How to Make Lazy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in Your Toaster

People will go to amazing lengths to make a grilled cheese sandwich. They'll use irons, waffle makers, or whatever appliance gets hot enough to marry golden, crisp bread with oozy, molten cheese.

I favor my cast-iron skillet or the oven to make perfect grilled cheese. If I'm feeling lazy, a toaster oven will do. But what if you're at work or in a dorm, and the break room only has a pop‑up toaster?

⚠️ Safety disclaimer: Operating a pop‑up toaster on its side or running it with melted cheese inside is not how the appliance was designed to be used. Manufacturers and fire safety agencies warn that crumbs or liquefied cheese can ignite, and the sideways position can defeat the automatic shut‑off. Proceed only if you can watch the toaster the entire time, set it on a heatproof surface, unplug it as soon as you're finished, and accept full responsibility for any damage.

Can you actually make grilled cheese in a toaster?

Anyone who has toasted bread, turned it into a cheese sandwich, and then microwaved the assembly has tasted the sad, soggy results. Meanwhile, melting cheese directly in a toaster slot feels like a guaranteed way to ruin the appliance forever … right? Wrong! With a few clever workarounds, you can enjoy a legitimate grilled cheese — even when a pop‑up toaster is your only cooking tool.

Try a reusable toaster bag

Toaster bags are reusable, dishwasher-safe PTFE mesh envelopes rated up to 500°F, and you can find them from brands such as Boska and Toastabags, with plenty of generic options available. Slip your assembled sandwich into the bag, slide it into a single toaster slot, and hit the lever. If your toaster has narrow slots, opt for thinner bread. You can even butter the outside of the bread to get that classic crisp, golden finish.

📦 A two‑pack of Toastabags runs for about $6 on Amazon.

Because the sandwich never touches the heating coils, this setup is also a win for anyone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity — you won't pick up stray crumbs from someone else's bagel.

Want crunch on both sides? Pre‑toast the bread — buttered sides out — in the bag. When the bread pops, pull it out, tuck the cheese between the toasted faces, slide the sandwich back into the bag, and toast once more until melted.

Tip the toaster on its side for cheesy toast

Turning your toaster gently onto its side and inserting a slice of bread topped with cheese into each slot keeps molten dairy from plunging into the heating elements. Two quick tips to keep it safer and tidier:

1. Empty the crumb tray first. Loose crumbs are fuel.

2. Stand by. Cancel the cycle manually whenever the cheese is melted to your liking, then unplug.

Carefully slide each cheesy toast onto a plate — it's a pain to scrub burned cheese off metal parts.

Technically, you're making two pieces of cheesy toast rather than a pressed sandwich. Stack them, though, and the flavor is every bit as satisfying.

Toast a whole sandwich in a sideways toaster

Feeling brave? Some fans assemble the entire sandwich — cheese in the middle, buttered outsides — and slide the whole thing into one extra‑wide slot of a sideways toaster. If your appliance has bagel‑wide slots and a deep crumb tray, this can work, but monitor it constantly and be prepared for drips.

Clean up and reset

1. Unplug the toaster and let it cool completely.

2. Remove the crumb tray; wash away any melted cheese residue.

3. Wipe the exterior and heating‑chamber walls with a damp, soapy cloth (no abrasives).

4. Dry thoroughly before returning the toaster to its upright position.

Final thoughts

Reusable toaster bags are hands‑down the cleanest, safest way to hack a grilled cheese from a pop‑up toaster, and the bags pay for themselves after a few late‑night cravings. Tilting the appliance works in a pinch but comes with real fire‑safety caveats — watch it like a hawk.

If you find yourself making cheesy sandwiches more than once a week, consider a small toaster oven, air fryer, or single‑purpose grilled‑cheese toaster (brands like Dash and Nostalgia start around $25). Until then, happy snacking!

Buy on Amazon: Toastabags BPA-Free, PFOA-Free Reusable Toaster Bags, 5-Pack (~$15)

Cover photo via Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue/Flickr.