The simplest and most traditional kind of comfort food is grilled cheese. Is it possible to prepare a nice grilled cheese sandwich without using butter, in the event that there is no butter in the refrigerator?
How can I create cheese-grilled sandwiches without using butter? You may replace butter with some healthy alternatives including olive oil, coconut oil, egg whites, aioli, ghee, and avocado oil. Other options include aioli. You may also add a tasty touch by substituting savoury ingredients like mayonnaise, bacon grease, or salad dressing.
Best Butter Alternatives
If you have a need for a grilled cheese sandwich but don’t want to use butter because you don’t have any on hand or because you’re trying to cut down on your butter consumption, here are some alternatives that you can use in its stead to create the delicious sandwich of your dreams!
1. The oil of olives
If you want to make grilled cheese sandwiches but don’t want to use butter, olive oil is a convenient and nutritious alternative that you may use instead.
The flavour will be a little bit different, so you won’t be able to experience the rich, savoury taste of butter. Instead, the flavour will be a little bit milder, and it will enable other tastes in the sandwich to come through.
Olive oil has a higher caloric content than butter, but it also has a greater concentration of nutrients.
Be careful to cook your grilled cheese sandwich at a higher temperature if you want to replace the butter with olive oil and cook it in the same manner. Because olive oil is less prone to catching fire than butter is, the ideal temperature for cooking with it is anywhere between medium and high.
It is possible to grease the pan with olive oil and then heat it up until the oil begins to crackle. When it reaches this point, it is the ideal time to add your sandwich to the pan so that you may get the ideal level of crispiness!
After thirty seconds, give the pan a shake to cover the opposite side with oil. This ensures that the cheese will melt evenly and that the crust on both sides will have a pleasing golden colour.
2. Coconut Oil
When creating grilled cheese sandwiches, another fantastic alternative to butter is to use coconut oil instead of butter.
Although you may detect a faint aroma of coconut when the oil is initially poured out of the container, the taste of the oil itself is not very robust.
A similar method to using olive oil, covering the pan with coconut oil and heating it over a medium-high flame is an excellent technique to give the sandwich a crispy outside.
Keep in mind that if the temperature drops below 77 degrees Fahrenheit, coconut oil has a tendency to turn into a solid. If this is the case, before you begin cooking, you will need to melt it by placing it in the microwave for around fifteen seconds.
3. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is another kind of oil that works really well as a tasty accompaniment to grilled cheese sandwiches.
Because avocado oil does not have a recognisable aroma or taste, unlike olive oil and coconut oil, it may be used in place of butter with relative ease.
In a manner similar to that of olive oil and coconut oil, just coat the pan with avocado oil at a heat range from medium to high until it begins to crackle, and then cook the bread in the pan until it develops a golden brown colour.
4. Uncooked Egg Whites
A grilled cheese sandwich may benefit from the addition of egg whites, which are a healthy method to add moisture and crispness.
They serve to keep the sandwich moist when used in lieu of mayonnaise or butter, but they do not prevent the sandwich from becoming crisp when it is cooked in a pan or on a grill.
Egg whites are not only very healthy but also very low in calories, which means that your sandwich will not only be nutritional but also tasty. They are also an excellent alternative for those who are trying to lose weight since they include a sufficient amount of protein.
To cover your sandwich, you may also use a whole egg instead of just the egg whites; however, you should be aware that this will result in a higher calorie count when compared to utilising egg whites alone.
Simply beating the egg white and applying it to the sandwich with a silicone brush in order to utilise egg whites as a replacement for butter is all that is required.
When using egg white to coat a sandwich, make sure that all of the bread is completely coated and that all surfaces are covered. Because of this, the bread will not get dry or overdone as quickly as it would otherwise.
After that, prepare your grilled cheese sandwich by cooking it over medium to low heat. As the egg white cooks, the bread will become crispy without becoming dry because of the egg white.
If you don’t cook the sandwich long enough for the egg white to become solid and set, it is possible that the sandwich could get mushy.
5. Aioli
Aioli is a very adaptable sauce that may be used to improve the taste of a wide variety of different foods.
Traditional aioli is an emulsification that is prepared by combining garlic and olive oil. Its origins may be traced back to the Mediterranean.
It has a taste that is both rich and savoury and a texture that is silky smooth.
Aioli is most often used as a dipping sauce for bread or vegetables; however, it may also be utilised to provide flavour to a variety of different foods. For instance, if you want to savour the taste of garlic in your grilled cheese sandwich, even more, consider placing a very thin coating of aioli over it.
Your sandwich will benefit from having more moisture and an additional layer of taste thanks to the aioli. The consistency of aioli may be more similar to that of egg whites than that of olive oil since it is somewhat thicker than olive oil.
Instead of frying the sandwich in the aioli, you should add it to the bread just before you serve it so that the taste of the aioli are preserved. You’ll be able to relish a delicious sandwich that’s crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside!
6. Ghee
Ghee is a kind of clarified butter, which means that the butter was heated until all of the water and milk solids were evaporated, leaving behind a product that is smooth, fatty, and has a flavour that is reminiscent of nuts.
Ghee is a kind of butter, but it does not have the same flavour profile as regular butter, therefore it is not an ideal replacement for butter in cooking.
On the other hand, if you are seeking a healthy addition to your grilled cheese sandwich that yet delivers a fatty flavour to your sandwich, then this is most certainly an excellent choice for you to consider!
7. Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is an excellent addition to any sandwich, and there is a good chance that you already have a jar of mayonnaise in your kitchen.
Because oil and eggs are the primary components of mayonnaise, it is a good alternative to butter for creating grilled cheese sandwiches; in addition, it may provide a fatty and savoury flavour to the sandwich itself.
Since mayonnaise may be used straight from the container, there is no need to first heat it or melt it before grilling sandwiches that include it.
If you want to give the mayonnaise a shot in your grilled cheese sandwich, all you have to do is spread it on the exterior of the sandwich, then cook it with the mayonnaise-coated side facing down over medium heat.
When you flip the sandwich after it has been grilled for 30 seconds, you’ll see that the mayonnaise does a wonderful job of turning the sandwich golden brown and giving it a crispy surface!
Because mayonnaise has a unique and acidic flavour that may not be complimentary to the flavour of all kinds of cheese, we recommend using it in grilled cheese sandwiches made with cheese that is on the milder side.
8. Grease from Bacon
After cooking bacon, several individuals have the habit of reserving the bacon grease for later use since it may enhance the flavour of a wide variety of foods, including cheese sandwiches.
The oil from the bacon may be used as a lubricant, which will give moisture to the bread and assist in producing a golden brown hue in the grilled cheese.
You may also get a hint of bacon flavour from it, which will make the grilled cheese sandwich you made taste even better.
You may prepare your grilled cheese sandwich in the same manner as you would with oil if you want to use bacon grease for the cooking process.
However, in comparison to other kinds of oil, bacon grease has a tendency to catch fire more readily; thus, you should cook the grilled cheese at a heat setting that is somewhere in the middle.
9. Dressing for Salads
Since the majority of salad dressings include oil in some form or another, you may use them to cook your grilled cheese sandwich just as effectively.
You may use ranch dressing, Caesar dressing, Italian dressing, or any other sort of salad dressing that you have in your refrigerator salad dressing — as long as it is possible to spread it on the sandwich, you can use it for preparing grilled cheese!
It is possible to cover the outside of the sandwich with salad dressing and then cook the sandwich over medium to low heat in order to gradually get a medium brown colour on the bread.
It’s possible that the tastes will come out a little bit differently depending on the sort of dressing that you choose. Despite this, doing so is an excellent method to maintain the sandwich’s crispiness and moisture while also giving it an interesting new taste.
How to Make Grilled Cheese Without Using Butter: The Best Method
Utilizing a cast iron pan is the method that will result in the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich possible.
The non-stick surface of the skillet is ideal for producing a crispy crust, and the skillet itself will enable the heat to distribute evenly so that the centre does not get too hot.
Your sandwich will have a crust that is equally browned and crispy if you do it this way, and the cheese will melt evenly throughout the sandwich.
Ingredients
My favourite choice of bread
Cheese of one’s choosing
The preferred alternative to butter
Cast iron skillet
Instructions
- Make your selection from the available butter substitutes.
- If you are going to be using bacon grease or a certain sort of oil, then you may add the oil to the skillet and heat it over medium to high heat until the oil begins to crackle.
- If you want to use an alternative that cooks quickly, such as egg whites or mayonnaise, you should merely cover the sandwich with a thin coating to keep the bread wet while retaining its ability to cook quickly.
- Put one slice of bread on the pan with the buttered side facing down and let it heat up for a few minutes.
- During the time that it takes for the bread to heat up in the pan, you may add the cheese of your choice to the bread and allow it to melt in the skillet.
- Spread the butter-replacement spread all over the second slice of bread, and then arrange it on top of the cheese with the buttered side facing up.
- If the bottom layer is not yet golden brown, you may cover the pan with the lid to trap the heat, which will help the cheese melt and stick to the bread. If the top layer is already golden brown, do not cover the skillet with the lid.
- After about three minutes, take the cover off the grill and turn the sandwich over so that the other side may be grilled for an additional three minutes.
- When the cheese is entirely melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, your sandwich is ready to be eaten!