This tuna salad recipe is easy to make with canned tuna and just a handful of other ingredients. It’s perfect for a quick, satisfying lunch!
Looking for more tuna recipes? Try my Mediterranean Tuna Salad, Tuna Melt and Tuna Casserole recipes next!
Whenever I’m not sure what to make for lunch, I turn to this tuna salad recipe. In fact, I always keep my pantry stocked with canned tuna just so I can make this tuna salad! It’s a protein-packed lunch that can be served in a variety of ways. I love it in a sandwich, but I also enjoy it served in avocado halves or with crackers.
I make my tuna salad with protein-rich Greek yogurt instead of mayo. It’s a simple swap that I think makes the best tuna salad. I also add in chopped celery for crunch and sweet pickle relish for a touch of tangy flavor. Of course, there are lots of delicious possibilities when it comes to making tuna salad. Below I’ve listed some of my favorite ideas for tuna salad add-ins.
Tuna Salad Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need just a few ingredients to make this tuna salad recipe.
- Tuna: You’ll get about two servings of tuna salad per 5 ounce can of tuna. Below you’ll find my tips on which kind of tuna is the best for tuna salad.
- Plain Greek Yogurt or Mayonnaise, depending on your preference. Greek yogurt is thick and full of protein and a great substitute for mayo. If you’re new to using Greek yogurt, I promise it won’t make your tuna taste like yogurt. The yogurt or mayo helps to bind the tuna together.
- Relish: Adds a wonderful sweet and tangy flavor. I prefer sweet pickle relish over dill relish in this tuna recipe.
- Red Onion: I love the pop of flavor that red onion brings to tuna salad. The key is to chop the onion finely and to not use too much – a little onion goes a long way.
- Celery: Celery adds a delicious crunch. If you don’t have celery in your fridge, chopped cucumber, carrot or bell pepper are great crunchy substitutes.
- Salt and Pepper: Salt and pepper are important for flavor. Add the salt and pepper to your tuna salad last and adjust the amount to taste.
How to Make the Best Tuna Salad
Start by opening your cans of tuna and draining off the liquid. The easiest way to do this is to use a can opener to cut the lid almost all the way open. Leave the lid attached to the tuna can just a little bit, hold the can of tuna over your sink, turn it upside down, and press down on the lid to squeeze out the liquid. Then use a fork to carefully pull the lid open and scoop the tuna from the can into a bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients to your bowl and use a fork to mix everything together. Add more Greek yogurt or mayo, as needed, if you want your tuna creamier. Taste the tuna salad and add extra salt and pepper as desired.
Serve the tuna salad right away or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s perfect for meal prep!
What Kind of Tuna to Use
The best kind of tuna for tuna salad is tuna packed in water, not oil. You don’t want extra oil in your tuna salad. Also look for tuna with no salt added, so that you can control the amount of salt.
Look for cans of wild tuna that are labeled, “pole and line caught” to be sure that other species weren’t harmed when the tuna was caught. My favorite tuna is skipjack wild tuna in water. Skipjack is a light tuna, and it has less mercury than solid white albacore tuna.
Tips for the Best Tuna Sandwich
- Toast your sandwich bread to help it hold up to the tuna and to keep it from getting soggy. I like to use a hearty whole grain bread. If you want to indulge, you can’t beat tuna salad served on a croissant.
- Add flavor and texture by adding lettuce, tomato, avocado and/or cheese to your sandwich.
- Tuna sandwiches are best when you serve them right after making them. To make ahead, prepare the tuna salad, refrigerate, and wait to assemble your sandwich right before serving.
- For a low carb meal, serve tuna stuffed into hollowed out tomatoes or in avocado halves.
More Tuna Salad Ideas
- Egg: Growing up, my mom would often make us tuna salad with egg. You can do this by mixing some chopped hard boiled egg into your tuna salad. It’s like a tuna salad and egg salad in one, and it is delicious! Plus you get even more satiating protein when you add hard boiled eggs to your tuna salad.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is a classic tuna salad ingredient. It brightens up the flavors.
- Mustard: Mix in some Dijon mustard or yellow mustard for added flavor.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs are a great way to change up the flavor of tuna salad. Try parsley, dill or chives.
- Avocado: Mashed avocado can act as a binder and replace the mayo or Greek yogurt in tuna salad. Use avocado instead of mayo or Greek yogurt to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Vegetables: Try adding finely chopped crunchy veggies such as carrots, bell pepper or cucumber for extra crunch and to add more nutrition to your salad.
- Apple: Chopped apple adds a surprisingly delicious sweet twist to this tuna recipe.
- Chickpeas: Either mashed or coarsely chopped, chickpeas can help to stretch your tuna fish so you can use less tuna and get more tuna salad. Chickpeas are a great source of vegetarian protein.
