Making air fryer grilled ham and cheese is a quick and easy way to get lunch on the table and have it turn out perfectly every time. Golden crispy bread, gooey melty cheese, and warm slices of ham meat in every bite.
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We've been absolutely hooked on our air fryer lately, and it's not an exaggeration. It has become our go-to for cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, and snacks, and the results are consistently fantastic.
Our love for the air fryer extends to sandwiches like this ham and cheese creation, as well as our Air Fryer Club Sandwich and Air Fryer Turkey Sandwich. Once you experience the golden, toasty bread and perfectly cooked insides, you'll be hooked - there's no turning back.
When you're in the mood for a quick, easy lunch or a cozy, satisfying dinner, this air fryer recipe is a reliable favorite that always hits the spot. So, let's fire up the air fryer and dive into the ultimate grilled ham and cheese experience!
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is very fast. Making grilled ham and cheese in the air fryer is pretty quick. Within 10 minutes, you could have 2 sandwiches cooked to perfection.
- It's beginner friendly. This recipe involves just a few simple steps, and they're all quite straightforward. It's as easy as assembling a sandwich and flipping it over - these are the basic moves you'll need to master. This is just one of our favorite Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners.
- Minimal ingredients. As you can imagine, you only need a couple of ingredients to make these sandwiches. In fact, we only need 4 things, so any grocery shopping will be minimal.
🛒 Ingredients
Sandwich bread- You will need some sliced sandwich bread. You can use any type of sliced bread desired, like wheat, white, sourdough, or even low carb.
Cheese slices- Use your favorite type of sliced cheese and you're going to love the end results. We like to use Muenster, American, or Cheddar.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Cheese Options: Use any sliced cheese you love, American, Muenster, Cheddar, Swiss, or provolone. Softer cheeses melt fastest and give you that perfect gooey center.
Ham Options: Swap deli ham for leftover holiday ham, like Honey Baked Spiral Ham or Honey Orange Glazed Ham. Thin slices work best; thicker ones may need a quick preheat before assembling.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use leftover ham. Holiday ham trimmings or clearance deli meat make this meal extra cheap.
Buy store-brand cheese and bread. They melt and toast just as well but cost much less.
Stretch the meal. Serve sandwiches with low-cost sides like canned soup, frozen veggies, or chips from a family-size bag.
🥄 Instructions for Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese
Step 1: Lay out 2 slices of bread and then spread butter over one side of each.
Step 2: Place the bread into the basket of the air fryer, butter side down. Try not to get them to overlap.
Step 3: Place one slice of cheese on top of the bread.
Step 4: Place 3 or 4 slices of ham on top of the cheese for both sandwiches.
Step 5: Place a slice of cheese on top of the ham.
Step 6: Now butter one side of each of the two remaining slices of sandwich bread and place them on top of the cheese, the butter side facing up.
Step 7: Place the basket back into the air fryer and set it to 360 degrees F for 8 minutes. Flip the sandwiches over after 4 minutes.
Step 8: Remove sandwiches from the air fryer and serve immediately.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Bread Caution: During cooking, the top bread slice may lift due to circulating air. Secure it with toothpicks or a trivet to prevent this. If it flips, cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Flipping Note: When flipping, ensure the top bread is toasted to your liking as it won't darken further afterward.
- Cheese Layering: Place two slices of cheese on either side of the ham to hold the sandwich together and prevent sliding.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Serve your Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese with simple sides like tomato soup, canned vegetable soup, a small green salad, french fries, and potato chips. Applesauce or pickles also pair surprisingly well with melty sandwiches.
- Homemade Cheese CrackersRecipe $2.68 / Serving $0.45
- Roasted Tomato and Garlic SoupRecipe $3.36 / Serving $0.84
- Instant Pot ApplesauceRecipe $4.17 / Serving $0.69
- Iceberg SaladRecipe $5.00 / Serving $0.83
❓ Recipe FAQs
Any number of cheese would be a wonderful pairing including Swiss cheese, provolone, muenster, and cheddar cheese.
You can use either one that you may prefer. I like butter on my bread but I know many people choose to use mayo. Go ahead and use whichever one you want.
You can serve grilled cheese sandwiches on their own or with side dishes like french fries, soups, salads, and potato chips.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
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🐝 If you tried this Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese
Equipment
- Air Fryer 6qt or 8qt
Ingredients
- 4 slices sandwich bread - ($0.24)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened - ($0.25)
- 4 slices cheese - ($0.76)
- 6 pieces deli ham - ($1.22)
Instructions
- Prep. Lay out 2 slices of bread and spread butter on one side of each.
- Build base. Place the bread into the air fryer basket, butter side down, without overlapping.
- Add fillings. Place 1 slice of cheese on each piece of bread, followed by 3 slices of ham per sandwich. Top the ham with the remaining cheese slices.
- Top sandwiches. Butter one side of the remaining bread slices and place them on top of the cheese, butter side facing up.
- Air fry. Cook at 360 degrees F for 8 minutes, flipping the sandwiches after 4 minutes.
- Serve. Remove from the air fryer and serve immediately.
Notes
- Air fryer size. Two sandwiches fit comfortably in an 8-quart air fryer.
- Cheese options. Cheddar, Swiss, provolone, or Muenster all work well.
- Butter swap. Mayonnaise can be used instead of butter for a different flavor.
- Cooking tip. Check halfway through cooking, as the top slice of bread may shift. Make sure the top bread reaches your desired color before flipping.
Nutritional Information
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