Tuna melts are a classic sandwich for a reason. They’re easy to make, delicious, and budget friendly as well! You can enjoy them open faced or like a traditional sandwich, and adjust the fillings as you like. This air fryer tuna melt is the perfect mix of toasty, warm, and convenient!
Making an air fryer tuna melt is my favorite preparation method. You get nicely toasted bread, hot filling, and melted cheese all from one appliance.
Cooking time is under 10 minutes, making this tasty sandwich perfect for a quick and easy lunch! You can even prep your tuna salad ahead of time to cut down on assembly.
I love that I almost always have the ingredients to make this in my pantry. Plus, even if you don’t, the recipe is easily adaptable to whatever you do have on hand!
2 cans (5 oz) tuna, drained (Albacore in water preferred)
2 Tbsp diced onion (white or yellow)
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp dill relish
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
½ tsp black pepper (or more to taste)
½ tsp hot sauce (optional)
For the Tuna Melt Sandwich
2 slices bread (or 4 if not open faced)
2-3 slices cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp softened butter or mayonnaise
4 slices tomato (optional)
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
If preferred, you can swap 1 tsp onion powder for the diced onion
Any kind of mayonnaise is fine – I use olive oil mayo
You can swap Dijon mustard in for the lemon juice if you’d like
Any bread you like is fine (mine is honey wheat). I recommend sourdough, rye, wheat, or white (but others work fine too). You can also use a bagel or an English muffin!
For a sandwich (not open faced), double the amount of bread
You can swap the cheddar cheese for another, such as swiss, provolone, or any other mild cheese you like
How to Make a Tuna Melt in an Air Fryer
Combine all ingredients for tuna salad together and mix well (this can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator)
Preheat your air fryer to 350°F
Spread the softened butter or mayo on one side of each of the bread pieces
Place the butter side face down, then spread about ¼ cup of tuna salad evenly across the slice of bread
Add the sliced tomatoes (optional)
Cover the tuna with 1-1 ½ slices of cheddar cheese (make sure not to overhang the edges of the bread, so the amount will vary based on the slice size). Give it a little press so the cheese sticks to the tuna
If you want to make a sandwich instead of open faced, add a second piece of bread to the top (butter facing up)
Place your tuna melt into the preheated air fryer basket
Cook on the air fry setting for 5-7 minutes at 350°F, or until tuna salad is warmed through and cheese is melted and browned (for a full sandwich, flip halfway through cooking)
Serve with chips or your favorite sides!
What to Serve With a Tuna Melt
Potato chips
Onion rings
French fries
Macaroni salad
Pasta salad
Mac and cheese
Potato salad
Au gratin potatoes
Hashbrown casserole
Coleslaw
Fried zucchini
Pickles
Soup
There are a variety of great sides to serve with your tuna melts!
Yes, you can make a tuna melt in an air fryer. It works for both open faced and sandwich style melts.
The air fryer toasts the bread, warms the filling, and melts the cheese perfectly.
What’s the Difference Between a Tuna Sandwich and a Tuna Melt?
A tuna sandwich is typically cold tuna salad between two slices of bread, whereas a tuna melt has toasted bread, heated filling, and melted cheese added.
That said, a melt is still typically considered a form of tuna sandwich, but not all tuna sandwiches are melts.
Why is My Tuna Melt Soggy?
If your tuna melt is soggy, it indicates the presence of too much moisture. Make sure to drain canned tuna well before using it.
When adding things like relish, you can drain that as well to reduce moisture in the mix.
What Can I Use in a Tuna Melt Instead of Mayo?
You can use Greek yogurt, sour cream, mustard, hummus, or mashed avocado instead of mayo.
Each has a slightly different flavor profile, so choose whichever you’d like best.
What Kind of Bread is Best For Tuna Melts?
Sourdough, thick sliced white or wheat, Rye, Ciabatta, bagels, and English muffins are some of the best breads for tuna melts.
However, you can use nearly any sliced bread that you like.
What Canned Tuna is Best for Tuna Melts?
The best canned tuna for tuna melts is generally water packed. Solid pack is easier to drain, but you can use others as well.
Oil packed has more fish flavor, and can make your sandwich soggier as it’s harder to drain, plus you’re adding fat for the sandwich already.
Recipe Pro Tips
If you don’t like hot tomatoes, you can add the tomato to the sandwich after it finishes cooking
Some air fryers are powerful enough to lift the sliced cheese up off the sandwich during cooking. You can place it under the tuna salad, or put the tomatoes on top to prevent this, but whatever is on top will get the most browned
This filling recipe is enough for 4 sandwiches in total, so you can halve it if you’re making less, or store the extra for later use
My tuna melts were perfectly browned at about the 6 minute mark for the open faced version, and I let the sandwich go to about 8 minutes total for a browner exterior. This is based on a Ninja Dual Zone air fryer, so others may vary slightly
Storage and Reheating
A tuna melt is best enjoyed fresh. However, tuna salad keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can prepare the filling and then just make an individual sandwich when you want one
If you do want to reheat a tuna melt, do so within 24 hours. Cut the sandwich in half and air fry for 3-5 minutes at 350°F, or microwave for about 1 minute (though it won’t be crispy), until the filling is warmed through
This air fryer tuna melt is everything you love about the classic sandwich, made even easier thanks to your air fryer. It’s much faster than the oven or toaster oven, and requires less tending than the stove.
