A classic tuna melt on halved English muffins is such a delicious, fast, easy, and cheap dinner option for those evenings you don’t want to cook. You probably already have everything you need for it!
This tuna melt recipe features classic tuna salad, with a mayonnaise base, celery, and my two favorite add-ins: green onions and sweet relish. You can use any tuna salad mix you like.
For this recipe, the English muffins are sliced and placed in the oven while it preheats, resulting in a nice toasty crispy base for the tuna that holds up and never gets soggy.
This is also a great way to use up any bread you have lying around, and those cheese remnants taking up space in your fridge. Anything goes here!
So grab some English muffins (or any bread you like), a can of tuna, and some cheese and let’s get to it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Canned tuna – I recommend solid white albacore packed in water. If you use a tuna packed in oil, you’ll want to use much less mayo.
- English muffins – I used Thomas’s, but there are plenty of healthy, whole grain options widely available like Dave’s Killer Bread and Ezekiel. You can also use any bread you like for these tuna melts.
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet relish – omit if you like, but I think it makes the tuna salad so good!
- Green onions – diced red onions work too
- Celery
- Provolone cheese – or any kind of melty cheese (this is a great way to use up any random cheese you have in your fridge)
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
How to make English Muffin Tuna Melts
- Preheat your oven and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil (if you like, for easy clean-up). Place the English muffin halves on the baking sheet and put in the oven while it preheats, in order to toast them up a bit (I use this trick with Naan pizza too for a nice crispy crust!).
- Mix up the tuna salad while the oven preheats. Drain the can and flake apart the tuna. Then mix with mayo, celery, green onions, sweet relish, salt, and pepper. Taste and make sure it doesn’t need anything else.
- Top the toasted English muffins with the tuna. Use the back of a spoon to press it on so it’s kind of packed on there.
- Top each with a slice of cheese.
- Bake for another 10 minutes or so and they’re done! Top with some more dark green onion slices for garnish, if you want.
FAQs
Yes! You’ll have to do them in batches or make fewer tuna melts but making them in your air fryer is a great way to cook them for one or two people. Toast the english muffins for 1-2 minutes at 400 degrees, then top with tuna and cheese and back in for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Definitely! Or a convection oven, or even just toast the English muffins in your toaster, top with tuna and cheese, and zap in the microwave until melted. Hey, it gets the job done in a pinch!
Other canned tuna recipes
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English Muffin Tuna Melts
Equipment
- Parchment Paper optional
Ingredients
- 4 english muffins sliced in half (see notes)
- 12 oz. canned tuna preferably solid white albacore packed in water, drained
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- 2 green onions thinly sliced, some dark green parts reserved
- 1 tablespoon sweet relish
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 slices provolone cheese or other melty cheese
Instructions
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, for easy clean-up (optional). Place the halved English muffins cut-side-up on top. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put the English muffins in the oven while it preheats, to toast them up a bit.
- Meanwhile, mix the tuna salad. In a medium bowl, mix canned tuna (flake apart with a fork first), diced celery, green onion, sweet relish (1 tablespoon), mayonnaise (½ cup), and salt and pepper to taste.
- Take the English muffins out of the oven. Spoon the tuna salad on top of each English muffin half evenly, pressing down on the top with the back of your spoon to pack it on a bit. Place a slice of cheese on top of each. Put back in the oven at 425 degrees F for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted on top and starting to brown in places.
- Garnish with the remaining dark green sliced onions and serve.
Notes
- English muffins note: There are many healthy grocery-store English muffins available, such as Dave’s Killer Bread and Ezekiel. I used Thomas’s. You can also use 8 slices of any bread you like instead of English muffins.
- If you prefer a softer tuna melt, don’t pre-toast the English muffins in the oven (this will make them a bit crispy, which I love, but they’re great soft too).
- Feel free to make these in your toaster oven, convection oven, or air fryer if you don’t want to heat up your oven. In a pinch, I’ve also toasted my English muffins in my toaster and then topped with tuna and cheese and zapped it in the microwave to melt it!
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Annie z
The recipe for the tuna is what is the winner here! Pairing that with the provolone cheese made my husband say that this is the best tuna melt he has ever had. This will be a regular. Can’t wait to try the Tex Mex version!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it! I agree – the provolone really gives it a little something something!