Create the best Hot Pastrami Sandwich at home with this easy recipe that combines layers of thinly sliced pastrami, sauerkraut, creamy Thousand Island dressing, and melty Swiss cheese, piled up on rye bread. This classic pastrami reuben is the perfect way to use homemade pastrami!

hot pastrami sandwich sliced in half and stacked up on plate

Table of contents

After making the best homemade pastrami from scratch, I knew that I had to make Pastrami Reuben’s. This is probably my all-time favorite deli sandwich! It’s layered with so many flavors and textures, I’m honestly so obsessed with this recipe!

Smoky, peppery pastrami, paired with crisp, tangy sauerkraut, melty cheese, and zesty Thousand Island dressing. This sandwich has it all!

After years and years of making reuben sandwiches with leftover corned beef, I’m excited to share all of my secrets today for how to make the best pastrami reuben sandwich!

hot pastrami sandwich stacked up on plate

Ingredients

  • Rye bread – if I can make it to our local Jewish deli to pick up their homemade marble rye, I’ll use that every time. Otherwise, I grab Jewish rye bread from the grocery store. Feel free to use dark rye, or your favorite variety of rye bread. We’ve also made these sandwiches with sourdough bread, but if you want to make a traditional pastrami sandwich, you’ll want to use rye bread.
  • Butter – I recommend unsalted butter, as the pastrami already adds enough salty flavor to the sandwich.
  • Thousand Island dressing – you can also use Russian dressing. The two are very similar and start with a ketchup and mayonnaise base, but in traditional Russian dressing, you’ll also find horseradish and Worcestershire sauce, whereas in a classic Thousand Island dressing, you’ll find a chopped up hard boiled egg.
  • Pastrami – for this recipe, you’ll need either leftover homemade pastrami, or sliced pastrami from the deli counter at the grocery store. You can slice the pastrami as thick or thin as you’d like, but I’ve found that it’s easier to pile up thinly sliced pastrami on a sandwich. If slicing it at home, use the sharpest knife you have, or an electric knife to get the thinnest cuts possible.
  • Sauerkraut – this thinly sliced fermented cabbage is always found on a classic Reuben sandwich. If you want to make a more traditional pastrami on rye, you can leave off the sauerkraut, but I find that it adds a tangy flavor and crunchy texture that I love!
  • Swiss cheese – you’ll need thin slices of Swiss cheese to melt over the pastrami in the sandwich.

Instructions

I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

sauerkraut in fine mesh strainer in sink
swiss cheese, sliced pastrami and sauerkraut on slices of rye bread on cutting board
uncooked pastrami reuben sandwiches on griddle
cooked pastrami reuben sandwiches on griddle
  1. Press the sauerkraut. Add the sauerkraut to a fine mesh strainer. Use a paper towel to press down on the sauerkraut to drain out any extra liquid. If you don’t have a mesh strainer, stack up 3-4 paper towels, place the sauerkraut on top of the paper towels, then use 2-3 more paper towels to press on top of the sauerkraut to drain out any excess liquid. This will prevent the sandwich from getting soggy.
  2. Butter the bread and add the dressing. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Flip the bread over and spread Thousand Island dressing on the second side of each slice of bread.
  3. Add the cheese, sauerkraut and pastrami. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on top of the Thousand Island dressing on each slice of bread. Add sliced pastrami and sauerkraut on top of half of the bread slices, topped with dressing and cheese. Sandwich the other half of the bread slices topped with dressing and cheese over the sauerkraut.
  4. Cook the sandwiches. Heat a skillet or griddle pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the sandwiches to the skillet, or griddle, and grill for 3-4 minutes, flip with a spatula and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Remove from the skillet and serve immediately.
hot pastrami sandwich sliced in half and stacked up on a plate

What to serve with it

This classic hot pastrami sandwich recipe is delicious on it’s own, or served with a simple side of potato chips. You can also step up your side dish game and serve the sandwich with any of these delicious side dish recipes.

To make a tasty soup and sandwich combo, pair the sandwich with matzo ball soup, roasted tomato soup or broccoli cheddar soup.

