Air-Fryer Grilled Cheese

By Eleanore Park

Published Feb. 27, 2023

Air-Fryer Grilled Cheese
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(602)
Comments
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This easy air-fryer grilled cheese recipe yields an evenly toasted exterior, crisped frico edges and a perfectly melted middle — in record time. As Julia Moskin points out in her stovetop recipe, some patience and attention are required to ensure that the outside doesn’t burn before the cheese melts. But the air fryer’s convection heat results in the ideal grilled cheese with minimum effort. Like Ali Slagle’s sheet-pan recipe, this version is flexible: You can use any sliced bread or melting cheese. A schmear of your favorite condiment is also welcome here; try gochujang, kimchi or sauerkraut. If you have a larger air fryer, this recipe can easily be doubled to fit more than one sandwich.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 sandwich
  • 2slices sandwich bread, each no more than ½-inch thick
  • Mayonnaise, as needed
  • 2 to 4slices melting cheese (such as sharp Cheddar, American or pepper Jack), depending on thickness of cheese
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat air fryer to 400 degrees, if preheating is recommended for your air fryer.

  2. Step 2

    Thinly spread one side of each bread slice with mayonnaise. Place one slice of bread, mayonnaise side down in the air fryer basket and top with the desired amount of cheese. Top with the second slice of bread, mayonnaise side up. Cook until the sandwich is golden and crusty all over and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
602 user ratings
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Comments

Lane

Three minutes per side is what it takes to do a grilled cheese sammie in my frying pan. Why in the world would I use a much more difficult to clean air fryer for something like this?

JS

Never have I ever made a grilled cheese sandwich with mayo. I also never tried to do this in an air fryer. Well - I tried it tonight and shant be trying this again.

Tessa

Why mayonnaise and not butter? Or has butter always been a habit of my family's?

Deborah

I cook from a wheelchair so not standing over the stove is a great thing. I have a small air fryer, which made one very delicious sandwich quickly and with minimal mess. I used gluten-free bread which predictably took an extra minute or two on each side in order to crisp up

Bob

I just got an air fryer and came across this recipe when looking for ideas. I haven’t made it yet, but I’m surprised by all the comments questioning mayo. I’ve always found the best way to make grilled cheese is with mayo on the bread and butter in the pan - I get much more even browning this way.

Paul

I did about four minutes per side, and it came out just beautifully. I'll be making grilled cheese this way from now on. Yes, I have a stove. No, I don't have a range hood. I'd prefer to clean the air fryer than the entire area around the stove.

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