How to make a toastie in the air fryer – a foolproof method to make the best-tasting toastie ever

Knowing how to make a toastie in the air fryer is a skill set that's guaranteed to do you good on the days when you've got no lunch prepared and need to whip up something quickly. When you realise just how easy it is to pull off, you'll regret not having known about it sooner.

When I was younger, we used to have dedicated toastie makers in our family kitchen that we'd go crazy over. We'd either use it for weeks on end or have it tucked away and forget about it for months. Nowadays, when it comes to kitchen appliances, we want to be able to use them for multiple purposes (especially if you've got a small kitchen and are fighting for precious square footage).

So, imagine my delight when I figured out how to make the perfect toastie in the air fryer I use every single day. Now, I can live out my toastie dreams without having to worry about cluttering my (kind of) organised kitchen worktop.

How to make a toastie in the air fryer – in 3 easy steps

Thankfully the classic toastie is definitively not one of the foods to avoid cooking in an air fryer. In fact, using your favourite kitchen gadget means that the bread stays crispy, while the cheese melts gorgeously.

Here's how I make the perfect toastie every single time – and it takes under 10 minutes.

1. Set your air fryer to preheat

Forgetting to preheat is one of the most common air fryer mistakes people often make, but it really makes a difference.

I have the Karaca Air Cook XL 2 in 1 Air Fryer, which I'm obsessed with, and it has really useful pre-sets that help with ease of use, which is definitely one of the most important things to look out for when buying an air fryer.

I simply set mine to the 'Oven/Grill' setting and let it do its thing, however, you can also just manually set yours to 200 degrees Celsius for a couple of minutes while you prep.

2. Prepare your ingredients

While the air fryer is preheating, take this time to prep everything you need for your toastie. My go-to recipe is brioche bread, butter, cheese, and if I'm feeling a little fancy, some sliced tomatoes.

Caroline Ross, marketing manager of kitchen electrics at Tefal says her top tip for making a toastie in the air fryer is to melt the butter in the microwave first, before spreading it onto your bread. Then, add the rest of your fillings.

3. Put the toastie in the air fryer

Before putting it in the air fryer, I recommend spraying the basket with a little bit of olive oil using a spray bottle (which is an air fryer cooking essential our editors swear by), or the Frylight Olive Oil Spray, from Morrisons (or any local supermarket).

Put the toastie into the basket and set the timer for 5-7 minutes. You can just let it do its thing, but I personally keep an eye on it and at the 2:30 minute mark, open the basket, turn the toastie over and let it finish its course.

When the timer sounds, take the toastie out of the air fryer, cut it diagonally, and feast. Now, you know how to make the perfect toastie in 3 ridiculously easy steps!

Given how easy it is, I won't judge if you find yourself making it at least a couple of times a week – because truth be told, I'll be doing the same thing too.