A Reuben sandwich is so much more than just another pastrami sandwich. Piled high with warm, fall-apart homemade pastrami, quick sauerkraut recipe, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese, this is a sandwich thatโs so good it can make a grown man cry!
This recipe is a copycat of the Reuben Sandwiches made famous by Katzโs Deli in NYC. Because I canโt fly halfway around the worldย every time I need a fix!
Reuben Sandwich recipe
If youโre wonderingย whatโs a Reuben Sandwich and why are you so bonkers about them??ย close your eyes and imagine biting into this:ย lightly toasted rye breadย slathered with butter and a slightly tart/spicy mayo (Russian Dressing), piled high withย warm, flavour infusedย homemade pastrami,ย the juicy tanginess and crunch from a quick homemade sauerkrautย all smothered in melted Swiss cheese.
Itโs an unbelievable combination of flavours and textures.
And it is, without question, one of the BESTย sandwiches in the world!
What goes in a Reuben Sandwich
Hereโs what you need to make a Reuben sandwich:
Homemade Pastrami โ youโll find plenty of recipes out there that tell you to just use plain corned beef (aka salt beef)โฆ but just imagine how much more outrageously good it it is when made with an EASY slow cooked homemade pastrami thatโs fall apart tender and crusted with fresh pastrami spices!ย Thatโs the Katzโs way!
Sauerkraut โย essential for a true Reuben sandwich, a big pile of sauerkraut which is pickled cabbage. Weโre making our own here because even aย quick sauerkraut is way better than what you get in jars at supermarkets. I use a Rick Stein recipe, and itโs really (really!) good.
Russian Dressing โ Another essential component of a Reuben Sandwich! Itโs basically a slightly spicy Thousand Island Dressing. I donโt know who decided this sauce was a good idea for a Reuben but it works outrageously well to bring all the ingredients together!
Swiss Cheese โ We never say no to cheese in any form, and especially not toย Swiss Cheese (that nutty savoury flavour is just so perfect here!) Gruyere or Emmental or even โSwiss styleโ cheese works a treat as well.
Rye Bread โ No other bread will do here. (Just jokes. ๐ Some might say itโs criminal to use another bread, but actually, all the stuff between the bread is way more important in my view. Just be sure to use a sturdy bread โ stock standard white sandwich bread wonโt hold up to the generous filling!)
Iโm going to briefly talk through each of the components here, but if you want to dive right in, skip to the recipe!
1. EASY Homemade Pastrami
Homemade Pastrami is one of those gold nugget recipes that has high returns for very little effort. Essentially, you roll corned beef in a whole bunch of everyday spices, wrap in foil, slow cook until fall apart tender then bake so the spices become crusty.
Thatโs it. Really.
One bite, and you will be BLOWN AWAY how good it is. Itโs sliceable but fork tender, and the fresh flavour of the spices is just so so good!
2. QUICK Sauerkraut recipe!
Typically sauerkraut is left to ferment for weeks to allow flavours to develop. And as regular readers know, I do not possess such patience โ when I want a Reuben sandwich, I want it now, now, now!
Luckily for us, Rick Stein has a mighty good quick sauerkraut recipe โ 15 minutes on the stove. Though not quite as good as one youโll get at a European deli thatโs been fermenting for weeks, itโsย way (way!) better than what you get in jars at the supermarket. ๐
Caraway seeds?
Not seen in most sauerkraut recipes but adds an extra something-something to make up for the flavour the develops from weeks of fermentation. Rick Stein uses it โ and I like it! But itโs optional. ๐
3. Russian Dressing
Just calls for mixing up a handful of ingredients. Essentially itโs a slightly spicier Thousand Island Dressing.
I know Sriracha looks like an odd choice, being an Asian ingredient and all. But it works a treat in place of spicy Ketchup which isnโt something Iโm familiar with. Chilli sauce or ketchup + tabasco works fine here too.
The kick of spice from the sriracha and horseradish (jar stuff, not fresh) combined with the richness of the mayo is just sensational with the fall-apart pastrami and the tart sauerkraut!
4. Assembling
And hereโs how to assemble the Reuben. The only thing to note here is to pile the sauerkraut on the pastrami not on the bread (so it doesnโt soak the bread.
Pile up the sauerkraut generously! Once you squish the sandwich together, it compresses down alot. ๐
I know I said that this is a sandwich so good, it can make a grown man cry.
But we both know I meant a grown woman, right? (ie ME)
This is the sort of food thatโs so good, it makes me do the jiggy. Believe it. All the while I was devouring this sandwich, I was doing the jiggy around the kitchen. Which might sound strange to people living in NYC you can pop around the block for their Reuben sandwich fix. But for us Aussies, this is a sandwich that you literallyย cannot buy here except on rare occasions at night markets.
Hands down, one of the BEST sandwiches in the whole world โ and worth the effort!ย โ Nagi x
Sink your teeth into these!
Cubanos (Cuban Pork Sandwiches)ย โ made famous by the Chef movie!
Bread Bowl Sandwichย โ called aย Muffelata, a giant hollowed out bread stuffed with antipasto type things, squished and toasted with garlic butter. OUTRAGEOUS.
Homemade Filet-O-Fish (BAKED!!)ย โ Maccers copycat, but SO much healthier!
Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauceย โ one of the best things to load up into sliders!
Browse all Sandwiches and Sliders, and Burgers
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Reuben Sandwich recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2 lb homemade pastrami (1 quantity, easy!) (Note 1)
- 10 slices light rye bread
- 10 slices Swiss cheese
- Butter , for spreading
Quick Sauerkraut:
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1/2 onion , thinly sliced
- 350g/ 12 oz white cabbage , thinly shredded (1/4 large head, 6 โ 8 big handfuls)
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup (85 ml) water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp caraway seeds , optional (Note 2)
Russian Dressing:
- 1 tbsp onion , finely minced
- 1 tbsp dill pickle/gherkin , finely minced
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream (can sub more mayo)
- 2.5 tbsp sriracha, spicy ketchup or Chili Sauce (or 1/4 cup ketchup + 2 tsp tabasco) (Note 3)
- 3 tsp horseradish (jar), to taste (spicy/tang)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
Instructions
Russian Dressing:
- Mix ingredients, refrigerate 20 minutes+ (keeps 2 weeks).
Quick Sauerkraut:
- Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes to soften, donโt let it brown.
- Add cabbage, vinegar, water and caraway seeds, give it a toss.
- Cover, cook on low for 15 minutes, mixing once at 10 minutes.
- Transfer to container (including liquid), cool until just warm. Keeps 2 weeks in the fridge.
Prepare Pastrami:
- Thinly slice still cold pastrami (Note 1). Place in a container with a couple of tablespoons of pastrami liquid (reserved from cooking, see pastrami recipe).
- Microwave to warm through (or use other method of choice etc cover with foil and place in oven).
Assemble Reuben:
- Preheat grill/broiler to medium high with shelf about 25cm/10โณ from heat source.
- Toast bread. Spread with butter, then 1 tbsp Russian Dressing on each piece.
- Pick up pastrami and let excess juices drip away, then place on bread.
- Do same for sauerkraut, pile onto pastrami, then top with cheese.
- Also place cheese on other slice of bread (ie with just Russian Dressing).
- Place under grill until cheese is just melted. Sandwich together and devour while hot!
Recipe Notes:
Life of Dozer
Dozer was hoping that because he was on holiday, it meant no post-beach wash downs.ย No such luck Mr Dozer!
(PS Last photo from last weekendโs trip to Rick Steinโs Bannisters โ I promise!)
canโt wait to make this one question in the crock do u add water to the bottom?
Hi Lydia, no water is necessary โ I hope you love it!
Made this last night for dinner and used your recipe for Pastrami. Sooooo good! This recipe is a keeper.
Yum! Iโm so glad you loved it Holly!
Iโm loving your blog Nagi!
I saw Rick Stein make that sauerkraut and have been wanting to make some of it. Searching your recipes you have the very one I wanted! I couldnโt believe it.
Thank you, and I will be making the pastrami as well!
Jud
I hope you love it Jud, keep me updated once you try it! โ N x
Hi Nagi, I made this delicious recipe last weekend. It was so yummy and definitely reminded me of our adventures in NYC. My only glitch was the meat was a bit โchewyโ and I didnโt get a ton of juices to pour over the meat.
Did I overcook the meat or undercook the meat? Nothing worse than chewy meatโฆ.sigh!
Hi Lisa, sorry you had issues with this recipe!! If it was chewy, sounds like it needed to be cooked a little longer โ N x
Great recipe for one of my all time favourites. I made each step, faithfully. Great way to cook corned beef for something a little bit different to the usual, amazing sauerkraut (in a flash) and delicious spicy dressing. It takes time though so be prepared. The end result was amazing and devoured by my hungry family having to watched I prepared over the previous 24 hours!
Itโs so worth the effort and wait though Jo! Iโm so happy you enjoyed it โบ๏ธ
Oh My Goodness! even though weโre on our way around Oz I was thinking only yesterday of cooking a silverside in my eco-pot, but glad I didnโt since Iโve also got my slow cooker Iโm definitely going to try this. Weโll have our lunches made for a whole week, canโt wait to get to the store and make this. YUUUUUM!!! Thanks for another great recipe Nagi.
