Air Fryer Tuna Melt
I made this Air Fryer Tuna Melt with my favorite low-carb pita bread and it was perfect for a quick and easy low-carb lunch! And this pita bread tuna melt was so tasty for a ten-minute meal that’s low in net carbs with the ingredients I used!
PIN Air Fryer Tuna Melt to try it later!
Not all my quick-and-easy cooking experiments are blog-worthy, but after I made myself an Air Fryer Tuna Melt for the third time and loved it, I decided to take some photos so I could share this simple recipe with you. And I bet even people who really like to cook are sometimes wanting things to eat that don’t take much time in the kitchen.
This recipe uses my favorite low-carb pita bread (with 7 net carbs per pita) and my favorite tuna packed in olive oil. And there aren’t any ingredients besides the pita bread that have significant carbs, so this is something I loved for a pretty low-carb lunch or casual dinner.
I just eat one Tuna Melt for quick dinner I can make in a few minutes, but if you wanted to add something simple like Cucumbers Caesar or Mary’s Spring Mix Salad you could share one tuna melt with two people for a dinner that’s even lower in carbs!
I made this a few different ways when I was experimenting, but in the end I loved the simplest version with just pita bread, tuna packed in olive oil, mayo, dill pickle relish (or chopped dill pickle), a little chopped red onion, and Mozzarella cheese. And hopefully most of the things on that list are going to be things you usually keep on hand; enjoy!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Joseph’s Low-Carb Pita Bread (affiliate link) or other pita of your choice
- dill pickle relish (affiliate link)
- red onion
- mayo
- fresh-ground black pepper
- grated mozzarella cheese
What Air Fryer did I use?
I love my Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven which is what I used for this recipe. This air fryer has a larger basket, which made it easy to fit a piece of pita bread, but I haven’t tried cooking two pitas at once. (Air fryer links are affiliate links.)
Can you make the Air Fryer Tuna Melt in the oven or toaster oven?
I haven’t tested this recipe in the toaster oven or oven, but I’m absolutely confident it would work just fine. Since the Air Fryer cooks more like a convection oven, I’d add a tiny bit more time for each step of the cooking process for cooking in a toaster oven or regular oven. You might have to experiment with one and keep checking it to see what time is best for the exact toaster oven or stove you’re using. (If anyone does narrow down the cooking times without an Air Fryer, please come back and let us know.)
What low-carb pita bread did I use for the Air Fryer Tuna Melt?
Joseph’s Low-Carb Pita Bread (affiliate link) has been one of my favorites for years, and that’s the pita bread I used for this recipe.
How low in carbs is the Air Fryer Tuna Melt?
With the low-carb pita bread I used, the tasty tuna melt made in the Air Fryer only has 7.7 net carbs in a whole one.
Why is this Air Fryer Tuna Melt good for food prep?
Making up the tuna mixture, assembling the tuna melt, and cooking it in the Air Fryer is pretty quick and easy even when you start from scratch. But if you want to make it even quicker to get this tuna melt into your mouth, mix the tuna mixture in advance and keep it in the fridge, where it will keep well for at least 4-5 days!
Want More Ideas using Canned Tuna?
I’m a huge fan of tuna packed in olive oil and my site has a great collection of 10 Amazing Healthy Tuna Recipes, many of which are also extra easy to make!
How to Make Air Fryer Tuna Melt:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Preheat Air Fryer (or oven) to 400F/200C.
- I used one can of my favorite Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) to make two Tuna Melts. Use any tuna you prefer.
- Drain the tuna in a colander in the sink.
- Finely chop the red onion. I used dill pickle relish (affiliate link), but just chop up a dill pickle if you don’t have that.
- Mix drained tuna, chopped red onion, dill pickle relish (or chopped pickles), mayo, and a little black pepper.
- I used Joseph’s Low-Carb Pita Bread (affiliate link), with 7 net carbs per pita.
- Put Pita Bread in the Air Fryer basket and toast 40 seconds, then turn over and toast 40 seconds more. (If your Air Fryer is a different brand you may have to test one to see how much time you need to get the Pita bread firm but not starting to brown.)
- Spread half the tuna mixture on the toasted pita bread.
- Sprinkle grated Mozzarella cheese over the tuna mixture.
- Put the Pita topped with tuna and cheese back in the air fryer basket and cook until cheese is complete melted and the mixture is hot, just slightly over a minute for the Air Fryer I used.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
More Easy Dinners in the Air Fryer:
Want even more Air Fryer Recipes?
Use Air Fryer Recipes to see the other Air Fryer recipes on this site. Or check out 100 Keto Air Fryer Recipesto see great recipe ideas from Kalyn’s Kitchen and other blogs around the web.
Air Fryer Tuna Melt
When you're hungry but don't want to cook, this Air Fryer Tuna Melt is super quick and easy for a dinner that's also pretty low in carbs!
Ingredients
- one 5 oz. can tuna packed in olive oil (see notes)
- 2 pita breads (see notes)
- 2 T dill pickle relish (see notes)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 3 T mayo (more or less to taste)
- fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer (or oven) to 400F/200C while you prepare the tuna.
- I used one can of my favorite Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) to make two Tuna Melts. Use any tuna you prefer.
- Drain the tuna in a colander in the sink.
- Finely chop enough red onion to make 1/4 cup.
- I used dill pickle relish (affiliate link) to make it easy, but just chop up a dill pickle if you don't have that.
- Mix drained tuna, chopped red onion, dill pickle relish (or chopped pickles), mayo, and a little black pepper.
- Put one piece Pita Bread in the Air Fryer basket and toast 40 seconds, then turn it over and toast 40 seconds on the other side.
- (Different Air Fryer models might take slightly more or less time, so you may have to test one to see how much time you need; you want the Pita bread firm but not starting to brown much at this point.)
- Spread half the tuna mixture on the toasted pita bread. (I did this on the cutting board so I didn't make a mess in my Air Fryer basket!)
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese over the tuna mixture. (Use more or less cheese to taste; I wanted all the tuna covered with cheese.)
- Put the Pita topped with tuna and cheese back in the air fryer basket and cook until cheese is complete melted and the mixture is hot, just slightly over a minute for the Air Fryer I used.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
I used Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) to make two Tuna Melts. Use any tuna you prefer. I used Joseph's Low-Carb Pita Bread (affiliate link) which has 7 net carbs per pita. I love dill pickle relish (affiliate link) which has zero carbs, but just chop up dill pickles if you don't have it.
Carbs are calculated using net carbs from the products I used.
Recipe created by Kalyn when she wanted to use what was in the house but didn't want to spend much time in the kitchen!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 28.4gSaturated Fat: 5.9gUnsaturated Fat: 22.5gCholesterol: 51.5mgSodium: 1070mgCarbohydrates: 10.1gFiber: 2.4gSugar: 1.6gProtein: 27.1g
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
With the low-carb Pita bread I used, this Air Fryer Tuna Melt is an good easy dinner for low-carb eating plans, and for phase two or three of the original South Beach Diet. This may be too high in carbs for Keto, but you could eat half a Tuna Melt with salad if you want an option with fewer carbs.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Air Fryer Recipes to see more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Air Fryer Tuna Melt was first posted in 2020. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
2 Comments on “Air Fryer Tuna Melt”
Great one, quick and love using air fryer and Joseph low carb pita. I used Low fat mayo too and since didn’t have quite the right cheese on hand mixed a little 2% cottage cheese and one wedge of laughing cow in there and it was wonderful. Will make often. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed, and I think your adaptations sound great! Glad you were that creative to make it work.