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Kimchi Grilled Cheese…the slightly grown-up version of everyone’s favorite childhood sandwich. Spicy kimchi, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh basil, all sandwiched together between two slices of sesame (garlic) buttered sourdough bread. Pan cooked and finished off with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and fresh chives. It might seem like an odd grilled cheese, but trust me, everything about this sandwich is SO GOOD. Think spicy veggies + melted cheese + buttery sourdough bread. Easy to make for lunch or dinner any day of the week.
Welcome back and hello to summertime, right?
Ahh, kind of, but not really…
After a long weekend with a mix of sun and clouds, but not a lot of warmth, I’m really hoping for sunnier skies. Looks like I will have to wait until at least the end of the week, as there is still snow in the forecast for today and tomorrow. Not going to lie, if the weather continues on the way it is, I may need to book an impromptu trip outta town. OMG, if it does not warm up around here I just may lose it. At least I will have some fun days back in the kitchen this week.
Fun question for you, if I high tail it out of Colorado this week, where is the BEST place to go this time year?
Anyway, I’ve had this sandwich in the back of my head for months now. After hesitating for so long, I finally worked up the courage to share it. Lately I’ve been second guessing every single move I make, and over thinking absolutely everything. It’s been driving me slightly insane and making my brain hurt. So this weekend I gave up and decided to give myself a break. I’m kicking off the week with a new mindset, “go with your first thought and don’t think twice”.
We shall see how long this new mindset lasts for me. But the bottom line is that I really want to share this grilled cheese, and I felt like today is the perfect day. We’re coming off a long holiday weekend, probably feeling a little tired, and looking for an easy lunch or dinner. Am I right?
Grilled cheese is the ultimate easy meal. This kimchi grilled cheese is really just the grown-up version of the grilled cheese sandwich we ate as kids. And while I will not say it’s better, because a classic grilled cheese is also so GOOD. I will say that it’s incredibly delicious, and definitely what you need to be making today.
As you can imagine, this is the easiest recipe to create. It takes maybe 15-20 minutes total, requires little to no chopping, and uses just one skillet. Hey, it’s a grilled cheese sandwich, we’re not getting too fancy here, just keeping things good.
Of course, I added some flavor, texture, and color. I mean, it’s me, I hope you would expect nothing less.
First up, let’s talk about this bread. You should use a nice crusty sourdough. No flimsy white bread here, use something good with a nice flavor. Then slather the bread with some garlicky sesame butter. Aka salty butter with a touch of garlic and raw sesame seeds. If you don’t like garlic, no worries, leave it out. But keep the sesame seeds, they toast up as the sandwich cooks in the skillet, and my gosh, they’re delicious.
Now, layer in some cheese. I like a mix of cheddar and fontina. Cheddar is sharp and has good flavor, while fontina is mellow and melts beautifully.
Onto the kimchi. I love Mother in Law’s Kimichi (which I get from Whole Foods). It’s the best I’ve come across, AND this is coming from someone who does not love kimichi. Wait, what? Yes, I don’t really enjoy kimichi…at least not on its own. I can find it to be a bit too intense to enjoy as is. But when sandwiched between cheese and bread…
Very much my preferred way to enjoy kimichi!
Finally, pan cook each sandwich and finish with flaky sea salt and chives. SO EASY. SO GOOD. It’s a touchy spicy, cheesy, loaded with vegetables, fresh basil, and has just the tiniest hints of garlic and salt.
I’m telling you, something about this time of year just makes me want to recreate all the foods of my childhood, but in a grown-up way. So far this year I’ve done chicken fingers, quesadillas, pizza, pasta salad, doughnuts, and peanut butter cup bars. All the foods I loved growing up, especially during the summertime.
And I realize that some of you may find this grilled cheese odd, but if you think about it, it’s just vegetables, cheese, and bread. So nothing that crazy or out of the norm, right? Yes, very normal, very good, and the best part? It’s incredibly easy. Meaning this grilled cheese should be lunch or dinner today.
It’s the obvious choice for the Tuesday following a long weekend. Grilled cheese makes life better!
If you make this kimchi grilled cheese, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch The How To Video:
Sesame Butter Kimchi Grilled Cheese
Servings: 4 4
Calories Per Serving: 519 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 4 slices thick cut sourdough bread
- 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Havarti or fontina cheese, shredded
- fresh chives, for serving
- honey, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sesame seeds, and garlic. 2. Spread the outside of each slice of bread with sesame garlic butter. On the inside of half of the slices of bread, spread with Gochujang, then evenly layer the cheeses, kimchi, and basil. Add the top piece of bread, buttered side facing up.3. Place the sandwiches, one at a time, in the skillet and cook until golden on each side, about 3-5 minutes per side. Serve topped with chives, honey, and sea salt.