This made me SO hungry! Def gonna make it!
I hope you give it a go, it wonโt disappoint!
Wow! Made the whole thing. The pastrami, the Russian dressing, the quick sauerkraut and finally, the sandwich. Totally awesome! And easy, although it was DIFFICULT waiting thru the process.
Iโve always enjoyed a hot pastrami and a Reuben, but nowโฆ.with my own homemade pastrami. Oy! Thanks. My Nagi โfavoritesโ folder is so full, thereโs no room for my other foodie recipes. Drat!
I hear ya KrisB, the hardest part is waiting for this to cook!
Hi Nagi, Love all you recipes you have pretty much changed my cooking life..how many calories would you think is in this sandwich??
Hi Kat! Iโm so sorry, I found it so hard to calculate I thought it was better not to include it ๐ Itโs one of the few that I havenโt provided, sorry! N x
I canโt wait to make this Nagi! Looks delicious. Just wondering what can I substitute grapeseed oil with? Also, what brand of mayo do you use? I find that mine is too eggyโฆThanks!
Hi Nagi! Iโm so excited to try this! The recipe doesnโt say how much sour cream for the dressing. Is it about 1/4c?
Oops! So sorry about that ๐ Yes I used 1/4 cup, and I reduced the mayo by 1/4 cup to 3/4 cups. Thanks for picking that up! N x
Thanks! It was delicious and easy to make. My husband loved it too!
This is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches and your photography has me salivating.
Job done! ๐ N x
Oh yes โ one of the few US recipes brought back but not prepped for ages ! My best food memory actually stems from Las Vegas ๐ !!So grateful for the nudge to Rick Steinโs sauerkraut โ will be made soonest ! It makes the sandwich !! And have not made my own pastrami for ages: think of all the uses . . .Yippee !!!! Well, for me only rye will do, but that is in the house always anyways . . . And Dozer got onto the beach . . . thought he would, Mother . . .
Mr Dozer you will smell like roses.! YUMI food. Will try quick souercraut. My Mum use to make a barrel for winter and caraway seeds are must and bay leaf. Also we have very bit of horse radishe. Melb. has Food Shiw from 30 th May, am going. Have booked morning tea with Maggie Beer. Have a good week.
Oooh! Morning tea with Maggie Beer, youโre SO LUCKY! N x
That pastrami looks as good and tempting as any NYC deliโand a lot leaner and less fatty than some NYC deli Iโve had, too! My favorite is on a Kaiser roll/water roll/hard roll.
Already had my 3 favorite NYC Deli & Bakery cookbooks sitting out on my kitchen table to browse through when Iโd read this recipe post! We are HUGE deli fans!
I DO love the fatty pastrami in NYC though! it makes it so crazy juicy!
I have used this recipe AND I have used smoked turkey, a cheese better suited for turkey and some flavored mayo. It is called a RACHEL in place of Reuben.
Love your dog!
I didnโt know that!! A Rachel??
Here I am telling myself I need to sleep because I have a 12 hour shift tonight and nurses should really sleep before work. But here I am watching your videos and drooling on my keyboard! Iโm a sucker for a good Reuben sandwich and this looks fabulous!
I LIKE hearing that! ๐
On my way to the store to see if they have what I need. This looks like something that would be great for lunches for the week!
(PS, pictures of Dozer are like your recipes, the more, the better! ๐ ) Itโs wonderful to see a pet so loved and respected. Makes my day.
I love hearing that Leah! N x
What type of beef do u use I am in the UK and corn beef here is out of a tin
Our butcher does a very good โsalt beefโ that tastes as close to corn beef that I have found in the UK โ itโs not quite like the corn beef you get in the US (not as fatty and juicy) but pretty close!
Salt beef is terrific Leslie, my friend in the UK makes my pastrami recipe using salt beef and swears it is the same as the corned beef we get here in Australia ๐ Iโve written that in the notes of the pastrami recipe N x
Hi Susan! I have directions in the Pastramia recipe, in the UK, corned beef used for pastrami is called salt beef. ๐ N x
Going out to eat at the right time of day, the two greatest โwonders of the worldโ are corned beef hash, with two sunny-side up eggs mushed in, and a perfect Reuben Sandwich. Life is good.
Corned beef hash with eggs!!! PLEASE remind me to share that one day ๐ N x
Can we make the pastrami in the instant pot?
Yes! I do it quite often using my pressure cooker, itโs so fast. I have directions in the pastrami recipe! N x