Looking for a hands-off way to make many many grilled cheese sandwiches all at once? This tutorial on How to Make Grilled Cheese in the Oven is the easiest way to make the classic sandwich for your whole family at once!

Grilled cheese is already a pretty simple recipe to make, right? Well, one night I found myself in a serious SOS moment at dinner time. While I came up with the idea to just make grilled cheese, I realized I didn't even have the bandwidth at that moment to individually cook them up, standing at the stove flipping one sandwich at a time. And let's be honest, if you don't pay good enough attention when you are making your grilled cheese, it can go from golden brown to burnt in a minute.

On a whim, I fired up the oven and, without knowing if it would work, put some unassembled grilled cheese components on a sheet pan and crossed my fingers that an edible sandwich would emerge at the end. When I took it out a few minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this hands-off method of making grilled cheese in the oven was actually the best way to make them. I haven't looked back since; happily ever after (that is until I discovered you can also make really awesome Grilled Cheese in the Air Fryer, but that's for another day!)

Admittedly, this sheet pan grilled cheese is more of a technique than a recipe. Because the type of bread and type of cheese you use is ultimately up to you, though I do give some guidance on which of each to choose. Worth noting: I've tried this technique with so many different types of bread and cheese, and have never been unhappy with the results. That means it really does come down to personal preference.

Best Type of Cheese to Use

You truly can use any type of cheese you want to make a grilled cheese, but in our home when we are looking for that classic childhood grilled cheese taste, we love to use a combination of sharp cheddar and American-style cheese.

The sharp cheddar gives a really nice boost of flavor, and the American cheese adds the creamy factor.

Some other good cheese for oven-baked grilled cheese:

havarti
gouda
mozzarella (this gives a really good cheese pull but make sure to pair it with another cheese since it has a more mild flavor)
provolone
gruyere

Best Type of Bread to Use

For that classic grilled cheese taste, use thick white bread. I've been loving the thick-sliced white bread from Nature's Own lately, and it is so good on grilled cheese. It also turns a beautiful golden color in the oven.

Sourdough is also a pretty delicious choice, though it doesn't brown as nicely as white bread.

Some other good bread options:

sliced brioche bread
sliced italian bread
sliced french bread

Step-By-Step Recipe Overview

Because there are many variables—such as your particular oven, type of bread, and type of sheet pan—monitor the cooking times closely the first time you make this recipe. Once you've figured out the ideal times for your oven, you won't need to watch them as closely in the future!

You'll notice the grilled cheese is cooked in the oven open-faced. That is because this is the best way to get both sides of the bread toasted and the cheese melted with as little hands-on cooking as possible. After it's baked, the two pieces are brought together.

Here is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!

Step 1: Preheat the oven and gather the ingredients.

Putting butter on bread on a sheet pan for grilled cheese.

Step 2: Butter the bread and place it butter side down on the sheet pan.

A sheet pan with grilled cheese on them.

Step 3: Place the cheese on top of each slice bread.

A sheet pan with melty cheese for oven baked grilled cheese.

Step 4: Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the bread is toasted. Remove from the oven then sandwich the bread together.

Kelli's Best Tips

This technique is super easy, but here are a few tips I've learned after making countless batches of grilled cheese in the oven:

Make sure to preheat your oven. Admittedly this is the step that takes the most time!
Use a thin sheet pan. A thicker or heavier sheet pan doesn't transmit the heat as quickly as a thin sheet pan does. Because the bread is only in the oven for a few minutes, the quicker it transmits the heat, the better your grilled cheese. To fit 8 slices of bread, you likely need a 13" by 18" sheet pan or bigger.
Cook the grilled cheese in the lowest part of the oven. This helps get that nice golden color on your bread since it's directly above the heat source. Of course, if your oven doesn't transmit heat from the bottom, this tip won't work for you.
Start checking your grilled cheese at the 5-minute mark. Breads that have a higher sugar contant, such as white breads, will cook faster than breads with little to no sugar, like french bread.
Look for puffy cheese! The grilled cheese is likely done when the cheese has puffed or bubbled up!

Kids grabbing grilled cheese from a (cooled down) sheet pan).

Video Tutorial: Oven-Baked Grilled Cheese

More Recipes to Feed a Crowd

Making this Oven-Baked Grilled Cheese recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!

Full Recipe

Grilled Cheese in Oven

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Author: Kelli Avila
Prep Time: 00:05
Cook Time: 00:05
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 Sandwiches
Category: Dinner
Method: Oven

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Description

Looking for a hands-off way to make many grilled cheese sandwiches at once? This Sheet Pan Grilled Cheese recipe is made in the oven and is the easiest way to make a grilled cheese for your whole family!

Ingredients

Units Scale

8 slices of bread
¼ cup of butter, softened (more as needed)
16 slices of cheese

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Generously butter one side of each slice of bread.
Place the bread, butter side down, on a 13”x18” sheet pan.
Place 2 slices of cheese on each piece of bread.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the bread is toasted.
Remove from the oven and carefully, using a spatula, sandwich the bread together.
Serve immediately.