Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

This air fryer grilled cheese sandwich recipe is super easy to make! It helps you to make a delicious grilled cheese sandwich within a matter of minutes. Perfect for air fryer lovers!

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

FYI – My air fryer grilled cheese recipe takes me about 5 minutes to assemble all of the ingredients and then roughly 7 minutes to air fry this delicious & cheesy sandwich. Moreover, if you use homemade bread (such as one from my bread machine recipes!!), your air fryer grilled cheese will taste even more flavorful and unique. Fresh homemade bread is SO much better for making an air fry grilled cheese versus using bland & semi-stale packaged white bread (often full of preservatives & strange chemicals).

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese – When Machine Has Finished

In the picture above, you can see the “paddle hole” left in the bread by my bread machine (when the bread was made).

Ingredients

• 2 Slices – Homemade Bread – I think homemade bread tastes best. However, store bought sandwich bread is okay too.
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons – Melted Butter – This will be used to coat the exterior of the bread slices (outer sides of the sandwich). If you like, you can replace the butter with olive oil.
• 2 Slices – Cheese – Use your family’s favorite thinly sliced cheese such as cheddar, pepper jack, provolone, American cheese, etc.
• Optional – In between the 2 cheese slices, you can add extra ingredients such as cold cuts (e.g. 2 or 3 slices of thinly sliced ham or turkey), caramelized onions, pre-cooked crispy bacon, etc. See the tips section below for more information.

Servings – 1 Grilled Cheese Sandwich – If your air fryer is large enough, it is easy to double the ingredients to make two sandwiches, etc.

Equipment Needed – Air fryer, microwave (to melt the butter), small bowl (to hold the melted butter), pastry brush (to brush on butter), oven gloves/mitts, wide & soft heat-resistant spatulas, toothpicks, serrated knife and cutting board.

Air Fryer Used by Bread Dad

Wide Soft Spatulas For Flipping Air Fry Grilled Cheese

Instructions

• Melt the butter in your microwave.
• Place both slices of bread on a large plate.
• Brush a thin layer of melted butter on the bottom side of the 2 bread slices (the outer sides of the baked grilled cheese sandwich). FYI – You can replace the butter with olive oil if you prefer.
• Place 2 slices of cheese on top of one slice of bread. FYI – Don’t have the cheese sticking out of the sandwich or your air fryer might become a little messy (as the melted cheese can be blown around).
• Optional – Place extra ingredients (e.g. 2 to 4 thinly sliced ham slices) between the 2 slices of cheese. FYI – Just don’t add too much or the interior ingredients might not get warmed up enough during the air frying.
• Place the second slice of bread on top of the cheese (to complete the construction of the sandwich).
• Use a wooden toothpick to hold the sandwich together (as the “wind” inside the air fryer will blow off the top slice of bread and cheese). Push the toothpick through the center of the bread slices & cheese in order to hold everything together. FYI – See recipe’s tips section below on how to place/angle the toothpick.
• Place the grilled cheese sandwich inside the air fryer (before starting & heating the air fryer). FYI – I like to use 2 large soft spatulas in order to hold the sandwich together when transporting it to the air fryer. Place one spatula on top of the sandwich and the other spatula under the bottom of the sandwich. This prevents any accidental transportation disasters!
• Air fry the sandwich at 375 F (191 C) for 4 minutes. FYI – I don’t preheat the air fryer as I don’t think it is needed and some machines do not have this option.
• Flip the grilled cheese sandwich over using the 2 large soft spatulas and air fry for another 3 minutes at 375 F (191 C). This creates more even toasting/coloring of the sandwich. Wear oven mitts/gloves as the air fryer will be hot. FYI – This baking session is only 3 minutes long (versus the 4 minutes used before the flip). Why? The initial length includes a little time for the air fryer temperature to ramp up.
• Optional – Your sandwich might need a little more time in the air fryer if your air fryer doesn’t heat up quickly (esp. if it is an older machine). If the sandwich does not look fully toasted (due to a slow initial heating), just continue to air fry the sandwich for another 1 or 2 minutes.
• When the exterior crust of the sandwich is golden brown, wear oven mitts/gloves & remove the sandwich from the air fryer using the 2 soft spatulas.
• Place the sandwich on a cutting board & slice the sandwich into two pieces. FYI – Don’t forget to remove the toothpick before slicing & serving the sandwich!
• Serve & enjoy!
• Read the tips section below in order for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common grilled cheese problems.

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Grilled Cheese In Air Fryer – Before “Frying”

Toothpicks for Holding Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Together

Melted Butter with Pastry Brush

Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help air fryer grilled cheese “novices”. Experienced air fryer users probably know most of these tips already.
• Click on my “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include this recipe’s tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This air fryer grilled cheese sandwich recipe is one of Bread Dad’s easy Grilled Cheese & Panini Sandwich Recipes.

• You can make an air fryer grilled cheese sandwich with a wide variety of thinly sliced cheeses such as American cheese, cheddar, gouda, pepper jack, provolone, Monterey jack, mozzarella, etc.
• You just need to use a cheese that melts well.
• Optional – You can use a combination of cheeses (e.g. 1 slice of cheddar and 1 slice of Monterey jack) in order to create different flavor combinations.
• Optional – You can also use different colored cheeses (e.g. the yellow cheese and white cheese) for a different interior look to your air fry grilled cheese.
• Visitors – What is your favorite cheese to use when you air fry grilled cheese? Please leave your cheese suggestions in the comment section below.

• You can use almost any type of homemade bread to make this air fryer grilled cheese. For example, you can use slices from my bread machine recipes such as white bread, whole wheat bread, light rye bread, sourdough bread, etc.
• Optional – To add even more “cheesy” flavor to your air fry grilled cheese, you can use my bread machine cheese bread.
• Visitors – What bread do you like to use to make grilled cheese in an air fryer? White bread? Whole wheat bread? Rye bread? Multigrain bread? Cheese bread? Other? Leave your bread suggestions (for making the best grilled cheese) in the comment section below.

• I like to use melted butter to make this air fryer grilled cheese sandwich recipe. Why? Because that is what I grew up on. Classic grilled cheese sandwiches (like my Mom’s!!) were made with melted butter.
• Only add a thin layer of melted butter. Don’t add a thick layer of melted butter or the grilled cheese sandwich might taste (and feel) too greasy.
• My recipe calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter (but this amount will vary based on factors such as the size of your bread slices). For example, if you use small slices of bread (e.g. slices from my 1 lb bread machine recipes), you might only need 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Conversely, if you use large slices of bread (e.g. slices from 2 lb bread machine loaves), you might need 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
• In addition, the amount of melted butter will vary based on whether you add a thin layer or thick layer of melted butter. Don’t add too much or the sandwich will taste/feel extra greasy.
• Optional – Some people like to use flavored butters (such as garlic butter or herb butter) to add even more flavor to their air fry grilled cheese.

• Optional – If you do have or not want to use melted butter (e.g. due to the saturated fat), you can replace the melted butter in the recipe with olive oil. However, be aware that an air fryer grilled cheese made with olive oil doesn’t taste the same as a grilled cheese made with melted butter. It will be less rich, creamy… and buttery!!! tasting. The grilled cheese sandwich will taste more like the underlying flavor of the olive oil (which might be slightly peppery, fruity and/or earthy).
• Use a light/mild olive oil (versus extra virgin olive oil) if you want to add less of an olive oil taste to your air fried grilled cheese.
• Air fried grilled cheese made with olive oil will toast a little faster versus one using melted butter – so you need to check a little early (e.g. at the 6 minute mark) to see how the toasting is going. Remove the olive oil air fried grilled cheese early if it looks fully toasted. If not, then let the air fryer run for the 7+ minutes.
• Some people like to make use a VERY thin layer of mayonnaise to coat the exterior of the bread slices (instead of melted butter or olive oil). Why? Because some people think that mayo has a more even “browning” effect on the crust, mayo helps to make a crispier crust and it adds a slightly “tangy” flavor.
• However, I prefer to use melted butter or olive oil as they seem to create a crisper panini or grilled cheese sandwich. My “mayo” based attempts get less consistent results and the grilled cheese sandwiches are sometimes soggy.
• Visitors – Do you like to use regular butter, flavored butter, olive oil or mayonnaise when making a grilled cheese in an air fryer? Please add your butter, olive or mayo suggestions & tips in the comment section below.

• Optional – Want to make a fancier air fryer cheese sandwich? Then add some of your family’s favorite sandwich ingredients in between the cheese slices.
• For example, you can add meats to grilled cheese such as sliced ham, crispy bacon, sliced chicken, prosciutto (very fancy!), etc.
• Or you can add veggies to grilled cheese such as caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, thin tomato slices, avocado slices, etc.
• Some people even like to add things such as apple slices, fig jam, jalapenos, etc.
• Optional – You can turn this recipe into a vegan grilled cheese by replacing the dairy butter with olive oil or vegan butter, using vegan cheese (instead of dairy cheese) and choosing a vegan friendly bread (e.g. bread made without any dairy, eggs or animal-based products).
• If you want to make a vegan grilled cheese sandwich, you should also use a vegan cheese that melts well (such as Follow Your Heart American Style vegan cheese). Be aware that some vegan cheeses do not melt well!!
• However, the addition of extra interior ingredients (e.g. cold cuts or vegetables) can make the grilled cheese sandwich more fragile and more likely to slide apart (as these ingredients block the sticky cheese from holding both sides of the sandwich together). This is another reason to use a toothpick to hold the air fried grilled cheese sandwich together.
• Visitors – What extra ingredients do you like to add to your air fryer grilled cheese? Meat cold cuts? Veggies? Something spicy? Fruit? Please post your air fryer grilled cheese “extras” in the comment section below.

• I strongly recommended that you use a wooden toothpick to hold the air fry grilled cheese sandwich together (or the blowers inside the air fryer can blow off the top slice of bread and cheese).
• Don’t forget to remove the wooden toothpick from the sandwich after you remove the sandwich from the air fryer. Don’t leave it in the sandwich. You don’t want someone biting into the toothpick (like Bread Dad did when he was a kid – ouch!).
• The biggest problem with the toothpicks is that they can impact the flipping of the grilled cheese. The toothpick often sticks too far out of the sandwich if the toothpick is placed vertically into the sandwich. This is fine when the “stuck out” part of the toothpick is on top of the sandwich. However, this impacts the sandwich when you try to flip it over and now the “stuck out” part is hitting the air fryer platform/bottom.
• To get around this, I like to angle the toothpick diagonally/sideways (e.g. at a 20 or 30 degree angle) so it holds both slices & the cheese together without sticking out too much (more of the toothpick is inside the sandwich).
• Visitors – Do you use a toothpick to hold your air fried grilled cheese together in the air fryer? Or do you use an alternative method? Please post your toothpick thoughts in the comment section below.

• I like to use 2 large & wide soft spatulas (e.g. silicone spatulas) to move and flip the air fryer grilled cheese. The sandwich can fall apart during movement or flipping if you use just one spatula. FYI – I often use large silicone “pancake” spatulas to do this job (because they are very wide!).
• You want to use SOFT spatulas so you do not scratch the nonstick surface of the air fryer.
• Optional – If you are using large bread slices (e.g. slices from 2 lb bread machine loaves) or you like things extra cheesy, you should use 3 slices of cheese.
• If you want to make 2 air fryer sandwiches at the same time, you need either a large air fryer (that can fit two sandwiches) or just keep repeating the recipe (one sandwich after the other) in order to make more.
• I do not think that you have to preheat the air fryer because many newer models of air fryers generally warm up very quickly. However, check your air fryer’s manual to see if your specific air fryer needs to be preheated.
• This grilled cheese recipe is made with an air fryer. However, you can also make grilled cheese with a frying pan/skillet, oven or panini press/grill. If you want to see Bread Dad’s panini version of a grilled cheese sandwich, please visit my Grilled Cheese Panini Recipe page.
• Or check out my recipe for Oven Baked Grilled Cheese if you want to make multiple sandwiches at once.

• Potential positives for air fryer grilled cheese
• Much less splatter risk (versus frying pan grilled cheese). There is more potential to be splattered with hot butter or oil when flipping a grilled cheese (usually multiple times) in an open frying pan or skillet that is coated with a layer of hot butter/oil.
• Hot butter or oil drips away from sandwich if your air fryer has a rack at the bottom. This results in a less greasy grilled cheese sandwich (as the hot butter or oil is not trapped next to the bread as often the case with a frying pan, panini press or oven).
• Easier to set the exact temperature with an air fryer (versus a frying pan). This means there is less potential for burning the grilled cheese since you can set the temperature and baking time.
• Shorter time to make versus oven baked grilled cheese (as you often need a relatively long time to preheat an oven).
• Uses much less energy versus having to heat up an entire oven (for oven baked grilled cheese).
• Air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches go GREAT with other air fryer foods such as air fryer French fries!!
• Visitors – Am I missing any other positives for making a grilled cheese with an air fryer? Please post your air fryer positives & benefits in the comment section below.

• Potential negatives for air fryer grilled cheese
• The bread can taste drier as the hot “wind” in the air fryer can dry out the bread slices (by evaporating moisture from the bread). Make sure to add a thin layer of melted butter (or olive oil) on the entire outside of the sandwich (don’t miss any part of the exterior of the bread slices). This will help to lock in some of the moisture (but it will still taste a little drier than a grilled cheese made in a frying pan or with a panini press/grill.
• An air fryer grilled cheese sandwich lacks the nice vertical stripes found in a panini grilled cheese sandwich. Many panini machines have top & bottom grills that press the sandwich together and these add top & bottom grilling “stripes”.
• The powerful “wind” inside in an air fryer can blow a sandwich apart. Therefore, you should use a toothpick to hold your air fryer grilled cheese sandwich together (in order to avoid it being blown apart).
• If your air fry is not very large, you probably can only make one grilled cheese sandwich at a time (versus multiple grilled cheese sandwiches if you use an oven).

• If you use frozen bread to make this air fryer grilled cheese, make sure to let the bread fully thaw out or you will get some inconsistent melting & browning of the bread.
• Air fryers vary in how fast they heat up. For example, many older machines can take longer to heat up. Therefore, you might need a little extra time “air frying” your grilled cheese if your machine does not heat up quickly.

• Always be careful with air fryers. They get very hot. Wear oven mitts/gloves & use long handled soft spatulas or tongs when moving the sandwich in and out of the air fryer.
• In addition, do NOT let kids near a hot air fryer.
• Make sure to READ your air fryer instruction manual in order to operate your machine safely & correctly. Always follow the safety instructions in your instruction manual.
• In case you want to make this air fryer grilled cheese recipe with homemade bread (such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal bread and multigrain bread), you should explore Bread Dad’s Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

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Main Recipe Sections

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Related Recipe Sections

1. Grilled Cheese & Panini Sandwich Recipes – Turn your homemade bread into air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches, ham & cheese paninis, etc.
2. Muffin Recipes – Chocolate chip banana muffins, eggless banana muffins, cranberry banana muffins, etc.
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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Air Fryer
2. Wikipedia, Grilled Cheese
3. Wikipedia, Types of Cheese
4. Wikipedia, Vegan Cheese

Related Recipes

1. Grilled Cheese Panini – Made with a panini press/grill
2. Oven Baked Grilled Cheese – Grilled cheese made in an oven
3. Bread Machine Cheese Bread
4. Bread Machine Sourdough
5. Bread Machine White Bread
6. Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

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