This breakfast patty melt is made with smoky sausage patties, creamy Swiss cheese, over medium eggs, and perfectly toasted Sourdough bread. Topped with a simple homemade bacon onion jam (or caramelized onions), this breakfast version of the traditional diner-style patty melt may be your new favorite sandwich!
A Flavor-Packed Breakfast Melt
I’ll be the first to admit that coming up with four new recipes and video ideas for our YouTube channels every week can be difficult. We try our best to take normal, everyday dishes and turn the flavor dial up a few notches, making something that’s truly restaurant quality!
And my wife and I both agreed that if we had this breakfast patty melt at a restaurant, we’d come back and order it again and again!
The star of this recipe is the homemade bacon and onion jam, a savory and sweet concoction made with crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and a hint of maple syrup. Pair this delicious jam with perfectly smashed sausage patties, melted Swiss and smokehouse cheddar cheese, and toasted rye or sourdough bread, and you have a breakfast sandwich masterpiece.
So if you’re wanting to up your griddle breakfast game and make what could be the best breakfast sandwich you’ll ever eat, give this breakfast patty melt a try! And be sure to check out this awesome breakfast burger next!
Breakfast Patty Melt Video
What is a Traditional Patty Melt?
A traditional patty melt is a smash-up of a grilled cheese sandwich and a burger, with a slightly smashed ground beef patty sandwiched between two slices of bread, typically Rye or Sourdough. Cooked on a griddle or in a skillet, a patty melt is more of a diner-style burger versus a backyard grilled thick burger on a bun.
The traditional patty melt usually includes melted Swiss cheese and sautéed onions, and no other toppings. The result is a savory, cheesy, perfectly toasted burger sandwich that screams “guilty pleasure diner food”.
Components of the Breakfast Patty Melt
A breakfast patty melt typically includes the following ingredients:
- Sausage – Instead of the ground beef burger patty of a traditional patty melt, the breakfast version often includes a ground pork sausage patty. Use your favorite brand of breakfast sausage, mild or spicy, and you can even experiment with different flavors. We used a fantastic smoked breakfast sausage that we found at our local grocery store, and the extra hint of smoke flavor was perfect for this sandwich!
- Cheese – Sliced Swiss cheese is traditionally used on a patty melt, but some restaurants substitute cheddar or American. Since our bread was larger in size and one measly slice of cheese wouldn’t cover it, we used a combination of Swiss cheese and smokehouse sharp cheddar.
- Sandwich Bread – Rye or sourdough bread is most often used for patty melts. We made two different breakfast sandwiches to see which bread option we liked best with this recipe, and the wife and I agreed that Sourdough was our favorite.
- Eggs – For our breakfast patty melt, we chose over medium eggs. You can also make griddle scrambled eggs to go on your sandwich, but we like the combination of the slightly runny yolk and the smoky sausage.
- Caramelized Onions or Bacon Jam – The toppings are up to you, but we highly recommend giving our homemade bacon and onion jam a try. Although it’s called a “jam”, there’s no canning involved and you don’t need any special jelly ingredients. You can substitute thinly sliced caramelized onions if you wish.
Making the Bacon Onion Jam
The star of this breakfast sandwich recipe is the easy homemade bacon and onion jam. Slightly spicy, perfectly sweet, and packed full of delicious flavor, this quick bacon jam is the perfect topping for the sausage and egg patty melt.
Head over to this post to grab the bacon onion jam recipe. Or, you can also substitute caramelized sweet onions if you wish.
How to Make a Breakfast Patty Melt
Once the bacon onion jam is done, this breakfast sandwich comes together super quickly. Just cook the eggs, smashed sausage patties, and sourdough toast, and add all of the components together for the ultimate brunch patty melt!
Making the Sausage Patties
Remember, a patty melt is usually served on a larger sliced bread (like sourdough or rye) so you’ll need larger than normal sausage patties. To give you an idea, I cut my one pound roll of ground pork breakfast sausage into 4 equal rounds.
