Air Fryer Grilled Cheese – the perfect grilled cheese every time! Evenly crispy bread and melted gooey cheese take this classic over the top!
Growing up in Wisconsin means that the grilled cheese sandwich is pretty much a staple. And you have to use the right cheese as well. Wisconsinites are pretty picky when it comes to anything with cheese. And this Air Fryer Grilled Cheese passes the test!

Let’s start with the basics.
Everyone knows what a grilled cheese is and has had one before. But how do you take it to the next level, and make it more than what you remember as a kid?
Bread – You want to use a good quality bread. White bread still works best, but we LOVE using sourdough in our house or hearty Italian or even Texas Toast to make it even better. You want something thick and hearty, time to break away from the thin white sandwich bread here.
Cheese – Cheese is obviously important and you want to use something that melts really well and taste good. This is no spot for processed American cheese. Go for the good stuff! Colby is our favorite. If you can find Wisconsin Brick cheese that melts really well, or even Cheddar, Muenster and Monterey Jack are all delicious.
Butter – There is a debate on mayo vs butter for the best grilled cheese. We are all about the butter in this house. I have tried mayo before and it worked great, you couldn’t taste the mayo. But we like the buttery taste you get from butter, so that is our staple. Use a good quality butter not margarine for this.

How To Make Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
- Spread butter on the outside of each piece of bread. Place cheese in the middle and sandwich together.
- Place the sandwich in your air fryer and cook at 360 degrees F for 4 minutes. This gets the cheese melted and starts to crisp the bread.
- Open your Air Fryer and flip the sandwich. Increase the heat to 380 degrees and cook for another 5 minutes, flipping about half way through.
- If you want your sandwich crispier just increase the cooking time and check every minute until it is as done you like.

Making grilled cheese in the air fryer is so much easier and faster than the stove top. On the stove you have to watch it very closely, monitor and adjust the heat so you don’t burn the bread before the cheese melts.
Air fryer grilled cheese comes out perfectly every single time! You may need to increase your cooking time if you are using a thicker bread, but for your average slice of hearty bread this recipe works so well. And depending on the size of your fryer, you can definitely make more than one at a time.
To make this recipe I used a Cosori 5.8 Qt Air Fryer. It is big enough that you can fit plenty of food in, and the basket comes out so you can easily shake, stir, or flip whatever you are making.

Tips For The Perfect Grilled Cheese
- When you are using the air fryer you don’t need quite as much butter as you normally would. It will get perfectly crispy without it. So go light when you first try them.
- Pick good quality cheese that melts well. And feel free to mix it up! If you see grilled cheese on the menu at a restaurant it almost always is a mix of cheese. So use Cheddar and Monterey Jack together. Or throw a little Parmesan in with your favorite to mix it up. You really can make it different every time and never get bored.
- Make sure when you are loading your air fryer that your sandwiches are not stacked or over lapping each other. They need to be in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer.

What To Serve with Grilled Cheese
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese - the perfect grilled cheese every time! Evenly crispy bread and melted gooey cheese take this classic over the top!
Ingredients
- 2 slices thick bread (sourdough, Italian bread etc.)
- 1 Tbsp butter, softened
- 2 slices cheese (Colby, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Brick etc)
Instructions
- Spread butter on the outside of each piece of bread. Place cheese in the middle and sandwich together.
- Place the sandwich in your air fryer and cook at 360 degrees F for 4 minutes.
- Open your Air Fryer and flip the sandwich.
- Increase the heat to 380 degrees and cook for another 5, flipping about half way through.
- Remove from air fryer, slice in half and serve.
Notes
If you like your bread crispier, increase cooking time by 1 minute.
Nutrition Information
Yield
1Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 493Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 86mgSodium 761mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 18g
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.
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Cathy
Wednesday 30th of December 2020
Can't wait to put my air fryer to work!
Kevin
Wednesday 30th of December 2020
Just pass me a bowl of soup and you have lunch! Love that this is made in the air fryer!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
Wednesday 30th of December 2020
Is there anything an air fryer can't do?! I need to suggest this goes on my birthday gift list :) This looks so amazing!
Catalina
Tuesday 29th of December 2020
This sandwich looks amazingly delicious! Exactly what I need for lunch!
Beth
Tuesday 29th of December 2020
This looks so delicious and so easy! I can't wait to use this recipe from now on! So excited!