Excellent! I omitted the chives only because I forgot to purchase them.
No worries! So glad this still turned out amazing for you! xTieghan
Ermegawd! Wow is this so so good! We didn’t use kimchi because it’s difficult to find but that’s fine— I searched out the gochujang and found it at our local grocery store which I will use on everything. Such a perfectly flavorful and easy meal. Thank you for another winner! Our go to from now on ♥️
Thank you Karen! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Been meaning to make this for ages and finally made it. Absolutely delicious
Best cheese toastie ever.
Thank you so much Niku!! xTieghan
This was AMAZING! I may never make basic grilled cheese again. Well done!
Thank you Sara! xTieghan
I am always mystified by instructions for grilled cheese that start with buttering the bread, then turning it over, getting butter all over the cutting board. I thought everyone did this – make your sandwich, like a sandwich. Butter the top of the sandwich, put that side in the pan. While it’s in the pan butter the naked top. BTW this is a great sandwich. I haven’t found anything I’ve tried from your website that is less than wonderful.
Wow that is so sweet to hear! Thank you so much Sylvia! xTieghan
This grilled cheese was AMAZING! We used some of our homemade kimchi, and then also made your springtime chicken pho recipe from a looong time ago. Such a good meal!
Wow sounds like the perfect meal! Thank you Maureen! xTieghan
Omg this looks so good. I love kimchi in all forms, especially on its own, but then again, I’m Korean lol. This looks like a great combo of two of three of my fave things, bread, kimchi, and cheese!
That is so great! I am so glad you like this and I hope you try it! xTieghan
I was just in New Orleans a few weeks ago and it was lovely! Yes, it was hot but it sounds like you might need a bit of warmth! The Garden District is so lovely to stroll around. If you’ve never been to Turkey and the Wolf, I recommend it (BA named it their best new restaurant a few years back) Get the collard green melt, it’s to die for.
Haha I do need a bit of warmth, you’re right! Thank you so much for sharing this, Claire!! xTieghan
Korean here. I will definitely try the recipe. It looks like something that even my parents would enjoy.
One suggestion that I would make is using over fermented kimchi. Technically speaking, store bought “real” kimchi (the one without vinegar) is under fermented. Freshly packed/purchased kimchi doesn’t taste like kimchi that’s been stored in the fridge for weeks. This aging process will make kimchi more flavorful and acidic. This acidity will balance with the fatty flavor from the cheese in the recipe. It’s worth trying making this dish with freshly purchased kimchi and another one with aged kimchi.
Most koreans purchase kimchi and eat as a side dish until it gets sour. Then, they stir fry it or make kimchi stew with pork belly and other fatty meat.
Thank you so much Harry! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
I’d say go to Ashville North Carolina (or the surrounding areas.) There’s tons of waterfalls you & your kids would I’m sure love, the blue ridge parkway & mountains. Lots of outdoor adventures & cute towns to explore.
Thank you so much Christie! xTieghan
I have sriracha hot chili saucer, soy sauce, miso paste, red chili flakes. Can I replace Gochujang with that?
I would recommend sriracha. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
OMG! I used to eat grilled cheese all the time as a kid, guess who’s going to make grilled cheese now for dinner… Thank you for the great recipe!
YES! I hope you love this! Thank you! xTieghan
No more “working up the courage to post” or second guessing yourself, Tieghan! You post something new practically every day of the week. Give yourself a break! It’s just food & you should Accept the fact that you won’t keep all of the people happy all of the time. I’m sure there are a lot of us who read your blog who don’t make every recipe you post but we still enjoy reading about your thought process. For me, it gets my own creative juices flowing. I love kimchi & this recipe got me thinking about another combo that I might try…Havarti, sauerkraut, whole grain mustard & caraway seeds on rye bread grilled cheese. I might even throw a little honey on it to balance out the other flavors. I never would’ve even thought to do that if not for reading your blog & your recommendations for balancing flavors in one’s food, so thank you!
Hi Marcia! Thank you for this, I completely agree I want to stop doing that! But, I am so glad you like this and it gave you some inspiration!! That is so amazing! xTieghan
Thanks Tieghan. Your recipes are always inspiring & this sandwich will be appearing on our plates one night this week. I made your Cajun garlic butter steak last night & wanted to tell you what a great, easy recipe it was. Steak on a plate dinners just don’t appeal anymore (even when it’s local & grass fed) and this was a great alternative. I served it with fresh corn (off the cob) sauteed with a little garlic butter too & lots of chives. Thanks for keeping me inspired.
Yum that sounds like a great meal! Thank you so much for trying this Suzanne! xTieghan
ooooh yuumm kimchi, I love kimchi!!
Yes! Thank you Ruth! xTieghan