Air Fryer Cheese Bread Recipe
Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make appetizer? Look no further than this air fryer cheese bread recipe! Made with sandwich bread and loaded with mouthwatering garlic butter and melted cheese, this recipe is sure to impress your taste buds. Not only is it quick to prepare, but cooking in the air fryer ensures a crispy exterior with a soft, warm center.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this air fryer cheese bread in a few short minutes:
Sandwich bread – I used simple potato bread for this recipe. Feel free to use white, wheat, or whatever you have on hand. You can even use rolls—more on that later.
Cheese – Mozzarella cheese is the perfect cheese for this bread. You’ll need about 1/4 cup per slice of bread.
Garlic – Fresh garlic gives this bread the best flavor! I highly recommend sticking to fresh rather than subbing powder.
Butter – You can’t have cheesy garlic bread without butter. Soften the butter before starting the recipe.
Olive Oil – To lessen the amount of butter, I like to use a bit of olive oil. It only adds to the final flavor!
Dried Basil & Oregano – These Italian herbs are perfect with this bread. You’ll just need a small amount of each mixed with the butter and oil.
Dried Thyme & Parsley – Just a touch of these herbs (1/8 of a tsp) is all that’s needed!
Salt – A little bit of salt added to the garlic butter makes the bread perfectly salty when done.
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How to Make Air Fryer Cheese Bread
Step 1: Make the Garlic Butter
To start out, make sure your butter is softened. Then add olive oil and dried basil, oregano, thyme, and parsley.
Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add them to the butter/oil mixture. Stir everything together well.
Step 2: Assemble the Bread
Next, spread the garlic butter onto the sandwich bread. You should use about 1 tablespoon of butter per piece of bread.
Once this is done, add the cheese on top (about 1/4 cup per slice is perfect).
Step 3: Air Fry
Finally, cook the bread at 375 degrees until golden brown! For a 2 qt air fryer, fry one piece of bread at a time. This yields perfect golden brown and crispy bread!
For a larger air fryer, you can do more slices at once—whatever will fit. Personally though, I did have better results with one slice at a time as my bigger air fryer doesn’t brown the bread as evenly. This will largely depend on which air fryer you have though.
Extra Tips:
- Preheat the air fryer: If your air fryer requires it, don’t forget to preheat it before adding the bread for the best results.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer: If you’re using a larger air fryer, make sure to leave some space between the bread slices in the air fryer basket to allow for proper air circulation and even cooking.
- Keep an eye on the bread: Check on the bread frequently to prevent it from burning or getting too crispy.
Substitutions
If you don’t have the exact ingredients on hand that the recipe calls for, you still have options!
As far as bread goes, I tested this recipe with quite a few different ones. Sandwich bread turned out to be my favorite for several reasons: it is most common to have on hand, and it is great for small or large air fryers (one piece fits perfectly in a 2-quart air fryer!)
Another option, though, is french bread or rolls. You can cut some slices of french bread and spread them with this garlic butter & cheese, and it will still be amazing!
And lastly, you can use dinner rolls. I had some leftover dinner rolls that needed to get used up and I found I could use 4 rolls cut in half with the same ratio of other ingredients shown in the recipe. The only downside was that the rolls browned a bit more unevenly than the sandwich bread.
For cheese, I definitely recommend sticking to mozzarella. But you could potentially substitute other melting cheeses like Fontina or Monterey Jack.
Recipe Variations/Serving Ideas
Want to change it up and make your cheese bread more unique? Here are some ideas:
- Spicy garlic cheese bread: Add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the garlic butter mixture for some heat.
- Air fryer cheese-only bread: If you don’t want the bread to be garlicky, simply spread the butter/olive oil on without any added garlic or herbs
- Fresh herb bread: Use a mixture of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage in the garlic butter mixture for a flavorful twist.
- Cheese bread with toppings: Top the garlic-cheese bread with sliced tomatoes, olives, or even some cooked bacon before or after air frying.
- Serve with dips: Serve the air fryed bread with dips like marinara sauce or ranch dressing for added flavor.
More Air Fryer Recipes:
Air Fryer Cheese Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices sandwich bread
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 3 tbsp butter softened
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp dried thyme
- 1/8 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Shred your mozzarella cheese. Mince 2 cloves of garlic.
- Mix the softened butter, olive oil, minced garlic, and dried herbs in a small bowl.
- Take 4 slices of regular bread and spread with about 1 tbsp of the garlic butter each, then top with about 1/4 cup shredded cheese each.
- Place bread in the air fryer (depending on the size of your bread and air fryer, you may need to work in batches).
- Cook at 375 for 6-9 minutes*, until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
- If working in batches, you can put the finished bread in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and put it in a low oven (200 degrees) to keep it warm.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- *The time the garlic bread needs really depends on the air fryer. When I did these in a 2 qt air fryer 1 piece at a time, they got done in only 6 minutes. However, when they were spread out in a larger air fryer, they didn’t brown as evenly and needed more like 8-9 minutes. Just use the color of the cheese as a gauge of doneness!
- You can sub french bread or even dinner rolls cut in half, with the same ratio of other ingredients!
- Make sure to preheat your air fryer as its particular directions state. And don’t overcrowd your air fryer—cook as many pieces of toast as will fit comfortably!
- Spice up this bread: add red pepper flakes, bacon, tomatoes, or serve with a tipping sauce like marinara or ranch!
Conclusion
Perfect for parties, game nights, or just a cozy night in, this air fryer cheese bread recipe is a must-try. Plus, it is super quick and easy to prepare. So why wait? Get cooking and enjoy this cheesy, garlicky goodness today!
