🔥🌶 If you're tired of the same old boring grilled cheese, it's time to turn up the heat! Packed with bold flavors and classic melty cheeses, this mouthwatering, spicy grilled cheese sandwich is the ultimate comfort food with a fiery twist.

Quick story (scroll down to skip for the recipe - I won't judge) about the origin of this spicy grilled cheese sandwich. I popped by my sister's house for a girls night sans toddler recently. When I got there, she said she had to go to the store for groceries because she "had absolutely NOTHINGSOSORRY" to eat.
...
Lies. After a brief (literally like 2 minutes, loveyouzoz) scrounge around her kitchen, I found sourdough bread, hatch chili gouda, chili fig jam, and cheddar cheese. (See where this is going?) Thus, the spicy grilled cheese sandwich was born!

Ingredients
There's a couple things you'll need to switch up your standard grilled cheese into one of fiery goodness:
- A nice, crunchy bread - I prefer to use como bread or sourdough bread, bought in an unsliced loaf. That way, I can slice it to the perfect thickness.
- Chili fig spread - Sounds weird but trust me on this one. It adds just the right amount of sweet and spicy flavor!
- Jalapeño cream cheese - Instead of a spreadable goat cheese, I opted for this due to it's extra "creaminess".
- Fresh jalapeño peppers - I like to deseed them. However, if you like the extra heat, leave them in!
- Cheddar cheese - In my humble opinion, a must have for any grilled cheese sandwich.
- Pepper jack cheese - This will add some serious heat and that bit of "oomph".
- A fun, chili infused gouda - Not entirely necessary but I found a hatch chili gouda and it was absolutely worth it.

Tips and Tricks
To make the perfect spicy grilled cheese sandwich, I have just three tips slash tricks for you.
First, if you think you have enough cheese, you probably don't 🤣. Cheese it UP!
Second, cook on medium or even medium low heat. This will ensure the sandwich will cook evenly - the cheese will melt at the same rate that the bread will crisp up.
Third, use a non-stick skillet or griddle for the best crunchy crust.
FAQs About This Recipe
If you're looking to crank up the heat, one option is to drizzle hot sauce or sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes onto the cheese layer. Also, you can skip the de-seeding step for the sliced jalapeños. Additionally, you could even swap them out with a hotter chili pepper higher on the spice scale.
While it's best to enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich fresh off the griddle, you can prepare it ahead of time. To ensure the sandwich remains mouth-wateringly melty, store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. This will prevent it from drying out or becoming soggy. When ready to serve, reheat it in a toaster oven or stovetop skillet.
A very popular question and a continuing debate in the grilled cheese world. Yes you can! As I just don't really like mayo, we usually don't have it. AKA butter it is!
If you have any more questions, scroll on down and feel free to ask in the comment section!


Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 1
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
🔥🌶 If you're tired of the same old boring grilled cheese, it's time to turn up the heat! Packed with bold flavors and classic melty cheeses, this mouthwatering, spicy grilled cheese sandwich is the ultimate comfort food with a fiery twist.
Ingredients
- 2 slices como or sourdough bread
- 1-2 ounces jalapeño cream cheese (depending on the size of your bread slices)*
- 1-2 ounces chili fig spread (also depending on the size of your bread slices)
- 2 slices sharp white cheddar cheese*
- 2 slices sharp orange cheddar cheese*
- 2 slices pepper jack cheese
- 2 slices hatch chili gouda, or something similar*
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for spreading
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Spread a layer of butter (about a tablespoon) on one side of both slices of bread.
- Spread a layer of cream cheese on the non buttered side of each slice of bread.
- Top one side of the sandwich with cheeses, and jalapeño slices. Top the other side of the sandwich with a layer of the chili fig spread. Place the fig layered slice butter-side-up on top of the layered cheese slice.
- Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and melt remaining butter in the pan.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until cheese starts to melt and bread has started to brown. Flip over and cook another 3-4 minutes until cheese is completely melted and bread is golden. Remove from heat. Slice in half and serve immediately.
Notes
I bought the jalapeño cream cheese already made at the store. If you can't find one, you can make your own! Deseed and mince some jalapeño pepper, and whisk with some regular cream cheese until combined.
I like to use a little orange cheddar cheese for the nostalgia. You don't have to! You can substitute this with more sharp white cheddar cheese. Or vice versa, the two cheddar cheeses are interchangeable in this recipe.
You can also substitute the gouda with more pepper jack cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Zoe says
I had NO FOOD. But this grilled cheese was truly amazing!! So delicious!
Aberdeen says
🤣❤️