17 Best Breads For Grilled Cheese (The Definitive Guide)

When it comes to a classic sandwich with just two ingredients, both of those ingredients need to be the best they can be. Here’s our definitive guide to the best breads for grilled cheese sandwiches!

Alright, folks, let me drop some wisdom on you about the crucial matter of bread choice when it comes to making a grilled cheese sandwich.

See, the bread you pick is like the foundation of your sandwich. Choose a wimpy, flimsy bread, and your cheesy creation will collapse faster than my hopes of winning the lottery. But if you go for sturdy, dependable bread, you’ve got yourself a rock-solid foundation that can handle the gooey goodness of melted cheese without turning into a soggy mess.

There are no absolutes with grilled cheese and everyone likes something different, so we aren’t going to rank order our recommendations. We will start with some of the clearly most common and popular types of bread then suggest a few we have experimented with here at Live Eat Learn that you might not have thought of, but we think work great.

10 Popular Types of Bread in Grilled Cheese

When it comes to grilled cheese, the reigning champions of bread choices are the classic white, hearty sourdough, and the rebellious rye. But here are 10 popular bread choices for making a slam dunk grilled cheese.

White Bread

This is the simple go-to bread, particularly for making quick sandwiches you know the kids will like. Slap some butter, margarine, or mayo on the two outer pieces, add your favorite cheese, and cook on low to medium heat for a good golden brown crust we all love. If you want a thicker sandwich, use white Texas Toast bread.

Some people argue that white bread just isn’t as nutritious as many other types of bread. While we agree, its color and soft absorbent texture produce a yellow to golden brown sandwich that we all associate with grilled cheese. Sometimes, when you use whole-grain bread, the sandwich just doesn’t color up as well.  Thoughts? The comments section at the bottom is your canvas.

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread is a popular choice for grilled cheese sandwiches because of its tangy flavor and sturdy texture. Sourdough’s chewy texture holds up well when grilled, and the tangy flavor goes well with most types of cheese. We really like it with goat cheese. Give this Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Cheese Recipe a try.

The chewy texture is sometimes a turn-off with people. When using sourdough, we try to be careful not to cut the bread too thickly. It can be difficult to chew through the crusty edges when they are very thick, and the cheese starts dripping down your hands. Maybe that is a positive?

Brioche Bread

Brioche bread is a rich, buttery bread perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. Its light and fluffy texture makes for a deliciously crispy sandwich, and its buttery flavor adds a decadent touch to the classic grilled cheese sandwich.

Italian Bread

Italian bread is another good option for grilled cheese sandwiches. Its sturdy texture will withstand the heat of the grill, and its light flavor won’t overpower the cheese. Italian bread can also be sliced thickly, which makes it great for holding lots of gooey cheese. Provolone is a good option.

We think this bread option is best with other ingredients besides cheese. Consider ham, salami, or even a bit of pesto.

Whole Wheat Bread

Whole wheat bread is a healthier option for grilled cheese sandwiches. Its nutty flavor and thick texture can overshadow the cheese in your sandwich, so we prefer a good sharp cheddar or other robustly flavored cheese. And, use plenty of cheese while you are at it. An advantage to whole wheat is that it is loaded with fiber, which will help keep you full if you are trying to watch your weight but still want to eat grilled cheese. 

Whole wheat bread is also sturdier than white bread, which makes it great for grilled cheese sandwiches. Your sandwich won’t get mushy and can hold up with a lot of melted cheese.

Rye Bread

Rye bread is a flavorful option for grilled cheese sandwiches. The bread’s sturdy texture holds up well when grilled, and its rich flavor pairs well with Swiss, provolone, or smoked gouda. It is perfect for holding lots of cheese. 

Rye is another good bread that pairs other ingredients besides cheese well. Ham or prosciutto are great options. We even tried it with sauerkraut. A unique sandwich, but one you should try around Oktoberfest.

French Bread

French bread has a crisp crust and soft interior, making it an option for grilled cheese sandwiches. We find that toasting the bread lightly before adding the cheese gives it some extra crunch. We just don’t care for the flakiness of French bread’s crust in a grilled cheese sandwich. We list it here because, according to our readers, many people do.

Ciabatta Bread

Ciabatta bread has a chewy texture and porous interior that absorbs the cheese well. For an Italian-inspired twist, add some sliced tomatoes or prosciutto to the sandwich. Try using ciabatta rolls. They are pretty thick, so they will have to cook a bit longer, and you will want to put in extra cheese to balance the cheese volume with the larger amount of bread. 

