Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

This Air Fryer Grilled Cheese recipe pairs thick, fluffy bread slices with shredded cheese, cooking it in the air fryer until golden brown. It’s the perfect way to enjoy your favorite comfort food in less than 15 minutes!

Love easy air fryer recipes? Try this Air Fryer Quesadilla, Air Fryer Ravioli, and Air Fryer Tater Tots!

Making grilled cheese in the air fryer takes this classic sandwich to the next level! All you need is your favorite bread, a good melting cheese, and a little butter. 

This recipe is great for when you want a comforting meal or snack but don’t feel like standing over the stove. You can also customize it to your liking for a truly personalized result!

Why we love this delicious Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwich:

• Crispy and golden brown: The air fryer gives you that perfect crunchy crust without the hassle of watching the stove. No mess, no fuss!
• Quick and easy: This grilled cheese is perfect for busy days when you need something warm, cheesy, and totally satisfying.
• Customizable: Switch up the bread, cheese, or add-ins like bacon or pesto to make it your own!

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Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Ingredients:

• Good bread: Pick something sturdy that crisps up nicely, like sourdough, rye, or multigrain. Soft white bread works, too, but it won’t get as crunchy.
• Freshly shredded cheese: I always recommend shredding your own cheese for the best melt. Pre-grated cheese has anti-caking agents that can mess with the texture. Many types of cheese will work for this recipe, including old cheddar, gruyere, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Swiss, or American cheese!
• Salted butter: Adds rich flavor and helps create that golden, crispy crust. You can swap it for mayo for a tangy twist.

How to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich in the air fryer:

This Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is so easy to whip up! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

• Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice in the air fryer basket, butter side down.
• Pile on freshly shredded cheese, then top with the second slice, butter side up. Air fry until golden and crispy, flipping halfway through.

Variations and Substitutions

• Gluten-free: Swap the bread for gluten-free bread!
• Dairy-free: Use oil instead of butter and use dairy-free cheese. 
• Make it spicy: Add a dash of hot sauce or use a spicy cheese to ramp up the heat. You can also spread some Spicy Mayo on the bread before adding the cheese for a spicy kick!
• Add-Ins: Upgrade your grilled cheese with crispy bacon, sliced tomatoes, caramelized onions, mushrooms, sliced ham, or even a smear of pesto for extra flavor.
• Use sliced cheese: You can use sliced cheese to cut down on prep time.

How to store leftover sandwiches:

Let the sandwich cool completely, then wrap it tightly in foil or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.

For the crispiest results, reheat in the air fryer at 400ºF for a couple of minutes until warm and crispy again. A skillet also works well. Don’t microwave it, as it makes the bread soggy!

Serving suggestions:

Tomato soup is a classic (Roasted Tomato Soup if you’re feeling fancy!), but I pair this Grilled Cheese Sandwich with any of my soup recipes, including this Easy Crockpot Chili Recipe, The BEST White Chicken Chili recipe or my classic Chicken Noodle Soup.

It also pairs well with a fresh side salad, pickles, potato chips, or even air fryer French fries!

More air fryer recipes:

• Air Fryer Baked Potato — is it a side dish or the main event?
• Air Fryer Hashbrown Patties — for breakfast or a quick snack.
• Air Fryer Hot Dogs — the whole family loves these!
• Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks — great for a party!

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Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

written by Ashley Fehr

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This Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is the ultimate crispy, gooey comfort food! Buttery bread, perfectly melted cheese, and no flipping required. Just easy, cheesy goodness!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Course Air fryer

Servings 1 sandwich

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 slices good bread (sourdough, rye, multigrain, white)
• ▢ ½-1 cup freshly shredded cheese (more or less according to the size of your bread)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter

Instructions

• Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
• Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place one piece, butter side down, in the preheated air fryer. Top with shredded cheese and the remaining piece of bread, butter side up.
• Cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until golden.

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:

Bread: choose a bread that is going to get nice and crisp and crunchy in the cooking process. Sourdough works great, as does rye bread or a nice seed bread.

Cheese: choose a nice melting cheese — many will work great as long as you shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is not the ticket here! Old cheddar, gruyere, mozzarella — many will work according to your tastes.

Butter: I’m not mayo’s biggest fan, but you can swap the butter on the bread for mayo and it will achieve a nice golden crust as well — with a bit of a tangy flavor. 

 

Keywords air fryer grilled cheese

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