Learning how to make a Patty Melt in the Ninja Foodi will have you singing the official unofficial patty melt song that goes a little something like this...
Patty Melt, Patty Melt, Patty Patty Patty Melt! And Repeat. And do a little dance. And drive your husband crazy! Or at least I know I did. I sang this invented song string of words, out loud, for several weeks. It's quite addicting and so is this sandwich!
I love all kinds of grilled sandwiches and paninis, there is just something about the crunchy bread with melted cheese and other fillings that I crave. My husband loves burgers, I mean he really LOVES burgers. So, why not combine the two into the perfect sandwich?
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Of course, this is not a new sandwich. The Patty Melt has been around for a very long time, but learning how to make a patty melt in the Ninja Foodi is a game changer and a time saver... and a mess saver too!
What is a Patty Melt?
A Patty Melt is a grilled sandwich that is usually made with rye bread, swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and hamburger patties. It can also be served as an open-faced sandwich, but where is the fun in that?
You can customize your patty melt any way you like and create your own Patty Melt masterpiece. Today I'm using cheddar cheese slices and sourdough bread which I find to be a delicious combination!
How to Make a Patty Melt?
Of course, you can make a patty melt on the stove, but I find the Ninja Foodi to be the best option for grilled sandwiches of all kinds. The broil function of the Ninja Foodi perfectly cooks the little burger patties while the onions caramelize in the bottom of the inner pot, and then we pull it all together and grill the sandwich right on the rack. Pretty perfect if you ask me.
I love when you can make delicious food all in one pot, don't you? If you prefer to watch me make this sandwich in the Ninja Foodi, you can watch the step-by-step video right HERE ⇒ How to Make a Patty Melt in the Ninja Foodi
The first thing you want to do is gather your ingredients together. You can change them up however you like and today I'm using 80/20 ground chuck, slices of cheddar cheese, sourdough bread, vidalia onion, a little mayo, butter, and a garlic bread seasoning.
Cut your onion into thin slices about ¼" and put them in the bottom of the inner pot. Spritz with oil or add about 1 teaspoon of your favorite oil. 
I used olive oil. I recently purchased a pair of oil spritzers and I am really loving the design of these and have not had one issue with clogging or malfunction. You can find the spritzers I use right here ⇒ EVO Spritzer Bottles
Preheat the Ninja Foodi on broil for 10 minutes. This is important to do because you want the burgers to start cooking immediately and create a nice sear on the outside. Make sure to put the rack in the inner pot to preheat, too. This helps prevent the burgers from sticking.
While the onions are caramelizing and the Ninja Foodi is preheating, make up your patties.
I recommend making the burgers about 2 ounces each so you can fit 4 of them onto the sourdough bread.
I do this easily with my Pampered Chef large scoop. No need to weigh them out, this scoop makes the perfect size patty. 
Don't overwork the ground beef when forming your patties or they can become dense and dry as they cook. Form the patties so they are about the same thickness, that way they all cook the same.
TIP: Press your thumb into the top of each patty to make a depression. This will prevent them from puffing up as they cook.
Simple salt and pepper is all I use to season my burgers and I do this on the outside only. Salt draws moisture out of food and we don't want our burgers dry. This is especially important when making little burgers like we are making today. You can use any seasoning you like, but try just applying it to the outside instead of mixing it in with the meat.
When the Ninja Foodi has finished preheating for 10 minutes, place the burgers on the rack in the high position. Set the broil function for 10 minutes. Flip at 5 minutes. When the 10 minutes is up, remove patties and place on a paper towel to drain. Remove the onions and place in a small bowl.
Assemble the Patty Melt
Butter one side of each slice of bread lightly. Don't over-butter the bread! This is one of the big mistakes I see made is putting too much butter on the bread when grilling a sandwich.
TIP: Too much butter will cause your bread to become soggy, because, as the butter heats, the water is released. Too much butter, too much water = soggy bread.
Flip the bread over and apply a thin layer of mayonnaise. Add two pieces of cheese to each slice of bread and arrange the 4 patties on the bread. Top with onions and close the sandwich. Sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning, if desired.
Remove the rack from the Ninja Foodi and turn to the low position. Place sandwich on the rack and place into the inner pot. Set the broil function to 10 minutes. After about 5 minutes, remove the rack and carefully flip the sandwich. Return the rack and sandwich to the inner pot and continue to broil for 3-5 minutes. Check for desired browning. Remove the rack and flip again. Continue to broil for another couple of minutes if needed to get both sides nice and brown.
Remove the rack and turn the Ninja Foodi off. If you are not eating the sandwich right away, leave it on the rack. This will allow airflow and prevent steaming which causes soggy bread. There is nothing worse than grilling the perfect sandwich and putting it on a plate just to pick it up a few minutes later and the bottom is soggy.
Serve & Enjoy!
I hope you love this sandwich as much as I do! I have also made a delicious Reuben sandwich in the Ninja Foodi and you see how I do that right HERE ⇒ The BEST Reuben Sandwich EVER in the Ninja Foodi
Patty Melt in the Ninja Foodi
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ onion vidalia
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 8 ounces ground beef 80/20 chuck
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoon butter
- 2 teaspoon mayonnaise
- garlic bread seasoning blend optional
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Instructions
- Slice the onion in ¼" slices. Put the onion slices in the inner pot and spritz with oil. Place the rack into the Ninja Foodi in the high position and turn the Broil on for 10 minutes. This will start to cook the onions and preheat the Foodi for the burgers.
- Divide the ground beef into 2 ounce portions and form 4 burgers of equal size. Put a thumbprint in the center of each burger to prevent puffing during the cooking process. Place the burgers on the rack in the high position. Set the broil for 10 minutes. Filp at 5 minutes.
- Remove the burger patties and drain on a paper towel. Remove onions and place in small bowl.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread with 1 teaspoon of butter. Add 1 teaspoon of mayo to unbuttered side and place two pieces of cheese on each slice of bread. Put burger patties on the sandwich and top with onions. Close up the sandwich. Sprinkle garlic bread seasoning on the buttered side of the sandwich if desired.
- Remove the rack from Ninja Foodi and turn to the low position. Place sandwich on the rack. Return to the Ninja Foodi and set the broil function on 10 minutes. At about 5 minutes, remove the rack and carefully flip the sandwich. Return to the Foodi and continue broiling for 3-5 minutes until desired browning has occurred. You can flip it back over if you want to brown the other side a little more.
- Remove the sandwich, cut, serve & enjoy!
Nutrition
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of 
experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.
Karen Crook
I usually cook with ground turkey. How much of a difference would it make if I used ground turkey instead?
Louise
I haven't tried it that way, but since you prefer turkey it should be just fine.
Samantha Willard
I'm in the process of making these and I have a question. Is a serving a 1/2 of a sandwich or is that a typo? I doubled the recipe to make 2 sandwiches. They are smelling and looking tasty!
Louise
How much you want is completely up to you, I usually eat 1/2 a sandwich because they are so filling. I hope you enjoyed them.
robert edwards
im new to your site and now i have to cook a lot now and i just got a ninja foodi and i love your recipes my favorite is the spaghetti in the ninja foodi but im gonna do the burgers today but you have been a great help to me in the kitchen and my family loves how the food tastes thanks to you
Louise
Thank you so much! I hope you love the burgers!
Lori
Looks absolutely YUMMY. Thank you!