Chilli cheese toast is a tasty vegetarian snack that both kids and adults will love! Bread slices are topped with butter, cheese, and veggies and baked in a hot oven until crisp. The perfect recipe for breakfast and an interesting option for kids’ lunch boxes.
If tasty and easy snacks are your thing, this paneer pepper fry, and this tandoori gobi should tempt you alright. Have a look.
Having a snack attack? Satisfy your craving with this simple recipe for chilli cheese toast: a restaurant-style but totally easy snack that will put a smile on your face. I can never make these quickly enough when making some for the family, they disappear in a trice. And no wonder too. Hot and fresh out of the oven or frypan, these buttery, cheesy triangles of bread have the power to melt the most hardened of hearts!
I love making cheese toast in the oven because the bread gets crisped up without me having to stand and flip the toast, and the cheese on top bubbles and turns a pleasing shade of golden. However, if it's too hot or simply inconvenient to fire up the oven, I do have a stovetop option for you. Keep reading:)
🥘 Ingredients
Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.
- Cheddar cheese - freshly grated cheese is the best although you could use pre-grated cheese in a pinch.
- Garlic - Again, real freshly crushed garlic yields maximum flavor and taste here. Substitute with ¼ teaspoon garlic powder if fresh garlic is not an option.
- Red pepper (diced) - I just happened to go with red, but you can choose any color. Do remember that green peppers tend to be a little sharper in taste compared to other colours.
- Red onions (diced) - just a little will go a long way, so don't be tempted to add too much.
- Black pepper and red chilli flakes - if making the snack for kids, you can skip one or both of these ingredients, or use less than the amount mentioned in the recipe. It is chilli cheese toast though, so do add the pepper and chilli if you can stand a little heat. However, it is your preference that counts... no judgment here!
- Cilantro - for a bit of green. You can substitute with parsley or any other herb of your choice if cilantro is not your go-to herb.
- Butter (salted) - melt the butter before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.
- Bread - both white or brown bread will do. Try and use one day old sandwich bread for best results.
🔪 Instructions (Oven)
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients
- Grate the cheese
- Crush the garlic
- Finely dice the red pepper and onion
- Chop the cilantro
- Melt the butter
- Cut off the edges of the bread slices
Step 2: Make the cheese mixture
- Put all the ingredients (except the bread) in a bowl and mix vigorously with a spoon until a thick paste forms. Like so:
Step 3: Spread the cheese mixture on the bread
- Spread the mixture thickly and evenly on the bread slices and arrange them on a baking tray:
Step 4: Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and place the baking tray on the middle rack. Bake for 4-5 minutes.
- Switch to the broil function (high) and allow the bread to cook for 3-4 minutes again. The cheese on the top will bubble and form brown spots. At this point, remove the baking tray from the oven and keep it on the countertop to rest for a bit. It will crisp up more while it is resting.
- Slice the toast diagonally into triangles and serve while it is still hot.
🔪 Instructions (Stovetop)
Steps 1-2 remain the same. Here's what to do next:
Step 3: Toast all the bread slices lightly on a heated frypan until golden brown and crisp on one side only.
Step 4: Spread the cheese mixture generously on the toasted side.
Step 5: Now return the bread slices to the frypan (cheese sides up). Cover the frypan with a lid and cook on medium heat until the cheese has melted on the top, and the undersides are browned and crisp. Serve hot.
💭 Top Tips
- Don't add salt: there's enough salt in the butter and cheese, so there's no need to add extra salt.
- Omit the veggies if a pure cheese taste is what you're after: The veggies are a frill, really, and die-hard cheese fans can pass them up!
- Serve fresh and hot: tastes best straight out of the oven or frypan. That said, if you do have leftovers, or you're making it ahead for a lunch bag, allow it to cool down completely. Then wrap in foil or keep in an airtight container. Reheat in a microwave when ready to eat. It will lose some of its crispness, but it will still taste great!
More vegetarian snack ideas
Want even more? Check out all the snack recipes including some non-vegetarian options.
📖 Recipe
Chilli Cheese Toast
Equipment
- 1 cheese grater
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Mixing bowl
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese grated
- ½ teaspoon garlic crushed
- ¼ cup red pepper diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 3 tablespoon butter melted
- 6 bread slices white or brown, edges trimmed
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Grate the cheese (or use shredded cheese).
- Crush the garlic.
- Finely dice the red pepper and onion.
- Chop the cilantro.
- Melt the butter.
- Slice off the edges of the bread slices.
Make the cheese mixture
- Put all the ingredients (except the bread) in a mixing bowl and mix vigorously with a spoon until a thick paste forms.
Spread the cheese mixture on the bread
- Spread the mixture thickly and evenly on the bread slices and arrange them on a baking tray.
Bake in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and place the baking tray on the middle rack. Bake for 4-5 minutes.
- Switch to the broil function (high) and allow the bread to cook for 3-4 minutes again. The cheese on the top will bubble and form brown spots. At this point, remove the baking tray from the oven and keep it on the countertop to rest for a bit. It will crisp up more while it is resting.
- Slice the toast diagonally into triangles and serve while it is still hot.
Stovetop Instructions
- Steps 1-2 remain the same.
- Toast all the bread slices lightly on a heated frypan until golden brown and crisp on one side only.
- Spread the cheese mixture you prepared in step 2 generously on the toasted sides of the bread slices.
- Now return the bread slices to the frypan (cheese sides up). Cover the frypan with a lid and cook on medium heat until the cheese has melted on the top, and the undersides are browned and crisp. Serve hot.
Notes
- There's enough salt in the butter and cheese, so there's no need to add extra salt.
- Omit the veggies if a pure cheese taste is what you're after.
- Tastes best straight out of the oven or frypan.
- For leftovers or make ahead, let the cheese toast cool down completely, then wrap in foil or pack in an air tight container. Reheat in a microwave when ready to eat. It won't remain as crisp, but it will still be every bit as delicious!
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think: