Rainbow Grilled Cheese Sandwich

By
MacKenzie Smith
MacKenzie Smith
Recipe developer, food stylist, author, and teacher with a passion for sandwiches. She's behind the popular blog Grilled Cheese Social.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/29/23
Tested by
Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers
Tested by Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers works on food prep for several area caterers. He has worked with a team of prep chefs for a private school group. He was an assistant cooking teacher for children and teen group cooking classes. Noah was hired as an intern and was then trained as a recipe tester for Fine Cooking Magazine. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 27 mins
Serving: 1 serving

If you're on Instagram, you've probably seen the buzz-worthy rainbow grilled cheese oozing its Lisa Frank trendy goodness all over your feed. The original, from Kala Toast in Hong Kong, infuses the cheese with different types of herbs and vegetables, but because most of us have no knowledge of cheese making, we'll be taking another route to end up with an insane, colorful, grilled cheese fit for a unicorn or a lost boys buffet. 

rainbow grilled cheese

The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

“A unique way to experience a classic recipe with a colorful twist thanks to the food dyes. While simple white bread will suffice I personally recommend a nice brioche loaf, it’s my favorite.” —Noah Velush-Rogers

Rainbow Grilled Cheese Sandwich/tester image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 slices bread

  • 1/3 cup shredded white cheese

  • 1 package neon food coloring

  • 1 tablespoon salted butter

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    ingredients for rainbow grilled cheese

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  2. Divide cheese evenly between 4 bowls.

    shredded cheese divided between four bowls

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  3. Add a squirt of food coloring to 1 bowl and stir it with a fork until coated and colorful.

    pink food coloring being mixed in one bowl of cheese with fork

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  4. Repeat this step, using different colors, for each of the other bowls until you have your desired colors. Feel free to go a little wild here and combine colors that are analogous to each other. 

    pink, blue, yellow and green died cheese in bowls

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  5. Add colored cheese to piece of bread, in the form of individual lines so that the colors aren't overlapping. This will create the desired rainbow effect. 

    four different colored cheeses arranged in four stripes on a piece of bread

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  6. Once the lines of colored cheese take up the entire surface of the bread, add the other piece of bread on top, close sandwich, and butter the outside.

    second piece of bread placed on top with butter on bread

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  7. In a medium-sized pan, add buttered grilled cheese and cook for a few minutes until bread turns a golden brown and all the cheese has begun to melt.

    grilled cheese in pan with butter being cooked

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  8. Flip sandwich and repeat until both sides are golden brown and all the cheese has melted.

    grilled cheese browned on one side in pan

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

  9. Remove from heat, cut against your original cheese lines, and serve.

    rainbow grilled cheese cut in half, on a plate, pulled apart to reveal blue, green, yellow, and pink cheese

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

Tip

  • If you want to add some flavor to the grilled cheese, try using mayonnaise on the outside of the bread instead of butter. The mayo provides a delicious flavor and helps prevent the grilled cheese from sticking to the pan.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
418 Calories
26g Fat
32g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 418
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 15g 74%
Cholesterol 67mg 22%
Sodium 639mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 358mg 28%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 110mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)