Air Fryer Grilled Cheese.ย If you love grilled cheese, then you must try air fryer grilled cheese. Showing you both classic grilled cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches this is an air fryer must.
Did You Know? This grilled cheese recipe is so so popular with our air fryer readers that it features in our popular air fryer cookbook The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook. Perfect for beginners with 140+ everyday recipes and how to knowledge. You can get a copy here and read the amazing reviews.
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese is an update of our welsh rarebit in the air fryer, that was one of our very first posts in the November of 2015. Along with a 2021 update showing you how to transform your grilled cheese into a grilled cheese sandwich in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
I have been eating grilled cheese since I was in the womb. It was my mumsโ pregnancy addiction and she would eat cheese whenever she could, and this addiction has clearly been passed on to me.
I would go for lunch at my auntsโ house and she would always be there with the grilled cheese. It was always so delicious. Then as I hit the teenage years, I would have grilled cheese around at my friendsโ house and he used to always say that he had never met someone so addicted to grilled cheese!
Or as us Brits call it โCheese On Toastโ.
Then came the grilled cheese at university. I should have avoided this because it was very high calorie and I was there eating it at least once a day. Maybe this is how people get fat when they go to university????
But my all-time favourite grilled cheese experience was at Bettyโs tearooms in the north of England. This place is famous for its luxury Welsh Rarebit, which is what my husband calls posh grilled cheese.
So, a few years ago after moving to Portugal and missing my grilled cheese obsession I decided to make my own at home in the air fryer.
Can You Make Grilled Cheese In An Air Fryer?
Yes, you can. Grilled cheese in the air fryer is amazing. There are a few different ways you can make air fryer grilled cheese and it depends how you like it.
Maybe you want grilled cheese on toast, or maybe you want a grilled cheese sandwich. Or maybe you have some French bread that needs using up and you want to load it with cheese.
Whatever your favourite method, it is easy to make grilled cheese in an air fryer.
Can You Make A Toasted Sandwich In An Air Fryer?
I often get asked if I can make a toasted sandwich in an air fryer after I have shared that I love to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
That is because people are thinking if you can do an air fryer grilled cheese, then surely any toasted sandwich applies?
You can make any type of toasted sandwich in an air fryer. I love grilled cheese the most, but you could do cheese and ham, cheese and bacon, chicken and sweetcorn or do a toasted tuna melt.
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Biggest Mistake
You must understand that not everything goes perfect in the air fryer and before you make air fryer grilled cheese, you need to understand the big mistake.
That is that with the air fryer it is about air technology. The air is buzzing around the air fryer making it cook the food and anything light can be blown towards the air fryer.
So, you canโt just place a light slice of cheese in the air fryer on top of your bread to make grilled cheese.
This will result in the cheese being blown off the bread as it cooks.
Instead you need to be clever and find a sticking ingredient that will keep the cheese firmly in place.
You could butter the bread and make sure the sliced cheese sticks to it. Or my favourite which I did in this air fryer grilled cheese recipe, was to add a layer of soft cheese and then stick the cheese to this.
Plus, this is an excuse to have 2 types of cheese on your air fryer grilled cheese.
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwich
To avoid making mistakes like above with the grilled cheese and to avoid using cocktail sticks or extra cheese to hold in place, you can in fact make an air fryer grilled cheese sandwich.
This is how to make an air fryer grilled cheese sandwich:
- Butter four slices of bread.
- Place two of the slices of bread butter down.
- Add a thick slice of cheddar cheese.
- Add the other slice of bread with butter up.
- Place in the air fryer and air fry.
- Turn and air fry.
- Serve.
I have found the perfect cook time is 4 minutes on each side and the perfect temperature is 180c/360f.
How To Make Grilled Cheese In Air Fryer?
Cooking grilled cheese in air fryer is slightly different than a grilled cheese sandwich and you do it like this:
- Preheat your air fryer.
- Spread your bread with butter and soft cheese.
- Push down sliced cheese on the soft cheese.
- Air fry + serve.
Listen To Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
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Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Time And Temp
If you are wondering how long to cook grilled cheese in air fryer, or the temperature to use then this is what we recommend:
- 3 minutes cook time
- 180c/360f temperature
But because you want the bread to be hot fast to melt the cheese, we recommend a 3 minute preheat of the air fryer.
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MORE Air Fryer Cheese Recipes
I have made not secret of the fact that I LOVE cheese. I blame my mum for getting me addicted to it. As long as it is not blue and mouldy, I am there!
Here are a few Air Fryer Cheese Recipes:
- Air Fryer Pull Apart Bread
- Air Fryer Chili Cheese Nuggets
- Air Fryer Zucchini Pizza
- Air Fryer Pitta Pizza
- Air Fryer Pizza Loaded Fries
How To Reheat Grilled Cheese?
You can also use the air fryer to reheat your grilled cheese. Simply place your grilled cheese back in the air fryer and cook for 2 minutes at 160c/320f. Then you will have perfectly reheated grilled cheese.
This same rule can also apply to reheating your grilled cheese sandwich. But because a grilled cheese sandwich is bigger, we recommend increasing to 4 minutes.
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
Kitchen Gadgets:
Recipe Ingredients:
- 500 g Fresh Bread Sliced
- 3 Slices Cheese
- 50 g Soft Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 180c/360f.Place a layer of soft cheese or butter onto your bread like youโre spreading it to make a sandwich.
- Push down the slices of cheese on top of the soft cheese.
- Place your grilled cheese in the air fryer and cook for 3 minutes at 180c/360f.
- Serve warm with mayonnaise.
I just made a grilled cheese sandwich with raisin and cinnamon bread for my 5 yr. old ggranddaughter just now, and she loves it. She told me it was nice and crunchy! She told me those crunchies are so yummy, which means she is even eating the crusts! I just used hard cheddar cheese!
Hello Samantha,
Can you make this with frozen bread slices and if so what would the timings be for my โInstant pot with air fryer lidโ?
Thank you for this wonderful website and all your fabulous recipes!!
Hi Sherry,
Place your bread on its own for 2 minutes on 160C/320F, then continue with our grilled cheese recipe as normal.
PS, Thank you for the kind comments ๐
RE: Air Fried Cheese.
What is soft cheese?
Hi Mary,
In the UK we call cream cheese soft cheese. Philadelphia cheese is what we mean ๐
Can’t you make your recipes in a more compact form, please?
Hi Helen,
I am not sure what you mean by more compact, smaller on the page or less steps? ๐
With 5 grandchildren and 3 Collies, my house can be in an uproar at times. Making grilled cheese like this is a life saver. Along with tomato soup and chicken noodles soup, lunch is so fast! I wouldn’t have thought doing grilled cheese like this would be so fast and easy. Thanks!
Better then cooking under the grill !!
Got to love a grilled cheese, never thought my air fryer would be my go to machine to make a grilled cheese but they were quick and easy and tasted perfect.
My grand kids love a grilled a cheese and i have a sneaky one when i am making them one lol
Grilled cheese is a treat in our house and these turned out really good for a first effort, who knew the air fryer could be so versatile.