Edit Article

How to Make a Kosher Reuben Sandwich

Community Q&A

Kashrut (Hebrew "Kosher") dietary laws prohibit mixing dairy and meat, but a Reuben Sandwich is exactly that, a mixture of dairy and meat. This makes it inherently non-kosher. By substituting dairy or meat ingredients with a Pareve (Yiddish: "neutral") food, it is possible to enjoy a kosher Reuben sandwich.


  • 2 slices of kosher rye bread per sandwich
  • Kosher Sauerkraut
  • Kosher Thousand Island dressing
    • For the dairy version:
  • Kosher Swiss cheese
  • Kosher butter
    • For the meat version:
  • Kosher Corned beef
  • Kosher margarine


  1. 1
    Decide whether you want to have a dairy or a meat version. This depends on the type of meal you are having.
  2. 2
    Gather the basic ingredients, as well as the ingredients for your desired version.
  3. 3
    Squeeze the moisture out of the sauerkraut. Lay the sauerkraut on several layers of clean paper towels. Wrap the sauerkraut inside the paper towels and squeeze gently over a sink or bowl to get the excess liquid out. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible. If too much excess remains, it can seep into the bread, causing it to turn soft and mushy.
  4. 4
    Butter half of the bread slices. Spread butter or margarine on one side of one slice to be used in each sandwich. Gently line the slices up butter-side down on a piece of wax paper. The buttered side will need to be on the outside as the sandwich cooks, so when you assemble the sandwiches, the non-buttered side needs to face up. If you do not use wax paper, you may end up losing too much of the butter after you lift the sandwich up.
  5. 5
    Layer the beef or cheese.
    • If you are making a dairy version, layer the cheese, sauerkraut, and dressing. Evenly divide the corned beef and place it on the bottom of the sandwich. Lay one piece of Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and roughly 2 Tbsp. of prepared Thousand Island dressing.
    • If you are making a meat version, layer on the corned beef, sauerkraut, and dressing. Evenly divide the corned beef and place it on the bottom of the sandwich. On top of the corned beef, lay the sauerkraut, and roughly 2 Tbsp. of prepared Thousand Island dressing.
  6. 6
    Butter one side of the other slice of bread. Place one top of the sandwich with the buttered side facing out. As with the first half of the bread, the buttered side must face out in order to come into contact with the hot skillet.
  7. 7
    Melt another 2 Tbsp. of butter/margarine in a griddle. Add the butter/margarine and heat over medium until it melts completely. Note that you can also use a shallow frying pan or skillet if you do not have a griddle. By buttering both the sandwich and the griddle, you create more evenly toasted bread with a softer texture and a more buttery flavor.
  8. 8
    Cook the sandwich until both sides are toasted. Once the cheese begins to melt and the sides along the bottom look golden brown, carefully flip the sandwich over and cook the other side. The other side should also be golden brown before you remove it from the pan.
  9. 9
    Serve hot. Remove the sandwich from the pan and slice in half before serving.

Community Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left


  • A Jewish law called Marit Ayin (Hebrew: "appearance to the eye") means avoiding doing anything to cause suspicion of violating Jewish Law.

Article Info

Categories: Sandwiches and Quick Meals


Did this article help you?