Name: Air Fryer Patty Melt
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 26 min
Total time: 36 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 large sweet onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices; 8 ounces ground beef; 2 teaspoons Worceshtire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 4 slices marble rye bread; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature; 4 slices Swiss cheese; Cooking Spray

My recipe for Air Fryer Patty Melt is amazing! I have always loved a great patty melt sandwich, and today’s batch in the air fryer did not disappoint!

If you love Air Fryer Hamburgers, you will absolutely love this patty melt; this is a great lunch or a great dinner. Served next to some Air Fryer Homemade Potato Chips or even some easy Air Fryer French Fries, you have a great meal!!

This is a true classic, and you will absolutely love this sandwich, it tastes just like a classic diner dish! Served on the classic Marble Rye Bread, topped with a hearty helping of sweet onions, and some Swiss cheese tops it off. Like in the dinner, I served it with some great pickles. This made for a great and easy meal that my entire family loved!

What Is A Patty Melt?

If you have never heard of a patty melt, it’s a classic American sandwich. It is usually an all-beef patty served between two pieces of bread and topped with cheese and onions.

One of the best things about a patty melt is that it’s truly versatile. You can make it your own by changing the meat out, the cheese, and even the cheese out, and replace them with your own! You could have a different patty melt every day for a year and never run out of options!

What Makes A Great Air Fryer Patty Melt?

Since, there are relatively few ingredients in this recipe, the quality of the products matter, here are my suggestions:

The Meat:

For a true patty melt, you will use beef, but you don’t need to, remember this is your patty melt, here are some alternatives–

Beef: The classic, since this will be prepared in the air fryer, suggests an 80/20 mixture. For any fatter beef option, you are going to end up with a LOT of smoke. So, keep in lean. The internal temperature of the Beef Patty Melt should be 160 degrees F.
Turkey: Want an Air Fryer Turkey Patty Melt? Change out the beef for turkey. For turkey, the internal temperature should reach 160 degrees F.
Chicken: Want an Air Fryer Chicken Patty Melt? Use ground chicken, and then make sure to cook your chicken patty melt to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
Vegan: If you want a Vegan Patty Melt, you can easily change the meat to Beyond Burger Patty Melt.

The Onions:

While I used a Vidalia onion in this patty melt, you can use any type of onions that you have at your local grocery store or in your pantry. Here are some of my favorites—

Yellow Onions
Sweet Onions
Red Onions

The Cheese:

A classic patty melt is served with a layer of Swiss Cheese, but if you do not like Swiss, there are a few other options that will work on your patty melt–

Monterey Jack Cheese
Cheddar
Gruyere
Parmesan
Pecorino

How To Make A Patty Melt In The Air Fryer

Ingredients Needed For An Air Fryer Patty Melt

Sweet Onions
Ground Beef
Worcestershire Sauce
Marble Rye Bread
Unsalted Butter
Swiss Cheese
Spices: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Black Pepper
Other: Cooking Spray

How To Prepare An Air Fryer Patty Melt

Start by preheating your air fryer to 350 degrees F, air fryer setting. Then spray the basket with cooking spray.
Add the onions to the air fryer basket and spray them generously with cooking sprays. Shake the basket to coat the onions. Air fry for 10-15 minutes until the onions are softened and charred, shake the basket every few minutes, so they cook evenly.
Once they are done, take them out of the air fryer, and set them aside.
While the onions are cooking, prepare the patties by m making the ground beef, Worceshtisre sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
Form two patties, I like to make the patties oval-shaped and very flat, close to the shape of the bread I am using.
Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F, air fryer setting.
Add the patties to the air fryer basket, not touching. You may need to cook in batches. Air fry for 6 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Take one piece of bread and smear 1/2 tablespoon of butter on one side. Place the bread butter side down into the air fryer.

Place one slice of cheese on top of the bread, followed by a burger patty, half the onions, and one more cheese slice. Butter another slice of bread on one side with 1/2 tablespoon of the butter, place the bread butter side up onto the sandwich.

Air Fry for 3 minutes, flip the sandwich over, and air fry for another 2 minutes until lightly toasted on the outside, and the cheese is melted.
Repeat with the other sandwich.

Some Common Questions Asked About This Recipe–

I Can Not Find The Marble Rye Bread. What Other Type Of Bread Can I Use?

I know that this bread is hard to find. I personally ordered mine on Amazon, if you can not find it around your area. YOu really need a heavy sandwich bread, here are some of my favorite substitutions–

Sourdough Bread
Ciabatta Bread
Multi-Grain Bread
French Bread

What To Serve With An Air Fryer Patty Melt

This Patty Melt will go well with anything, here are some of my favorite side dishes, that go well with this–

Other Great Air Fryer Sandwich Recipes

SOME HELPFUL PRODUCTS USED IN MAKING THIS RECIPE-

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Philips Kitchen Appliances Digital Twin TurboStar Airfryer XXL, with Fat Removal Technology, 3 Lbs, Black, HD9650/96

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