French Onion Patty Melt

If you love a good patty melt and french onion soup, then why not combine the two? This French Onion Patty Melt is the perfect handheld.

We’re talking melty gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, double patties, and double swiss cheese, all toasted up on a skillet and served with a classic diner sauce—yum!

Serve this with some fries, and you’ve got a delicious meal!

What is a French Onion Patty Melt?

A classic patty melt consists of ground beef patties, melted cheese, and caramelized onions on two pieces of bread toasted by the flames.

This version of a patty melt combines the toasty, cheesy goodness of a patty melt and the deliciously classic flavor of french onion soup. It makes for a pretty freaking good patty melt sandwich!

If you like french onion soup, then you should try my Tomahawk Steak with French Onion Crust.

How to Make a It!

French Onion Patty Melt Ingredients

Beef:

• Ground Beef  (I used 80/20 ground beef for this recipe because it makes for a juicy burger and holds together well when being cooked)
• Swiss Cheese (for nuttiness)
• Gruyere Cheese (for it’s deep smokey flavor)
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder (put this in everything)

Onions:

• Yellow Onions (yellow onions have the best flavor for caramelizing)
• Brown Sugar (adding a bit more sweetness)
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder (Yes, more garlic.)

Diner Sauce:

• Ketchup
• Yellow Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Pickle Relish  (gives it a zip and provides some texture to the sauce)
• Hot Sauce (you can select a mild sauce if you are sensitive to spice)

Sandwich:

• Thick Cut Bread (white bread or slices of rye bread will do)
• French Fries (or potato chips if you prefer)
• Pickles

French Onion Patty Melt Instructions

The first thing we need to do is form our hamburger patties, so section your beef into 1/3 pound balls.

No one likes a crumbly burger patty, so place the formed patty balls on a tray and set them in the fridge for about 25-30 minutes. This will give them time to set up so they don’t fall apart when you cook them.

Next, toss together all the ingredients for your diner sauce and then place that in the fridge. We are using ketchup, yellow mustard, mayo, pickled relish, and hot sauce.

We love this diner sauce because it’s super easy to make. Heck, you probably already have everything you need on hand!

Now it’s time to cook your patties. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (340F), add a large cast iron skillet, and pull your tray out of the fridge.

For this next step, you’ll want to grab a piece of parchment paper and a spatula. Place each burger onto the skillet and then put a piece of parchment paper over it. I like to put the parchment paper between my spatula and the patty because it helps prevent the beef from sticking to my spatula.

Use the spatula to smash the hamburger patty onto the skillet, and repeat for each patty.

If you like smashed patties, then you’ll love my Steakhouse Smash Burgers, Elvis Smash Burger and Cheesy Onion Smash Burgers.

Make sure to carefully flip each burger over and season the exposed side with salt, pepper, and garlic. Once they are done cooking, pull them off the heat and keep them warm until you’re ready to assemble your French Onion Patty Melt.

French Onions for Our Patty Melts

Now for the best part, add your sliced onions to the skillet and allow them to caramelize. I recommending grabbing something to sip on because it should take the onions around 30-45 minutes to turn dark brown. About halfway through the cooking time, add salt, pepper, garlic, and brown sugar.

There’s nothing like the smell of grilled onions to make your mouth water! Once your onions are fully caramelized, pull them off the heat and keep them warm.

French Onion Patty Melt Assembly

Now you’re ready for assembly! Add a spoonful of that delicious diner sauce to the bottom piece of bread, a sprinkle of gruyere cheese, and some caramelized onions.

On top of that, add your first patty with a slice of swiss cheese. Next comes your second patty, more swiss cheese, caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, and another slice of bread with diner sauce.

Repeat this process until all your patty melts are assembled. 

Place each patty melt on a clean hot cast iron skillet so that the bread will toast. It should take about 1-2 minutes for your bread to turn golden brown.

Make sure you don’t walk away because no one wants a burnt patty melt! Once you’ve achieved your desired toastiness,  it’s time to dig in!

Serve with fries, ketchup, and pickles—enjoy!

For more delicious sandwich style recipes, check out my BBQ Steak Sandwich, Cheese Stuffed Sausage Sandwich and Crispy Korean Pork Belly Sandwiches.

How to Store French Onion Patty Melt

These sandwiches are best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers, the best way to store them is deconstructed in an airtight container. You don’t want to keep them with the bread and diner sauce because you’ll be left with a soggy sandwich, and who wants that?

Maybe my dogs, but that’s it.

If you do end up with a leftover assembled patty melt, you can always reheat it by placing it in the oven for 5 minutes at around 375F until the outside is once again crispy!

FAQs

What is the difference between a patty melt and cheeseburger?

A patty melt is a variant of your classic American cheeseburger. The main difference between the two is that a cheeseburger is served on a soft bun while a patty melt comes on griddled bread.

Can you reheat a patty melt in an air fryer?

An air fryer is a good option for reheating your patty melt! Place it in the basket at about 350 to 400 degrees and let it heat up for around 4 minutes until your desired level of crispiness is achieved.

There’s nothing like this classic diner sandwich. If a regular burger sounds boring to you, give this French Onion Patty Melt recipe a try, it’s so freaking delicious!

The combination of savory caramelized onion, melty cheese, and burger patties topped with diner sauce is like your favorite grilled cheese sandwich only ten times tastier. 

This French Onion Patty Melt gives you that savory, salty, but slightly sweet kick you just can’t get enough of. Let us know how yours turned out in the comments!

For more delicious recipes, check out my second cookbook Flavor X Fire or my first cookbook Food X Fire!

Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.