Air Fryer Grilled Cheese with Broccoli

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese made with sharp cheddar, finely chopped broccoli, and a pinch of chili flakes to bring some heat. This Broccoli grilled cheese is crisp, buttery, and the perfect quick and easy vegetarian sandwich. No Air Fryer? No problem - you can of course make it stove top, too.

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Here is a scientific fact: there are few things as comforting and delicious as a crispy grilled cheese sandwich. 

Sure, you could have a pizza or a bowl of soup, and those are very comforting too, but you just can't beat the crisp, buttery surface, and oozing, molten center of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Except that, if you have an Air Fryer, you can. If you have an Air Fryer and you're not using it to make grilled cheese sandwiches, let me tell you, you're doing it wrong. 

Why? Because that hot air circulating around your buttered bread is going to give you the crispest exterior you've ever had. Because you don't need to fuss around with flipping the sandwich, which means you can stuff it full and it's going to come out perfectly with out losing your filling. And because it's going to be done in just about five minutes.

If you *don't* have an Air Fryer, don't worry - you can totally make this recipe on the stove top, too.

Today we're making Broccoli Grilled Cheese, which is one of my favourite combos. And before you go thinking I'm pulling a Nutrition Lady fast one on you by packing your grilled cheese sandwich full of vegetables, let me tell you this is one of my favourite things to eat, healthier or not.

Are you ready for this?

Ingredients:

Here's what you need to make this Air Fryer Grilled Cheese recipe:

• Bread --> I used four thick slices of my favourite local sourdough rye. You use whatever you like. 
• Cheese --> I prefer a nice, sharp cheddar. 
• Broccoli --> We're chopping up steamed broccoli to make broccoli grilled cheese.
• Yogurt --> This helps bind the filling together, and adds a bit of tang.
• Chili flakes --> To bring a little heat!
• Butter --> For the bread.

Equipment needed:

If you're making Air Fryer Grilled Cheese, you're going to need an Air Fryer. This is the model that I have, which works great. 

If you don't have an Air Fryer, I recommend you use a nice heavy pan for making your grilled cheese, like a cast iron skillet. 

How do you make Air Fryer Grilled Cheese?

Fire up your Air Fryers and let's get started! First up, the filling. 

Step 1: Finely chop the steamed broccoli so that it's somewhere between the size of rice and peas.

Step 2: Add the grated cheese, yogurt, and chili flakes to the broccoli. 

Step 3: Mix well. 

Step 4: Spread half of the broccoli cheese mixture onto two slices of bread. 

Step 5: Add the other slice of bread to make a sandwich. 

Step 6: Lightly butter the outsides of the sandwich.

Step 7: Place your broccoli sandwiches into the basket of your Air Fryer. 

Step 8: Air Fry your grilled cheese sandwich for 5-10 minutes. The results will vary from model to model, but in my Air Fryer it was done at around the 6-minute mark, with no flipping required. 

Once your grilled cheese is perfectly crisp and golden, you're done!

Pro tips / Recipe notes:

• I make big batches of steamed broccoli each week as part of my batch cooking (related: Batch Cooking for Beginners), so usually have some on hand in the fridge. If you need to freshly steam some broccoli to make this recipe, be sure to wring it out in a clean kitchen towel so that it's very dry. 
• Some Air Fryers have very powerful motors, and I've heard that some are even so powerful that they'll blow the top slice of bread off your sandwich. This wasn't an issue at all with mine, but if yours is very noisy or you know it to have a very powerful motor, you may want to put a grill rack on top of your sandwiches to keep the bread down. 
• This recipe was created to make two broccoli grilled cheese sandwiches on large slices of bread. Depending on the size of your bread, you may need to scale the filling up or down. 

Can this recipe be made in advance?

You can for sure make the filling in advance, and even fill the sandwiches and keep them on reserve in the fridge until you're ready to make them. But grilled cheese is really best eaten hot off the press (or hot out of the air fryer, as it were) so I recommend you make your sandwiches when you're ready to eat.

Having said that, I made a LOT of Air Fryer Grilled Cheese sandwiches when I was testing this recipe, and often in multiples. I ate them for lunches throughout the week, sometimes cold out of the fridge, sometimes gently re-heated (either in the microwave or the Air Fryer), and frankly, they weren't bad. 

Can I put other stuff in my sandwich?

Of course. You do you. If you're not into Broccoli Grilled Cheese, try mixing it up! I love (LOVE!) making kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches. I've also tried it with sauerkraut, sliced tomatoes, finely chopped spinach, etc. 

Kellie from Food to Glow has a Saag Paneer Grilled Cheese that's to die for, if you're looking for more ways to mix things up!

What goes well with Broccoli Grilled Cheese?

I mean, it doesn't get much better than dunking your griller in a bowl of soup. I particularly love this Tomato Fennel Quinoa Soup with grilled cheese. 

You can also go with the classic sandwich and salad combo, like for example with a Vegetarian Caesar Salad with Kale. Yum, yum, yum. And speaking of kale, heck, why not have your Air Fryer Grilled Cheese with some Air Fryer Kale Chips? 

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Naan Pizza Margherita 
Vegetarian Quesadillas with Pumpkin and Black Beans
Pan-Fried Broccoli with Sesame Egg Ribbons
Vegan Sloppy Joes with Lentils
Orecchiette with Broccoli and Lemon
Air Fryer Nachos
Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets
Air Fryer Tempeh
15 Vegetarian Air Fryer Recipes