Then, smash each sausage patty onto a hot griddle or skillet, similar to cooking smash burgers. Allow the sausage patties to cook on the first side until about halfway cooked through, then flip to the second side and top with one slice of Swiss cheese and one slice of American cheese.
When the sausage is cooked through and the cheese is nice and melty, remove the sausage patties from the griddle and set aside until the rest of the sandwich components are done.
Cooking the Eggs
While the sausage is cooking, you can work on preparing the perfect over easy or over medium eggs. We prefer a slightly runny yolk for this breakfast melt, but feel free to cook the eggs to your liking.
When the eggs are done cooking, you can move them to a cooler zone of the griddle to keep warm, or remove from the griddle and set aside.
Putting it All Together
When the eggs, sausage, and toast are done, it’s time to assemble your delicious breakfast patty melt. Add the smashed sausage patty and melted cheese to the bottom bread, top with the egg, and add some bacon onion jam to the top slice of bread.
Then you’re ready to enjoy this yummy griddle breakfast!
Recipe Tips
- Thick cut bread is best – Look for a thick cut sourdough bread or rye bread for this recipe. You could also substitute Texas Toast if you’re more of a white bread fan. The wife and I preferred sourdough for this recipe.
- Try smoked breakfast sausage – If you can find it, we recommend a smoked breakfast sausage. The Parnell’s brand that we used was fantastic, and the hint of smoky flavor added another layer of deliciousness to our sandwiches.
- Swiss cheese is preferred – The tang of the Swiss cheese compliments the greasy sausage and runny egg perfectly. But you can substitute American or cheddar if you wish.
- Experiment with toppings – Patty melts are typically served with caramelized onions, but the bacon onion jam we made was fantastic! You could also try sautéed mushrooms, a few dashes of hot sauce, or a bit of salsa verde for an extra flavor kick!
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Breakfast Patty Melt
Ingredients
- 7 ounces ground breakfast sausage
- 2 slices Swiss cheese
- 2 slices cheddar cheese *Or substitute American cheese
- 4 slices sourdough or rye bread
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs
- bacon onion jam recipe *Or substitute thin sliced caramelized onions
Instructions
- Preheat griddle to about 350-375℉. Or if cooking on a stovetop, heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- *Optional – If making caramelized onions instead of the bacon jam, cook the onions on the griddle first. Cook until onions are tender and golden brown in color. Then remove from the griddle and set aside.
- Portion the sausage into two equally sized balls, about 3-3.5 ounces each. When griddle or skillet is hot, place the sausage balls down on the hot surface, and use a burger press or a stiff spatula to press down until the sausage patty is evenly thin and flat (similar to cooking a smash burger).
- Cook the sausage patties until about halfway cooked through (about 3-4 minutes depending on the griddle temp). Then, flip to the second side. Immediately after flipping the patties, top each with one slice of Swiss cheese and one slice of cheddar cheese.
- When the sausage is cooked through and the cheese is melted, remove the sausage patties from the griddle or skillet and set aside. Or move to a cooler zone on the griddle while the eggs and toast finish cooking. *If needed, you can use a melting dome to help the cheese melt faster.
- While the sausage is cooking, butter the bread and toast on the griddle until golden brown. Then, remove from the griddle.
- Adjust the griddle or skillet temperature to medium-low, about 300-325℉. Cook the eggs until over-easy or over-medium, based on preference.
- Assemble the patty melt. Add the smashed sausage patty and melted cheese to the bottom bread, top with the egg, and add some bacon onion jam or caramelized onions on top. Add the top slice of toasted bread. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- We highly recommend serving your breakfast patty melts with our bacon onion jam here: https://theflattopking.com/bacon-onion-jam/ Or you can substitute thinly sliced caramelized onions.
- Look for a thick cut sourdough bread or rye bread for this recipe. You could also substitute Texas Toast if you’re more of a white bread fan.
- If you can find it, we recommend a smoked breakfast sausage. The Parnell’s brand that we used was fantastic, and the hint of smoky flavor added another layer of deliciousness to our sandwiches.
You’ve outdone yourself on this one. That bacon onion jam is a revelation.