Our corned beef sandwich consists of salt-cured beef, melty mozzarella cheese, crunchy pickle chips, and spicy horseradish mayo sandwiched between two slices of sourdough bread and grilled until it’s golden brown and toasty. A corned beef sandwich is not to be confused with a Reuben sandwich, though they’re similar – and both use corned beef.

Why this recipe works

Corned beef sandwiches typically consist of melty cheese, pickle chips or relish, coleslaw, and a sauce. Most commonly found in Jewish deli’s and enjoyed by many.

You can certainly play with whatever you’d like to add to this recipe, it’s highly versatile and a respectable sandwich all on its own! Today we are sharing ’s favorite way to put this delicious sandwich together.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CORNED BEEF – This sandwich is perfect for using up leftover corned beef. You can normally find pre-cooked corned beef in the deli section of your grocery store, but you can also cook a raw brisket with our instant pot corned beef or make it in a stockpot in our corned beef and cabbage recipe.

BREAD – Sourdough bread goes very well with corned beef, but you can also use a marbled rye, light rye, or dark rye bread instead. Sourdough bread helps make this sandwich different from your typical Reuben, and it browns nicely when grilled.

ADDITIONS – We used horseradish mayo for a little kick. If you want it hotter/spicier, try horseradish sauce. For a milder approach, use plain mayo or mustard. Pickles add a nice crunch to the sandwich. You can substitute the pickles with coleslaw or pickle relish if preferred. For the cheese, we use mozzarella but you can certainly swap it with Swiss cheese.

How to Make a Corned Beef Sandwich

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

Butter one side of each slice of bread and place butter side down on waxed paper.
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Warm beef in oil, gathered together as if on a sandwich. Top with two slices mozzarella cheese. Cover with lid until cheese is melted. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Place one slice of bread, butter side down in skillet over medium heat. Using a spatula, move the meat and cheese onto the slice of bread in the skillet.
Top with pickles and dollop or drizzle horseradish mayo over the pickles.
Add second slice of bread, butter side up, onto the sandwich in the skillet.
Grill until golden brown, then flip the sandwich to grill the other side.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

What’s the difference between a corned beef sandwich and a Reuben sandwich?

Reuben sandwiches consist of rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and either thousand island dressing or Russian dressing. The difference in a corned beef sandwich is that it can be whatever you want. Corned beef sandwiches are a combination of corned beef, pickles/pickle relish/coleslaw, cheese, and a condiment sauce like spicy mayo, regular mayo, or mustard.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your corned beef sandwich with some extra horseradish mayo on the side for dipping as well as either chips, french fries, or coleslaw.

More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

I love to bake and cook and share my kitchen experience with all of you! Remembering to come back each day can be tough, that’s why I offer a convenient newsletter every time a new recipe posts. Simply subscribe and start receiving your free daily recipes!

This post was originally published on this blog on March 2nd, 2022.