- Capers: Capers add a salty, briny flavor.
- Tuna Melt: Use your tuna salad to make a Tuna Melt, which is basically a grilled cheese sandwich with tuna.
More Easy Lunch Ideas
Best Tuna Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cans (5 ounces each) tuna in water, drained
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, or mayonnaise, plus more as desired
- 2 tablespoons relish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped celery
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place drained tuna in a medium bowl.
- Add the plain Greek yogurt (or mayonnaise), relish, red onion, celery, and a little salt and pepper.
- Stir with a fork until everything is well combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve tuna salad on bread, rolls, croissants or crackers. For low carb, serve tuna salad in lettuce wraps, over salad greens, in hollowed out tomatoes, or in avocado halves.
Notes
- Tuna salad may be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can also use mashed avocado in place of the plain Greek yogurt or mayo for dairy-free tuna salad.
Mmm I love tuna salad! This looks delish!
Thank you, Becca!
Can we make this with fresh tuna
and not the canned one
This recipe works best with canned tuna.
Sounds really good! Never think of using yogurt instead of mayo and add relish. Will definitely give that a try ! Thank you!
You will love it! Greek yogurt is one of my favorite healthier substitutes.
The only sugesstion I might might is find a way to NOT drain the water from the can. Maybe a little dry oatmeal in the bowl first. That water contains many good things!
Hey Kristine,
I made your easy sheet-pan baked chicken for dinner and it was delicious. I plan to try this one tomorrow with the onions and yogurt, as I’ve never tried this. I noticed you say to use butter on the tuna-melt, but I discovered Ghee not too long ago and have been using it. Supposedly, it’s a bit better for you, and it tastes great.
Thanks for the easy recipes, I’m actually starting to look like I can cook, now. 😛
I’m happy to hear that you are finding new recipes that you enjoy! Ghee would work great, here. Happy Cooking!
On the ingredients you said ” 2 5 ounces of tuna , does that mean 2-5 orrrrrr?
Thank you for pointing that out. You’re right, it was confusing and I’ve updated the recipe to be more clear. You use 2 cans of tuna, and each can is 5 ounces.
Tasty and simple. Thank you
It works very well
I’m trying to reduce my cholesterol so I was looking for substitutions for mayo in my tuna salad. I’d used Greek yogurt previously as a binder for my tuna salad, but it tasted a little too tart for me. I came across your recipe suggesting using avocado as a binder and it was perfect! I love avocado so this ideal for me. I also added celery, green onions, sliced black olives, sweet relish and cooked egg whites to the tuna salad. I put in between two slices of double wheat fiber bread with lettuce, tomatoes, clover sprouts, jalapeno slices and dill pickle planks. I served it with Funyuns, but I also eat French Onion Sunchips to be a little healthier.
Iv’e been doing it all wrong! I can’t wait to try your Tuna, Chicken and Egg salad recipes! Also the deviled eggs! Thank You Kristen!
I tried it and it’s good
I just tried your tuna salad recip. It’s simple and taste really yummy. Thanks for specific ingredients!
Very tasty and easy to make.
I haven’t tried tuna salad with yogurt yet, but will. I usually chop a pickle rather than pickle relish. That way I know exactly what’s going into the recipe.
I’ve looked at a variety of recipes that call for relish. But some call for dill relish and yet a lot call for sweet relish. What do you recommend for your recipe? It’s a lot simpler than some off them (Right up my alley.)
THANKS!
You can use whatever kind you prefer. I always use sweet relish when I make tuna salad. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I have made this before but not this recipe. I sometimes used too much of one thing or another and it would overpower the combination. I like simple yet tasty options and I appreciate the ingredient amounts.
I saw in someone’s comments that they tried your deviled egg recipe. One thing I use that gives mine a bit of a kick is, I substitute part of the Mayo with horseradish sauce. Nothing fancy or made from scratch. I like how it adds a twist to them
Hi, loved your tuna salad. I need help cooking pork chops. They always come out tough no matter baked or in the skillet. Thanks from Porky!
Hi Nancy, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I’d recommend trying my Baked Pork Chops or Smothered Pork Chops recipes. Both posts include tips on how to cook pork chops without drying them out.
Can you add Siracha or chilly powder to make it spicy ?
Sure, I think sriracha would be best.
Made this but I prefer chopped dill chips (hamburger kind). I also added 3 cans of tuna because I thought it was too much mayo for two cans. Otherwise good tuna salad recipe! Thanks!
How much lemon juice would you recommend?
Just a small amount. I’d start with 1 teaspoon and then adjust, to taste.
Love this easy tasty tuna salad.