Grilled cheese and soup just got a whole lot better with this delicious copycat Starbucks grilled cheese recipe. Ready for a quick and easy weeknight dinner? This recipe will have you feeling all warm and cheesy inside - in a good way. Get ready to indulge in the ultimate grilled cheese experience!⁠

As the leaves turn and the weather gets cooler, I find the best way to enjoy this season is to enjoy some comfort food. A classic comfort food combo is soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. And this copycat Starbucks crispy grilled cheese sandwich takes it to a whole other level! Since the world costs an arm and a leg nowadays, it is also much easier for me to justify this guilty pleasure from the comfort of home rather than schlepping out to the coffee chain pay for the real thing.

What is a Starbucks Grilled Cheese?

A Starbucks grilled cheese is one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches you can find. The Starbucks version of this classic kids favorite is a little more grown up, yet still bingeworthy. It has a delicious blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses between two slices of sourdough that are crisped to perfection with a mix of butter and parmesan cheese. This grilled cheese recipe will honestly rock your world!

Why I Love This Recipe

This Starbucks grilled cheese copycat recipe is one I love for a few reasons, and I know it will be yours too:

• Quick and easy - this recipe literally comes together in about ten to fifteen minutes. No extra time needed.
• Delicious - need I say more?
• Kid approved - always a plus when cooking food to appeal to the whole family!

Recipe Ingredients

This recipe is so great because it uses such a small and simple list of ingredients:

• Sourdough bread
• Cheddar cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese

Cheese Selection

As the star of this dish, the types of cheese we use for this sandwich are important! What makes this the perfect grilled cheese is the blend of white cheddar and mozzarella. The two cheeses combine to make just the right sharp yet smooth and milky flavor. Depending on how you like to make your grilled cheese, you can find a block of each type of cheese and shred it on to each slice of bread, or you can get them in pre-cut cheese slices. I like to know I am getting an exactly equal combination of mozzarella and cheddar, so I prefer to use the slices.

When picking your cheese, it is important to consider a few things:

• Mozzarella: there are different types of mozzarella cheese ranging from buffalo mozzarella made with buffalo milk to bocconcini to pressed pizza mozzarella. For this recipe, you will want something more along the lines of a pressed pizza mozzarella. A higher fat variety of pizza mozzarella will be ideal, as it has a distinctly buttery flavor and a little less stretch to it. This is great because it will help balance out the sharpness of the cheddar and its oozy texture.
• Cheddar: to balance out the mild flavor of our mozzarella, we want to choose a cheddar that has a little more kick to it. I suggest using a medium or sharp cheddar for this recipe. Fun fact - did you know that there is no difference in flavor between yellow cheddar and white cheddar cheese? The only difference is that yellow cheddar has had annatto food coloring added to it to give it its signature orange hue.
• Parmesan: while it may be more convenient to use the pre-shredded parmesan from the store, I do not recommend it. Since the cheese is the star of this recipe, we want to make sure we are using the best quality that we can! Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano are the best varieties of parmesan for this recipe. They will give the best flavor and texture as the crispy cheese on the outside of the bread for that perfect Starbucks grilled cheese experience at home!

How to Make a Copycat Starbucks Grilled Cheese Sandwich

While the full list of instructions is available in the detailed recipe card below, here are some tips to make this delicious sandwich at home!

• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium low heat. While the pan heats up, mix the parmesan and butter together with a fork in a small bowl. It is important to make sure your butter is room temperature so it will mix evenly with the shredded parmesan and spread smoothly over the slices of bread.
• Spread the parmesan and butter mixture evenly over two slices of thick sourdough bread. This parmesan butter spread will be the outside of our sandwich.
• Now it is time to assemble our grilled cheese! Place one slice of sourdough, butter side down onto the pan. Immediately place your mozzarella and cheddar slices on the top of the slice of bread in the pan and add the second slice of sourdough with the butter mixture side facing up.
• Let the sandwich cook undisturbed in the pan until you see the cheese starting to ooze. This may take up to five minutes. Flip the sandwich and let it cook undisturbed until the bottom is browned and the bread is cooked through. Serve immediately with your favorite cozy soup and enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Although this recipe has a small ingredient list and few steps to it, there are some key things to consider to make this the best grilled cheese ever.

• How to achieve the perfect ooey gooey center: this is possibly the best part about biting into a grilled cheese sandwich! The key here is to manage the heat in your frying pan. You want to make sure it is warm enough to melt the cheese, but not so hot that it burns the bread. You may need to turn the heat up or down as it cooks to make sure you get the right level of crispiness on the outsides of the bread while still melting the cheese.
• Getting the perfect golden brown sides: As I said earlier, you want to manage the heat in your pan to get the outsides of your sandwich nicely golden brown and crispy without having it too hot that it burns. To get that crispy sandwich, you want to make sure you are using a dry heat. That means not covering the pan with a lid, since that will trap steam in the pan and you will be left with a soggy sandwich. You will also want to try and leave the sandwich undisturbed in the pan as much as possible. Moving or flipping your grilled cheese too often will prevent it from getting perfectly golden.
• Soft butter: To make sure the parmesan gets mixed well, and that the butter spreads evenly over the bread slices, you want to make sure you use room temperature butter. Cold butter will be too hard and won't mix or spread properly.

Substitutions and Variations

If you don't have some of the ingredients on the list, here are some options for substitutions you can make.

• You can easily use either yellow cheddar or white cheddar cheese. There is no difference in taste between the two cheeses. Yellow cheddar simply has a food coloring added to it that gives it its bright orange hue.
• No mozzarella? No problem! Some other cheeses that would be delicious instead include gouda, fontina, or gruyere.
• Any thick slices of white bread should work in place of sourdough.

Other ingredients you can add to this sandwich includes:

• Add protein with ham, bacon, or rotisserie chicken.
• Up your veggie game by adding red pepper, spinach, red onion, tomatoes, or caramelized onions.

Storage and Reheating

While this best way to enjoy your grilled cheese sandwich is to eat it right away, you can still store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, you want to make sure you are using a dry heat to keep it crispy, so I would not recommend microwaving. You can reheat using your frying pan, panini pan, or even in the oven or air fryer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What equipment do you need to make the Starbucks grilled cheese?

You need minimal equipment for this recipe! Just a frying pan, flipper, and a fork and knife to mix and spread the parmesan butter.

How to Store Grilled Cheese?

Like I said earlier, this is best enjoyed right away so I do not recommend storing this for later. If you do decide to save it for later, it is best kept either in aluminum foil or an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Can I use other cheeses?

Of course! It just won't have the exact same flavor - I recommend fontina, gouda, or gruyere.

Can I use other breads?

If you do not have sourdough available, any thick sliced white bread should work.

What is the best Starbucks sandwich?

Of all the sandwich options at Starbucks, I must say that this grilled cheese is definitely a favorite Starbucks bakery item of mine. There are so many options though so it is hard to choose just one!

What do you serve with this amazing grilled cheese sandwich?

I love serving this with soups for the perfect cozy Fall meal!

How much time will you need to make Starbucks grilled cheese?

This is a super quick recipe - ten to fifteen minutes is all you will need!

Is a grilled cheese sandwich bad for you?

Although this is a higher calorie option, I believe in balance. I try to enjoy in moderation and make most of my meals as nutrient dense as possible.

Other Copycat Recipes You Will Love

Love this recipe and looking for more copycat ideas to try? Check these links out!

• Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Bean Scones
• Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Piccata
• Copycat Olive Garden Garlic Rosemary Chicken
• Copycat Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup