Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwich Golden Cheesy Wellplated Com

The bread must be golden and deeply toasted, but not burned. Sturdy enough to hold up to the cheesy interior but still soft enough to sink your teeth into with delight. The cheese must be properly melted. It sounds obvious, but if you’ve ever experienced a grilled cheese that’s charred outside with bits of solid, room temperature cheese inside, you know it’s more nuanced than it seems. It should be buttery but not greasy, ooey-gooey but not soggy. In short, a grilled cheese should be perfect. While you can achieve grilled cheese excellence on the stovetop (I share the secrets in my cookbook—also available for order here—which has three creative, delightful Grown-Up Grilled Cheeses), using an air fryer (this is the model I purchased and recommend) to make grilled cheese streamlines the process and is much more handsfree. An air fryer is essentially a stovetop convection oven. It is a masterful appliance when it comes to making your favorite foods crispy with very little added oil or fat, like these Air Fryer French Fries and Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts. The air fryer is also phenomenal for toasting sandwiches, like grilled cheese. Below, I’m giving you my go-to method to make grilled cheese in the air fryer. I also have a key air fryer toasted sandwich tip to make sure your grilled cheese doesn’t fall apart in the air fryer.

How to Make Grilled Cheese in an Air Fryer

Like all seemingly simple recipes, you need to pay careful attention to the ingredients in your grilled cheese. Since there are few, each has a big impact on results.

The Ingredients

Bread. Don’t skimp here. I like to use a good-quality sourdough or whole grain artisan-style bread. While you can make air fryer grilled cheese with standard sandwich bread, picking up a higher-end loaf is 100% worth it here.

Cheese. Grate it yourself right from the block or use deli slices. I do not recommend bagged, pre-shredded cheeses. They are usually coated with a powder to keep them from clumping together, and thus won’t melt properly.

Butter. A light swipe of softened butter (or a buttery spread) is necessary to make sure your grilled cheese crisps nicely and doesn’t taste dry.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sauce. While optional, I adore spreading the inside of my grilled cheese sandwiches with a combo of Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard. It makes the sandwich taste extra lush.

The Directions

Grilled Cheese Variations

You can toast a variety of sandwiches in the air fryer. Here are a few of my favorite ways to jazz up your grilled cheese. Be sure to check your grilled cheese often to gauge its progress.

Sharp cheddar, gruyere, swiss, gouda, and fontina are all excellent choices for grilled cheese.Avoid pre-shredded cheeses, which do not melt well, or hard, aged cheeses that don’t melt as easily (such as Parmesan), unless you are combining an aged with a different, melty cheese.Create a combo. For a unique twist, try a combination of two or more cheeses. My favorite is to use a nutty cheese like gruyere and a classic sharp cheddar.

It is safe to put a toothpick in the air fryer at lower temperatures, such as 360 degrees F, the best temperature for cooking air fryer grilled cheese.When you are ready to flip, simply remove the toothpicks, turn, and keep cooking.

This trick is especially important if you are using thinner, softer bread, which is more prone to falling apart.

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese with Bacon. Add a few slices of crisp, cooked bacon (recommended: easy Oven Baked Bacon or Air Fryer Bacon).Air Fryer Grilled Cheese and Ham. Make your own spin on croque monsieur by layering on thinly sliced ham (extra delicious served with a fried egg on top!).Air Fryer Grilled Cheese and Tomato. Thinly slice tomatoes, or use these Roasted Tomatoes, then lay them on a paper towel and pat dry (this will keep the grilled cheese from becoming watery). Add to the grilled cheese and air fry as directed.Pesto Air Fryer Grilled Cheese. Instead of the grilled cheese “sauce”, spread the insides of your bread with pesto (my favorite is the Creamy Basil Pesto in my cookbook). Use any combination of fontina, provolone, or gouda.

Storage Tips

To Reheat. Grilled cheese is best enjoyed right away, but it can be re-toasted in the air fryer at 350 degrees F.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Air Fryer. The air fryer I own and love! It’s ideal for this recipe and these Air Fryer Pork Chops. Mixing Bowls. This set is a perfect addition to any kitchen. Non-Slip Cutting Board. This cutting board won’t slip away from you while you’re chopping.

Warm, toasty air fryer grilled cheese. Wouldn’t that just hit the spot?