shared the recipe with friends, and will definitely make again.
This is a very good recipe. My only issue is my rye bread stuck to the pan despite being buttered. But I put the last couple on panini maker and were perfect!! Thanks to the person who suggested that.
Enjoyed this recipe!
Once the onions were sautéed and patties were done, I prepped ciabatta bread with the butter as per instructions .
I then added the sauce, Patty and cheese and popped them on the panini maker!
Excellent alternative if you have one in your home!
Delicious!! Great recipe!! So easy to follow! The family loved it! Looking forward to making it again! One question. What kind of pickle juice do you use? Sweet, dill, something else??
Hi Donna, any pickle juice works in this recipe. I usually use dill pickle juice!
I made this with ground turkey instead of ground beef. I made according to recipe, OMG, it was so good, my husband was skeptical about the sauce, he loved all of it, great recipe! Thanks
Amazing! Easy and was so delicious! Thank you!
I absolutely LOVE this and I really loved the fact that you put “what to serve” that really helps!! Thank you !
My burger meat kept shrinking as it was cooking. How do I keep this from happening?
Hi Rachel, you're going to want to form your patties as thin as possible, maybe even a little larger than your pieces of bread. They're naturally going to shrink as they cook due to the fat rendering out. The higher the fat percentage of your ground beef, the more it will shrink, so you could also try a slightly leaner beef which will shrink a little less.
I made this for dinner tonight — it was delicious! My husband raved about it. Thank you!
Onions simmered with mushrooms and garlic to give it a additional layer of flavor
Just made this recipe and it was delicious! The sauce goes perfectly with the patty melt. This meal will be a regular dinner at my hous!
Made this melt last night followed your recipe and ate every bite! Thanks for sharing.
Soooo good. Searched for an hour reading all these patty melt recipes.. I decided to try yours , due to your secret sauce.. the taste amazing family loved it.. my go to recipe now
Thank you for the glowing review, Caroline!