We’re taking dinner up a notch with Air Fryer Pizza Grilled Cheese! This isn’t your average grilled cheese, it’s infused with all your favorite pizza ingredients.
Grilled Cheese Meets Pizza
If grilled cheese and pizza aren’t two of your favorite foods, I’m not sure we can be friends. In all seriousness, this is an epic cheesy recipe featuring our good ol’ Italian friend –> Mozzarella Cheese!
This Air Fryer Pizza Grilled Cheese will give you the best of both worlds by combining these two glorious meals.
this recipe is…
- Extra cheesy
- Kid-friendly
- Ready in 15 minutes
What You Need
It all begins with a classic grilled cheese, then the anty is upped with your favorite pizza ingredients.
Italian Bread: pretty much any kind of bread works for this recipe, but Italian is so delicious. Our second choice would be sourdough.
Butter: we are butter people when it comes to grilled cheese.
Mozzarella Cheese: this recipe calls for sliced mozzarella, but shredded will work too!
Pizza Sauce: pizza sauce is nice because it comes pre-seasoned and it’s widely available. You can also use marinara sauce.
Pepperoni: feel free to use normal size pepperoni or buy the mini kind. You can also omit to make this vegetarian.
Italian Seasoning: just a pinch of Italian seasoning to top it off. If you like it hot, you can add some red pepper flakes, too!
How to Make Air Fryer Pizza Grilled Cheese
We chose to cook this pizza grilled cheese up in the air fryer because it’s quick and will almost toast your sandwich.
- Butter bread: butter one side of two pieces of bread.
- Top: place 2 pieces of mozzarella cheese on top of one piece of bread and then spread on pizza sauce. Add pepperoni and sprinkle on seasonings. Place the second piece of bread on top with the butter facing up.
- Air fry: air fry at 280ºF for 3-4 minutes on each side.
quick tip!
Make sure to place the sauce on top of the layer of cheese, not bread. This prevents the bread from getting soggy.
Can I make this on the stove?
- Follow the directions to prepare this pizza grilled cheese. Then, drizzle some olive oil in a medium frying pan. Heat over medium heat.
- When the olive oil is fragrant, add the grilled cheese to the pan and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Flip the grilled cheese and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes. The cheddar cheese should be completely melted before removing the grilled cheese from the pan.*
Air Fryer Pizza Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 slices Italian or sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon softened butter divided
- 3 slices deli-sliced mozzarella cheese
- 2-3 teaspoons pasta or pizza sauce
- 9 slices pepperoni
- ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 280ºF.
- Place bread on a plate or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Butter one side of the bread and turn it over so the buttered side is down.
- Place 2 slices of mozzarella cheese on top, then evenly spread 2-3 teaspoons sauce over cheese. Add sliced pepperoni, then sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Top with the remaining slice of cheese and slice of bread.
- Butter the top of the sandwich and place it in the preheated air fryer.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully turn the sandwich over and cook another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove and slice with a pizza cutter. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Make sure to place the sauce on top of the layer of cheese, not bread. This prevents the bread from getting soggy.
- Sandwich is best served immediately but can be reheated in the air fryer at a low temperature (250) degrees or in the toaster oven on a reheat setting.
