45 Toastie Filling Ideas (Grouped, With Tips)

By toastiemaker.com · Updated 16 Oct 2026

The best toastie fillings combine a good melting cheese with one or two strong flavours and not too much moisture. Below are 45 combinations grouped by style, each with a practical tip; where we have a full recipe, the name links to it. Quantities assume a standard ~750W sealed toastie maker with two medium slices of bread.

The rules that make any filling work

• Cheese is glue: put some on the bottom and some on top so it binds both slices. Mature cheddar is the default; see best cheese for toasties for blends.
• Control moisture: drain, squeeze or pre-cook anything wet. Steam is what makes toasties soggy and leaky; how to stop toasties leaking covers it in detail.
• Keep a border: a 1cm clear edge lets the plates seal the crusts.
• Thin layers beat thick slabs: thinly sliced or grated fillings heat through in 3–4 minutes; chunks stay cold.
• Bread matters: soft square sandwich bread seals best. See best bread for toasties.

Classic cheese toasties

1. Cheese only: 50g mature cheddar, grated. A pinch of mustard powder sharpens the flavour without adding moisture.
2. Cheese and onion: finely sliced spring onion or very thin red onion; raw white onion can stay crunchy.
3. Cheese and tomato: deseed the tomato and pat it dry, or it floods the bread.
4. Ham and cheese: one slice of ham folded to fit inside the crusts; cheese on both sides of it.
5. Cheese and beans: 2–3 tbsp beans, sauce partly drained. Needs a sealed machine; deep fill is ideal.
6. Cheese and pickle: 1 tsp Branston spread thinly on the inside of one slice.
7. Cheese and Marmite: the thinnest scrape of Marmite on the bread; it's strong when hot.
8. Tuna melt: drain the tuna very well and bind with just 1 tsp mayo.
9. Croque monsieur: ham, gruyère and a spoonful of thick béchamel or crème fraîche with Dijon.

Meaty fillings

10. Bacon, egg and cheese: cook the bacon first; a raw egg needs a hollow pressed in the bread.
11. Chicken pesto: shredded cooked chicken, 1 tsp pesto and mozzarella.
12. Coronation chicken: keep the sauce thick; add a few sultanas and some cheddar.
13. Reuben: salt beef, squeezed sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and a little Russian dressing on rye.
14. Cuban: roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. Best in a panini press.
15. Pizza: tomato purée (not passata), mozzarella, pepperoni and dried oregano.
16. Sausage and brown sauce: split a cooked sausage lengthways so it lies flat.
17. Corned beef and onion: 1cm slice of corned beef plus cheddar; very British, very good.
18. Chorizo and manchego: thin chorizo slices release paprika oil, so use a little less butter.
19. BLT with cheese: crispy bacon, dried lettuce added after cooking, tomato inside.
20. Doner-style: leftover kebab meat, a little garlic sauce and mozzarella.

Vegetarian and vegan

21. Mushroom and gruyère: fry the mushrooms until dry first, with thyme.
22. Spinach and feta: wilt and squeeze the spinach hard; add mozzarella for stretch.
23. Caprese: drained, torn mozzarella, sliced tomato patted dry, basil and pesto.
24. Vegan cheese toastie: choose a vegan cheese sold as "melting"; some never go gooey.
25. Mac and cheese: cold leftover mac and cheese slices neatly and doesn't leak.
26. Halloumi and sweet chilli: thin halloumi slices plus a little sweet chilli; halloumi won't melt, so add cheddar.
27. Roast veg and goat's cheese: leftover roast peppers and courgette, blotted dry.
28. Hummus, roast pepper and feta: hummus works as the binder instead of cheese.
29. Sweetcorn and cheese: drain the corn; add a spring onion.

Spicy and bold

30. Jalapeño popper: cream cheese, cheddar and chopped pickled jalapeños.
31. Kimchi and cheese: squeeze the kimchi dry and chop it small.
32. Chilli cheese: leftover chilli con carne, thick and cold, with cheddar.
33. Curry and cheese: leftover dry-ish curry (keema, chicken tikka) with mozzarella.
34. Buffalo chicken: cooked chicken tossed in a little hot sauce and blue cheese.
35. Nduja and mozzarella: a thin spread of nduja goes a long way.

Leftovers

36. Christmas leftovers: turkey, stuffing, cranberry and brie.
37. Brie and cranberry: slice the brie thinly with its rind on.
38. Bubble and squeak: cold mash and cabbage pressed thin, with cheddar.
39. Roast chicken and stuffing: add a spoon of gravy only if it's set and cold.
40. Bolognese: thick leftover ragù plus mozzarella; use a deep fill.

Sweet

41. Nutella and banana: brioche or white bread, thin banana slices.
42. Apple pie: thick apple filling with cinnamon; dust with sugar after cooking.
43. S'mores: mini marshmallows and chocolate; cut the time by a minute.
44. Peanut butter and jam: keep the jam to 1 tsp; it gets molten.
45. Jam and cream cheese: like a cheesecake pocket; use raspberry or cherry.

Fillings by machine

For machine-specific fillings and timings, see microwave toastie recipes and camping toastie recipes. No machine? Every cheese-led filling here works in a frying pan or air fryer. Browse every recipe on the toastie recipes hub.