There's nothing quite as comforting as a hot, gooey grilled cheese sandwich. And now the plant based crowd doesn't need to miss out with these easy and delicious vegan grilled cheese recipes!
All photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
These days, grilled cheese is hot. (Pun intended.) There are even restaurants devoted solely to grilled cheese sandwiches. So why should us vegans miss out?
So today we have five delicious ways to make a vegan grilled cheese - and most can be made in just a few minutes.
There's no big secret here. We're not going to hand-craft our vegan cheese or anything wild like that. Just simple, delicious, easy vegan grilled cheese.
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Tips for Making Vegan Grilled Cheese
Now there is a misconception out there than vegan cheeses are un-meltable. Not so! I've impressed many guests with how melty and stretchy a good vegan cheese made for that purpose can be.
There are several good vegan cheeses on the market melt wonderfully well, including Daiya and Follow Your Heart. You may know of other brands, and if so, comment below and let us know which ones you like!
And of course, nothing pairs with grilled cheese like a bowl of tomato soup. I like to dunk my sandwich! If you want some in a hurry, this Imagine Creamy Tomato is vegan and very good. Or make your own homemade vegan tomato soup.
How to Make Vegan Grilled Cheese
Kids, you don't need a recipe to make a grilled cheese sandwich, though the internet seems to think otherwise.
You just need some sturdy whole-grain bread, vegan cheese, your add-ins of choice, vegan butter (like Earth Balance), and a good nonstick pan or griddle.
Best to cook over medium heat with a generous but not ridiculous layer of vegan butter; cover the pan when cooking the first side so that the cheese will melt; when the underside is golden, flip and cook the other side. That's it!
But of course, a recipe can give you some inspiration for more creative flavor combinations. So here are five of my favorites.
5 Vegan Grilled Cheese Recipes
First up is this swoon-worthy vegan grilled cheese, tomato, and vegan bacon sandwich. Use your favorite kind of purchased or homemade vegan bacon.
Precook vegan bacon slices first. Layer some vegan cheese shreds onto a slice of bread, followed by tomato slices, vegan bacon, sliced tomato, more cheese shreds, topped by another slice of bread. Cook on a little vegan butter over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden.
This is good with either cheddar, mozzarella, or pepper jack style cheese.
Grilled cheese with mushrooms, yum! To make this delightful sandwich, simply precook sliced brown mushrooms (cremini- or for a fancier feast, shiitake) until wilted, then drain.
Layer on the bread: cheese shreds, cooked mushrooms, more cheese shreds, another slice of bread. Cook on a little vegan butter over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden.
We think this is best with mozzarella style cheese, but you may beg to differ.
Apple and cheddar is a classic flavor combo, and it works quite well in vegan grilled cheese, too. Using a tart granny smith apple is a good move, but if all you've got is a red apple, that's not a bad choice. Either way, just make sure the apple is nice and crisp.
Layer on bread: cheese shreds, apple slices, more cheese shreds, another slice of bread. Cook on a little vegan butter over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden.
Spice things up with fresh jalapeño in your grilled cheese! Slice it thinly and remove the seeds. Use the usual precautions when handling hot chili peppers.
Layer on bread: cheese shreds, sliced jalapeños, more cheese shreds, another slice of bread. Cook on a little vegan butter over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden.
We used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella-style vegan cheese shreds with this one.
Last but not least, a vegan grilled cheese sandwich with the green goodness of spinach. Rinse some baby spinach and wilt it in the pan you'll be using. Transfer to a colander and squeeze out the liquid.
Layer on bread: cheese shreds, wilted spinach more cheese shreds, another slice of bread. Cook on a little vegan butter over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden.
We used mozzarella-style vegan cheese shreds here, but this would go with any variety - cheddar, or if you'd like a spicy kick to go with the spinach, pepperjack.
Ta-dah! Five delicious ways to make your favorite comfort food.
And if you love these vegan grilled cheese sandwich ideas, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes as well:
Recipe
Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich - 5 Ways!
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread any variety
- vegan butter as needed for cooking
#1 - Vegan Grilled Cheese, Tomato, and Vegan Bacon
- 3 slices vegan bacon store bought or homemade
- ¼ cup vegan cheddar, mozzarella, or pepper jack style cheese shreds
#2 - Vegan Grilled Cheese with Mushrooms
- 2 oz mushrooms cremini or shiitake
- ¼ cup vegan mozzarella style cheese shreds
#3 - Vegan Apple and Cheddar Grilled Cheese
- ½ granny smith apple sliced thinly
- ¼ cup vegan cheddar style cheese shreds
#4 Vegan Jalapeno Grilled Cheese
- ½ jalapeno sliced, seeds removed
- ¼ cup vegan cheddar or mozzarella style cheese shreds or a combination of both
#5 - Vegan Green Goddess Grilled Cheese
- 1 cup baby spinach more or less, to taste
- ¼ cup vegan mozzarella style cheese shreds
Instructions
#1 - Vegan Grilled Cheese, Tomato, and Vegan Bacon
- Precook vegan bacon slices first. Layer some vegan cheese shreds onto a slice of bread, followed by tomato slices, vegan bacon, sliced tomato, more cheese shreds, topped by another slice of bread.
- Spread a bit of vegan butter on both sides of the sandwich, and cook over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden and cheese is melted.
#2 - Vegan Grilled Cheese with Mushrooms
- Spray a frying pan with olive oil cooking spray, and cook sliced mushrooms for 5-6 minutes, over medium high heat, until wilted. Drain off any excess liquid, and allow mushrooms to cool.
- On a slice of bread, layer the cheese shreds, cooked mushrooms, more cheese shreds, and then another slice of bread.
- Spread a bit of vegan butter on both sides of the sandwich, and cook over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden and cheese is melted.
#3 - Vegan Apple and Cheddar Grilled Cheese
- On a slice of bread, layer the cheese shreds, apple slices, more cheese shreds, and then another slice of bread.
- Spread a bit of vegan butter on both sides of the sandwich, and cook over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden and cheese is melted.
#4 - Vegan Jalapeno Grilled Cheese
- On a slice of bread, layer the cheese shreds, sliced jalapeños, more cheese shreds, and then another slice of bread.
- Spread a bit of vegan butter on both sides of the sandwich, and cook over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden and cheese is melted.
#5 - Vegan Green Goddess Grilled Cheese
- Rinse some baby spinach and wilt it in the pan you'll be using. Transfer to a colander and squeeze out the liquid.
- On a slice of bread, layer the cheese shreds, wilted spinach, more cheese shreds, and then another slice of bread.
- Spread a bit of vegan butter on both sides of the sandwich, and cook over medium heat, covered, until both sides are golden and cheese is melted.
Nutrition (Estimate per Serving)
This post was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated.
Melissa Mason says
My favorite cheese for grilled cheese is by “So Delicious”. It’s meltable and gooey.