Name: Air fryer grilled ham and cheese
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 slices of crusty bread; 40 g sliced or grated cheddar cheese; 2 slices of cooked ham of choice; 10 g margarine or mayonnaise (your choice)

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Using the air fryer is such a simple way to enjoy tasty meals, in a hurry, and at a lower cost then using the oven too. One of the lunches that we like to enjoy from time to time is this air fryer grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

This is VERY simple to prepare, you can even make a batch for the freezer to air fryer fresh from the fridge after defrosting overnight. It’s very cheap to make this recipe, and it takes next to no time and effort either, perfect for a super fast lunch in a rush.

Other sandwiches that we enjoy making are filled with this air fryer cajun chicken, air fryer peri peri chicken or even just air fryer bacon and sausages. A nice bacon, sausage and egg wrap or Ham & Cheese Crescent Rolls are always a winner too!

A hearty lunch is a great way to have a productive afternoon for me, especially one with lots of protein in, and as I’ve got two daughters and work from home I really look forward to my lunch break, as it’s the little bit of me time that I carve out during my work day.

The ingredients you use can be based on your own preference. You can use any bread, cheese or ham of your choice, but for the purposes of this recipe I’ve kept it nice and simple, with a few suggestions further in this post. If you’re feeding a crowd you could make these part of an alternative breakfast grazing platter too.

This Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich is a great alternative if you don’t have an air fryer.

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

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

Ingredients for air fryer grilled ham and cheese:

2 slices of crusty or sandwich bread

40g sliced or grated cheddar cheese

2 slices of cooked ham of choice

10g margarine or mayonnaise (your choice)

Method for air fryer grilled ham and cheese:

Pre-heat the air fryer basket to 180C for 1-2 minutes.

Take your bread, layer up the cheese and ham. I like to use sliced ham and sliced cheese for convenience, but you can see below for some other tasty suggestions.

Make a sandwich up.

Spread the outside of the bread with the butter or mayonnaise.

Cook for 10 minutes at 180C (355F) and turn 5 minutes in. You CAN skip the flipping if you’re short on time or effort as this only makes a very marginal difference to the cooking and browning of this sandwich.

Serve the grilled ham and cheese with your choice of crisps or even a nice side salad to make it a little more balanced.

Air fryer cheese biscuits in a bowl on top of parchment paper

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

As well as making a grilled ham and cheese, which is tasty, you could also add in some tomato, a little cooked bacon or just about any other cooked/processed meat.

You can swap the ham for a Quorn alternative, or Vegan alternative, and keep the cooking time the same. I have made this with dairy free mayonnaise and Vegan cheese too. The Vegan cheese doesn’t melt quite as well, but as it’s inside the sandwich it does still get all warm and a little gooey, and this makes a decent Vegan sandwich!

Can you make a grilled cheese and ham in the Ninja Foodi?

Yes, absolutely. I made this exact recipe in my Ninja Foodi OL750UK using the air fryer setting and using the timings and temperatures that you see in this post.

Air fryer cheesy chips (cooked) on greaseproof paper on a baking tray backdrop with text overlay that says 30+ air fryer side dishes

Want to skip the butter?

I feel that the butter helps to crisp it up BUT you can use light mayonnaise, lighter than light mayonnaise or even a 1 calorie cooking spray. You could skip this step entirely, if you want to save some calories, but I feel it really benefits from the outer bread layers being coated as they crisp up extra nice while still feeling lovely and fresh when you bite into them.

Can you use frozen bread?

Yes you can, and I have myself many times. I love to make these fresh, as I feel like they cook a little more evenly and faster. Make sure to brush the outside with butter. Don’t skip this step!

I recommend getting the bread out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before use if you can, so it can soften a little, but if you’re short on time just go ahead and make the sandwiches with frozen bread and adjusting that cooking time by 2 minutes.

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!

Check back regularly while cooking, as this can brown and then begin to burn within just 1-2 minutes near the end of the cooking time.

Air fryer pizza with peppers and mozzarella on a slate board on a black and white backdrop. Text overlay on orange background says air fryer recipes for beginners

Can you reheat a grilled ham and cheese in the air fryer?

Of course you can. Ensure that the food is piping hot before serving, as with any re-heated food. I find that 4 minutes at 200C (390F) is perfect, but this will depend on the thickness of bread and the amount of filling you use of course, so check back after 3 minutes, or add another 1-2 minutes to the cooking time if required.

What is the best cheese and ham for grilled ham and cheese?

I love a simple cheddar, a higher strength one, either sliced or grated and piled high in the bread. Here are some other suggestions for cheeses.

Brunswick ham is one of my favourites, as it’s got quite a dry consistency that works well with the melted cheese. I also like oak smoked or breaded ham too, as these have lots of flavour to them too.

Air fryer pizza rolls, 7 cooked pizza rolls that are golden brown, served on parchment paper with a side dish of roasted tomato pizza sauce

What to serve with air fryer grilled ham and cheese?

When you want to keep it nice and simple, you can just enjoy this alone. Personally I love to make it a little more special with garlic butter brushed on the outside instead of plain butter.

In the past I have reduced down my pasta sauce in the past to make a delicious dipping sauce, pizza sauce style.

If you want to make it a little bit of a more substantial meal then why not consider adding some air fryer frozen french fries, air fryer cheese fries or even homemade air fryer chips?

How to make air fryer grilled ham and cheese: