A crunchy buttery air fryer cheese toastie (aka grilled cheese) with thick crispy bread, perfectly melted oozy cheese, and a delicious garlic mustard mayo for extra flavour!
I guarantee this WILL become your new favourite comfort food snack, and best of all it's made with pantry staples! You might also like my air fryer French toast for something sweet!
If you didn't think you could improve on your best cheese toastie, I'm here to tell you that you most definitely can!
A cheese toastie made in your air fryer takes toasties to the next level of amazing, and this air fryer toastie is now the most requested lunch at home (with a bowl of homemade tomato soup for dipping purposes!).
👩🍳 Love your air fryer? Try my air fryer baked potatoes - another easy air fryer lunch idea!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
Here's why this is the best air fryer toasted sandwich recipe!
- Crispy crunchy bread & melty cheese.
- Buttery and cheesy.
- Easy lunch.
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Numerous add-in options - how about some sliced air fryer sausages?
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Bread - 2 slices of your favourite bread. White, wholemeal or granary all work well!
- Cheese - grated extra-mature cheddar cheese, but use a different cheese if you prefer, just make sure it's one that melts well such as gruyere or brie.
- Butter - softened so you can spread it easily onto the bread.
- Garlic Mustard Mayo - made with mayonnaise, garlic powder and Dijon mustard.
🥄 Equipment
Which air fryer? I use the Ninja Foodi MAX PRO Health Grill, Flat Plate and Air Fryer with 7 customisable cooking functions including grill, flat plate, air fry, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate! It also comes with a digital cooking probe that precisely monitors your food’s temperature as it cooks!
What is an air fryer?
Air fryers are small(ish) kitchen appliances that operate like a convection oven—except in a smaller, more concentrated space.
The air is circulated at a high temperature and evenly around the food, which makes the food cook more quickly than in a conventional oven and helps give foods a crispy coating without the need for lots of oil and fat.
🔪 How to make a cheese toastie in Ninja Foodi air fryer
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Mix together the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and garlic powder, and then spread a thin layer on one side of each slice of bread.
Two: Turn the slices over and butter the other sides of each slice of bread.
Three: Turn one of the slices back over so the mayo side is facing you and pile the grated cheese onto it.
Four: Place the other slice of bread on top - mayo side down touching the cheese with the buttered side on the outside facing you.
Five: Air fry at 180c for 6 mins. Flip with tongs or a plastic spatula then air fryer for a further 4 minutes until golden and crispy.
💭 Expert tips
- The buttered sides of the bread should always be on the outside.
- To make a healthier lower fat air fryer grilled cheese use reduced-fat cheddar and a cooking oil spray rather than butter.
- Cheese slices can be used in place of the grated cheddar.
🍴 Serving suggestions
What to serve with an air fryer toasted sandwich? Here are a few ideas!
Soup - tomato, pumpkin, roasted swede soup, or parsnip soup all go well with grilled cheese.
Pizza fries or halloumi fries for a real cheese-fest experience!
Sweet potato fries or baked carrot fries.
Sliced pear or apples for a sweet crunch, or how about a fresh beetroot and goats cheese salad?
📖 Variations
- Use different cheeses - crumbled blue cheese, gouda, havarti, or mozzarella would work really well.
- Add a slice of ham for an air fryer cheese and ham toastie. Grilled bacon would also be a good option.
- Spread a layer of caramelised onion chutney underneath the grated cheese layer.
- How about some grilled peppers or artichokes?
- Up the veg and add sliced mushrooms or halved cherry tomatoes.
🥡 Storage
Air fryer grilled cheese is best eaten fresh, straight out of the air fryer.
Leftovers can be reheated in the air fryer for a few minutes.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Makes and models of air fryer differ, but around 7-10 minutes for the perfect cheese toastie!
It's a personal preference, but any cheese that melts well can be used! My favourite is extra mature cheddar!
Yes! Just swap regular bread for gluten-free bread.
😋 More air fryer recipes
- Air fryer roast potatoes
- Air fryer turkey toastie
- Cheesy air fryer crumpets
- Air fryer cheese on toast
- Air fryer baked camembert
- Air fryer sausages
- Air fryer corn on the cob
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Recipe
Best Ever Air Fryer Cheese Toastie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Slices Bread
- 1 tablespoon Butter softened
- 1 tablespoon Mayo
- ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 50 g Mature Cheddar grated
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°c and set the timer of 10 minutes.
- Mix together the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and garlic powder, and then spread a thin layer on one side of each slice of bread.1 tablespoon Mayo, ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard, ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder, 2 Slices Bread
- Turn the slices over and butter the other sides of each slice of bread.1 tablespoon Butter
- Turn one of the slices back over so the mayo side is facing you and pile the grated cheese onto it.50 g Mature Cheddar
- Place the other slice of bread on top - mayo side down touching the cheese with the buttered side on the outside facing you.
- Air fry at 180c for 6 mins. Flip with tongs or a plastic spatula then air fryer for a further 2-4 minutes until golden and crispy.
Notes
- The buttered sides of the bread should always be on the outside.
- To make a healthier lower fat air fryer grilled cheese use reduced fat cheddar and a cooking oil spray rather than butter.
- Cheese slices can be used in place of the grated cheddar
- Use different cheeses - crumbled blue cheese, gouda, havarti, or mozzarella would work really well.
- Add a slice of ham for an air fryer cheese and ham toastie.
- How about some grilled peppers or artichokes?
- Sliced mushrooms or halved cherry tomatoes
Kim
Delicious! The garlic and mustard made this grilled cheese extra amazing. Love the crispness from the air fryer and how fast it was!
Heather Johnson
grated cheese - what a great tip - melts so much better!!!
Tracy
So delicious and a great way to use that air fryer! Can't ever say no to a toastie! Delicious!
Sue
I would have never thought of this, it's genius!
Eliza
What a great recipe! So excited to make toasted cheese sandwiches in the air fryer, and I love the idea of adding grilled peppers. Another variation my family likes is thinly sliced tomatoes. Thanks for another winner from Effortless Foodie!
Len
Very interesting and thank you for all the tips and recipes