Recipe tips

  • It’s easier to thinly slice pastrami when it’s cold. So if you’re using leftover pastrami for this recipe, I recommend storing it unsliced in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use it, remove it from the refrigerator, after it’s cooled completely, and thinly slice it to make the sandwiches. Use the sharpest knife you have to get the thinest slices possible.
  • If using thicker pastrami slices, I recommend heating them up for 30-60 seconds per side in a skillet before assembling the sandwiches. If using thinly sliced pastrami, it will heat up as the sandwiches cook.
  • I use ¼ pound pastrami on each sandwich. If you’d like a little taste of New York City, make a “sky high” sandwich with a very generous portion of ½ pound of pastrami on each sandwich.
  • You can make this recipe into a cold pastrami sandwich. Simply omit the step of cooking the sandwiches. And since you won’t be toasting the sandwiches, you can omit the butter in this recipe.
  • To make a traditional pastrami on rye, replace the thousand island dressing with spicy brown mustard. You can keep the sauerkraut, or leave it off.
  • To make this pastrami sandwich recipe gluten free, use gluten-free bread. The other ingredients shown above are gluten free.
pastrami reuben sandwich cut in half and stacked up on plate

More easy beef recipes

Keep these other beef recipes in your back pocket for anytime you’re looking for an easy meal!

Smash Burgers

Salisbury Steak

Crock Pot Meatloaf

Taco Salad with Ground Beef

Mushroom Swiss Burger

Frito Chili Pie
pastrami reuben sandwich cut in half and stacked up on plate
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Hot Pastrami Sandwich

Create the best Hot Pastrami Sandwich at home with this easy recipe that combines layers of thinly sliced pastrami, sauerkraut, creamy Thousand Island dressing, and melty Swiss cheese, piled up on rye bread. This classic pastrami reuben is the perfect way to use homemade pastrami!
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course, Sandwich
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sauerkraut, drained and patted dry
  • 1 pound pastrami, thinly sliced
  • 8 slices rye bread
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup thousand island dressing, or Russian dressing
  • 8 slices swiss cheese

Instructions

  • Add the sauerkraut to a fine mesh strainer. Use a paper towel to press down on the sauerkraut to drain out any extra liquid. If you don’t have a mesh strainer, stack up 3-4 paper towels, place the sauerkraut on top of the paper towels, then use 2-3 more paper towels to press on top of the sauerkraut to drain out any excess liquid. Set it aside.
  • Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Flip the bread over and spread 1 tablespoon Thousand Island dressing on the second side of each slice of bread.
  • Place a slice of Swiss cheese on top of the Thousand Island dressing on each slice of bread. Add sliced pastrami and sauerkraut on top of half of the bread slices, topped with dressing and cheese. Sandwich the other half of the bread slices topped with dressing and cheese over the sauerkraut.
  • Heat a skillet or griddle pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the sandwiches to the skillet, or griddle, and grill for 3-4 minutes, flip with a spatula and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
  • Remove from the skillet and serve immediately.

Notes

  • It’s easier to thinly slice pastrami when it’s cold. So if you’re using leftover homemade pastrami for this recipe, I recommend storing it unsliced in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use it, remove it from the refrigerator, after it’s cooled completely, and thinly slice it to make the sandwiches. Use the sharpest knife you have to get the thinest slices possible.
  • If using thicker pastrami slices, I recommend heating them up for 30-60 seconds per side in a skillet before assembling the sandwiches. If using thinly sliced pastrami, it will heat up as the sandwiches cook.
  • I use ¼ pound pastrami on each sandwich. If you’d like a little taste of NYC, make a “sky high” sandwich with a very generous portion of ½ pound of pastrami on each sandwich.
  • You can make this recipe into a cold pastrami sandwich. Simply omit the step of cooking the sandwiches. And since you won’t be toasting the sandwiches, you can omit the butter in this recipe.
  • To make a traditional pastrami on rye, replace the thousand island dressing with spicy brown mustard. You can keep the sauerkraut, or leave it off.
  • To make this pastrami sandwich recipe gluten free, use gluten-free bread. The other ingredients shown above are gluten free.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 582kcal (29%)Carbohydrates 39g (13%)Protein 38g (76%)Fat 31g (48%)Saturated Fat 12g (60%)Polyunsaturated Fat 7gMonounsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 108mg (36%)Sodium 2174mg (91%)Potassium 484mg (14%)Fiber 5g (20%)Sugar 8g (9%)Vitamin A 534mg (11%)Vitamin C 45mg (55%)Calcium 377mg (38%)Iron 6mg (33%)
Did you make this recipe?Tag @WhitneyBond on Instagram and hashtag it #WBRecipes!

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