Their rounded shape means that it can be a little harder to evenly cook the whole surface of the bread. Using a sandwich maker or panini press is a good option for this bread. We have even carved out just a bit of the bread in the center of the roll to make it lie flat and, well, honestly, to stuff more ingredients inside.  

Multigrain Bread

Multigrain bread is a healthy option for grilled cheese sandwiches. Its nutty flavor pairs well with sharp cheeses like cheddar or Swiss. Try it with gouda cheese in this Roasted Pepper Gouda Grilled Cheese Recipe.

Pumpernickel Bread

Pumpernickel is often made with molasses and or brown sugar which, in combination with rye flower, gives it a dark, dense texture and a slightly sweet flavor. It pairs well with smoky or spicy cheeses. We like it with pepper jack, provolone, gruyere, Swiss or Emmental. Try adding some sliced ham or pastrami to the sandwich for a classic deli-style grilled cheese.

5 Unique Types of Bread for Grilled Cheese

Prepare to embark on a tantalizing grilled cheese adventure with unconventional bread options like English muffins and naan!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This sweet bread may seem like an odd choice for a savory sandwich, but the combination of the sweet bread and gooey melted cheese is surprisingly tasty. Add sliced apples or pears to the sandwich for an extra burst of sweetness.

Try it with cream cheese. Yep, you can make grilled cheese out of that too. It is really a little different than putting cream cheese on a toasted bagel. We also like the sharpness of cheddar with the sweet bread, and you should consider brie, provolone, or goat cheese as well. 

English Muffins

Split an English muffin in half and toast it before adding the cheese and grilling to create a crispy and chewy grilled cheese sandwich. Because they are small, they kind of make the “slider” of grilled cheese. We like this option with a piece of Canadian bacon or a round of breakfast ham.

An advantage of English muffins is that they come in multiple flavors and textures. You kids are almost certain to like a grilled cheese made on cinnamon raisin muffins.

Cornbread

Okay, now we are really getting non-standard, and we warned you in the introduction to use hearty bread…and this is anything but that. The sweet taste of cornbread goes well with sharp cheeses like cheddar. The crumbly texture can be tricky to work with, so we like this bread in a sandwich press so you don’t risk the bread breaking as it may when you flip it when cooked in a pan. Add some diced jalapenos or green chilies to the sandwich for a spicy twist. Try serving it for lunch with this award-winning taco soup.

Naan Bread

Naan bread is a soft and chewy Indian flatbread. Spread some garlic butter on the naan before adding cheddar cheese and perhaps a slice of tomato for a flavorful grilled cheese sandwich. This usually isn’t the sandwich you want to make for the kids, but adults always seem to like it.

Pretzel Bread

Pretzel rolls are great for burgers, but also with grilled cheese. Obviously, we aren’t talking about the pretzel shown in the photo, but a thick brochen-style roll. The bread’s salty chewy texture pairs well with creamy cheeses like brie or camembert. Add some sliced ham or turkey to the sandwich for a classic deli-style grilled cheese.

Reader’s Choice Breads

Fruit Breads

We sort of felt like the entry for cinnamon raisin bread covered this, but one reader was adamant about Costco’s cranberry walnut bread. He said, “It is great toasted, but is also a wonderful bread for a melted cheese sandwich. All combinations of spreads and cheeses will work. What sets cranberry walnut bread apart is that it becomes super crunchy in the pan and the bread’s slight sweetness as well as berries and nuts marry nicely with the richness and savoriness of the cheeses.”

Hawaiian Rolls

We generally don’t think of these as grilled cheese bread. Now, slice the collective top of a box of 24 and make mini ham and cheese sliders in the oven, and these are money!  So we gave it a go. It sort of works, but they ended up rather flat with cheese leaking out. They were delicious, don’t get me wrong, but we think this is a better roll for the oven.

So what is the best bread for grilled cheese?

This is clearly answered by YOUR personal preference, but sourdough is the best bread for grilled cheese, in our experience. The most commonly used type, however, is white bread, probably because it is the most commonly stocked bread in our pantries and is so kid-friendly.

We know these 17 recommendations aren’t the only types of bread that work well with grilled cheese, and here at Live Eat Learn we are always experimenting to find combinations that work. Feel free to tell us your favorite in the comments section. We hope you found something you can use, and as always happy eating!