This air fryer pulled pork grilled cheese is one of those recipes that sounds fancy but takes about 10 minutes to make. It’s basically a loaded grilled cheese with BBQ pulled pork, sharp cheddar, and crispy sourdough bread.
The air fryer does all the heavy lifting here. It gets the bread perfectly golden and crunchy while melting the cheese all the way through – way more evenly than a pan on the stove.
You can use leftover pulled pork from a weekend cookout or just grab some from the store. Either way works great.
It’s a solid lunch, a quick dinner, or honestly just a really good snack when you’re craving something warm and cheesy. Let me show you how to make it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sourdough Takes It to the Next Level – Sourdough bread has a slight tang and a sturdier texture than regular white bread, which means it holds up to all that saucy pork without getting soggy. Plus it crisps up beautifully in the air fryer.
The Air Fryer Makes It Extra Crispy – A regular pan can give you a decent grilled cheese, but the air fryer circulates hot air around the entire sandwich. That means you get an evenly golden, shatteringly crunchy sourdough crust on both sides without babysitting it at the stove.
It Uses Leftover Pulled Pork Perfectly – If you made a big batch of pulled pork over the weekend and you’re wondering what to do with the rest, this recipe turns those leftovers into a completely different meal that feels brand new.
The BBQ and Sharp Cheddar Combo Is Unreal – Tangy BBQ sauce mixed into smoky pulled pork and then sandwiched between two layers of melty sharp cheddar is one of those flavor combos that just works. Every bite has that sweet, smoky, cheesy thing going on.
Ingredients
- 8 slices Sourdough Bread
- 2 cups Pulled Pork (store-bought or leftover)
- 1/4 cup BBQ Sauce
- 8 slices Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 4 tbsp Butter (softened)
- 2 tbsp Pickled Red Onion (optional)
How to Make
Step 1
In a small bowl, toss the pulled pork with the BBQ sauce until evenly coated. Warm it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes if it is cold.
Step 2
Butter one side of each slice of sourdough bread. Place 4 slices butter-side down. Layer each with 1 slice of cheddar cheese, a generous mound of BBQ pulled pork, pickled red onion if using, another slice of cheddar cheese, and the second bread slice butter-side up.
Step 3
Preheat the air fryer to 360F. Carefully place 2 sandwiches in the basket and air fry for 4 minutes.
Step 4
Carefully flip the sandwiches and air fry for another 3-4 minutes until the bread is deeply golden and crunchy and the cheese is fully melted and gooey. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
Step 5
Let rest for 1 minute, then cut in half diagonally and serve while the cheese is still stretchy and hot.
Tips
Use Really Soft Butter
Take the butter out of the fridge at least 20-30 minutes before you start making these sandwiches. You want it soft enough that it spreads easily across the bread without tearing it or leaving clumps.
If you try to spread cold, hard butter on sourdough, you will rip the bread apart and end up with uneven coverage. That means some spots will brown nicely while other spots stay pale and soft.
If you forgot to take the butter out ahead of time, you can microwave it for about 5-8 seconds. Just don’t let it melt – you want it spreadable, not liquid.
Don’t Overfill the Sandwiches
It is tempting to pile on a huge mound of pulled pork, but if you add too much the sandwich will be impossible to flip without it falling apart. About half a cup per sandwich is the sweet spot.
An overstuffed sandwich also won’t press together properly, which means the cheese won’t make full contact with the pork and the bread. You want everything snug so the cheese melts into the meat and acts like glue holding it all together.
If you have extra pulled pork, just serve it on the side with some extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
Related Recipes
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
- Air Fryer Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
- Air Fryer Mac & Cheese Bites
- Air Fryer Maple Glazed Pork Belly Bites
- Air Fryer Sticky BBQ Pork Ribs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different type of bread instead of sourdough?
Sourdough works best here because it gets extra crispy in the air fryer and has a tangy flavor that pairs perfectly with the BBQ pulled pork. That said, you can use Texas toast, brioche, or even a sturdy white bread if that is what you have on hand.
Just make sure whatever bread you pick is thick-cut and sturdy enough to hold up to the weight of the pork and cheese without falling apart in the air fryer basket.
Air Fryer Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese
- air fryer
- 8 slices Sourdough Bread
- 2 cups Pulled Pork (store-bought or leftover)
- 1/4 cup BBQ Sauce
- 8 slices Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 4 tbsp Butter (softened)
- 2 tbsp Pickled Red Onion (optional)
- In a small bowl, toss the pulled pork with the BBQ sauce until evenly coated. Warm it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes if it is cold.
- Butter one side of each slice of sourdough bread. Place 4 slices butter-side down. Layer each with 1 slice of cheddar cheese, a generous mound of BBQ pulled pork, pickled red onion if using, another slice of cheddar cheese, and the second bread slice butter-side up.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360F. Carefully place 2 sandwiches in the basket and air fry for 4 minutes.
- Carefully flip the sandwiches and air fry for another 3-4 minutes until the bread is deeply golden and crunchy and the cheese is fully melted and gooey. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
- Let rest for 1 minute, then cut in half diagonally and serve while the cheese is still stretchy and hot.