Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese

An Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich is a thing of glory! Quick, easy and perfectly crispy all around, you’ll be whipping up grilled cheese in the air fryer all the time! I’ll show you all my tips and tricks for getting the perfect ham and cheese sandwich in the air fryer!

Growing up in the 80’s grilled cheese (on white bread with Kraft cheese slices ONLY) and canned tomato soup were a weekly (daily?!) staple at my house!! There still isn’t a time where you could hand me a grilled Kraft-cheese-on-white sandwich and have me reject it. Oooey gooey meltiness??! I am SUCH a sucker for those things (and mayo!) which you know if you’ve been following me for any amount of time!

Flash forward to the 21st century and enter: THE AIR FRYER!!! This is a grilled cheese game-changer! Air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches are melty, crispy and SO EASY! Sure, you can butter any bread, slap some cheese on it and throw it in the air fryer–you’ll get a super yummy sandwich! But you don’t need my help with that!

In this post, I’ll show you how to make the most perfect grilled ham and cheese in the air fryer! If you don’t want to use your air fryer, my Starbucks Copycat Crispy Grilled Cheese is also an AMAZING option!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• You’ll get a perfectly crisp grilled ham and cheese in the air fryer every time!
• You can make multiple sandwiches at one time.
• Quick and easy dinner or lunch!
• Easy breezy clean up! No pots or pans to wash!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these delicious Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches:

INGREDIENT NOTES

Bread: Sure, you can use whatever bread you have on hand (or whatever your family likes). However, if you want the BEST Grilled Ham and Cheese, opt for a slightly more “hearty” bread than regular old sandwich slices. I really love sliced sourdough like THIS.

Cheese: I like to use cheese SLICES just for the ease and it’s less messy in the air fryer. However, it does limit your choices. Freshly grated cheese is great too! Use a combo of at least 2 cheeses: one for flavor and one for ooey-gooey meltiness.

Cheeses for Flavor: Sharp cheddar, Swiss

Cheeses for ooey-gooey meltiness: Monterey Jack, American cheese slices, provolone, Colby, fontina, mozzarella, gouda, smoked gouda

Ham: The more thinly sliced, the better! Thin-sliced ham heats up more quickly than thick slices so you don’t end with up cold ham 🙂

Mustard/Honey: This is optional but if you want the best, most flavorful air fryer ham and cheese, add a layer of honey-mustard to the inside of your sandwich. It takes it over the top!

Mayo/Butter: A grilled ham and cheese with mayo is DIVINE! I am a mayo freak, and I am a huge fan of slathering the outside of my grilled cheese with mayo (trick I learned from Jeff Mauro, The Sandwich King on Food Network!!). Not only does mayo make the sandwich perfectly crisp, it adds a great subtle flavor to the outside, too!

If you are repulsed by mayo (I get it!!), butter works just fine too! You can also use a combo of both butter and mayo.

HOW TO MAKE GRILLED HAM AND CHEESE IN THE AIR FRYER: STEP BY STEP

Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Butter/mayo your bread on both sides.

Step 2: Layer cheese, then ham, then more cheese. “Ribboning” your ham (and not just laying it flat) makes for a nice “tall” sandwich!

Step 3: Air fry at 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes (time will vary based on type and side of bread, so just make sure you are watching for that nice golden brown color and melty cheese).

Step 4: Then, flip and do the second side for about 5 minutes. Again, watch for that golden brown color. Cut sandwiches in half and enjoy immediately.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS

• Use good bread. To me, using a somewhat “hearty” bread (like this sourdough) really makes the perfect air fryer ham and cheese. Since you are piling on both cheese AND ham, it’s good to have a bread that has a little heft to it 🙂
• “Ribbon” the ham: Another trick I learned from Jeff Mauro, The Sandwich King! Instead of just laying the ham slices FLAT on the sandwich, “ribbon” the ham and create a little “height” to your sandwich which makes the perfect bite!
• Use a combo of cheeses! At least 1 for flavor (like sharp cheddar) and at least 1 for ooey-gooey meltiness (like Jack or American). And don’t skimp!! 🙂
• For super quick clean up, use air fryer liners like these! Check to make sure you get the right side to fit your air fryer.
• If you are using super thin sandwich bread slices (like Wonder Bread), you may want to secure your bread with toothpicks. Since an air fryer is constantly circulating heat, there is a chance flimsy bread might blow around your air fryer! Not good 🙂

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Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese

An Air Fryer Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich is a thing of glory! Quick, easy and perfectly crispy all around, you'll be whipping up grilled cheese in the air fryer all the time!

4.85 from 13 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dinner, lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 2

Calories 512 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 slices bread (sourdough preferred!) See Note 1
• 2 tbsp butter or mayo
• 6-8 slices ham, thinly sliced
• 4-6 slices cheese See Note 2
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard optional
• 1 tbsp honey optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. If your air fryer doesn't have a preheat setting, just turn it to 400 and give it about 3-5 minutes to come to temperature.
• Stir together honey and Dijon mustard (if using). Set aside.
• Spread each slice of bread on one side with butter and/or mayo. If using, spread opposite side with honey/mustard mixture.
• On non-buttered/mayo side, layer cheese, then ham, then more cheese. Top with the remaining slice of bread.
• Air fry for 5-8 minutes on one side. Flip, then air fry another 5 minutes until golden brown on both sides (time will vary based on type and side of bread, so just make sure you are watching for that nice golden brown color and melty cheese).
• Remove sandwiches from air fryer, slice in half and enjoy immediately!

Notes

Note 1: You can use whatever bread you have on hand (or whatever your family likes). However, if you want the BEST Grilled Ham and Cheese, opt for a slightly more “hearty” bread that regular old sandwich slices. I really love sliced sourdough like THIS.

Note 2: I like to use cheese SLICES just for the ease and it’s less messy in the air fryer. However, it does limit your choices. Freshly grated cheese is great too! Use a combo of at least 2 cheeses: one for flavor and one for ooey-gooey meltiness.

Best cheeses for flavor: Sharp cheddar, Swiss

Best cheeses for ooey-gooey meltiness: Monterey Jack, American cheese slices, provolone, Colby, fontina, mozzarella, gouda, smoked gouda.

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Nutrition

Calories: 512kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 29.4gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1658mgPotassium: 317mgFiber: 1.5gSugar: 1gCalcium: 455mgIron: 2mg

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