Healthy Tuna Salad (Crazy Easy)

This healthy tuna salad recipe is honestly one of those that I will never get tired of. I love serving it in lettuce cups — it feels fresh and light but still filling. It’s easily customizable, too! For example, Tim always likes me to go heavy on the celery for extra crunch, and my favorite part is that it’s not swimming in mayo. It’s clean, simple, and really good — every time.

I’ve always thought everyone needs a solid healthy tuna salad recipe in their back pocket. They’re great as a filling and healthy lunch or snack, especially on the go or for picnics. Move over deli sandwiches, tuna salad is here!

Healthy Tuna Salad Video

Assembling this Quick Tuna Salad

15 minutes is all you need to quickly make this healthy tuna salad recipe. Before you start, make sure to drain the liquid out of the canned tuna as much as possible.

• Break the tuna up: Place the tuna in a medium mixing bowl and break up the bigger chunks with a fork.
• Dice the veggies: Dice the red onions, celery, and pickles (I love using dill pickles) into similar size pieces. Add them to the bowl of tuna.
• Assemble the salad: Stir in the mayonnaise, plain greek yogurt, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Serve!

Easy Tuna Salad Tips

Tuna salad is no hard feat – but if it’s your first time, I’m sure you may have questions. Here’s a few pointers that may be helpful to you!

• Pick your favorite tuna: White tuna (albacore tuna fish) has a firm texture with a mild taste, whereas light tuna has a stronger fishy flavor. Also, water packed tuna tends to have more omega 3 fatty acids and is milder in flavor compared to tuna packed with oil.
• Substitute with other fish (optional): Canned salmon is a great alternative to canned tuna and works seamlessly in this recipe.
• Cut the veggies into small similar sized pieces: Each veggie should be about the same small size in the salad. For a quick, easy way to do this, buy a vegetable chopper!

“Spicing Up” this Healthy Tuna Salad

This tuna salad recipe is the perfect base for you to tweak it to your own taste buds. You can adjust some of the usual ingredients a bit, but here’s some additions you may enjoy, too.

• Fresh herbs: Fresh parsley, fresh dill, green onion, and chives are all great options and add a pop of flavor and earthiness. I personally think herbs are a must in every dish!
• Avocado: If you want some added protein and healthy fats, stir in half of a ripe avocado.
• Chickpeas: Add in a cup of chickpeas for added texture and fiber. If you’re vegetarian, you can swap the beans in for the tuna.
• Eggs: Dice up some hard-boiled eggs for even more protein!

3 Ways to Serve Tuna Salad

​There are many ways to serve this healthy tuna salad, but here are three that are always my go-to’s.

• Low carb lettuce wraps: Tuck the tuna salad in a large leaf of romaine lettuce and wrap it up for a low-carb snack or meal.
• Appetizer: Serve the tuna salad as a dip alongside your favorite crackers or air fryer potato chips.
• Sandwiches: Go the classic route and place a heaping pile of tuna salad in between two slices of bread (my recipe for white country bread complements tuna so well).

Storing Tuna Salad

Tuna salad is best eaten within 2-3 days after assembling. To keep it fresh, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure it is airtight so the tuna smell doesn’t fill up the whole fridge!

More Recipes Using Canned Fish

• Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad – Mix up tuna pasta salad with some pasta
• Salmon Cakes – Great for meal prepping protein!
• Canned Salmon Dip – 15 minutes, slightly creamier than salad
• Cobb Salad with Tuna – Perfect blend of two worlds

Recipe

Healthy Tuna Salad (Crazy Easy)

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Servings

4 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin

This healthy tuna salad recipe is refreshing and packed with easy protein. The greek yogurt and veggies add tang, crunch, and irresistible color to this delicious food.

Ingredients

• 21 oz canned tuna packed in water
• 1/3 cup red onion
• 2 celery ribs
• 2 medium pickles
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tbsp salt adjust to taste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper adjust to taste

US Units – Metric

Instructions

• Drain as much of the water out of the canned tuna as possible. Place the fish in a large bowl and break it apart with a fork.
  
• Dice the onion, celery, and pickles into evenly-sized pieces and add them to the bowl of tuna.
  
• Add in the mayonnaise, yogurt, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
  
• Stir the salad until it is well combined. Serve on its own, on lettuce leaves, or sandwiched in between bread. Enjoy!
  

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Tuna Salad (Crazy Easy)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 261 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 7g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 68mg23%

Sodium 1432mg60%

Potassium 367mg10%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 35g70%

Vitamin A 121IU2%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 57mg6%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.