Cuban-Style Air Fried Sandwich Wrap

Cuban sandwiches are a spectacular combination of flavors that feature two types of pork, cheese, pickles, and mustard for a flavor explosion! This recipe is for a simple version that uses a quickly grilled pork tenderloin with all the fixings wrapped in a flour tortilla and air fried until golden brown.

Cuban sandwiches are one of my favorites and I have had them every which way you can think of at various restaurants, but surprisingly not in a sandwich wrap form. Initially, I was going to turn my Cuban-inspired Grilled Pork Tenderloin into a regular Cuban sandwich, but this was so much easier and I liked it even more!

I much prefer wraps over sandwiches because they aren't as bready and the flavors of the filling really come through. It's a win-win for me and I bet you'll love them, too!

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Serve with a Cuban Sandwich Wrap

Every great sandwich should have a great side served with it and here are a few ideas that can be make in your air fryer!

Of course French fries come to mind immediately, but believe it or not, I don't have a written recipe for those yet. I do have a recipe video on how to make shoestring french fries and here is the link: Shoestring French Fries in the Ninja Foodi

I also have a recipe for Fish & Chips where the French fries are cut a little bigger, if that is your preference. Here is the link: Air Fryer Fish & Chips

Some of my other favorites to serve with any type of a crispy sandwich wrap are onion rings, hush puppies, and air fryer mushrooms. If you are lucky enough to have some green tomatoes, give these fried green tomatoes a try! They are so good!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Pork

In this recipe I used leftovers from my grilled pork tenderloin that I rubbed with a Cuban-inspired rub. It worked perfectly. The spices are amazing and perfect for making any kind of a Cuban sandwich.

However, you can use any type of pork you want as long as it's tender. Leftover pulled pork will work great as long as it isn't too heavily spiced with BBQ seasonings or sauce.

Leftover pork loin or even pork chops will work great, I would simply add some of the Cuban-inspired rub on the meat after chopping to get those great flavors into your sandwich.

Ham

Ham is the second type of pork used and I recommend a Virginia-style smoked ham, however you can use whatever you have on hand. Even honey ham will work just fine. You can also use leftover ham and simply cube it up.

I prefer to used a shaved ham, but that is just my preference.

Pickles

I definitely suggest using a good quality dill pickle. I have tried some store brands that were so soft in texture, they didn't work that well. I love to cube up the pickles so there is texture in my sandwich with a nice punch of dill flavor.

Dill pickle relish will also work if you have that on hand. I would only use about 1 Tablespoon and try to drain as much juice as you can so the liquid doesn't make the tortilla soggy.

Cheese

Grated Swiss is my go-to for this Cuban-Style Wrapped Sandwich because it melts nicely and provides the flavor balance in the sandwich.

You can certainly use another type of cheese if you don't have or don't like Swiss, but I do suggest grating it for the best results.

Mustard

I use a Cuban-style mustard when making my Cuban sandwich wraps and if you can find it, grab it. It's delicious!

I found it Walmart and always have some on-hand.

You can also use yellow mustard, dijon mustard, even honey mustard. Whatever you have on hand and like will be perfectly fine.

Some articles I read talked about Cuban sandwiches using mayonnaise instead of mustard, but I personally have never had one like that. Let me know if you try it!

Flour Tortilla

If you want to make a Cuban style sandwich wrap, I recommend using a 10" flour tortilla. While you can use smaller or even larger sizes, you will need to adjust the ingredients to properly fill your wrap.

You can also turn this into a Cuban sandwhich by making the following changes. Slice the pork or shred it, use slices of cheese (grated will work, but harder to keep in the sandwich), and slice the pickles. The ham can be in slices or shaved.

Spread mustard on the inside of both pieces of bread and assemble your sandwich with the other ingredients. I suggest putting the cheese on the outside and putting the sliced pickles in between the layers of pork and ham.

Butter both sides of the bread and either air fry the same as in the wrap recipe or simply grill it in a skillet like you would a grilled cheese.

How to Make the Cuban Sandwich Wrap

Sandwich wraps are very easy to make, but the most important thing to keep in mind is the amount of filling you are using. For a 10" flour tortilla, you will want between 4-6 ounces of the filling to completely fill the tortilla but not overfill it. While this can vary with different ingredients, it's my rule of thumb when making any kind of wrap.

