These Mini Grilled Cheese Sticks are the perfect fancy appetizer to serve at any party. They're made in the oven so you can prep large batches ahead of time that will serve a crowd! Pair your sticks with ready-made tomato soup and pour it into a cute plastic shooter for easy dipping!
I made these grilled cheese sticks appetizer for a Christmas party a few years ago thinking the kids at the party would be the only guests eating it but apparently the adults LOVED it too!
Because they were such huge hit (AND SO EASY), I told friends and family I would post a recipe. So here it is!
I paired my grilled cheese sticks with a tomato soup shooter to make it more of an adult appetizer but kids will enjoy them too!
Option 2: Cut them into squares and serve on a toothpick for a fancy hors d'oeuvre!
Making A Grilled Cheese Appetizer
Sure you can cut your grilled cheese into triangles and serve that way but that shape isn't ideal for dipping! So here is what I do:
1. Mix Up Your Sauce
This sauce is awesome! Not only is it delish but it adds moisture to when the grilled cheese cools off, it isn't hard and dry. Slather your bread with this tasty sauce.
2. Brush With Butter
Adding butter to your bread will do two things. Add flavor to your grilled cheese AND help them brown in the oven. I like to melt the butter and brush with a silicone brush.
3. Add Your Cheese
Add the shredded cheese. You can use cheddar, monterey, swiss, gruyere, whatever cheese is melty! Close up your sandwich.
4. Bake
Time to bake your grilled cheese until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted. You may need to flip your sandwiches halfway! You can also grill them on a griddle if you have a blackstone.
5. Cut & Serve!
After your grilled cheese is out of the oven, we need to transfer to a cutting board and trim off the crust! Then slice into THIRDS for the perfect grilled cheese sticks!
Serve my Baked Potato Wedges to serve alongside of these sticks!
The Soup Shooter
The soup shooter is what makes this appetizer a show-stopper and takes one extra step if using store-bought tomatoe soup! Pick your favorite brand reheat and pour!
Make sure to serve the tomato soup in something that can handle the heat! Glass shot glasses are awesome but they have some great plastic ones too! Some plastics either get too hot to hold or may even melt. (no bueno)
Party Serving Tips
Here are some suggestions for making these sticks in advance and serving them to a crowd.
- Bake and cut them AHEAD of time! Why? Because you need these to fully cool in order to neatly cut them. Once they're cut into sticks, you can reheat them later as company arrives.
- Use a serrated knife! This will help to not squash your grilled cheese!
- Reheat: As guests arrive, reheat your grilled cheese at 350F for just a few minutes.
- Do not use tin foil! The cheese will stick and make it difficult to remove. Parchment paper is okay!
- Use a chafish dish! Keep these warm all party long by using these electric warming plates or a chafing dish. They are AWESOME!!
What Makes THIS Grilled Cheese Recipe Unique?
The SAUCE!!
This sauce has always been my go-to sauce for things like chicken wraps, burgers and now...for GRILLED CHEESE!!!
It is a combination of mayo, ketchup, garlic powder and onion powder. Simple but delicious!! I like to call it my ketchup "aioli".
Even if you don't like mayonnaise, you will LOVE this sauce. It just adds a little somethin' somthin'.
Here are some other fancy appetizers you may like:
Smoked Salmon Crostini Appetizer
Avocado Cream Cheese Wontons With Sesame
Mini Canapé Toasts For Parties
Puff Pastry Garlic n' Herb Pinwheels
Mini Grilled Cheese Sticks (w/ Soup Shooters)
Ingredients
Method
- Mix your ketchup aioli and set aside.
- Lay your bread slices out onto your counter and add a spoonful of sauce to EACH side.
- Sprinkle about ⅓ cup of cheese evenly on one side of each sandwich and close them up.
- Brush melted butter onto each side of your sandwiches making sure to get the edges.
- Bake at 374 F on the BOTTOM rack for 6 minutes or until browned. Flip sandwiches and bake another 3 minutes or so. Take out and let cool before cutting. (TIP* If you do not want your cheese to ooze out and get messy when cutting, let your grilled cheese cool completely. Then reheat all the sticks in the oven for a minute or two right before serving.) Trimming crusts is optional but makes for a better presentation.
- Serve with warm tomato soup on the side or in plastic shooters for dipping!
Krista
This is just what we were looking for for my daughter's wedding. Do you bake them right on the rack or on a pan? Why do you use shredded cheese? Thanks!
Aleka Shunk
They're be perfect for a wedding! I baked them uncut on a pan. I used shredded cheese because it cuts down one step (grating cheese) when entertaining. Freshly grated would be delicious.
marie johson
Fresh tomato soup made with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs. Seasoned with smoked salt and pepper. Simple, easy recipe and delicious in taste.
Bite Sized Kitchen
Thank you!! 🙂