Air Fryer Cheese Toastie: Crispy, Cheesy and Ready in 5 Minutes
A cheese toastie isn’t exactly complicated, but making one in the air fryer is surprisingly handy when you don’t have a toastie maker or simply can’t be bothered getting another appliance out of the cupboard. You still get crisp, golden bread and melted cheese in the middle, without having to stand over a frying pan watching it.
For my air fryer cheese toastie, I use two slices of bread, cheese and butter, then cook it at 180°C for around 4–5 minutes. It really is that simple, although there are a few little things worth knowing before you start, especially if your air fryer has enough enthusiasm to try launching the top slice of bread around the basket!
This is a good quick lunch when you don’t particularly feel like cooking, and you can easily change the filling once you’ve got the basic method sorted.
If you’ve recently bought an air fryer and are still working out what on earth to make in it, you’ll find lots more ideas in my air fryer recipes collection.
What temperature should you cook a cheese toastie in the air fryer?
I cook mine at 180°C.
That gives the bread time to toast while the cheese melts in the middle. If you cook it much hotter, you risk getting very brown bread before the cheese has properly melted, particularly if you’re using quite a thick layer of cheese.
Air fryers do vary, though, so check your toastie towards the end of the cooking time rather than assuming every machine will produce exactly the same result after five minutes.
How long does a cheese toastie take in the air fryer?
Mine takes approximately 4–5 minutes at 180°C.
The thickness of your bread, the amount of cheese you’ve used and your particular air fryer can all affect that slightly, so have a look after about four minutes.
You’re looking for golden, crisp bread with properly melted cheese inside.
If the bread is ready but the cheese isn’t quite melted enough for you, another minute can make quite a difference.
Do you need to butter the bread?
I use butter on the outside of the bread because it helps give the toastie that lovely golden finish.
Butter one side of each slice, then build the sandwich with the buttered sides facing outwards. In other words, the cheese goes against the unbuttered side of the bread.
It sounds incredibly obvious when it’s written down, but it’s also exactly the sort of thing I know I’d somehow do backwards if I were making lunch while distracted!
What cheese is best for an air fryer toastie?
You want a cheese that melts well rather than one that’s going to sit stubbornly between two slices of bread refusing to cooperate.
Cheddar is the obvious choice and what I’d normally associate with a proper cheese toastie, but you don’t have to stick to one cheese. Mozzarella gives you that lovely stretchy melted cheese, while combining it with Cheddar gives you more flavour.
Red Leicester works well too, as does something like Gruyère if that’s what you have.
It’s also a good recipe for using up a couple of bits of cheese that aren’t quite enough to do much else with.
How to make an air fryer cheese toastie
Preheat your air fryer to 180°C if your particular model recommends preheating.
Take two slices of bread and spread butter on one side of each.
Put one slice into the air fryer basket with the buttered side facing down, then add your cheese.
Place the second slice on top with its buttered side facing upwards.
Air fry at 180°C for approximately 4–5 minutes, checking towards the end. When the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese has melted, carefully lift the toastie out with a spatula.
Give it a moment before biting into it unless you’d particularly like to remove a layer of skin from the roof of your mouth with molten Cheddar. I’ve made that mistake often enough!
How do you stop the bread flying around in the air fryer?
This can happen in some air fryers because the fan is surprisingly powerful and a light slice of bread isn’t exactly difficult to move.
Once the cheese begins melting it usually helps hold everything together, but those first few minutes can be the problem.
If you know your air fryer tends to move lightweight food around, check the manufacturer’s instructions for the safest way to secure food in your particular model. Don’t put random loose objects into the basket simply to weigh the sandwich down.
Using a decent amount of cheese spread reasonably evenly across the bread can also help the sandwich stay together.
Do you need to turn an air fryer cheese toastie?
For the method I’ve used here, I don’t turn it. The hot circulating air cooks both sides while the sandwich sits in the basket.
Have a look at the underside when you remove it, though. If your particular air fryer browns very unevenly, you might decide yours benefits from turning for the final minute next time.
That’s one of those things where getting to know your own air fryer is more useful than pretending every model behaves identically.
What bread works best?
Ordinary sliced bread works perfectly well, so you don’t need to buy anything special.
White, wholemeal, seeded or sourdough can all work, although thicker bread may take a little longer to crisp and can make it harder for the heat to reach a very thick cheese filling.
I’d start with whatever bread you already like eating rather than buying a special loaf purely because the internet has decided every toastie needs to be made with artisan sourdough.
Cheese toastie filling ideas
Once you’ve made the basic version, there are loads of ways you can change it.
Cheese and onion is probably one of the easiest. Thinly sliced tomato works too, although don’t go mad with it because too much moisture can make the inside of your toastie soggy.
If you eat meat, ham and cheese is an obvious combination, while cooked bacon can work well too.
I personally stick to vegetarian fillings, so I’d be more likely to add onion, tomato, sliced peppers, chutney or perhaps some leftover roasted vegetables.
Just remember that anything you add needs either to be safe to eat as it is or already cooked. Four or five minutes inside a sandwich isn’t the place to try cooking raw meat from scratch.
What can you serve with a cheese toastie?
For lunch, I’d quite happily eat one on its own, but you can easily turn it into more of a meal.
Soup and a cheese toastie is hard to beat when the weather is miserable, while a simple salad works if you want something fresher alongside it.
If you’re considerably hungrier, try it with air fryer sweet potato fries, air fryer salt and pepper chips or some potato wedges.
You could even serve some crispy air fryer cauliflower alongside it if you want to get a vegetable involved without pretending the toastie itself needs improving.
Can you reheat a cheese toastie in the air fryer?
You can, although I’d always choose a freshly made one if possible because it only takes a few minutes in the first place.
If you do have one left over, refrigerate it promptly once cool and reheat it thoroughly before eating. A short spell in the air fryer should help the bread crisp again much better than microwaving it, which tends to make bread rather sad.
Keep an eye on it while reheating because you’re warming an already-cooked sandwich rather than starting from cold bread and cheese.
More easy things to make in the air fryer
Once you start using an air fryer for quick lunches and side dishes rather than only thinking about chips, there are loads of useful little things you can make in it.
My crispy air fryer chickpeas are handy for snacking, while air fryer aubergine and air fryer cauliflower are easy vegetable sides.
For more ideas, have a browse through my air fryer recipes and cooking tips, where I’m gradually bringing all my tried-and-tested air fryer recipes and guides together in one place.
