Name: Air Fryer Grilled Cheese and Tomato
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 slices bread (we use rye bread); 2-4 slices cheese; 1 small tomato (firm); 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or soft butter; 1/8 teaspoon fine herbs or Italian seasoning (optional (more to taste))

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For another classic grilled sandwich that is so easy to make, air fryer grilled cheese and tomato is a delicious option!

Ready in minutes with just a few ingredients like sliced cheese, tomato, and some fresh herbs for seasoning, this sandwich is toasty and melty and makes for a flavorful quick meal when you’re in a hurry!

grilled tomato and cheese sandwich cut in half on white plate on wooden board with salad behind. — Air fryer grilled cheese and tomato – so good!

Ingredients

To make this grilled cheese and tomato sandwich in the air fryer, here are the ingredients that you will need. There aren’t too many!

Bread – Two slices; we use rye bread but you can use white bread or other bread if your choice.
Cheese – We use cheddar cheese slices, but you can also use mozzarella or individually wrapped slices if you prefer.
Tomato – A small, firm tomato.
Mayonnaise or soft butter – It works well with either.
Fine herbs or Italian seasoning – This is optional but works really well with the tomato and cheese.

Recipe Tips

Before you make this tomato grilled cheese, read through these recipe tips because making it in the air fryer might differ from what you are accustomed to!

Use a firmer tomato so that it doesn’t lose too much water. Alternatively, slice the tomato, sprinkle the slices with some salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes so that some of the water can escape.
How much cheese and tomato you use will depend on the size of your bread slices.
We use cheddar cheese, but it also tastes great with slices of mozzarella cheese.
The type of bread you use can affect the cooking time so keep an eye on it. We use rye bread. If you use white bread, it might be done slightly sooner.
We like making grilled cheese with mayonnaise because it spreads really well. Of course, you can also use soft butter.

We use this air fryer for our recipes and it has been great.

Step by Step Instructions

This section will walk you through exactly how to make this tomato grilled cheese sandwich.

We’ve included recipe process photos so that you can follow along and see how we did it. This can be helpful if you’re a visual learner.

Of course, the detailed recipe card with all the recipe information is located at the bottom of this post!

tomato cut into slices on wooden cutting board sitting on white counter with cheese slices above. — Slice the tomato.

Start by washing and drying the tomato. As mentioned before, try to use a firm tomato.

Then slice the tomato. You can pat the tomato slices dry if you like but we usually don’t.

two slices of rye bread covered in mayo sitting on wooden cutting board with slices of cheese behind. — Spread the bread with mayo or butter.

Next, spread the outside of the bread with mayo or soft butter. Make sure that the two slices of bread fit together correctly (the mayo should be on the outside only) and that they are about the same size.

slice of bread sitting in black air fryer tray with layer of cheese slices and slices of tomato on top. — Assemble the grilled cheese in the air fryer.

Now place one slice of bread mayo side down into air fryer tray – there’s no need to preheat the air fryer.

Place one layer of cheese on top of the bread, then add the tomatoes (don’t overlap them too much).

Sprinkle the tomatoes with fine herb or Italian-style seasoning if desired.

uncooked grilled cheese with tomato sandwich in black air fryer tray. — Add the other slice of bread.

Then add the second layer of cheese on top of the tomatoes. Finally, place the second slice of bread (mayo side facing up/out) on top.

crispy sandwich sitting in black air fryer tray with white spatula undeneath. — Flip it so that both sides brown evenly.

Air fry the cheese and tomato sandwich at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for roughly 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown.

Flip it over halfway through cooking time. The exact cooking time can vary depending on your air fryer and the type of bread you are using.

crispy grilled cheese with tomato in black air fryer tray sitting on white counter. — The bread should be golden brown.

When it’s done, remove the sandwich from the air fryer, and cut it (optional).

grilled cheese and tomato cut in half on white plate with ketchup and greens behind. — Look at this delicious sandwich.

You can serve this grilled cheese and tomato with ketchup, tomato soup, or a side salad – or just enjoy it on its own. Enjoy, but be careful because the tomato will be very hot!

Storage Tips

Once you make this grilled cheese with tomato, it’s best to enjoy it hot and fresh.

However, if you wanted to save some for later, you could. We’ve tried it and it was still good to eat. We kept half of it in a sealed container on the counter for just a few hours after making it.

Then we reheated it in the air fryer at 280 degrees Fahrenheit and the bread crisped up again with the inner cheese being melty again.

We wouldn’t leave it overnight since the tomato would likely saturate the bread too much.

Related Recipes

If you liked this quick recipe for a tasty sandwich in the air fryer, here are a few more air fryer creations that involve bread!