Tillamook Butternaise Is a Grilled Cheese Game-Changer

I’m a huge fan of grilled cheese. It’s comforting to dip a warm grilled cheese into a bowl of tomato soup on a rainy day. I love a classic grilled cheese from a diner, paired with fries. And, for a regular old lunch or dinner at home, I love to make a quick grilled cheese with a side salad to get me through the day. 

However, there’s the endless debate—do you make grilled cheese with butter or mayonnaise? Tillamook, my favorite Oregonian dairy, teamed up with KEWPIE to create a solution: Butternaise, which, as you might predict from the name, is a hybrid of butter and mayonnaise. 

My understanding had always been that butter was the classic, go-to condiment to spread on bread before grilling up a sandwich. But after I went to a friend’s house and she made me grilled cheese using mayonnaise, I had to admit that it was pretty amazing. Since I rarely eat mayonnaise and often use butter for cooking and baking, I never jumped on the mayonnaise bandwagon. But this new condiment might change my grilled cheese habits for good.

Tillamook Executive Chef Josh Archibald shared his grilled cheese sandwich recipe, which is exciting for me because my go-to airport meal is a grilled cheese from Tillamook at the Portland Airport. He uses a blend of mayonnaise and butter, but now that Butternaise exists, we can all just use that. And I did! What I produced might be the best grilled cheese sandwich I’d ever had.

I used sourdough from Trader Joe’s, an American cheese I found in the cheese bin at my local supermarket and Tillamook Butternaise. That’s it. I preheated my griddle and generously butternaised the outer side of the bread. The online recipe says to use a tablespoon, but my bread was on the smaller side, so I just made sure it was evenly distributed. I probably used a teaspoon on each side. I used a generous amount of cheese—the Tillamook recipe uses about four slices per large grilled cheese—but you can scale up or down depending on the size of your bread and how ooey-gooey you want the final product to be.

I watched it carefully because I was terrified of ruining my creation, but this sandwich browned up beautifully. Butternaise uses Tillamook Extra Creamy Salted Butter, Kewpie Organic Mayonnaise and some seasoning blends. When I cooked with it, I noticed that it has a mild garlic aroma as it’s cooking. 

My stomach was growling and I could hardly wait to flip the sandwich. When it was finally ready to hit the plate, I forced myself to eat a side salad first so I wouldn’t burn my mouth on the melty cheese. Finally, I got to eat my grilled cheese… and it was the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. The little bit of umami flavor in the Butternaise really elevated the taste without overwhelming it. The bread was golden and not at all soggy, which gave it a satisfying crunch when I bit into the sandwich. I probably could have let it cook a little longer and gotten an even more golden final product, but I just couldn’t wait. 

And here’s the best news of all: Butternaise is available online starting November 6. If you can’t wait to try it, follow Tillamook’s makeshift butternaise recipe and combine 2 tablespoons of your favorite mayo with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus your favorite seasonings. Smear it on your bread and get ready for the crispy-melty sandwich of your dreams.

As for me and my Butternaise journey, I’m breaking out my long-neglected panini maker and seeing what kind of creations I can make. With this creamy condiment on the outside, I know I’m in for something delicious.