Tuna salad is the perfect meal when you’re craving something light, fresh, and healthy. Made with simple ingredients like canned tuna, mayonnaise, onion, celery, and fresh herbs, it comes together effortlessly. Enjoy it in a sandwich, wrapped in lettuce leaves, and more!
Why You’ll Love This Tuna Salad
Fast and easy salads have always been a staple in my meal prep routine. And I’m not talking about leafy green salads that wilt quickly. Instead, I’m referring to hearty, durable, and delicious options like chicken salad, shrimp salad, salmon salad, egg salad, and my personal favorite—this tuna salad. Not only does it come together in 15 minutes, but it’s also:
- A high-protein meal. Since tuna is low in fat and calories, it’s pretty much pure protein. One can is about 26 grams of protein!
- Great for meal prep. It will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge, which makes it great for a delicious lunch (especially for kids) or a light and fresh dinner that can be served in many ways.
- Endlessly customizable. While this classic version is delicious as is, you can get creative and make it your own, whether that’s creamier, chunkier, or spiced up. More on that below!
Tuna Salad Ingredients
- Canned Tuna: My favorite canned tuna is Wild Planet wild albacore tuna packed in water. I’ll link it in the recipe card below! For more info on why this is my go-to, check out the next section.
- Mayonnaise: Use your favorite brand or better yet, try making my homemade mayonnaise for the freshest flavor and texture. You can also use Greek yogurt for a lighter option.
- Dijon Mustard: This ingredient might not appear in every tuna salad recipe, but it’s a game-changer. It adds a sharp, tangy contrast to the lighter flavors, making it a must-have in my book!
- Celery and Red Onion: These add a fresh, crunchy texture to every bite.
- Parsley: Fresh herbs like parsley pair beautifully with seafood, especially tuna, adding a burst of freshness.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
Best Tuna To Buy
For tuna salad, I recommend wild albacore packed in water. Albacore has a light, mild flavor that’s less strong or fishy compared to other varieties. Also, water-packed tuna allows the natural flavor to shine while giving you the flexibility to adjust the seasoning.
How To Make Tuna Salad
Prep the tuna and other ingredients. First, drain each tuna can before adding the tuna pieces into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Then, prep all the other ingredients and add them to the bowl—mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, celery, red onion, and parsley.
Mix and serve. Use a fork to mix everything while breaking up any large pieces of tuna for your desired texture. Then, season with salt and pepper and give it another mix.
Tuna Salad Variations
- Tuscan Tuna Salad: This is a delicious no-mayo option that’s layered with bright and fresh Tuscan flavor—from briny olives to sun-dried tomatoes and an abundance of herbs and lemon juice.
- Broccoli Tuna Salad: Give your tuna salad an extra green spin with broccoli rice, diced green onions, and extra herbs.
- Tuna Salad with Pickles: For another briny, tangy flavor, mix in chopped dill or sweet pickles and capers. The sharpness pairs wonderfully with the creamy salad.
- Curry Tuna Salad: Mix in some curry powder, diced apples, raisins, and chopped almonds for a sweet and savory twist. You could also use a bit of Greek yogurt to replace some of the mayo for a creamier consistency.
- Egg Tuna Salad: Add chopped hard-boiled eggs for extra protein and a super filling, satisfying meal.
Ways To Serve
- Tuna Sandwich: Turn it into a classic sandwich with a layer of lettuce and tomato. For a twist, try a tuna melt by preparing a grilled cheese sandwich, then gently pulling apart the bread to layer spoonfuls of tuna salad inside.
- Tuna Wrap: Wrap the salad in tortillas (like my cassava flour tortillas) or use butter lettuce leaves for a light, low-carb option.
- Layer on a salad: I love this tuna salad on a bed of mixed greens or baby spinach for an easy, throw-together lunch. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice for a fresh dressing.
- Stuffed Avocado or Tomato: Scoop the salad into avocado or tomato halves for a fresh and flavorful presentation, like my tuna stuffed avocados!
- Serve as a delicious dip: Pair it with crackers or chips for a quick, crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack.
Storage Tip
Tuna salad is best enjoyed fresh, but it can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Since it contains fish and mayonnaise, avoid leaving it at room temperature for extended periods.
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Classic Potato Salad: A classic side dish everyone loves.
- Broccoli Salad: Another meal prep favorite!
- Greek Salad: The best throw-together salad.
- Lentil Salad: A great protein-packed side dish.
- Or enjoy these other salad recipes and summer salads!
If you make this tuna salad recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 2 (5-ounce) cans tuna
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, chives and/or other herbs
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients. Drain the liquid from the tuna cans. Then, add the tuna, mayonnaise, diced celery and red onions, herbs, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper to a mixing bowl.
- Mix the salad. Stir all of the ingredients together until well combined.
- Enjoy the tuna salad plain out of a bowl, wrapped in lettuce, or in a sandwich. I've got more ideas above!
Lisa’s Tips
- If you’d like a creamier texture you can always add more mayonnaise.
