If you love toasty sandwiches but want to avoid using a grill, oven, or stovetop, the air fryer is about to be your best friend.
For one, I've made countless things in my air fryer, from corn "ribs" to chocolate-chip cookies, and have rarely been let down. I can also confirm that using an air fryer to make sandwiches results in crunchy, delicious magic — but some recipes are more worth the effort than others.
So, I made seven sandwiches in my air fryer to see which would earn a spot in my regular meal rotation. Here's how it went.
I started off by making a meatball sub
I started my week with a meatball-sub recipe from the food blog Project Meal Plan.
First, to make the meatballs, I used my hands to combine ingredients such as ground pork, ground beef, pesto, breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasonings.
I rolled the meat mixture into balls and placed them on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of foil coated with cooking spray. I placed these in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
By the time they came out of the oven, they looked pretty tasty. To be clear, if I wanted to skip this step, the recipe says frozen meatballs would be fine as well.
A toasted bun is a necessity with a sub
I used a brioche hot-dog bun as a substitute for a hoagie roll.
I placed a buttered bun in the preheated air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for two minutes, then topped it with fresh mozzarella and cooked it until the cheese was toasty.
As this toasted, I warmed up a bit of tomato sauce for later. Once my cheesy bun was ready, I topped it with meatballs and sauce.
This was a satisfying sandwich
This sub was delicious, filling, and worth the effort.
The bun was toasty and golden brown, the cheese was nicely melted, and the meatballs were extra tasty thanks to the pesto and seasonings in the mixture.
I would absolutely make this again.
At first, the mac-and-cheese toastie didn't make much sense to me
Next, I decided to step out of my comfort zone with a sandwich I'd never had before. I followed food blogger Oh My Veggies' recipe for a grilled cheese that includes a portion of cooked mac and cheese.
To start, I buttered two slices of bread and topped one with a slice of cheddar. I also piled some pre-cooked mac and cheese in the middle.
I stuck my sandwich in a preheated air fryer at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about three or four minutes on each side.
This unique sandwich came out tasty and cheesy
This tasted delicious and, for those who love cheese, it's definitely a winner. If you plan to make this, I suggest using thicker bread to hold the mac and cheese better.
I still prefer my mac and cheese and grilled cheese separate, but this recipe can also be used to make a basic sandwich.
When I followed this recipe without macaroni, it came out cheesy, crunchy, and buttery. This was an easy way to make grilled cheese without having to get a pan out and wait to fry both sides.
The chicken Caprese panini turned out to be one of my favorites
For this sandwich, I followed a recipe from the food blog Cook the Story.
To start, I butterflied a chicken breast, put salt and pepper on both sides, and air-fried it for 13 minutes total at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping halfway through.
Next, I mixed equal parts mayonnaise and pesto to create my sauce and stop my sandwich from being too dry.
To finish prepping my ingredients, I thinly sliced my tomatoes and mozzarella.
I quickly assembled this sandwich and popped it in the air fryer
I slathered my pesto-mayo mixture on both sides of the roll, placed the chicken on one side, and topped it with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella.
I placed it in the air fryer, sprayed the bread with oil, and cooked it for five minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Midway through air-frying, I gently pressed the sandwich down to create a panini effect.
This was the perfect combination of crunchiness, cheesiness, and juiciness
This was so juicy thanks to the well-cooked chicken. The melty mozzarella added the perfect cheesy touch, and the pesto-mayo mixture added so much herby flavor.
Overall, the sandwich was filling and delicious. Although it was big, it stayed together perfectly in the air fryer and didn't fall apart as I ate it.
To switch things up, I tried making a classic sausage, egg, and cheese
For my next sandwich, I set my sights on breakfast. I followed a since-deleted recipe from a random food blog I'd found online to make this, but it's so simple that I'm not sure I needed one at all.
First, I broke apart an English muffin, buttered both sides, and topped one with a slice of cheddar cheese. Both halves went into my air-fryer basket along with a pre-cooked sausage patty.
I air-fried my sandwich ingredients at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for three minutes — until the muffin got toasty, the sausage warmed, and the cheese melted.
Then, I microwaved an egg in a mug for about 90 seconds, checking on it every 30 seconds, until it was solid and cooked. This would go between my English-muffin slices to complete the sandwich.
