Air-Fryer Grilled Cheese

By Eleanore Park

Published February 27, 2023

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(620)
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

  • 2 slices sandwich bread, each no more than ½-inch thick

  • Mayonnaise, as needed

  • 2 to 4 slices melting cheese (such as sharp Cheddar, American or pepper Jack), depending on thickness of cheese

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

8 grams carbs; 22 milligrams cholesterol; 154 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 231 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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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
620 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?

Emilian

It's a shame that the top comments pooh-pooh the use of an air fryer for grilled cheese sandwiches. I find the air fryer easier to use as well as to clean than my cast iron pan when cooking grilled cheese sandwiches. I can also cook four sandwiches at one time in the air fryer, compared to 2 or 3 at a time on the stovetop. Plus, no burnt butter issues as you can get in a pan if you don't pay attention, and the browning is much more even and appetizing whether you use butter or mayo.

John

I love grilled cheese. I make it very often, but NEVER once in my life have i put mayonnaise, ... MAYONNAISE on my grilled cheese. Mayonnaise is a condiment for sandwiches, but grilled cheese does NOT apply. I was curious about this so I decided to make it. I was reading the instructions and it says heat air fryer to 400 degrees. My air fryer does even go up to 400 degrees. WHAT ARE WE COOKING IN HERE, A SHARK? Sorry that my dinky air fryer from the 15th century does not meet your requirements.

DJC

The grilled cheese turned out great. I made it with swiss cheese and only had the heals of the loaf left. The mayonnaise kept it from getting too crispy in the air fryer. Great sandwich, quick, easy, and clean up was a breeze.

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