Name: Air Fryer Cheese on Toast - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: Air Fryer; Knife; 2 x Slices of Bread; Knob of Butter; 60g (1 Cup) Cheddar Cheese, grated

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Want to know how to make cheese on toast in the air fryer? Tried before but the cheese flies off or it burns? Fear not, this post has you covered! Packed with plenty of tips, and advice on ingredient varieties, this air fryer cheese on toast recipe is as easy as it is delicious! Keep reading to learn more…

3 plates of air fryer cheese on toast with tomato and cucumber slices

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Why air fry cheese on toast?

A lot of people think air fryers are only good for making air fried chips. That couldn’t be further from the truth!

You can air fry tons of delicious things! Everything from juicy air fryer chicken breasts to air fryer Creme Egg croissants. Honestly, the possibilities are endless.

So why would you air fry your cheese on toast? Well, it saves turning on the oven, which costs more and wastes energy. It’s also fast! No need to preheat for 20 minutes before you can even start making it.

Someone taking a slice of cheese on toast out of an air fryer drawer

How to make cheese on toast in the air fryer

Making cheese on toast in an air fryer isn’t much different from doing it the traditional oven way.

All you need to do is butter one side, lightly pre-toast, top with cheese and air fry until the toast is golden and the cheese is melted.

There are a few potential pit falls however. And that’s what were going to look at in this post… Let’s strive for air fryer cheese on toast perfection! (And avoid unnecessary mess while we’re doing it!)

Someone taking a slice of air fryer cheese on toast off a plate

How to make cheese on toast in a Ninja air fryer

Making cheese on toast in your Ninja air fryer is very much the same as making it in any other air fryer.

Preheat your Ninja to 180ºC for 1-2 mins. Then butter the underside of the bread, lightly toast it, top with cheese and air fry at 180ºC for 5-9 minutes. If your model has the ‘bake’ setting – use it. It seems to blow the cheese around far less.

There are definitely a few things that can go wrong here though. And different ingredients can alter the cooking times. So make sure you keep reading to avoid that happening! (And be sure to read the full recipe further down.)

Why butter the underside?

The answer to that is very simple. To prevent a soggy bottom! Air circulates well in an air fryer. Adding that butter to the underside of your bread helps to crisp it up and prevent sogginess.

Cheese on toast cut in half on a blue plate

Will different ingredients affect cooking times?

Yes, different ingredients will absolutely affect the cooking times. For example, the moisture levels between a standard slice of white bread and a slice of sourdough, are hugely different!

Sour dough will take longer to get crisp and golden, because of it’s high moisture content.

The same rule applies to cheese. Cheeses vary in moisture content but also have different melting points.

You definitely need to keep this in mind, and be flexible when making air fryer cheese on toast.

I’ve included approximate times for white bread, brown bread and sourdough bread in the full recipe further down.

A plate of air fryer cheese on toast with a bite out of it

Why does cheese fly around in an air fryer?

The fans in air fryers are pretty darn powerful. This, plus the fact that the drawers are so small in comparison to an oven, makes the perfect recipe for cheese tornados.

How do you keep cheese from blowing off in an air fryer?

This has happened to me more times than I care to admit! Until I figured out how to prevent it that is.

Here are two simple ways to stop cheese blowing off in an air fryer:

Using grated cheese? Make sure you grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese tends to have a non stick coating on it. This makes it much more likely to fly around your air fryer! Once your cheese is on the bread, press it down to ‘stick’ it to the bread.
Using sliced cheese? Again, slicing the cheese from a block yourself helps. But if you can’t, use cocktail sticks (toothpicks) to secure the slices in place during cooking.

Air fried cheese on toast in a drawer with other ingredients on plates around it

Can you add extra toppings to air fryer cheese on toast?

Absolutely! But it may alter the cooking time, so do bear this in mind.

Sweet chilli jam, beetroot chutney and tomato chutney all make perfect pairings with cheese. There is always the classic Worcestershire sauce too!

Air fried cheese on toast on a plate with cucumber and tomato

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s everything you need to know…

Bread – You can use whatever bread you like! Just bear in mind the variety you choose will affect the cooking time. Sourdough will take longer, whereas brown bread will cook faster. Don’t worry though, I’ve put approximate times for different breads in the full recipe below.
Butter – Any softened butter (I like salted), or a good quality margarine will work perfectly.
Cheese – Just like with the bread, different varieties of cheese will also affect the cooking times. I recommend starting with cheddar cheese, then experimenting from there.

Air fryer cheese on toast on a paper lined chopping board

Recipe tips and troubleshooting

Here are some tips I’m sure you’ll find helpful when making air fryer cheese on toast.

Stay close. This is not a set it and forget it kind of recipe. 1 minute can be the difference between perfect air fryer cheese on toast and burnt.
Remember that all air fryers vary, ingredients vary and individual tastes vary. Timings are approximate. You will need to experiment a little to find your perfect air fryer cheese on toast.
Using grated cheese? Make sure you grate your own, as shop bought grated cheese has a non stick coating that is likely to fly around your air fryer.
Press grated cheese into the toast before air frying. This helps prevent it flying off.
Using sliced cheese? Use cocktail sticks (toothpicks) to secure it in place and stop if flying off the toast.
Lightly butter the underside of the bread. This helps to crisp it up and prevent a soggy bottom.

4 slices of cheese on toast in an air fryer drawer

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier…

Unfortunately this is not a ‘set it and forget it’ kind of recipe. On the plus side – it only takes about 10-15 minutes to make. So not very time taxing anyway.

If you want to speed things up a little, you can pre-grate your cheese and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Otherwise, it’s best made fresh.

Someone picking up a slice of air fried cheese on toast

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

Air Fryer Cheese on Toast – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to serve 1 (makes 2 slices).

2 x Slices of Bread
Knob of Butter
60g (1 Cup) Cheddar Cheese, grated

Essential equipment

Air Fryer
Knife

Instructions

First thing’s first, preheat your air fryer to 180ºC/356ºF. Then lightly butter one side of each slice of bread (x 2). Margarine would also work.

Buttered bread on a chopping board with a knife

Then place the toast in your preheated air fryer, butter side down. Don’t overcrowd, space them out (use both drawers if using a Ninja Dual). Air fry for the following time to lightly toast:

Brown Bread	2-3 mins
White Bread	2-3 mins
Sourdough Bread	3-4 mins

2 partially toasted slices of bread in an air fryer

Then divide the grated cheese (60g | 1 Cup) between each slice. Press the cheese down, into the bread. This will help it ‘stick’ and it’ll be less likely to fly around your air fryer.

Partially toasted bread topped with grated cheese in an air fryer

Then air fry for the following time, until the bread is golden and the cheese is fully melted:

Brown Bread	5-7 mins
White Bread	6-8 mins
Sourdough Bread	7-9 mins

Check on it a few times during cooking, particularly towards the end. Firstly to make sure that no cheese is running wild around your air fryer, and secondly, to check for when it’s ready.

2 slices of cheese on toast in an air fryer

And that’s it! Serve your air fryer cheese on toast straight away and enjoy.

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3 plates of air fryer cheese on toast with tomato and cucumber slices. A text overlay says 'air fryer cheese on toast'

Air Fryer Cheese on Toast - Printable Recipe

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Want to know how to make cheese on toast in the air fryer? Tried before but the cheese flies off or it burns? Fear not! This air fryer cheese on toast recipe is easy, cheesy, melty goodness!