Vegan.

Grilled.

Cheese.

Sandwich.

Need I say more?

The weather is definitely cooling down (even here in California), and nothing goes better with soup season then a ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich. And guess what? Non-dairy cheeses have come such a long way, there’s virtually no discernible difference between a vegan grilled cheese sando and a traditional grilled cheese.

Here’s the twist to this one:

GREEN APPLES.

Yup! You’d be AMAZED at how well the tart green apples pair with the sharp cheddar cheese.

So buckle up everyone! And let’s get into it!

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Secrets to the BEST Vegan Grilled Cheese.

Before we dive into the ingredients for this vegan grilled cheese, let’s take a brief look at what elevates a decent grilled cheese sandwich to the best vegan grilled cheese sandwich:

The Cheese.

Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush here. You can’t have a great vegan grilled cheese sandwich without good vegan cheese. Back when I first went vegan, it was slim pickins, not gonna lie. We had one brand and one flavor of cheese and let me tell ya…it didn’t really taste like cheese. But, over the last 8 years, the vegan cheese industry has exploded with not just different flavors, but increasingly astonishing replicas of the real thing. No longer are we relegated to plastic-y renditions of “mozzarella.” We now have provolone, cheddar, sharp cheddar, pepper jack, brie!

Growing up, I never experimented with the cheeses. I went with Kraft singles American cheese. I know, what a shame! Don’t make my mistake. Play around with all the available cheese flavors and USE MORE THAN ONE. Here, we go with a sharp cheddar to complement the tart green apples and umami packed onions, along with a couple slices of a mellow provolone.

The Bread.

The second component to the best vegan grilled cheese you’ve ever had in your life is, of course, the bread. I like a stout, sturdy bread for grilled cheese, because nothing pisses me off more than a sandwich that falls apart. To me, this is not the time to bust out a loaf of pre-sliced white sandwich bread (honestly, I cannot think of any scenario in which that would be appropriate). Rather, think fancy–like sourdough or french bread or a rustic peasant bread. What you’re trying to achieve is a lovely crunch on the outside, followed by a tender bite on the inside.

With the moisture of the apples and onions in this recipe, you’ll need something hearty enough to keep this vegan grilled cheese sandwich intact.

The Dressing.

Wait, what? Dressing?

Yup, you heard me!

Although, it’s more of a sauce than a dressing, I suppose.

Like the Big Mac, Filet O’ Fish, and other legendary sandwiches, this vegan grilled cheese can only be “the best” if it comes with a solid dressing. I borrowed one from the undisputed Goddess of all things homemade, Ina Garten. She suggests a mayonnaise-based dressing to elevate the plain grilled cheese and that is exactly what we do here!

The Pan.

Ok, have you ever tried making a grilled cheese sandwich with the wrong pan? I have. And it is a recipe for disaster and possibly even a fire. Let’s not do that.

Get yourself a good non-stick pan (might I recommend this one). You’re also going to need a lid, here. Why? Because in addition to the heat coming from the bottom of the pan, you’ll need to steam the cheese into submission. Remember, we are making a vegan grilled cheese sandwich and vegan cheese is notoriously stubborn. It HATES to melt!

Patience.

Good things come to those who wait. And this vegan grilled cheese is no exception. I used to think grilled cheese was something you could do in a couple minutes. But one day, I put the heat on low and forgot about it (never a good thing, y’all). When I finally remembered I had a grilled cheese on the stove, I rushed back to discover that my bread had toasted to an utter glorious golden perfection. THAT is definitely a part of this best vegan grilled cheese sandwich recipe.

Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for Vegan Grilled Cheese Recipe.

All right, let’s talk ingredients for this vegan grilled cheese:

Vegan Shredded Cheddar Cheese.

You can’t have a vegan grilled cheese sandwich without cheese, so please don’t ask me for substitutes on the cheese. If you don’t want cheese in your sandwich, you should make my Korean Vegan BBQ Sando instead!

Luckily, there are plenty of excellent options when it comes to vegan shredded cheese. For this recipe, I went with Violife’s Shredded Cheddar, but you could also use Follow Your Heart’s Shredded Cheddar Cheese. And I recently discovered a new purveyor of vegan cheeses, called Vevan. They make a shredded cheddar that I think is pretty darn good. You can, of course, pick up a block of vegan cheddar cheese and shred it yourself, if that suits you!

Vegan Sliced Provolone Cheese.

