Name: Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 slices bread (see notes); 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (more as needed); 12 slices cheese (such as cheddar, American, Havarti or other good melting cheese)

Jump to Recipe

Looking for an easy way to make multiple grilled cheese sandwiches? Try this Air Fryer Grilled Cheese recipe for a quick lunch (or dinner) made easy!

Cooked air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches.

Grilled cheese is a fantastic go-to option for quick lunches and dinners, as most of us typically have bread and cheese readily available at home, and it only takes a few minutes to prepare. However, I often find myself opting for this meal when I'm particularly busy and don't have the time or energy to stand at the stove, flipping sandwiches individually. That's why I decided to try making Sheet Pan Grilled Cheese a while back, and I discovered that I loved the hands-off approach of baking them in the oven. Curious if the air fryer would yield similar results, I was pleased to find out that it worked just as well!

Admittedly, this is more of a technique than a recipe. The choice of bread and cheese is entirely up to you, although I do offer some suggestions on which varieties to use. Additionally, the specifications of your air fryer may influence the recipe slightly. However, I'll cover all the details so you can easily prepare delicious grilled cheese in your air fryer too!

An air fryer grilled cheese sandwich cut in half on a plate.

Best Type of Cheese to Use

You can truly use any cheese to make grilled cheese, but in our home, when we want that classic childhood taste, we love to use a combination of sharp cheddar and American-style cheese (as evidenced in this One-Pot Mac and Cheese).

The sharp cheddar gives a really nice boost of flavor, and the American cheese adds the creamy factor.

Some other good cheese for sheet pan grilled cheese:

havarti
gouda
mozzarella (this gives a really good cheese pull but make sure to pair it with another cheese since it has a milder flavor)
provolone
gruyere

Ingredients to make grilled cheese in the air fryer.

Best Type of Bread to Use

For that classic grilled cheese taste, use thick white bread. I've been loving the thick-sliced white bread from Nature's Own lately, and it is so good on a grilled cheese. It also turns a beautiful golden color in the oven.

Sourdough is also a pretty delicious bread to use for grilled cheese, though it doesn't brown as nicely as the white bread.

Some other bread options:

sliced brioche bread
sliced italian bread
sliced french bread

Something to keep in mind: the higher the sugar content of the bread (such as brioche) the more likely it is to brown in the air fryer.

Step-By-Step Recipe Overview

Each air fryer and type of bread is different, so monitor cooking times the first time you make it. Bread with more sugar will brown faster. Once you have mastered it with your particular air fryer, you will be able to make air-fried grilled cheese sandwiches without having to monitor them as closely!

Here is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!

Buttering bread to make a grilled cheese in the air fryer.

Step 1: Butter the bread.

Putting slices of cheese on bread in an air fryer basket.

Step 2: Add the bread butter side down in the air fryer. Add the cheese.

Step 3: Place the second slice of bread on top of the cheese and spread butter on it.

Uncooked grilled cheese in an air fryer basket.

Step 4: Repeat the process with the remaining bread slices. The number of sandwiches you can make will depend on the size of your air fryer.

Four grilled cheeses made in the air fryer.

Step 3: Air fry for 4 minutes, then flip the sandwiches, rotating as needed for even cooking.

A perfectly cooked air fryer grilled cheese.

Step 4: Return to the air fryer to cook for about 4 minutes, or until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted.

Kelli's Best Tips

This technique is super easy, but here are a few tips I've learned after making countless batches of grilled cheese in the air fryer:

Preheat the air fryer. If your air fryer doesn't automatically do this, run it for 2 minutes at 400ºF.
Carefully add the cheese so it doesn't stick out of the bread. Nobody likes cleaning melted cheese off of air fryers.
Start checking your grilled cheese at the 4-minute mark. Breads with a higher sugar content, such as white bread, will cook faster than breads with little to no sugar, like French bread.
Rotate and flip! You should flip the grilled cheese at least once, but sometimes it needs a second flip to ensure even cooking. If you have a toaster-style air fryer you can even rotate the pan to ensure even cooking.

Many air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches on a cutting board.

More Recipes to Feed a Crowd

Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!

Full Recipe

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

Author: Kelli Avila
Prep Time: 00:5
Cook Time: 00:08
Total Time: 13 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
Category: Lunch
Method: Air Fryer
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Description

Looking for an easy way to make multiple grilled cheese sandwiches? Try this Air Fryer Grilled Cheese recipe for a quick lunch (or dinner) made easy!

Ingredients

Scale

8 slices bread (see notes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (more as needed)
12 slices cheese (such as cheddar, American, Havarti or other good melting cheese)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF.
Butter 4 slices of bread with half of the butter. Place them buttered-side down in the air fryer basket.
Place 3 slices of cheese on each piece of bread.
Butter the remaining pieces of bread with the remaining butter, then place buttered-side up on top of the cheese.
Place the sandwiches in the air fryer.
Air fry for 4 minutes, then carefully flip the sandwiches, rotating as needed for even cooking.
Return to the air fryer to cook for about 4 minutes, or until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Preheating your air fryer will affect the amount of time needed to cook. Every air fryer is different, so you’ll have to monitor your cooking times the first time you make this. The same goes for the bread. Bread with more sugar will brown more easily and faster than bread with less. So while I provide exact times for this recipe, there are a lot of variables in play that will affect the timing. So, use this method, watch for the visual cues, and note the timing. once you have mastered it with your particular air fryer, you can then make air-fried grilled cheeses without having to monitor much!

For that classic grilled cheese taste, opt for thick and soft white bread, which turns golden in the oven; while sourdough works well too, it doesn't brown as nicely. Other bread options include brioche, Italian, and French bread, but remember, breads with higher sugar content, like brioche, are more likely to brown in the air fryer.