Air Fryer Cheese and Tomato Toasties are super easy and absolutely delicious. It’s the perfect cheesy lunchtime toasted sandwich.
Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches in the air fryer are easy, crispy, cheese-filled, and juicy. They’ve got everything and make the perfect easy lunch.
I’m a bit obsessed with toasties, and making them in the air fryer is easy and delicious.
If you work from home, sandwiches are the perfect filling and comforting lunch, and there are no end-of-filling options. Once you can make one toasted sandwich in the air fryer, you can do most of them!
Why I Love Air Fried Toasties
I love all the easy air fryer recipes, but toasties are super! I love them because:
- Air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches are delicious, and you can add lots to them, including Tomato slices.
- Toasties are the perfect lunch.
- Air frying means the cheese is warm and melty, and the bread is crispy and delicious.
- I add extra cheese to the top, so it’s like a toastie and cheese on toast all in one! It’s a classic grilled cheese with a twist.
- Making grilled cheese in an air fryer means you don’t need another machine on your counter.
- You could also call it an air fryer tomato melt, which sounds a bit fancy!
Ingredients For Air Fryer Cheese and Tomato Toasties
When I make toasties with cheese and tomato in the air fryer, I use:
Thick White Bread
Butter
Cheddar Cheese
Tomato
How to Air Fry Cheese and Tomato Toasties – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One
Preheat the air fryer to 200 degrees C and set it for 8 minutes. It might take a little longer, depending on how well done you like your cheese (I just melt mine; I don’t really brown it), but 8 minutes is a good starting point.
Step Two
Butter the bread on both sides. Buttering both sides isn’t strictly necessary, but it helps the filling and topping stick in place, stops the tomato from seeping into the bread, and reduces the likelihood of the bread sticking in the air fryer basket.
Step Three
Add the tomato in an even layer. It’s ok if it overlaps a little.
Step Four
Sprinkle on most of the grated cheese, leaving a handful to top. If you don’t want any on the top, add it all or use less.
Step Five
Top with the other slice of bread. I recommend lightly pressing it down to help it stay in place when the hot air starts blowing about.
Step Six
Carefully place it in the centre of the air fryer basket on top of the crisper tray. The tray is essential for helping air circulate under the food.
Step Seven
Air fry for 4 minutes.
Step Eight
Carefully flip over with silicone tongues or a spatula, taking care not to touch the sides of the basket with your arms. I say this from experience.
Step Nine
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, pressing into the bread gently. Usually, this would blow off, but the bread is already warm, so the cheese will start to melt into place straight away.
Step Ten
Return to the air fryer and air fry for 4-5 more minutes until the cheese is how you like it.
Step Eleven
Carefully remove it from the basket, cut it in half (unless you prefer it in one piece) and serve.
Serving Suggestions
For a bigger meal, I like my toasties with a pack of crisps, a side salad, coleslaw, or even potato wedges.
You could also dip it in some soup, which I do with cheese and ham and cheese and onion, but for some reason, I don’t like it with tomato.
Variations
You could do a few things differently when you make your cheese and tomato toastie in an air fryer.
Use Different Bread
I like toasties with thick white bread, but we often buy seeded bread, so if that’s what we’ve got, that’s what I use. You certainly don’t need to buy a specific kind of bread to be able to make a toastie. If you can toast it, it’s good.
Skip the Cheese Top
The cheesy top is an extra, decadent touch. It’s not essential.
Use Different Cheese
Mozzarella cheese is great for toasties because it melts well. Personally, I prefer a mature cheddar.
But as long as it melts and you like it, you could use any cheese, even American cheese.
Slice the Cheese
I’ve grated my cheese. I think it spreads better, and you don’t need as much to cover the bread liberally. You could slice it instead.
Use Vine Tomatoes
A grilled tomato and cheese sandwich with large vine tomatoes is lovely. You can use any tomato, really.
Add Ham
An air fryer ham, cheese, and tomato toastie is probably one of my favourites. Adding a bit of ham under the tomatoes is lovely and helps keep the moisture out of the bread.
FAQ
Yes, you can make toasties in an air fryer.
Not particularly, but it could be worse. Same as most sandwiches.
There are a few things that you can do to stop the tomatoes making the bread soggy:
Add a barrier – I just use butter, but if you prefer a layer of mayo, that will work, too. A slice of ham under the tomato, or half your cheese underneath and half on top, could also be lovely.
Use firm tomatoes – softer tomatoes have more moisture.
Place your tomatoes on kitchen paper. I don’t do this, but letting the slices sit on kitchen paper can help reduce some moisture.
Add Salt – Add salt while they sit to help remove moisture too.
Enjoy it – a bit of soggy bread isn’t the end of the world!
Other Recipes
Other easy lunch recipes you might like include:
Air Fryer Cheese and Tomato Toasties
Ingredients
- 2 Slices Thick Bread
- 25 g Butter
- 50 g Cheddar Cheese (grated)
- 1 Salad Tomato (sliced)
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 degrees C and set it for 8 minutes.
- Butter the bread on both sides.
- Add the sliced tomato to one slice in an even layer.
- Sprinkle most of the grated cheese onto one slice of bread, leaving a handful to top.
- Top with the other slice of bread.
- Carefully place it in the centre of the air fryer basket on top of the crisper tray.
- Air fry for 4 minutes.
- Carefully flip over with silicone tongues or a spatula.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, pressing into the bread gently.
- Return to the air fryer and air fry for 4-5 more minutes until the cheese is how you like it.
- Carefully remove from the basket, cut in half carefully and serve.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
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