In addition to the shredded cheddar cheese, I layer my vegan grilled cheese sandwich with a couple slices of vegan provolone. I find the one by Field Roast or Chao to be the best, but both Follow Your Heart and Violife make vegan provolone as well.

Sourdough Bread.

For this vegan grilled cheese, I went with a hearty sourdough bread. Because it was sourdough, I could get away with thinner slices without worrying that the moisture from the apples and onions (we’ll get to those later) would cause it to turn into a soggy mess. Of course, you can use whatever hearty bread you’d like and it can even be gluten free! Like I said above, though, I would avoid something as flimsy as plain old sandwich bread.

Green Apples.

Why apples? Well, partly because it’s fall and I love using seasonal ingredients. But, the pairing of apples and cheese is as old as Adam and Eve. Ok, maybe not that old. But still time-tested! I mean, the French pair apples with cheese all the time!! (I think…? I mean, it sounds very French to pair apples with cheese.) Why does the pairing work so well? Cheese is funky, super salty, and, at least with cheddar, quite sharp. Apples, on the other hand, are tart and sweet.

Can you substitute with other apples? Sure! But you may also want to switch up the cheese, then, too. For example, provolone might do much better with a honeycrisp or Fuji apple. Pepperjack would be a match made in heaven with something as sweet as a Gala. Play around with what you got. You really can’t go wrong, here!

The apples will be cooked down, some, but will also add a bit of texture to an otherwise gooey sandwich. Without these apples, this would be a fairly straight forward good vegan grilled cheese; but, that’s not what I’ve advertised, right?

Onions.

A few years ago, one of my mad-scientist like concoctions for a video went viral. It was my take on “what happens when French Onion Soup meets Grilled Cheese Sandwich?” Ever since then, I’ve LOVED adding caramelized onions to my vegan grilled cheese sandwich. The onions pack so much flavor and, again, add a little bit of heartiness and texture to the otherwise one-note grilled cheese. You can substitute regular onions with red onions (for a bit more zip) or shallots (for something more mellow). You can also omit the onions altogether (if you hate onions or are allergic).

Vegan Mayonnaise.

As I mentioned, part of an amazing vegan grilled cheese sandwich is a solid dressing. This dressing starts with a bit of vegan mayonnaise. If you don’t want to use vegan mayo, you can also use my favorite substitute–hummus.

Dijon Mustard.

Look, I told you this was going to be the BEST vegan grilled cheese EVAR, so of course we’re going to fancify with some Dijon mustard. If you hate mustard, you can skip this part or substitute with hummus (I mean, hummus is the best creamy substitute for everything). If you don’t have Dijon, you can use any old mustard you want, as long as it’s vegan!

Vegan Parmesan.

Doubling up on cheese is a MUST for any good vegan grilled cheese sandwich and this recipe is no exception to that rule. But instead of shredding some vegan parm over the top of my cheddar, we add it to the dressing. That’s right! Which brand do I like? It’s hard to beat a block a Violife’s Vegan Parmesan, but Follow Your Heart also has a solid vegan parm.

Vegan Butter.

In order to achieve that buttery golden crust on the bread, you will want to use a little vegan butter. But, if you don’t have vegan butter handy or simply don’t want to use vegan butter, you can definitely use extra virgin olive oil here instead. You’ll achieve a very similar texture, even if it won’t look or taste exactly like a traditional grilled cheese sandwich.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Step 1.

First, add a little extra virgin olive oil to a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer (around 1 minute), add your onions. Cook them down, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until they are starting to change color. Add sliced green apples and cook for an additional 3 minutes, by which time the onions should definitely be turning a light brown.

Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and continue sauteeing until the onions are a dark brown, adding more water every time it all evaporates. This may take an additional 5 minutes. Once the onion and apple mixture is cooked down and caramelized, place it in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 2.

Next, butter the outer sides of each slice of bread. Then, make the dressing by whisking together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and parmesan.

Step 3.

Add olive oil to a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Place both slices of bread onto the pan, butter side down. Next, spread the dressing on top of the bread (i.e., the non-buttered sides). Load one slice of bread with the apple and onion mixture. Load the other slice of bread with the sliced provolone and shredded cheddar.

Step 4.

Then, add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and QUICKLY cover it with the lid. Cook until the cheddar begins to show signs of melting, around 3 to 4 minutes. Flip one of the sides over and place on top of the other to form a sandwich.

Enjoy!!

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