- My favorite tuna is albacore tuna and I always purchase Wild Planet brand.
- Storage tip: Tuna salad is best enjoyed fresh, but it can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Since it contains fish and mayonnaise, avoid leaving it at room temperature for extended periods.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published April 2020, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
Your tuna salad picture on bread looks like it has mint in it
Hi Bill – That’s actually a piece of parsley!
I tried a small amount of plain salt in a small sample of the salad and immediately thought celery salt would be so much better and add brightness, so I added celery salt the rest of the salad and, with that minor change, the tuna salad was perfect! Thanks for this great recipe!
Great idea on using celery salt instead, Leslie! Thanks for sharing that tip.
I learn so much from you!! Just from this one recipe, I learned how how to enrich the flavor using herbs, make my own mayo and a new gluten free bread. I’m amazed at the simple ingredients, and I know what’s in my mayo. Also, I found the perfect blender for me and my small kitchen. This is a true game changer.
Thrilled to hear you’re learning new things from my recipes, Francine! Simple is best when it comes to cooking up light and healthy meals. Enjoy!
This will be my new go-to tuna salad. I didn’t have parsley, so I used fresh dill and added chopped boiled egg,too. Da bomb!
Thanks for sharing!
Love the additions of dill and chopped eggs! Glad you enjoyed this tuna salad, Freda.
Lisa, this turned out to be the best tuna salad I’ve ever eaten! Thanks so much for the Wild Planet Albacore recommendation – I’ve never had (or heard of) it before, but I bought a few cans from Amazon and I’m SO glad I did. This is my new canned tuna, period! The lovely surprise of a squirt of Dijon mustard made a big difference too (never used it with tuna before). I followed your recipe exactly except that I halved it (I made it only for me, and didn’t want more than two sandwiches worth of salad); and I used dried instead of fresh parsley. (I’m not a big wash-dry-chop-up-fresh-herbs person, lol.). I also added half of a Kosher dill pickle (my non-negotiable must-have for tuna salad), diced up. I plan to make this salad once a week. YUM! Marvelous :-)
Wonderful! Happy to hear you’re loving the Wild Planet tuna for this recipe, Michele.
Yeah, great idea on the Kosher dill pickle. Reminds me when my mom added pickled relish.
This tuna salad is a HIT!!! Me and my partner loveeeeeeed it…. the next day it’s the best. And since I love mayonnaise, I added an extra tablespoon ;) the celery is giving the salad its nice crunch. It’s almost as if there’s pickles in it, which aren’t. Highly recommended.
I’m so glad you both are loving this tuna salad, Libro!
Wild planet is also my favorite tuna.
I have traditionally used a recipie like this but added dried cherries.
Try it.
This is my go to dish for lunch for work, it is so good. Thank you Lisa for sharing this recipe.
Of course, Shekinah! Glad this tuna salad has made it into your healthy lunch routine.
Your recipe is a great template for a very satisfying tuna salad. I love playing with flavors, and I came up with a few adjustments that tasted amazing. I swapped out mayo for garlic aioli and parsley for dill weed. I also added a couple of tablespoon of finely diced gherkins and the juice of one lemon. This is a flavor bomb!
I love the swaps for garlic aioli and parsley instead. Sounds delicious, Jerel!
Had this with my homemade whole wheat sesame seed bread. It was delicious and so flavorful! Thank you for a great recipe! I will save this for sure.
So glad you enjoyed this tuna salad recipe, Marlena!
I have been making a tuna salad for myself and others for years I mix can of tuna oil or water, mayonase pickle relish
yellow mustard red onion lemon juice salt pepper and a dash of tapato sauce l usually put it on toast with a lettuce leave
Sounds great, William! Thanks for sharing your variation of this tuna salad.
Fantastic post! I truly appreciated the insights you provided. It’s always fascinating to explore various viewpoints on this topic. Eager to read more of your work!
Glad this post on tuna salad was very insightful!
I love tuna salad, and this was a great recipe for it. I also added some capers to it as well and put it on rye bread. It was delicious.
Hi Janet – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this tuna salad recipe! Sounds great served with rye bread and a bit of capers.
Love this! ❤️
Hi Alexandra – Glad you’re loving this tuna salad!
Hi Lisa. I think your tuna salad is my all time new favorite. Absolutely! Here’s a glowing review for your recipe ~
I tried this tuna salad recipe and it was an instant hit! The combination of red onion, parsley, mayo, and my home grown chives brought such a vibrant, refreshing flavor that really elevated the classic tuna salad. The red onion added a nice crunch and just the right amount of sharpness, while the parsley and chives gave it a fresh, herby twist that made it taste light and bright. The mayo tied everything together into a creamy, satisfying mix. It’s perfect on toast, crackers, or even just by the spoonful. Simple ingredients, big flavor—this is my new go to tuna !
Hi Gino – Thanks so much for this review and I’m thrilled to hear that you’re loving this tuna salad recipe!