Brie Grilled Cheese

If you’ve never made a grilled cheese using brie, you haven’t quite lived yet. This Brie Grilled Cheese is easy to make and bursting with flavour!

Brie makes the perfect sub in a grilled cheese because it has a low melting point, meaning it goes soft and gooey at just the sight of something hot. It’s subtle flavour also makes the perfect base to add in extra flavour. Speaking of extra flavour…

Brie and Caramelized Onions

Sure, you could just whack some brie between two slices of bread and fry it up, but when you add caramelized onions into the mix things just get 10x more glorious. Think this as a cheese and onion sandwich, but slightly sweeter and more gooey.

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions are a labour of love, but the end result is so worth it and SO much better than store bought caramelized onions. I recommend making a big batch in advance, just to make the time worth it. That we you can just chuck ’em in the sandwich and off you go.

What else could I add to a brie grilled cheese?

Brie actually welcomes a lot of different flavours. Most jams or chutneys work well in this sandwich, cranberry sauce and blackberry jam are my personal faves! You could even add in apple to make an apple brie grilled cheese. Bacon is also always welcome to balance out the sweetness with a little saltiness. Check out my Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Grilled Cheese on my other blog if you fancy! 🙂

Can I sub Camembert?

Camembert has a very similar texture to brie and also goes gorgeously gooey at the sight of heat. It does have a slightly more pungent flavour, but if you know you like it then for all intents and purposes it makes a great sub, yes!

Brie Grilled Cheese

Do I have to remove the rind from the brie?

If you’ve got the time and patience you can, but I personally never feel like it’s worth it. You usually end up removing half of the brie along with it. Plus the rind tastes perfectly fine and blends in with all the gooey goodness. You won’t even notice it’s there 😉

Fresh Thyme

I love adding a few pinches of fresh thyme, it pairs gorgeously with both the onions and the brie. But this is completely optional – still delicious without!

Process shots: add buttered bread to pan with heat OFF and add brie (photo 1), top with onions & thyme (photo 2), add buttered bread (photo 3), turn on heat and fry both sides (photo 4).

And there we have it! All my top tips for the best brie grilled cheese.

What to serve with a Brie Grilled Cheese?

• Crisp/Chip Recommendation: I love Bacon flavoured crisps with this (namely bacon frazzles!!)
• Side Recommendation: Perfect in a soup and a sandwich combo with Tomato Soup!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this brie grilled cheese shall we?!

How to make a Brie Grilled Cheese (Full Recipe & Video)

Brie Grilled Cheese

If you've never made a grilled cheese using brie, you haven't quite lived yet. This Brie Grilled Cheese is easy to make and bursting with flavour!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: lunch

Cuisine: American, French

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings (click & slide): 4 sandwiches

Calories per serving: 439kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £1.50 / $2

Equipment

• Large Non-Stick Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Spatula/Turner

Ingredients

Grilled Cheese

• 8 small-medium slices of White Bread (Sourdough works great)
• 1x 9oz/250g round block of Brie, sliced into 12 wedges
• few pinches of Fresh Thyme (optional)
• Butter, as needed

Caramelized Onions

• 1lb / 500g Onions
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tbsp Butter (or more oil)
• Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Caramelized Onions: Add oil and butter to a large non stick pan over medium heat, then add in onions. Fry for around 15mins, or until they start to soften. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn heat to low-medium then continue frying until they start to naturally caramelize and turn golden (another 10-15mins). Add in balsamic vinegar & brown sugar, turn to low heat and continue frying until soft, deep golden and sticky (15mins+). Don't let then catch on the pan and go crisp at any point, low and slow is the aim of the game here. If they brown at any point just lower the heat (see notes).
• Grilled Cheese: Wipe out pan and add two slices of bread with the heat OFF. Spread with butter then flip so they're butter-side-down. Add 3 wedges of brie each (or enough to cover), top with a dollop of onions and finish with a few pinches of fresh thyme (optional).
• Fry: Top each with another slice of bread and spread with butter. Turn heat to a medium and fry both sides until golden, with the brie just starting to spill out. Repeat with second batch and enjoy!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Caramelized Onions - Caramelizing onions is a labour of love, so don't rush the process. You need to gently fry low and slow to draw out the natural sugar in the onions. I recommend making a big batch in advance to make it worth your time, for all the extra tips and tricks visit my full post on Caramelizing Onions!

b) Can I sub Camembert? - Camembert does have a more pungent flavour than brie, but if you know you like it then for all intents and purposes it'll work just as well as brie!

c) What other Brie combos can I make? - You can sub the onions with any sort of jam or chutney that goes nicely with brie (cranberry sauce works amazingly, as does blackberry jam). You can also add bacon to balance out the flavours with some saltiness. 

d) Calories - per sandwich, assuming 8 tsp salted butter is used to spread sandwich (one tsp per side).

Nutrition Facts

Brie Grilled Cheese

Amount Per Serving

Calories 439 Calories from Fat 239

% Daily Value*

Fat 26.54g41%

Saturated Fat 15.206g95%

Trans Fat 0.012g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.564g

Monounsaturated Fat 8.256g

Cholesterol 74mg25%

Sodium 649mg28%

Potassium 295mg8%

Carbohydrates 32.48g11%

Fiber 2.1g9%

Sugar 11.96g13%

Protein 17.81g36%

Vitamin A 570IU11%

Vitamin C 5.8mg7%

Calcium 203mg20%

Iron 2.26mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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