Starbucks’s grilled cheese* isn’t a normal cheese toastie. The difference is the parmesan-garlic butter spread on the OUTSIDE of the bread, which fries into a deeply golden, savoury, almost crackery crust. Cheddar and mozzarella melt inside. Done in 15 minutes.
This is a copycat of Starbucks’s Crispy Grilled Cheese on Sourdough from the US lunch menu. Their official product label lists two butter blends: a Garlic Cheese Butter Blend inside (cheddar, butter, parmesan, mozzarella, dehydrated garlic) and a Parmesan Cheese Butter Spread outside (parmesan, canola oil, unsalted butter). The copycat below simplifies this to one garlic-parmesan butter on the outside.
The trick is keeping the heat low. I burnt the parmesan crust the first time by cranking the pan to medium-high. The bread blackened before the cheese inside had a chance to melt. Low heat, 5 minutes per side, patient. The parmesan caramelises golden instead of bitter.
*Starbucks’s exact butter blend ratios are proprietary. This copycat is built from their published product label.
Garlic Butter Grilled Cheese Recipe
Course: LunchCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes10
minutes450
kcalSourdough sandwiched around sharp cheddar and mozzarella, spread with garlic-parmesan butter on the outside and griddled low and slow to a crackery golden crust.
Ingredients
- For the garlic parmesan butter
4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
½ tsp garlic powder
Pinch salt
- For the sandwiches
4 thick slices sourdough bread
4 slices sharp white cheddar
2 slices low-moisture mozzarella
Directions
- Make the butter. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter, grated parmesan, garlic powder, and pinch of salt with a fork until smooth.
- Assemble. Spread the garlic-parmesan butter liberally on ONE side of each bread slice. Lay 2 slices butter-side DOWN on a clean board. Top each with 2 slices of cheddar and 1 slice of mozzarella. Close the sandwich with the remaining bread, butter-side UP.
- Cook. Heat a heavy non-stick or cast-iron pan over LOW heat. Place the sandwiches in the pan. Cook 5 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until the bread is deep golden and the cheese is fully melted.
- Rest and slice. Take off the pan, rest 1 minute, then cut diagonally and serve straight away.
FAQs
Why put parmesan on the outside of the bread instead of just inside?
That’s the whole point of the Starbucks version. The parmesan-butter spread on the outside fries against the hot pan and caramelises into a deeply golden, crackery, almost-cheese-crisp crust that you can’t get with plain butter alone. Inside, the cheddar and mozzarella melt and stay creamy. Two textures in one sandwich.
Can I use pre-shredded cheese from a bag?
You can, but it won’t melt the same. Pre-shredded supermarket cheese is coated in cellulose or potato starch to stop it clumping in the bag, and that coating slows the melt. Buy a block of sharp cheddar and a block of low-moisture mozzarella, grate or slice fresh, and the meltdown is noticeably better.
Can I add tomato, ham, or bacon to make it a fuller sandwich?
Yes, but keep the additions thin so the cheese still binds. Two slices of crispy bacon, a couple of thin tomato slices (patted dry so they don’t soak the bread), or 2 slices of deli ham all work. Skip wet fillings like raw onion or pickles — they steam the inside and the bread goes soggy.
What bread does Starbucks use, and what’s the closest supermarket swap?
Starbucks uses their Sourdough Bistro Bread, a tangy dense sourdough. The closest UK supermarket swap is a real sliced sourdough loaf from the bakery section — not “sourdough-style” sliced bread from the regular shelves, which is usually just white bread with sourdough flavouring. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose all sell real sourdough loaves in their bakery aisles.
How do I keep the sandwich crispy after cooking?
You can’t, really. These are made-to-order food. Eat within 5 minutes of pulling it off the pan. If you have to hold it, keep it uncovered on a wire rack, not a plate (which traps steam under the bread). For batch cooking, prep the butter and grate the cheese in advance, then assemble and cook fresh.
