Abstract The photoluminescent behavior of Eu-doped Sr3Al2O6 obtained by highly efficient solution combustion synthesis is reported. In order to understand the influence of the fuel on the synthesis, the stoichiometric quantity and an excess of fuel were evaluated. By adjusting the amount of fuel, different luminescence responses were obtained, allowing europium cations incorporation into the Sr3Al2O6 lattice to serve as effective luminescence activators in such a short time during the rapid combustion synthesis process. The higher amount of fuel in the presence of the oxidizing agent produced Sr3Al2O6:Eu particles with higher phosphorescence brightness, owing to the increase of the reduction process from Eu3+ to Eu2+. The synthesized phosphor showed an intense band emission centered at 515 nm and could be excited over a broad spectral range in the UV-visible region. Particles having nanostructured flake-type morphology were obtained, which was considered a micro-nanofunctional candidate for practical applications.