Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is a simple recipe that even the kids can make. Perfectly toasted bread with melted cheese, a classic sandwich that can be paired with many different side dishes for a delicious meal.
We love serving this air fryer sandwich with Air Fryer French Fries or Air Fryer Tator Tots for a fun family dinner.
My air fryer has been working overtime lately. There are so many things you can easily make in it and best of all, even my kids can use it to cook. I like that they don’t have to turn on the gas stove, they just add food to the fryer basket and go.
After making these grilled cheese in the air fryer, I don’t think I will be going back to the skillet.
Why these sandwiches are delicious
- Forget the skillet, the bread get beautifully toasty in the air fryer.
- A quick and satisfying snack or meal.
Ingredients needed
I have found that there are two different kinds of people, those who make grilled cheese with butter and those that make it with mayonnaise. I’m still not sure which way I prefer so this recipe includes both in the ingredient list.
Bread – Use your favorite like sandwich bread, french bread or sourdough.
Cheese – For this recipe I used one slice cheddar and one slice Havarti. Some of the best cheeses to use are ones that melt well like Provolone, Mozzarella, Swiss and American. Feel free to also use your favorite shredded cheese.
Butter OR Mayonnaise – They are both so good, you can’t go wrong.
How to make air fryer grilled cheese
Scroll to bottom for full printable recipe, ingredients and video.
- Spread: Spread one side of each piece of bread with either softened butter or mayonnaise.
- Build: Place bread spread side down in the fryer basket. Top with cheese and then top with another piece of bread, spread side up.
- Cook: Air fryer on 370 degrees F for 4 minutes, flip the sandwiches over and cook at 370 degrees for another 4 minutes.
Recipe tips
- I did not preheat my air fryer for this recipe but if you machine requires it, preheat for 3-5 minutes.
- Be sure not to overcrowd the basket. Two sandwiches should be able to fit depending on the bread size.
- If the bread you are using is thin, you might want to insert a toothpick in the center of the sandwich to prevent the bread from coming off while cooking. Air fryers cook by circulating hot air and if the bread is light and then it could possibly blow off.
Variations
- To reduce calories and fat, replace butter with a light spray of olive oil.
- Change it up by trying different breads and cheeses.
- Try adding bacon or mustard to the sandwich.
Best air fryer to use
There are so many great options on the market today. I use a Cosori 5.8 quart, you can read all about my experience and review here. A few other options to consider:
- OMORC – 5.8 quart basket with a great price point.
- Ninja Foodie – This machine is an air fryer, slow cooker and pressure cooker in one.
- Instant Vortex – Made by Instant Pot, this is a 6-quart fryer.
More easy air fryer recipes
- Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs – Tender, meatballs that work well for a variety of recipes.
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus – A wonderful side dish to impress guests.
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Smokies – A favorite appetizer for parties.
- Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken – Make your own rotisserie style chicken at home
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts – These cook up fast.
- Air Fryer Meatloaf – Tender meat with a slightly sweet sauce.
***If you made this sandwich recipe, feel free to leave a comment and star rating below.
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 pieces sandwich bread
- 4 slices cheese I used 2 cheddar and 2 Havarti
- 3 tablespoons butter could also use mayonnaise
Instructions
- Spread butter or mayonnaise on one side of each piece of bread.
- Lay a piece of bread, spread side down, in air fryer basket. Top with 2 slices of cheese and place another piece of bread, spread side up, on top of cheese.
- Cook sandwiches at 370 degrees F for 4 minutes, flip the sandwiches over and cook at 370 degrees for another 4 minutes or until desired toast.
- Serve warm.
Evie
Its 2022, can we skip the 17 paragraphs of nonsense thats pure ego and just post recipes… orrrr do you think people give a crap?
Great info on a sandwich, but that’s what it is. A sandwich…
heather
I have a Jump To Recipe button at the top you can use and only one intro paragraph 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Carol S Dipple
What setting do I use on the air fryer? i.e., air fry, broil, etc.
heather
You can use the air fryer setting. Hope you enjoy!
Rachael
I’m new to the air fryer and I have the same cosori one. It was too toasted for me so I think if I try it again I will adjust the time and temp.
Debby Hall
Thank you for this recipe! It is delicious! I am new to air fryers, and looking for good recipes!
As a type 1 diabetic I have to look at the carbohydrates all of the time, and the carbs in this recipe seem really low.. just an fyi.
Thanks again!!
Debby
Suzanne Shifman
When I make grilled chees sandwiches in the air fryer they taste good but the cheese drips down into the bottom and the grill and then has to be washed and scrubbed out. I’m going to try parchment paper. Do I have to use the kind with holes already in it? Can I
use foil?
heather
You can use regular parchment and just poke a few holes in it. You could place foil on the very bottom of the basket to catch any cheese for easier clean-up. Enjoy!
Robin
One of the best hacks I’ve seen for cleaning the air fryer when it gets really messy is to put dish soap (leave the grill part in) then add water to about half way and start up the air fryer for 5 minutes or so and all that stuff comes off really easily!!
Janet C McGill
Tried this today. I will probably stick to the stove top. It was crunchy but didn’t achieve the color I prefer. I have a Philips and cooked it at 375° for 4 minutes per side. Used a mixture of butter and olive oil spray. Maybe I needed more butter. It was good but the color was off for me.
