These open faced tuna melts are made with bagels and loaded with cheese and avocado. They’re fun to make and absolutely delicious to eat!

3 tuna bagels stacked on each other on square white plate

Tuna Avocado Melts

Tuna and avocado really is one of my all time favourite combinations, it’s literally making me weak at the knees just thinking about it (I know, pathetic aren’t I?). But stick it on a bagel? With some fresh tomato and cheese?? Stick a fork in me cause I’m DONE. But in the bigger picture, the thing I truly love about working with a simple can of tuna is it’s versatility.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of mixing up some tuna mayo, sticking it in some pasta or bread and be done with it. I mean don’t get me wrong, that’s certainly not the worst thing I’ve heard of doing, but tuna offers itself to so many other beautiful flavours.

Open Faced Tuna Melt Bagels

Yes, realistically I could have just made a classic tuna melt. But, if you hadn’t noticed, everything on this blog is slightly OTT. Delicious never-the-less 🙂

How to make Tuna Melt Bagels (quick summary)

  1. Grab yourself a couple cans of tuna and mix in with the fillings and seasoning.
  2. Get an avo and a couple tomatoes and slice them up. Arrange in a circular motion on a toasted bagel. Season and give a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  3. Top with the tuna, finish with some cheese and pop under the grill until golden and bubbly.

How to make tuna melt bagels - 6 step by step photos

Tuna Bagel Variation

Tuna Grilled Cheese

I’ve made this into a grilled cheese before and works great! If you’re doing that you obviously don’t need the fancy avo/tomato circle, just two thick slices of bread, the same fillings and a truck tonne of cheese!

Tuna Bagels

As they are, they’re simply just open faced tuna bagels. But, you could plonk another toasted half on top and make it into a ‘full’ bagel. Just follow the recipe as instructed, still making sure you grill the cheese, then pop the second bagel half on top and the end.

Keep it simple!

If you’re in a rush, or don’t have the extra goodies, a simple tuna mayo tuna melt is always delicious!

tuna melts stacked on each other with lemon blurred in background

Tuna Melt FAQ

What bread to use for a Tuna Melt?

Personally I love a bagel, not just for their taste but also because it helps create that perfect circle of joy. However do go ahead and usual regular bread if that’s what your tastebuds are calling for. I advice going for a thick slice in comparison to a thin, flimsy slice.

What Cheese to use for a Tuna Melt?

I recommend a sharp cheddar cheese. The cheese is one of the hero ingredients of a tuna melt so I nice strong cheddar will let it shine. But whatever you fancy, just make sure it’s a cheese with a low melting point so you get a nice cheesy tuna melt. Swiss or mozzarella also works well if you want a more subtle flavour.

What goes with tuna melt sandwiches?

tuna melt on slate with more blurred in the background

If you’re looking for more Tuna Recipes check out my Greek Tuna Pasta Salad, Tuna Baked Potato and Tuna Fish Cakes!

For more similar recipes check out these beauties too:

Fun Bagel Recipes

How to make an Avocado Tuna Melt (Full Recipe & Video)

Avocado Tuna Melts stacked on a plate
5 from 5 votes

Avocado Tuna Melt Bagels

These open faced tuna melts are made with bagels and loaded with cheese and avocado. They're fun to make and absolutely delicious to eat!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
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Equipment

  • Medium Sized Mixing Bowl
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
  • Large Baking Tray
  • Cheese Grater

Ingredients 

  • 2 Bagels, halved & toasted
  • 2x 6.5oz/185g cans of Tuna, drained
  • 2 medium sized Tomatoes, sliced into circles (you'll need two circles per bagel, so 8 in total)
  • 1 Avocado, sliced into strips (you'll need 4 strips per bagel, so 16 in total)
  • 4 tbsp Mayonnaise, or to preference
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Spring/Green Onion, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely diced
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
  • 4 pinches Cheddar Cheese, grated
  • 1 Lemon, juice only (to taste)
  • Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
  • drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions 

  • In a bowl, combine your tuna, mayo, mustard, onion, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (optional) and a squeeze of lemon juice. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly, then place to one side.
  • Assemble by placing a a slice of avocado on the bagel, then a tomato slice and repeat in a circular pattern. 4 slices of each should cover the surface (see video for reference).
  • Season with a sprinkle a little salt & pepper and drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Top with tuna mixture then finish with a sprinkle of cheese.
  • Pop under the grill and broil until golden and bubbly on top. Serve with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley.

Video

Notes

a) Bread - If you don't have bagels you can sub for 4 thick slices of bread (lightly toasted).
b) Can I make these ahead of time? - I don't recommend making the whole thing ahead of time, as the avocado is likely to brown and the bagel will go soggy. But you can make the tuna mix ahead of time, just tightly cover in the fridge until needed.
c) Tomato - This is optional, but does go nicely! Make sure it's slices to a similar thickness of the avocado. Regular salad tomatoes work well, as do Roma tomatoes.
d) Calories - based on using 1cup/100g cheddar. Calories per bagel.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.85g | Protein: 29.13g | Fat: 21.05g | Saturated Fat: 7.104g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.031g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.571g | Trans Fat: 0.335g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 5.7g | Sugar: 4.37g | Vitamin A: 1500IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 230mg | Iron: 3.2mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’


If you loved this Tuna Melt recipe then be sure to pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!

Chris Collins, food blogger at Don't Go Bacon My Heart in white jumper eating a slice of garlic flatbread
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Recipe Rating




18 Comments

  1. Donna Nygaard says:

    5 stars
    Served this some company we had for lunch. We all liked it.

    1. Chris Collins says:

      So great to hear, Donna! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C.

  2. Stephanie says:

    5 stars
    I ended up using pico de gaio that I already had instead of just tomatoes, and adding a little smoked paprika to the tuna salad. It was fantastic and fairly low effort, and I like the easy flexibility between ingredients!

    1. Chris Collins says:

      Love the addition of pico de gaio, will definitely have to give it a go myself! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C. x

  3. Cilla says:

    5 stars
    These were so yummy and very easy to put together. My hubby, who doesn’t like avocado, loved them. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Chris says:

      So glad to hear you loved them, Cilla! 🙂

  4. Albert Bevia says:

    Being from Spain, I am a HUGE fan of canned tuna, we eat a ton of it, such a great idea to mix it with avocado! never thought of that, plus then adding it on top of a bagel….yeah this is a BIG winner

    1. Chris says:

      Thanks, Albert! 🙂

  5. cakespy says:

    Oh my god, these sound so delicious. That crispy-melty cheese! swooooooooooon.

    1. Chris says:

      Alllllll about that crispy-melty cheese 😉

  6. swathi says:

    5 stars
    I love this tuna and avocado sandwich . Gooey cheddar cheese make it more delectable. I like the you spiced up the sandwich . I would like to try it for my breakfast.

    1. Chris says:

      Gooey cheddar makes everything more delectable right!? 🙂

  7. Ellen says:

    What a great flavor combo. A perfect weekend lunch. Looks easy too.

    1. Chris says:

      You’re so right! Perfect weekend lunch!

  8. Patty @ Spoonabilities says:

    5 stars
    I love tuna / avocado together too so much. These open-faced sandwiches look amazing!

    1. Chris says:

      Thanks, Patty! Nice to see another tuna/avocado lover!!! 🙂

  9. Jacqueline Meldrum says:

    Why don’t I make melts? That is my big question after this blog post.

    1. Chris says:

      You totally should!!