Name: Air fryer grilled cheese
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 min
Ingredients: 2 slices of crusty bread; 40 g sliced or grated cheddar cheese; 10 g margarine or mayonnaise

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Up there for us in terms of tasty brunches or lunches would be a bacon, sausage and egg wrap, a BIG breakfast made with air fryer bacon, air fryer sausages and air fryer hash browns or this air fryer grilled cheese.

We are big fans of a hearty breakfast or lunch in this house. Having two daughters means that some days we are rushing out the door with a crumpet on one hand and pushing the pushchair with another! That means that the days we do have time for breakfast, or a fancy lunch, are even more special!

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You can use just about any cheese, accompaniments or breads for this grilled cheese but this recipe is based on my absolute basic favourites, and ideal for you to customise to your own preferences. If you’re feeding a crowd you could make these part of an alternative breakfast grazing platter too.

Scroll down towards the end of this post for my air fryer grilled cheese recipe card so you can get started with making this delicious treat right away!

A cooked air fryer grilled cheese sandwich cut in half on a plate

Ingredients for air fryer grilled cheese:

2 slices of crusty bread

40g sliced or grated cheddar cheese

10g margarine or mayonnaise

Method for air fryer grilled cheese:

Take your bread, layer up the cheese. I use either finely sliced cheddar cheese or grated cheddar cheese. See below for some other cheese suggestions.

Make into a sandwich.

Spread the outside (not inside!) with their butter or mayonnaise. You can use margarine, light mayonnaise, you can even use some spray oil if you want. The sandwiches pictures here were made with butter on one, and mayonnaise on the other, and I don’t personally feel you can tell the difference.

Pre-heat your air fryer basket to 180c for 1-2 minutes.

Cook for 10 minutes. Flip 5 minutes in. You CAN skip the flipping if you’re short on time or effort. I tested this and it only made marginal difference.

Serve with your choice of crisps or even a nice simple salad to make it a little more balanced.

Air fryer grilled cheese on a slate with flaming hot Wotsits in the background

Looking for some different suggestions for your air fryer grilled cheese?

Some things work great cooked from raw, such as an air fryer grilled cheese and ham, or grilled cheese and tomato, but others, such as an air fryer grilled cheese and bacon need a little more prep work.

If you’re looking to add something already cooked/processed, such as ham, then this won’t need any additional prep. If you’re adding raw meats then you’ll want to cook those first. I always make a batch of air fryer bacon on the weekends and a piece or two goes great inside a grilled cheese.

A breakfast platter containing crumpets, bacon, sausages, pain au chocolat, brioche rolls, fruit, and pancakes

Want to skip the butter?

Personally I feel that this is much needed to help have a super crispy outside of your grilled cheese, but you can use light mayo, 1 calorie cooking spray OR even skip this step all together if you want to.

Can you use frozen bread?

I have, many times. I love to make it from fresh, as I just feel it cooks a little better, but just add 2 minutes to the time and don’t skip the butter step! If you can then I’d recommend getting the bread out 10-15 minutes before you want to use it, so it has a chance to soften at least a little bit at room temperature.

Air fryer grilled ham and cheese sandwiches cut in half and stacked up on a wooden chopping board

Knowing exactly how long to put a grilled cheese in the air fryer is a little bit of a science, the same as any air fryer recipes, and a little bit of guess work! Check back regularly, opening the basket quickly if you don’t have an air fryer that allows you to glance inside.

Can you reheat a grilled cheese in the air fryer?

Yes! Make sure it is piping hot before serving, as with any re-heated food. I find that 4 minutes at 200C seems to be good enough, but this depends on the thickness of the bread and the filling of course.

Air fryer fries in a basket with ketchup

What is the best cheese for grilled cheese?

There are SO many varieties of cheese. Personally I love a nice simple cheddar, grated and piled high. However, here are some other suggestions for cheeses.

What to serve with grilled cheese?

If you want to keep it simple, and enjoy this alone, then I love to make it a little more special with garlic butter brushed on the outside. I’ve also reduced down my pasta sauce in the past to make a delicious dipping sauce.

When you’re wanting to make it a bit more of a substantial meal then why not add some air fryer frozen french fries or even homemade air fryer chips?

If you’re looking to get the most from your air fryer these these are some of my favourite air fryer accessories and cookbooks:

Something to note about air fryer recipes is that all air fryers have different sizes, depths and as such the cooking times can vary. All air fryer recipes on this website are intended as a guide, and not a guarantee that the timings will be perfect. Enjoy!

How to make air fryer grilled cheese: