Can You Air-Fry Cheese?

If you have an air fryer, then you know it's a game changer for home cooks. Not only does it cook foods quickly and with less grease and oil, but many even claim their air fryer makes food taste better.

Knowing how impressive your air fryer is, your natural response might be to cook everything in it (we want to as well). However, not everything should go into your air fryer. Unfortunately, that includes cheese.

The idea of sticking cheese in your air fryer may sound like a great plan to get crispy, gooey cheese, but it could actually lead to a big disaster.

Can You Air-Fry Cheese?

The short answer is no, you can't, but there are a few exceptions to the rule.

You should not put cheese all by itself directly into your air fryer or you'll end up with an air fryer basket filled with sticky, gooey cheese that you'll have to clean up — it's just not worth the mess or disappointment.

Because most cheeses have a low melting point, the cheese will begin to melt in your air fryer before it can get crispy outside but soft inside. So, if you really want to satisfy your cheese craving with the air fryer, you just need to choose the right recipes.

You can make things like mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese balls, and even grilled cheese in the air fryer as long as you make sure the cheese won't ooze out into your basket. Cheesy recipes that are breaded or that contain the cheese in some way work best. For example, these chicken calzones keep the cheese wrapped up in dough, and these jalapeño poppers provide a natural "boat" for the cheese filling. Pizza is also fine; just know there might be some cheese drippings that you'll have to clean up later.

Additionally, you can line your air fryer basket with parchment paper for easy cleanup if your cheese does ooze out a little. You just need to make sure you don't air fry at temperatures higher than the parchment paper's max temperature — for example, Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper is oven safe up to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). And make sure you don't accidentally use a different type of paper, like wax paper, which is not oven-safe and could melt in your air fryer at high temperatures.

Also, if you have a baking pan for your air fryer, you can use that for air frying cheeses with high melting points. These cheeses, like halloumi, feta, and ricotta, won't melt away, but will have a soft, gooey inside. You can use the feta and ricotta for pastas, spreads, and dips and use the halloumi in salads, sandwiches, and kebabs.

Related:

• 13 Easy Cheesy Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners
• The 8 Best Air Fryers, Tested by Allrecipes
• Air Fryer Recipes