Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

5 from 1 vote

Oct 21, 2020, Updated Dec 05, 2020

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Make the perfect air fryer grilled cheese every time, with this recipe. Crispy, buttered slices of bread house slices of gooey, melted cheese. A classic sandwich to pair with countless meals throughout the year.

two grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other on a wooden board.

Some of my favorite fall/winter memories involving food included a big bowl of tomato soup and a warm grilled cheese sandwich on the side. As I got older, I started making this Instant Pot Tomato Gnocchi Soup and The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Once I got an air fryer, I decided I would never grill a sandwich again because it makes them perfect every time.

This Air Fryer Grilled Cheese goes really well with some of those other classic fall favorites. You can never go wrong pairing it with Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, Quinoa Chili, Homemade Chili, or even Vegetarian Chili.

How to Make

Butter the bread – Take two slices of bread. Butter one side on each slice.
Assemble – Place the cheese on top of one of the slices, on the side that’s not buttered. Place the unbuttered side of the other slice of bread, on top of the cheese.
Cook – Place the sandwich in the air fryer. Both buttered sides should be on the outside of the sandwich. Cook at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Flip halfway.
Cool and serve – Slice in half, serve, and enjoy!

Top Tips for the Perfect Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Use other cheeses – I tend to go for American cheese or Havarti cheese. However, you don’t have to stick with that. In fact, you can use whatever cheese you like most. Gouda is always a crowd favorite along with pepper jack, cheddar, etc.
Add spices – You can add some flavor to your sandwich by sprinkling the outside with some spices. Granulated garlic, onion powder, whatever you’re feeling or pairing it with should be your seasoning guide.
Add parmesan cheese to the outside – I love sprinkling some parmesan cheese over the buttered sides of the bread before cooking. It gives it an extra cheesy flavor.
Butter the inside too – If you’re an extra buttery person, you can butter both sides of the bread slices. It adds quite a boost of flavoring.
Use other bread options – You don’t have to stick with basic white sandwich bread. You can use brioche, homemade bread, whole grain bread, whatever you’re feeling or have on hand at the time.
Make it spicy – Add some crushed red peppers to the outside of your sandwich before cooking it. This adds a little kick to your grilled cheese and it’s delicious!
Add some tomato and crispy bacon.

What Type of Cheese Should I use?

This all depends on your cheese preferences. The most commonly used cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches is American cheese slices. This is because it melts really well, making it optimal for the recipe. However, some other favorites are provolone, pepper jack, gouda, etc. In other words, choose your favorite cheese in slice form, and go to town. That will be the best cheese.

Is Mayo or Butter Better for Grilled Cheese?

I would say this is a cultural thing as I have never used mayo in place of butter to make a grilled cheese. Butter is the more popular choice when it comes to this classic sandwich. However, some may prefer mayo and you won’t know which you like better until you try both. So, I would give mayo a try in place of the butter just to try it. It will be up to your taste preferences on which one is better.

Storage and Reheating

Fridge – Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Freezer – Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheating – Reheat using the air fryer, oven, or microwave.

If you love air fryer recipes then you will love this air fryer chicken parm and honey sriracha air fryer salmon. You can find more delicious recipes and cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and Facebook.

two grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other on a wooden board.

5 from 1 vote