Pamela
These were absolutely delicious I put a little salad dressing on one side and added bread and butter pickles the bread stayed nice and fresh. Will definitely keep this recipe
cindy edmonds
i put mayo inside and butter on outside the way we were raised in alabama
Anne Davies
I would like to put a slice of tomato between the cheeses. Will that affect the cooking time? This is a delicious recipe, but I like tomato inside mine
heather
I think the cooking time should be fine with the tomato. You might want to check on it a minute early.
Cheryl
Made 2 perfect grilled cheese sandwiches!! Not burned or soggy like I typically do with a skillet!! Loved our sandwiches and plan on making them again soon!!!
Kimberley
Just tried this recipe in my air fryer and love it. The cheese was evenly melted and the browning of the bread was uniform … something I can’t get when I make it with a skillet. Best of all, my 4 year old son gave it two thumbs up and suggested we have it again tomorrow.
Mary
This makes me want to get an air fryer.
David
How can a sandwich using two slices of bread have only 2 g of carbs?? Not possible.
Vicky
Made this today and it was perfect! Even my little picky eater loved it.
Pat McCourt
My crust was way too crispy for my taste I don’t know what I did wrong. I have the basket I cooked at proper temp 4’mins each side (400*). What am I doing wrong with the crust?
heather
Each air fryer can cook a little differently. If you make one again I would try checking the sandwich at about 2 minutes on each side and add more time depending on how you like your crust.
Michele
This worked great for us. I believe the recipe said 370 degrees, which is quite a lot less than 400. My son and I tried our first sandwiches in the air fryer. He used a LOT more butter on the outside of his sandwich than I did. Mine was crunchier, and his was a little too soft. Probably, somewhere in the middle would be perfect for him. I need less calories, and I LOVED the exterior texture of my sandwich. Thank you for the recipe.
CHERYL
I cooked at 370
Rottiemom
The recipe calls for 370 degrees not 400.
C
It says 370 degrees
Rachel
yes!! same here! the middle was perfect, but the crust was way too crunchy, almost the same texture of stale bread.
Justin
Just tried this today, i love how delightfully crispy crunchy it makes the bread! I used a slice of baby swiss cheese for mine and had intended on also putting dill pickles in it but unfortunately i was out of pickles, next time, though! Definitely saving this recipe for future use because its so easy!
heather
So glad you enjoyed it!
Renee Kleber
this is a great recipe love it
heather
Thank you!!
Barbara Goulding
Love the recipe; such a good idea to air fry the sandwich, but the bread alone has more that 2 g of carbs
Sarah R Simon
I made them and the top piece of bread did blow around. The next time, I put one piece down, with the cheese on top, air pried it for a minute, then put the other piece down and flipped it over. Continued to air fry for 4 minutes, flipped it back over for 3 more minutes and it came out perfectly!
Sarah R Simon
Air fried*
Summer
Another recipe I was looking at said to use a toothpick to secure the top slice of bread to the sandwich. Hope that helps!
Darlene
Or you can put toothpicks in the sandwich to hold it together
Carol
Use toothpicks as anchors!
Marilyn
Great way to do grilled cheese sandwiches
Gloria H.
Do you preheat the air fryer?
heather
It depends on your machine but I don’t preheat mine for grilled cheese.
Denise Stetler
Temps & time’s are Wonderful; but what about watt’s? No one is telling me what wattage I need to use. My machine has the different ones.
Donna
Yummy! I am in heaven with my air fryer especially now that I can grill cheese.
Sue
Dry & hard….. hot air dried it out. Won’t do sandwiches again but still love my air fryer!
heather
Each air fryer cooks a little different. If you do try it again, I would recommend shortening the cooking time and maybe lowering the temperature a little bit.
Sunny
Same. I followed directions exactly and it was dry. I will stick with grilling in a pan.
Glen
Put Put more Butter on your slices.
Jerrica
We love grilled cheese& I would’ve never thought to make them in the air fryer, but they were so good! The crusts were a little too crispy for our liking, but the not so crispy that we couldn’t eat them. I always cook my grilled cheese with butter on the outside& mayo on the inside which makes for a creamier sandwich in my opinion. The best part was I didn’t have to sit& watch it to make sure it was cooking right. I just popped it in& walked away, except to flip it at 4 min. Even when I sit& watch my sandwiches on the skillet I’ve never had the bread toast or cheese melt so perfectly.
Dawn
Super easy and something I never thought I could make in the air fryer!!
Elizabeth
Quick and easy lunchtime food. Add a little chutney between the cheese slices for added flavour Mmmm
Joyce
Sandwich was good but I prefer one done in a skillet.
Michaune Tillman-Tate
Grilled cheese in the air fryer is sooo good! I am a mayo on the bread kind of girl and the sandwiches came out perfectly! I too have the Cosori air fryer and I am totally in love! So much more to learn to do with my air fryer. One of my friends just used her air fryer for green fried tomatoes!
heather
I love the mayo too! Fried green tomatoes sounds so good! I am going to have to try that next!!
Melissa
YUM- delicious! Cheesy goodness, and I loves using the air fryer!
Sara Welch
Loved the blend of havarati and cheddar cheese! Looking forward to making these for my kids today; they love a delicious grilled cheese sandwich!
Rachael Yerkes
grilled cheese is a favorite and made in the air fryer, it’s magical