How to Make a Grilled Cheese in the Air Fryer – Quick Recipe

Ivy Smith February 14, 2023 in Kitchen & Food, Air Fryer - 11 Minutes

Read Time:5 Minute, 27 Second

You’ll enjoy making grilled cheese in an air fryer. This easy and simple air fryer cheese melt sandwich is a fantastic quick lunch or meal. Kids love this.

You can pre-heat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 375°F to prepare grilled cheese. On each of the four slices of bread, evenly spread butter.

Table of Contents

Quality Ingredients

Bread: Though it’s a classic, white sandwich bread is a great option, try to go for a thicker cut. While leftover artisan bread, sourdough bread, and multigrain bread would also be delicious, they might not toast as easily or as golden in the air fryer.

Cheese: Cheddar cheese is a must (orange or white), but I also like to throw in another kind of good melty cheese, like Swiss, provolone, American, Monterey Jack, Gruyere, Fontina or Havarti.

Butter: can’t achieve that buttery, crispy golden color and flavor without it! Salted or unsalted will work.

How to Make Air Fryer Grilled Cheese:

Assemble Sandwiches:

Set your air fryer’s temperature to 320 degrees. Each piece of bread should have one side butter. The non-buttered side of the bread should be topped with one slice of cheddar cheese and one slice of your favorite cheese. Make sure the buttered sides of the bread are facing out. To prevent the bread from flying off while air frying, use toothpicks to hold the sandwich together.

Air Fry:

Place the grilled cheese sandwiches in an even layer in the air fryer basket or on a rack (you’ll probably need to cook them in batches). 2-3 minutes of air-frying at 370 degrees. Check frequently to make sure the top slice of bread hasn’t blown off and to prevent burning.

Flip Sandwich:

Cook for an additional two to three minutes on the other side, or until the desired level of brownness is reached.

Serve:

Remove the toothpick and serve with Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, or Roasted Tomato Soup.

Recipe Tips

For this recipe, I didn’t pre-heat my air fryer, but if yours does, do so for 3 to 5 minutes.
Make sure the basket isn’t too full. Two sandwiches should be able to fit depending on the bread size.
If the bread you’re using is thin, you might want to put a toothpick in the middle of the sandwich to stop it from falling off while cooking. If the bread is thin, it might blow off in an air fryer because they cook by moving hot air around.

Recipe Variations

No butter: After placing the sandwich in the air fryer, lightly oil the top of the bread. Following a flip, spray the opposite side.
Ham and Cheese: Between the two cheese slices, place a thin slice of ham.
Grilled Cheese with Mayo: On the inside of the bread, apply a thin layer of mayonnaise.

How Long Does Grilled Cheese Last?

The best way to eat them is definitely right away after air frying. Any leftovers, however, can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container. As soon as you’re ready to eat it, reheat it in the air fryer.

What Kind of Bread is Best for Air Fryer Grilled Cheese?

A sturdy bread, like sourdough or rustic Italian, cut at least 1/2-inch thick stands up well to the circulating heat of the air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, shape matters as well. Cooking more than one sandwich at once might be challenging if you use square-shaped slices. Two sandwiches fit snuggly in the basket thanks to slices from a round, boule-shaped loaf. When trying to feed a crowd, this is helpful!

What Kind of Cheese is Best for Grilled Cheese?

Here, flavor and texture are two things to take into account. Freshly grated cheese works best for the creamiest melt, while slices come in a close second. Although pre-grated cheese does indeed work, it sometimes contains an anti-clumping agent that can impede the smoothest melt. A milder, creamier cheese like havarti or monterey jack pairs well with a sharper, slightly aged cheese like cheddar. Smoked gouda adds a melty, incredibly soft texture and a smoky flavor to this recipe. If using slices, estimate 3 to 4 slices per sandwich, depending on the thickness.)

What Can I Add?

This grilled cheese sandwich is made extra creamy and has a sharp, horseradish-like bite thanks to the addition of some mayo and mustard to the inside of the bread. Slices of bacon or ham, pickles, sauerkraut, sautéed mushrooms or onions, or even both can be added to a sandwich if you prefer it savory. The sandwich can be given a little kick with candied jalapeos, also known as “cowboy candy,” and jam keeps a sweet and savory fan happy.

FAQs

Is It OK to Put Cheese in An Air Fryer?

If the cheese won’t drip into your basket, you can use the air fryer to prepare foods like mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese balls, and even grilled cheese. Cheesy recipes that are breaded or that contain the cheese in some way work best.

Why is My Cheese Not Melting in Air Fryer?

Make sure the cheese melts by cutting it thinly from a block if you’re slicing it. The thicker the cheese, the longer it takes to melt in the air fryer. In order to toast the bread, cook the sandwich on a higher heat setting after cooking it on a lower heat setting to melt the cheese.Make sure the cheese melts by cutting it thinly from a block if you’re slicing it. The thicker the cheese, the longer it takes to melt in the air fryer. In order to toast the bread, cook the sandwich on a higher heat setting after cooking it on a lower heat setting to melt the cheese.

How Do I Keep Cheese from Blowing in My Air Fryer?

Hold them down with a trivet that can withstand heat. Your grilled cheese sandwich or chicken quesadilla might also have the top blown off by the fan. To hold everything in place, use toothpicks.

Try the following Air Fryer recipes if you are interested!