Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Crunchy Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is a new take on the comfort food classic you grew up with. Made only with pantry staples, you will love how crunchy the bread is and how you get perfectly melted cheese straight out of the air fryer.
Gluten-Free variation provided. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Is there anything better than a crunchy, melty and buttery Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwich served with bowl of Tomato Soup?
Just mentioning this classic comfort food combination gives me such warm and fuzzy feelings.
It takes me back to the dreary wet weekends of my childhood when I would be unhappily stuck indoors.
A delicious and simple recipe, this Air Fryer Grilled Cheese sandwich comes out sooooooooo crunchy on the outside. The air fryer works by using a high powered fan to fry your food.
With the air fryer, no one is getting a little soggy spot piece of bread that somehow the frying pan just didnt touch. Every bite of your Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is crunchy-gooey-cheese-goodness.
If you like this recipe you might like Air Fryer Frozen Pierogies and this Air Fryer Frozen Garlic Bread. And I love serving this with really juicy Air Fryer Pork Chops.
An air fryer cheese sandwich provides a crispy, buttery outer layer with a melty cheese inner layer that creates the perfect cheesy sandwich without burning, over drying, or overcooking.
Its so easy I even let my mini chefs make their own.
Ingredients In Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
- Bread Really any bread will work for grilled cheese. I like to use a thick white sandwich bread. Texas toast also works well. For extra flavor try a sourdough bread or rye bread.
- Cheese The star of the show! See below for the best cheese for air fryer grilled cheese.
- Butter Butter adds flavor to the sandwich while preventing burning and sticking in the air fryer basket. Use garlic butter or herb butter for even more flavor!
- Optional Variations: ham, turkey, bacon, pepperoni, spinach, tomatoes, apple slices, caramelized onions, mushrooms, arugula, avocado, pesto
How To Make Air Fryer Grilled American Cheese Sandwich
- Butter one side of each piece of bread.
- Place American Cheese in between both slices with the butter side out.
- Mayonnaise is also great to use for this Air Fryer Grilled American Cheese Sandwich.
- The sandwich then cooks in the Air Fryer or the Crisplid. .
If you like tomatoes, a nice slice of a tomato inside the sandwich is fantastic too!
We keep our bread frozen, so it is easier to butter.
Please check my article on How to Properly Season Air Fryer Basket before starting.
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Prepare The Air Fryer And Bread
Hondrum starts off by spritzing the air fryer with oil, but she doesn’t worry about preheating it. If you’ve found that yours works better when you do preheat it, then by all means go ahead and do so the cook temperature is 400 F.
Spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice, then put the bread in the air fryer, mayo side-down.
Why Use An Air Fryer
An air fryer is an incredibly easy way to cook just about anything. You place the food in a fryer-style basket and hot air rapidly circulates all around the food, making the food crisp much like deep-frying, but without the oil. You can cook anything youd make in the oven.
- If you dont have an air fryer yet, check out these options to find one that fits your needs.
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The Best Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese sandwiches are one of those sandwiches that immediately bring the comfort of home and nostalgia as soon as you take a bite. This comfort food is a joy to the senses with its buttery, crispy bread and melty cheese.
Now, traditional grilled cheese is made on a pan or a griddle, but I wanted to take the effort out of this timeless food. So, I decided to make this air fryer grilled cheese recipe!
And air frying this sandwich brings it to an elevated level because the air fryer cooks the bread to a perfect golden color and melts the cheese to the best consistency.
Honestly, making grilled cheese has never been easier!
And, let me tell ya, this air fryer grilled cheese isn’t just for kids – it’s a great recipe to make a quick lunch for the whole family or even dinner on those weeknights with no free time.
Also, while the air fryer takes care of the cooking, you have time to catch up on some work or chores around the house. Then, when it’s done, your entree is ready to be served and you didn’t even have to sweat the cooking process.
Seriously, this recipe is a no-brainer and it only takes 6 minutes!
Yep, that’s it!
Is There A Type Of Bread Thats Best For A Grilled Cheese
Undoubtedly you need sturdy slices of bread with a tight crumb. Just make sure they arent more than a half-inch thick because the cheese will take forever to melt. Bread with an open crumb can be challenging to work with because the cheese escapes through the craters. Especially great choices include:
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How To Keep The Bread From Flying Around In The Air Fryer
Have you ever heard of a toasted cheese sandwich? Its similar to a grilled cheese, except its served open-faced. And if you dont help the top piece of bread stay in place in the air fryer, you may unintentionally end up with one!
When you start cooking your grilled cheese in the air fryer, I suggest using toothpicks or a small wire rack to hold the top piece of bread in place.
Once its time to flip the sandwiches, you can remove the rack or toothpicks since the melted cheese will help hold everything together.
Making Incredible Grilled Cheese
This takes the same amount of time as your regular grilled cheese but will taste 5 times better.
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How To Make Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwich
A note about the cooking process:
Ive made many grilled cheese sandwiches in my air fryer and have found that 385° F is a good temperature to keep the bread from burning before the cheese melts. You might find that your air fryer cooks differently than mine. This is a common complaint and not something I can mitigate for you. Youll have to keep an eye on the bread throughout the process and adjust as necessary.
Butter each bread slice on one side. Place the buttered side down on a plate and add on the cheese, top with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.
Place the sandwich in the air fryer basket. I like to use a piece of parchment paper under the sandwich, but its not necessary. Another thing to note is that some air fryer are quite powerful and will blow the top off the sandwich before the cheese melts. If this is a problem for you, you might want to secure the sandwich together with a toothpick. Just stick one or two into all layers to hold it together.
Cook at 385° F for 8 minutes, turning the sandwich over at the halfway mark to ensure that it gets cooked evenly on both sides.
Grilled Cheese Bagel Air Fryer
Grilled cheese bagels are a quick and easy snack that can be made in an air fryer. Simply place a bagel in the air fryer and top with cheese. Cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and the bagel is crispy. Enjoy your grilled cheese bagel with a side of soup or salad.
With just one air fryer press, you can now grill cheese sandwiches in the oven. Because of the air circulating in the Air fryer, the bread crisps without burning, while the cheese inside melts to a delectable ooey-gooey consistency. You can make your own flavors for grilled cheese sandwiches and they are delicious. These Air Fryer-Assisted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are a game-changer in the world of grilled cheese sandwiches. Every time you bite into this delicious dish, you will feel a little bit of bliss because it is topped with perfectly melted cheese and crunchy toasted bread. It is an excellent substitute for soup when served on its own or as part of a meal. If you have any leftovers, place them in a plastic bag and store them in the fridge for three days.
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Watch The Video Making Grilled Cheese In The Air Fryer
What are the Best Cheeses for Grilled Cheese in the Air Fryer?
Cheese that are soft and melt well will make the best air fried grilled cheese sandwiches. Choose a good melting cheese to make it super delicious. Heres some of our favorites:
- One of our favorites is classic slices of american cheese because the flavor is great and melts super quick.
- Sharp cheddar cheese has awesome sharp flavor
- Swiss, Guyere and fontina are examples of good melting cheeses.
- Jarlsburg cheese is pretty good too and they have a light cheese version.
- Make sure the cheese melts: If youre slicing cheese off a block, make sure to slice the cheese thin. The thicker the cheese, the longer it takes to melt in the air fryer. So cook the sandwich on lower heat until the cheese melts, then cook it on the higher heat setting to toast the bread. Weve tested the sandwich with butter and light spray of olive oil and both taste great. Hope you enjoy our air fryer cheese melt recipe!
- All recipe details are in the recipe box below.
Its All About The Cheese Grilled Cheese That Is
Now slide out the air fryer basket, if you happen to have that style. Some air fryers look like mini ovens.
Slice your cheese, or use pre-sliced cheese. Shredded cheese, also works really really well. Some people actually prefer to use shredded.
Place one slice of bread butter side down. Then put on your favorite kind of cheese, in this case, I am using Tillamook cheddar. Definitely try out a variety of cheeses, each one will melt a little different as well. Growing up we always used cheap American cheese. It melts really well, I just am not a fan now as I am older.
Feel free to combine different cheeses too if you like. The popular cheeses are American, Cheddar, Brie, Jack, Pepper Jack, Gouda, Havarti, Fontina, Gruyere, Provolone, Mozzarella, and Blue Cheese. I have made it with most of those. So fun trying different cheeses.
Place the other slice of bread with the buttered side up, on top of the cheese layer. It is ready to cook.
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How To Make Grilled Cheese In Air Fryer
Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
What The Best Bread To Use When Making Grilled Cheese
When it comes to the bread, I personally think it comes down to preference. A lot of the time it just really depends on what I have on hand which, most of the time, is sandwich bread.
