How to Make a Toastie Without a Toastie Maker (Every Method)

By toastiemaker.com · Updated 16 Oct 2026

The best way to make a toastie without a toastie maker is in a frying pan: butter the outside of the sandwich, cook it over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes a side while pressing it down with a second pan or a spatula, until golden and melted. An air fryer (180°C for 8–10 minutes), an overhead grill or toaster bags in a pop-up toaster also work well.

All the methods compared

Timings are for a medium-sliced white bread cheese toastie. For fuller timing tables by filling, see how long to cook a toastie.

Prep that works for every method

• Bread: medium-sliced white or a sturdy sourdough. Thin bread tears; very thick bread will not heat through before the outside burns. See best bread for toasties.
• Cheese: grate it rather than slicing. Grated cheese melts in half the time, which matters more without the all-round heat of a toastie maker. Mature cheddar mixed with a little mozzarella is hard to beat; more in the best cheese for toasties.
• Fat on the outside: soft butter, or a thin layer of mayonnaise, which browns more evenly and does not burn as quickly in a pan. Our butter or mayo guide explains why.
• Fillings at room temperature: cold fillings straight from the fridge are the main reason the bread browns before the middle melts.

1. Frying pan (the best all-rounder)

A pan with something heavy on top mimics the two hot plates of a toastie maker, giving you a flat, crisp, fully melted sandwich.

1. Heat a non-stick or cast-iron frying pan over medium-low for 2 minutes. Too hot and the outside burns before the cheese melts.
2. Lay the sandwich in, buttered side down, then butter the top.
3. Press it down with a smaller saucepan, a second frying pan, or a plate with a tin on it. Cook 3–4 minutes until deep golden.
4. Flip, press again and cook another 2–3 minutes. Covering the pan with a lid for the first side helps the cheese melt.

Full method, heat levels and weighting tricks are in our frying pan toastie recipe.

2. Air fryer

An air fryer turns out a crisp toastie with almost no attention, but its fan can lift the top slice off. Secure it with a cocktail stick through the middle, or put a small trivet or rack on top if your model allows it.

1. Preheat to 180°C for 3 minutes.
2. Butter the outsides, put the toastie in the basket and pin the top slice.
3. Cook for 4–5 minutes, flip, and cook another 3–5 minutes until golden.

The details, including the foil trick and safety notes, are on our air fryer toastie page. If you are deciding whether an air fryer can replace a sandwich toaster entirely, see toastie maker vs air fryer.

3. Overhead grill

A UK grill (the element at the top of the oven or a separate eye-level grill) does not press the sandwich, so the result is a little lighter and less fused. It is quick and good for adding a bubbling layer of cheese on top.

1. Heat the grill to medium-high. Toast the bread on one side only, 1–2 minutes.
2. Turn the slices over, build the sandwich with the toasted sides inside, and butter the outside.
3. Grill 2–3 minutes a side, keeping it about 10 cm from the element and watching closely.

4. Oven (best for a crowd)

For four or more toasties at once, the oven wins. Preheat to 200°C (fan 180°C) with a baking tray inside. Put the buttered sandwiches on the hot tray, lay a second tray or a sheet of baking paper and a heavy ovenproof dish on top, and bake 10–14 minutes, flipping halfway if you are not using a top tray. Our oven toastie guide covers both the oven and grill methods in more detail.

5. Toaster bags

Reusable toaster bags are PTFE-coated pouches that let you put a sandwich into a standard pop-up toaster without cheese dripping onto the elements. They are popular in offices and student halls where hobs are banned.

1. Build the sandwich without butter on the outside (it can smoke in a toaster).
2. Slide it into the bag and lower it into a wide-slot toaster, bag opening at the top.
3. Toast on a medium-high setting, often two cycles, until the cheese melts.
4. Lift out carefully by the edges with tongs; the bag is very hot.

6. Health grill or panini press

If you already have a George Foreman-style contact grill or panini press, you effectively have a toastie maker without the sealed edges. Preheat it fully, butter the outsides, close the lid gently and cook for 3–5 minutes. Plates that are tilted for draining fat can let cheese run off, so keep fillings slightly back from the front edge. For the pros and cons, read toastie maker vs health grill or toastie maker vs panini press.

7. Microwave, then pan

A microwave alone makes a soft, steamed, soggy sandwich, so it is not a method on its own. It is a useful head start, though: microwave the assembled sandwich on a plate for 20–30 seconds to start the cheese melting, then crisp it in a hot pan for 1–2 minutes a side. Good for thick fillings like leftover chilli. If you want proper toasties from a microwave, you need a microwave toastie maker, which uses heat-absorbing plates to brown the bread.

8. Waffle maker

A waffle iron will press and crisp a sandwich. Use thinner bread, butter the outsides, don't overfill and close gently. Cook 3–5 minutes on a medium setting. It will not seal the edges, but the grid pattern gives extra crunch.

9. Stovetop toastie iron

A jaffle or camping toastie iron is not electric, so if you have a gas hob it doubles as a proper sealed toastie maker for not much money. Heat each side over a medium flame, then cook the sandwich 2–3 minutes per side, turning often. See how to use a camping toastie maker. They do not work on induction or most electric hobs.

What about a clothes iron?

You will see the clothes iron trick online, wrapping the sandwich in foil and pressing it. It does work in a pinch, but we would not recommend it: steam irons are not made for food contact, cheese or butter can get into the soleplate, and it is easy to burn yourself or the surface underneath. A frying pan or toaster bags is safer in every situation where you might be tempted.

When a toastie maker is worth buying

If you make toasties more than once a week, a basic sandwich toaster is quicker (3–4 minutes), seals the edges so fillings like beans stay in, and uses less energy than an oven. Budget models usually cost £15–£30. See our best toastie maker guide, or the honest case in are toastie makers worth it. Then pick a filling from our toastie recipes, starting with the classic cheese toastie.