You can have a hot, melty, delicious sandwich ready in under 10 minutes! These sandwiches are convenient for lunch, but could even be dinner if you pair them with some sides.
For another great tuna dinner option, make sure to check out my Air Fryer Tuna Casserole for a new spin on a comfort food favorite.
Easy Air Fryer Tuna Melt (Open Faced or Sandwich)
These easy air fryer tuna melts will be your new favorite way to make the classic sandwich. Enjoy them open face or sandwiched for lunch or dinner!
25-ouncecans tuna, drained(Albacore in water preferred)
2Tbsponion, finely diced(white or yellow)
½Tspgarlic powder
¼Cupmayonnaise
2Tbspdill relish
1Tsplemon juice
½Tspsalt(or more to taste)
½Tspblack pepper(or more to taste)
½Tsphot sauce(optional)
For Tuna Melts
2Slicesbread(or 4 if not open faced)
2-3Slicescheddar cheese
1Tbsp softened butter or mayonnaise
4¼" Thickslices of tomato(optional)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients for tuna salad together and mix well (this can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, or you can also use a premade salad instead)
2 5-ounce cans tuna, drained, 2 Tbsp onion, finely diced, ½ Tsp garlic powder, ¼ Cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp dill relish, 1 Tsp lemon juice, ½ Tsp salt, ½ Tsp black pepper, ½ Tsp hot sauce
Preheat your air fryer to 350°F
Spread the softened butter or mayo on one side of each of the bread pieces
2 Slices bread, 1 Tbsp softened butter or mayonnaise
Place the butter side face down, then spread about ¼ cup of tuna salad evenly across the slice of bread
Add the sliced tomatoes (optional)
4 ¼" Thick slices of tomato
Cover the tuna with 1-1 ½ slices of cheddar cheese (make sure not to overhang the edges of the bread, so the amount will vary based on the slice size). Give it a little press so the cheese sticks to the tuna
2-3 Slices cheddar cheese
If you want to make a sandwich instead of open faced, add a second piece of bread to the top (butter facing up)
Place your tuna melt into the preheated air fryer basket
Cook on the air fry setting for 5-7 minutes at 350°F, or until tuna salad is warmed through and cheese is melted and browned (for a full sandwich, flip halfway through cooking using a spatula)
Serve with chips or your favorite sides!
Notes
If preferred, you can swap 1 tsp onion powder for the diced onion
Any kind of mayonnaise is fine – I use olive oil mayo
You can swap Dijon mustard in for the lemon juice if you’d like
Any bread you like is fine (mine is honey wheat). I recommend sourdough, rye, wheat, or white (but others work fine too). You can also use a bagel or an English muffin!
For a sandwich (not open faced), double the amount of bread
You can swap the cheddar cheese for another, such as swiss, provolone, or any other mild cheese you like
If you don’t like hot tomatoes, you can add the tomato to the sandwich after it finishes cooking
Some air fryers are powerful enough to lift the sliced cheese up off the sandwich during cooking. You can place it under the tuna salad instead, or put the tomatoes on top to prevent this, but note that whatever is on top will get the most browned
This filling recipe is enough for 4 sandwiches in total, so you can halve it if you’re making less, or store the extra for later use
My tuna melts were perfectly browned at about the 6 minute mark for the open faced version, and I let the sandwich go to about 8 minutes total for a browner exterior. This is based on a Ninja Dual Zone air fryer, so others may vary slightly
A tuna melt is best enjoyed fresh. However, tuna salad keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can prepare the filling and then just make an individual sandwich when you want one
If you do want to reheat a tuna melt, do so within 24 hours. Cut the sandwich in half and air fry for 3-5 minutes at 350°F, or microwave for about 1 minute (though it won’t be crispy), until the filling is warmed through
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, swaps, sides added, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
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I enjoy trying new recipes, creating my own, and dabbling with new techniques all the time. My husband loves to protest when I make him my guinea pig, but it’s all for the love of food!
My cooking philosophy is that great tasting food doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming to make. I'm a home cook with over 20 years of experience feeding myself and others. I've learned from a variety of different people, things I've learned online, and some trial and error as well.
I enjoy cooking a variety of foods, from convenience to comfort foods, as well as international cuisine. You can rest assured that all of my recipes have been actually made, thoroughly tested, and most importantly: tasted! I want you to enjoy my food as much as I do!