This breakfast sandwich was delicious and turned out perfectly
Taste-wise, this was a hit. I could see myself getting a breakfast sandwich like this from a restaurant or deli. The flavors were balanced, and the cheese, butter, and slightly jammy egg stopped it from being too dry.
Making this with an air fryer (and microwave) felt much simpler than toasting the bread, cooking the patty, and frying an egg separately.
This is also really easy to dress up with hot sauce or different cheeses and meats. I think bacon could work really well instead of sausage.
All in all, it's a tasty and easy breakfast sandwich that can definitely be thrown together on busy mornings.
This was my first time making a Monte Cristo sandwich
I loosely followed an air-fryer Monte Cristo recipe from food blogger The Typical Mom. I opted to use Gouda cheese, which I think is tastier than cheddar or Swiss, and not include turkey slices.
First, I assembled a simple sandwich with my bread of choice, sliced ham, and aged Gouda.
Once my sandwich was assembled, I pressed it down with my hand and secured it with four toothpicks, per the recipe's instructions.
I also had to make pancake batter for this recipe
A Monte Cristo is a sweet-and-savory sandwich that's usually dipped in egg and cooked sort of like a French toast. For this air-fryer recipe, that sweet crispiness would come from a layer of pancake batter.
I followed the directions on my buttermilk pancake mix, but used a little less liquid to keep my batter on the thicker side. This way, the sandwich would be easier to evenly coat.
I dipped the sandwich in the batter and made sure to let the excess drip off. Then, I placed the dipped sandwich onto a parchment-paper liner I had punctured several times to ensure airflow. Into my air fryer it went.
I air-fried the sandwich for seven minutes on one side, then flipped and cooked for a minute more at 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
I wish I'd used cooking spray before putting the sandwich in the fryer, since it stuck a bit when I flipped it. Still, it stayed mostly intact.
Once it was golden brown and ready, I opted not to dust my sandwich with powdered sugar as the recipe suggests — but I'm sure that would have been delicious.
This was super tasty and worth the effort
My sandwich was indulgent, filling, and extra tasty thanks to the coating of pancake batter that created a crunchy, buttery exterior.
Each bite was a cheesy and satisfying experience. In general, any Monte Cristo variation feels like a great sandwich to make in an air fryer.
Lastly, I made a basic sandwich using leftover produce
For this produce-packed sandwich, I improvised after reading a few different recipes online.
I started by air-frying sliced mushrooms for five minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit, then setting them aside. You can also add other produce, like bell peppers, during this step — anything you want to cook a little longer.
I assembled the sandwich by spreading pesto on both pieces of bread, then layering cheddar cheese, cooked mushrooms, and sliced cherry tomatoes.
I sprayed the bread with cooking spray so it'd get crispy and golden brown, then popped it in the air fryer.
I air-fried the sandwich at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for just a few minutes, until the bread was golden-brown, the tomatoes had blistered, and the cheese was melted.
This recipe is a great way to use up leftovers
This customizable veggie sandwich of sorts was tasty and simple. It could easily be made with a variety of cheeses, spreads, or leftover produce.
Next time, I'd use a heariter sourdough bread to better stand up to the contents of my sandwich. It started to fall apart a little bit as I ate.
The top of my sandwich blew off in the air fryer before it was done, so I'd also put cheese on both slices of bread in the future. Melty cheese is truly what binds a sandwich together.
Overall, I'd make 6 of these sandwiches again
Each air-fryer sandwich was easy to make and yielded a melty, toasty result that might otherwise require a panini maker to make.
My favorites were the meatball sub and chicken Caprese, both of which could easily be the star components of a full meal.
I wouldn't make the mac-and-cheese grilled cheese again, but I can see a lot of others enjoying it. Fortunately, the tasty recipe is easy to adapt, and I think it's great without the pasta.
All in all, after a week of making these, I'm confident you can pretty much air-fry any sandwich to make it extra hot, crispy, and delicious.
This story was originally published on January 25, 2022, and most recently updated on July 26, 2026.
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Chelsea Davis is a contributing writer for Business Insider based in San Francisco whose passion revolves around exploring the world, immersing herself in foreign cultures and, of course, eating and drinking everything delicious.She covers all things food, drink and travel and is always up for an adventure, whether that means an adrenaline-pumping excursion or trying a new cuisine.Follow her on Instagram at @cheycheyfromthebay and keep up with her latest work at ChelseaDavis.com and her blog Cheycheyfromthebay.com.
