Tuna Melt Sliders

Tuna melt sliders are delicious mini sandwiches full of the classic flavors of the traditional version. These sliders make a delicious lunch, dinner or even appetizer that everyone will love!

When I go to a diner, there are two things I order: a crazy big breakfast full of pancakes, eggs, bacon and all the fixings OR a tuna melt.

There’s just something so good about the combo of perfectly prepared tuna salad, melted cheese and fresh sliced tomatoes.

I drool just thinking about it.

Why not take all those things and add them to the yummiest sliders ever?

It makes for a tuna sandwich like none other with sweet Hawaiian rolls and a mouthwatering buttery sauce finishing off the melt combo.

You will definitely want to make this on repeat!

Ingredients

To make these you need a few sets of ingredients. 

For the tuna salad you need:

• Canned tuna– Packed in water or oil, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure you drain the liquid well.
• Celery– Dice it up finely. This adds some freshness and crunch.
• Mayonnaise– Use real, full fat mayo for the best results. Don’t substitute mayonnaise style dressing.
• Dill pickle relish– For a little briny background flavor.
• Spices– Celery salt and a pinch of pepper.

For the sliders themselves you need:

• Tomatoes– Thinly slice them. Feel free to skip them if you don’t like them.
• Cheese– I like sliced Havarti for this but you could use whatever cheese you like. Regular Swiss, cheddar or provolone would all work well.
• Hawaiian rolls– Cut them in half.

For the sauce, you’ll need:

• Butter– Melt it.
• Seasoning– Dried minced onion, dried dill, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.

How to Make

Making these is very easy! Let’s break it down into a few steps:

• Making the Tuna
• Assembling the Sliders
• Making the Sauce

To Make the Tuna Salad

Start by draining the tuna and adding it to a large mixing bowl.

Then use fork to flake it apart.

Then add all of the remaining filling ingredients to the bowl and stir together until evenly combined.

To Assemble The Sliders

Once you’ve made the tuna filling, you can start putting together the sliders.

Begin by carefully removing the top half of the buns by cutting the buns apart with a large bread knife, and set aside.

Then, arrange the bottom buns in a greased 8×8″ baking dish.

Now, spread the tuna mixture evenly out over the bottom buns.

Place the tomato slices followed by the slices of cheese evenly out over top of the tuna.

Carefully place the top half of the buns on, lining up as needed to fit correctly. 

To Make The Sauce

Start by melting the butter in a skillet over medium low heat. 

When the butter has melted, whisk in the remaining sauce ingredients until combined.

Pour the butter sauce evenly out over the assembled sandwiches.

Then cover the sliders with foil, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

After 1-2 hours, preheat the oven to 350° and bake the covered sliders for 25 minutes.

Carefully uncover the sliders, and then bake for another 5 minutes- just until golden brown and crispy on top.

Slice and serve the sliders while still warm. Enjoy!

Storing leftovers

I don’t recommend planning to have leftovers of these.

The sliders will get soggy if you refrigerate them for too long.

Can I make them ahead of time?

I wouldn’t bake them ahead of time.

However, you can prepare the tuna filling a day in advance of serving these sliders.

Just store it tightly covered in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t leave the assembled sliders in the fridge for longer than 2 hours prior to baking. 
• Feel free to omit the tomato slices if you don’t like tomato.
• If you hate celery, you can skip it in the tuna.

Other Slider Recipes You’ll Love

Tuna melt sliders are my favorite way to enjoy the diner and deli classic at home.

Make them for lunch or dinner this week and enjoy!

Looking for other slider recipes?

Try these:

• Hot Ham & Cheese Sliders
• Spicy Barbecue Chicken Fajita Sliders
• Fiesta Tuna Salad Sliders
• Hawaiian Pizza Sliders
• Pulled Pork Sliders
• Cuban Style Sliders

If you’ve tried these TUNA MELT SLIDERS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!