Grilled Cheese Cheeseburgers

Trying to decide between sandwiches or burgers for supper one day, one of us - neither can remember who, at this point - joked about doing both at the same time.

We both fed into the joke, hatching what would become the plan for a burger that used grilled cheese sandwiches as buns.

We’d later find out that this was a thing already - not entirely surprising - but in the moment, it felt GENIUS.

As the one who ISN’T unable to almost unhinge their jaw to eat anything anywhere near what we described, I had to weigh in with logistical concerns.

Using regular Wonderbread for the sandwiches would create an absolute monstrosity of a burger, that I doubt even my husband would be able to handle.

Not so much of an issue when we’re at home - larger grocery stores will sometimes slice uncut-bread to order - but knowing that a major brand sold pre-sliced thin bread slices seemed like a sign that we needed to Do. The. Thing.

So, we did.

After making the first one, it was pretty apparent that I’d need to adapt the idea for myself, because even thin sliced grilled cheese sandwich buns... was still a bit much for me.

In the end, we had two different styles of grilled cheese cheeseburgers, and they were both delicious!

Before we show you how we did the both of them, let’s look at the ingredients you’ll need...

Ingredients

This recipe uses really basic ingredients. Aside from possibly the bread, you won’t have any trouble finding everything you need.

As always, I have some ingredient notes for you:

Regular Ground Beef

I like to use regular / medium ground beef, rather than a lean ground beef. I just find it makes a tastier, juicier burger.

If all you have on hand is lean ground beef - and you’re not actively trying to cut the fat down - I recommend adding a tablespoon or two of bacon fat.

Just mix it in with the other ingredients, before forming the burger patties. It’ll bring the juiciness up, AND add a nice flavour!

Bread

The type of bread you use is going to depend on which version of these grilled cheese burgers you’re looking to make.

If you want to do two full grilled cheese sandwiches to use as buns, you are definitely going to want to go with thinly sliced bread.

If you’re doing the second version - basically a grilled cheese sandwich constructed around a burger patty - you can use regular cut bread.

Plain white Wonderbread is obviously traditional for grilled cheese sandwiches - and you can get both cuts, in that brand. That said, feel free to use whatever bread you like for grilled cheese sandwiches.

As pictured - for the second style - I used Carbonaut bread, as it’s low carb and gluten free.

Sliced Cheese

When I was living in the usa, I was 100% against any kind of processed cheese. To my Canadian palate... American cheese tasted like oil or plastic.

Kraft Singles seemed to be the only real exception to that. While I preferred the taste of real cheese, processed cheese just had a better texture for traditional grilled cheese sandwiches.

You can use whatever sliced cheese you want, though. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of grilled cheese sandwiches made with Swiss cheese, Havarti, or - my favourite - cumin spiced gouda.

Really, though... for these burgers, we like to go with tradition. Nothing else comes close to the gooey, melted comfort food factor of Kraft Singles, in this burger recipe!

Burger Toppings

Once you’ve got the basics covered - the burger patty, and the grilled cheese sandwiches - the rest is up to you!

We like topping these grilled cheese sandwich cheeseburgers as we would any other cheeseburger.

Our go-to toppings are Ketchup Mustard, and/or Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato Slices, Red Onion Slices, and Pickle Slices.

Montreal Steak Spice

I like to keep the burger seasoning pretty simple for this recipe, and Montreal spice is super handy for that. A nice complex flavour, without needing to cart 10 different spices to the campground!

Both regular or spicy Montreal Steak Spice work great, for the store bought options. If you’re feeling a bit more industrious, try my Homemade Montreal Steak Spice Recipe!

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Salted Butter (Softened!)
Garlic Powder
Salt

... I just don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go.

How to Make Grilled Cheese Cheeseburgers

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the visual walk-through:

Burgers Patties

Place ground beef in a large bowl, along with the Montreal Steak Spice, garlic powder, and salt.

Gently use hands to get a really good mix going, making sure that everything is evenly distributed and well incorporated in the meat mixture. Don’t overhandle it or squeeze!

Divide the beef mixture into 3 equal balls. Gently flatten each ball into a patty the shape and size of your bread, with a slight indent in the center of each.

Cover and chill for 20 minutes - you want the patties cold when they go on the grill!

Grilled Cheese Burger Assembly

Get a medium to medium-hot campfire going, or get your charcoal on the go. (If you’re making this on a stove, use medium high heat and a nonstick pan.)

Place chilled burgers on the grill grates, grill over medium heat until the internal temperature reaches 160 F on a meat thermometer / instant-read thermometer.

Note: 160 F is the temperature generally accepted as being the safest minimum internal temperature. If you prefer medium or medium-rare doneness, it’s usually more like 2-3 minutes on each side, and aiming for 130 -145 F.

As the burgers are grilling, assemble 6 cheese sandwiches, using 2 pieces of thinly sliced bread and a slice of processed cheese for each.

Once cooked, transfer burgers to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm, while you make the grilled cheese sandwiches.

Working in batches, spread one side of each sandwich with butter, place butter side down in the pan. Once in the pan, spread the top with more butter.

Cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

Easier-To-Eat Grilled Cheese Cheeseburgers

Use the same recipe for the hamburger patties, but you’ll need 6 slices of regular sliced bread, and 6 slices of processed cheese.

As your burgers are grilling, prepare your bread slices.

Spread one side of each slice with any burger spreads you want - ketchup, mayo, BBQ sauce, mustard, etc - and top each with a slice of cheese.

If you want any other toppings - pickles, onions, tomato slices, etc - divide them out on top of the cheese slices.

Repeat to make two more sandwiches.

Working in batches, spread one side of each sandwich with butter, place butter side down in the pan. Once in the pan, spread the top with more butter.

Cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Leftovers

Grilled cheese really doesn’t work as a leftovers thing.

If the recipe makes more than you need, I recommend chilling the burgers for up to 3 days, and just making your grilled cheese sandwiches fresh, as needed.

More Grilling Recipes for Camping

Looking for some great meals to cook on a campfire or grill? Here's a few of my favourites!

Bacon Venison Burgers with Whiskey Onions
Bannock Burgers
Bison Burgers with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
Campfire Calzones
Campfire Pizza
Elk Burgers with Bacon & Sauteed Mushrooms
Fajita Chicken Kebabs
French Onion Soup Burgers
Greek Chicken Souvlaki
Grilled Chicken Fajitas
Lemon-Dill Fresh Salmon Burgers
Easy Grilled Shrimp Tacos
Grilled Tuna Tacos
Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs
Mediterranean Salmon Burgers
Pesto Chicken Skewers
Sesame Ginger Grilled Tuna Kebabs
Shrimp Boil Foil Packets
Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers

Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!