Perfectly crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside air fryer grilled cheese! Learn how to make grilled cheese in air fryer in less than 15 minutes.
Perfect Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Is there anything more delicious than grilled cheese and tomato soup? I think not! If you haven’t made air fryer grilled cheese yet, then I’m so glad you are here!
Air fryer grilled cheese is truly the best. It comes out so crispy on the outsides and super ooey-gooey cheesy on the inside. It’s basically deep-fried grilled cheese without the deep-frying!
Why you’ll love it!
- Perfectly cooked
- Kid-friendly
- 4 Ingredients
- 15 Minutes
Ingredients for Grilled Cheese in Air Fryer
Bread: when it comes to grilled cheese, we’re all about keeping it classic with white sandwich bread. If you want to change it up, feel free to try whole-grain or sourdough, but plain ol’ white is the best.
Butter: we are butter people when it comes to lathering up the outside. But, if you insist you can use mayo.
American Cheese: American cheese (AKA Kraft singles) are a must!
Shredded Cheddar Cheese: if you can, freshly shred your cheddar cheese. We used a sharp cheddar, but any kind works.
Get More
Cheddar Cheese Recipes
Looking for more recipes with cheddar cheese? Check out our cheesy collection of cheddar cheese recipes.
How to Make Grilled Cheese in Air Fryer
Butter Bread
Spread butter evenly onto one side of two pieces of white bread.
Top with Cheese
Place one piece of bread in your greased air fryer basket. Then, top with American cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. Then, top with the second piece of bread.
Air Fry
Air fry the grilled cheese at 370ºF for 4 minutes.
Flip and Air Fry Again
Flip the sandwich over and air fry for 3-4 more minutes or until golden brown.
FAQ
Air fryer your sandwich or grilled cheese for around 7-8 minutes total at 370ºF.
If you put cheese in the air fryer it will melt and maybe even burn. If you’re making grilled cheese in the air fryer, be careful not to let any cheese spill out or you will risk it burning.
If you’re making grilled cheese in the air fryer, you can easily use shredded cheese. In fact, we love using shredded cheese inside of grilled cheese!
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you can typically fit up to 2-3 grilled cheeses at once. They can be touching a bit, but make sure not to overlap them or overcrowd them too much.
Variations
- Bacon: add some protein to your air fryer grilled cheese and place 2 strips of cooked bacon right in between the 2 pieces of bread.
- Caramelized Onions: caramelized onions are life and so delicious in grilled cheese.
- Switch up the shredded cheese: intead of using cheddar, feel free to shred whatever kind of cheese you have on hand — gruyere, provolone, swiss, etc.
Storage
While we recommend making and eating this fresh, you’re more than welcome to store leftovers for later.
Transfer your cooled grilled cheese into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread (we used white sandwich bread)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter room temperature
- 1 slice American cheese
- 2 oz. shredded cheddar (~½ cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 370ºF and spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread butter evenly onto one side of each slice of bread.
- Next, place one slice of bread into the air fryer basket buttered-side down.
- Top the slice of bread with American cheese and shredded cheddar and then place the second slice of bread on top of the cheese buttered-side up.
- Air fry the sandwich at 370ºF degrees for 4 minutes, flip and air fry for another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- We used a commercial sandwich bread.
- On the first round of cooking my top slice raised off the sandwich a little. That shape is resolved when you flip and do the second air fry.