If Im trying to make a fancy grilled cheese, Ill usually go with sourdough or homemade challah bread for an added sweetness.
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Tips For The Perfect Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
- Dont add too much to the basket. Overcrowding the air fryer basket will affect the results. Instead, leave space around sandwiches so the air can circulate correctly.
- Go for thick bread. In a pinch, you can opt for thin bread, but whenever possible reach for bread that has some bulk to it. Texas toast works wonderfully!
- Make sure not to saturate the bread with the mayo or it will be more soggy and wont toast up the way.
- Dont forget the toothpicks. I know its tempting to skip them, but the bread may fly off if you dont secure it.
- Use the cooking time as a guide. Depending on bread thickness, the sandwiches can cook faster or slower than in the recipe card. So its important when you air fry a grilled cheese sandwich that you keep a close watch so things stay toasty, not burnt.
Why Make This Recipe
- Its 3 simple ingredients. Yeap, bread, cheese and butter for coating. Thats it. My kids can handle this one with their eyes closed.
- You can add anything you want. Seriously add a gourmet cheese, adding Air Fryer Bacon and veggies and even add a little seasoning like paprika to the outside. All soooooooooooo good.
- Its a super easy pantry meal. You probably have the 3 basic ingredients on hand but you can add any leftovers you have.
- Works For Gluten-Free Diets. Ive tried this with Gluten-Free bread and you can still get the same delicious buttery crispy outer layer as you would with regular bread.
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Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Recipe Ingredients
To make a grilled cheese sandwich in the air fryer youll need just 3 ingredients: bread, butter and cheese. Which types of bread, cheese and butter you choose is what makes all the difference when it comes to making the best grilled cheese.
- Bread: I recommend using a hearty whole grain sandwich bread, sourdough bread, or a flavorful white sandwich bread. My current favorite bread for air fryer grilled cheese is a country style buttermilk sandwich bread. Its best to avoid extra thin sliced bread as it tends to burn and dry out in the air fryer.
- Salted Butter: Salted butter will make your grilled cheese sandwich so much more flavorful, compared to unsalted butter. Let the butter soften to room temperature for a few minutes so that it spreads easily.
- Cheese: If youre wondering what is the best cheese for grilled cheese, I recommend a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and sharp white cheddar cheese. Sharp cheddar is more flavorful than medium or mild cheddar, and using a combination of white and classic yellow cheddar brings flavor complexity to this comforting sandwich. Feel free to use any cheese that melts well, including mozzarella, Monterey jack, provolone or American. I used cheese slices, but shredded cheese also works well.
Find the full printable recipe including ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
Tomato & Cheddar Grilled Cheese
My favorite summertime treat when the tomatoes are at their prime! I like the make the grilled cheese with extra sharp cheddar and then pry it open and put a big juicy tomato slice in the middle of all that melty cheese. If you like the tomato warm, you could put it in right from the beginning, but be warned your bread might get slightly soggy this way.
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How To Make Grilled Cheese Sandwiches In The Air Fryer
Depending on what kind of bread you are using, use a bread knife to slice a couple of pieces of bread, making sure to cut them evenly.
Spread a bit of butter on 1 side of the bread slices.
Make a cheese sandwich by putting a cheese slice between the bread slices with the buttered side of the bread facing out .
Place the sandwich into the air fryer basket. Set the air frying temperature to 400 degrees and cook for about 5 minutes.
After 2 minutes, open the air fryer and make sure the top bread of the grilled cheese didnt get moved. If it did, put it back on top of the grilled cheese. Put the basket back in the air fryer to finish cooking.
Once its done cooking, flip the grilled cheese using the spatula. Set the air fryer temperature to 400 degrees once more and cook for an extra 2 minutes to finish browning the other side of grilled cheese.
Remove the grilled cheese sandwich from the air fryer and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Temperature
To make a grilled cheese in an air fryer, you will need to set the temperature to 400 degrees. Cook the sandwich for about two minutes, flipping once, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown.
The Air Fryer Grilled Cheese recipe is both simple and delicious for kids of all ages. They do not require cooking gas, just adding food to the fryer basket and driving away. Grilling in the air fryer has given me the distinct impression that I will not be returning to the pan anytime soon. Grilling cheese sandwiches in an air fryer is simple and delicious. You cant go wrong with either butter or mayonnaise. After 4 minutes at 350 degrees F, flip the sandwiches over and cook for another 4 minutes, or until the toast is desired.
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