Air Fryer Tuna Melt

Tuna melts in the air fryer are so easy to make! This air fryer tuna melt is made with a delicious homemade tuna salad and then topped with tomatoes and extra cheese.

I mean, who doesn't love a tuna melt? I do. I love tuna salad and I love melted cheese.

And when I can make them easily in my air fryer? Such a quick and easy lunch.

The tuna salad is perfectly seasoned. The tomatoes ripe and juicy. And the cheese gets all melty in the air fryer.

I like to add the tomatoes to the top of my tuna melt instead of inside, because I feel like they get perfectly cooked from the air fryer heat, resulting in an even more delicious air fried tuna sandwich.

A quick and easy lunch that can be ready in less than 15 minutes. 10 if you're really fast!

Ingredients

• Bread
• Canned tuna
• Mayo
• Green onions
• Celery Salt
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tomato (roma, campari, or another tomato that is good for slicing)
• Cheese (I used sharp cheddar, but you can use monterrey jack or cheddar jack)

How to make an air fryer tuna melt

The first step to making a tuna melt in the air fryer is to make your tuna salad to put in the tuna melt.

This can be your favorite tuna salad, but if you're following along with this recipe, I added canned tuna, mayo, celery salt, green onions, salt, and pepper to a bowl.

Mash together until combined.

Take two slices of bread and on one side of each, spread with mayo (or butter). On the opposite side of one of the slices, add your tuna salad.

Top with shredded cheese.

Place the other slice of bread on the sandwich (mayo side up), and then add tomato slices and more cheese. Place in your air fryer basket.

Air fry at 380 degrees F for 5-7 minutes.

Remove from the air fryer, slice, and enjoy!

What is a tuna melt?

A tuna melt is simply a tuna sandwich that has cheese on it, hence the "melt" language.

Sometimes they are regular tuna salad sandwiches that just have the addition of cheese, and some people do them as open faced sandwiches without the top layer of bread.

In my version, I did a mix, where I used two slices of bread, but then also topped with tomato and extra cheese!

How to customize

Even though I did two slices of bread, you can instead leave off the top slice of bread and top with cheese and tomato slices.

Want it spicier? Either spice up your tuna salad with some harissa, calabrian chili paste, or red pepper flakes!

Customize by adding avocado or cooked bacon to really load up your tuna melt with delicious flavors and textures!

I used a sharp white cheddar cheese for my tuna melt, but many other cheeses would be delicious! Pepper jack or Monterrey jack are great options, as is mozzarella.

What to serve with the tuna melt

I love serving tuna melts with a delicious side dish! If serving with a salad, I love a simple arugula salad or this Tuscan kale salad.

If serving with an air fryer vegetable, my favorites are air fryer lemon zucchini, air fryer lemon asparagus, air fryer lemon potatoes, or air fryer fennel.

Recipe notes

• All air fryers cook differently. Please adjust cooking times as needed.
• To make this recipe even easier, you can use a store-bought tuna salad. I love making my own though! It's so easy.

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