You do not need to warm the ingredients before wrapping unless you don't want to crisp the tortilla. Everything heats during the air crisping time, so grab your ingredients and let's get to prepping & rolling!

The first thing you want to do is preheat your air fryer. I always recommend doing this for a full 10 minutes with the cooking surface you are going to use in the air fryer. In this recipe, I used the Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill, but the instructions for filling and wrapping will be the same no matter what airfryer you use to cook the wrap in.

Chop or shred the pork into bite size pieces, chop the ham into small pieces, shred the cheese and chop the pickles into small pieces. You will want between 1-1½ ounces (about ¼ cup) of each ingredient.

On a clean, dry surface like a cutting board, lay out the 10" flour tortilla. Spread about 1 Tablespoon of mustard in the center, making sure to leave about 2" of space around the edges of the tortilla.

Layering is also important, you don't want the pickles on the outside or the tortilla can get too soggy. This is the way I layer my Cuban sandwich wraps.

Spread ½ the shredded cheese about 2-3" from the edge closest to you. Add the ham, pickles, chopped or shredded pork and the remaining cheese.

How to Roll a Sandwich Wrap (Short Video Included)

This is probably the most difficult for many people, but don't worry it's really quite easy once you get the hang of it. This is the same technique that I use to make my Air Fryer Chimichangas or any other sandwich wrap using a flour tortilla.

No matter what you are using for your filling, just keep the ingredients to about 1 cup for the first one and then you can increase up to about 1½ cups per wrap and still be able to roll it like a master.

Or, you can roll it like me and get mustard all over your fingers, loose some pork from the sides and basically bumble through it AND still end up with a perfect sandwich wrap!

Here is a quick video showing you how. Please excuse the mustard on my fingers, it's an occupational hazard.

The secret is the "tuck & pull" where you fold the tortilla over the filling and then tuck it and pull everything back towards you to create a tight wrap. Once you do that, you fold the ends towards the middle, tuck again and roll the tortilla away from you.

If you are going to air fry your wrap, then you will want to thinly spread room temperature butter over both sides of the wrap. The most important place to pay attention to is the seam on the underside of the wrap. The better will help keep it sealed.

Instructions for Pan Frying the Cuban Wrap

The wrap assembly is the same no matter how you cook the wrap. To pan fry it, you will want to heat a skillet that is large enough to allow you to flip the wrap over easily and you don't want to crowd the pan or you may have some steaming which will soften the tortilla.

Turn the heat on medium and allow the pan to get hot, but you don't want it smoking hot or the wrap will cook too quickly and not give enough time for the filling to warm through and the cheese to melt.

Place the sandwich wrap in the pan with the seam side down and leave it alone for at least 3 minutes. If you see the butter smoking or burning, turn down your heat. Flip the wrap over and brown the other side.

When I am pan frying a sandwich wrap, I also like to brown the sides for a few minutes. Once all the sides are nicely brown, turn the heat to low and continue to cook for another 7-10 minutes, flipping the wrap over every 3-5 minutes.

When the exterior is nice and crunchy and brown and the wrap has been in the pan for at least 15 minutes, remove and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Cut & Serve.

*You can cover the pan with a lid to speed up the process, but this will trap in steam which can soften the wrap.

Instructions for Air Frying the Sandwich Wrap

Although I used the Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill to air fry this sandwich, you can use any air fryer you have. Here are my recommendations for various styles of air fryers. No matter which style air fryer you are using, preheat it for 10 minutes with the cooking surface in the air fryer. This will give you the best results. I preheat while assembling my sandwich.

Air Fry according the directions below and flip halfway through. When done, allow to cool on a cooling rack instead of a flat surface to avoid the bottom from getting soggy from the steam produced.

Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill: Air Fry (Air Crisp) at 375℉/190℃ for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Ninja Foodi PC & Air Crisper Or Instant Pot Duo (Pro) Crisp: Air Crisp at 375℉/190℃ for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Basket Style Air Fryer: Air Crisp at 375℉/190℃ for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Oven Style Air Fryer: Air Crisp at 425℉/220℃ for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Although your air fryer might need some timing and temperature adjustments to get the best results, these are my suggestions based on my extensive use of the various styles of air fryers.

Once the wraps are air fried, allow to cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!