Healthy tuna salad is a light, refreshing meal packed with fresh herbs, crunchy garden celery, and the delightful twist of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
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During the warmer months, we spend much of our time outside enjoying the weather.
That means I need a quick lunch I can throw together that is still nutritious for the family. This traditional tuna salad wedged between two slices of my sourdough sandwich bread is a perfect option.
This classic tuna salad is great for those busy summer days. It takes only minutes to pull together with a few fresh ingredients I can grab right from the garden. It is light, delicious, and the best part is, it doesn’t involve warming up the stove during the heat of the Missouri summer.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fast and easy – If you have ten minutes, you can easily throw this healthy tuna salad together. This recipe is great for meal prepping, too!
Use what you have on hand – This recipe includes simple ingredients that can be easily substituted based on what you have in the fridge or pantry. Don’t have celery? No worries! Just use cucumbers or even red bell pepper. Swap the lemon juice for lime.
Delicious summer flavors – There is nothing better than a quick meal that incorporates all of the fresh herbs and vegetables that are in abundance in our garden and at the farmer’s markets during the warm months. Your taste buds will thank you!
Ingredients
Tuna: I really like using Wild Planet Canned Tuna. It’s wild-caught tuna that is packaged in BPA-free cans.
Onion: Use whatever onion you have on hand – white, yellow, red onion, and even green onions work great!
Mayo: I prefer to use avocado oil mayonnaise. You can easily make this at home following my avocado mayo recipe here.
Fresh Herbs: Fresh cilantro is my favorite herb to add, but you could also add a handful of fresh parsley, fresh basil, or fresh dill. If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, dried herbs will work just fine. I typically follow the one tablespoon of fresh herbs is equal to one teaspoon of dried herbs rule. But it’s up to your personal preference.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Modifications and Variations
This is a basic recipe for mayo tuna salad. However, there are so many ways you can add variety. Here are some of our favorite ways to mix it up:
- Want more crunch? Add in some bell peppers. You could also add in dill pickles.
- For a sweet crunch, dice up fresh apples for an apple tuna salad.
- Kick up the flavor by adding a little Dijon mustard, some kefir ranch, or a few shakes of red pepper flakes.
- Make a Mexican version by adding cilantro, lime juice (instead of lemon), and a dash of cumin. You could also replace the mayo with my Mexican Ranch Dressing.
- Add diced hard boiled eggs for an extra protein boost.
How to Make Healthy Tuna Salad
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add tuna, mayo, chopped veggies, and chopped fresh herbs (optional). Mix.
Step 2: Add salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lemon juice over the top. If you want more lemon flavor, add some zest, too. Mix well.
Tips
- Chop onions and vegetables very small if you plan to serve this salad to children who may not like certain vegetables. This will help to hide them within the dish.
- Be sure to drain your tuna thoroughly to avoid a watery salad.
- There are so many different ways you can enjoy this healthy tuna salad. Serve it as an open-faced sandwich on sourdough bread, stuffed into a sourdough pita, or wrapped in a sourdough tortilla. You could even add in some cooked, chilled sourdough pasta for a healthy tuna pasta salad.
- Turn this into a tuna melt by following my sourdough grilled cheese instructions and just adding the tuna salad.
Recipe FAQ’s
I have also made a version of this recipe using a little bit of olive oil drizzled over the top, rather than adding the mayo. You could even swap out the mayo for plain greek yogurt.
Tuna contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids and is packed with protein. It also contains various vitamins and minerals. The addition of a good quality mayo (another healthy fat), veggies, and fresh herbs add another layer of nutrients.
Tuna is known to have higher mercury levels. So, it is not recommended to eat it every day but in moderation.
It will last three days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Find More Easy Lunch Recipes From the Farmhouse
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Classic Chicken Salad
- Easy Sourdough Ham and Cheese Rolls
- Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich
- Easy Zucchini Frittata
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Healthy Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 Onion, finely diced
- 2 stalks Celery, diced
- 4 Cans Tuna, I like Wild Planet
- 1.5 Cups Mayo
- Handful fresh herbs, optional
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice onions and celery.
- In a large bowl, add tuna, mayo, and chopped veggies.
- Chop herbs and add to the bowl. This step is totally optional, but fresh herbs add so much brightness and flavor to the salad. My favorite is cilantro.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lemon juice over the top. Mix well.
Notes
- Chop onions and vegetables very small if you plan to serve this salad to children who may not like certain vegetables. This will help to hide them within the dish.
- Be sure to drain your tuna thoroughly to avoid a watery salad.
- There are so many different ways you can enjoy this healthy tuna salad. Serve it as an open-faced sandwich on sourdough bread, stuffed into a sourdough pita, or wrapped in a sourdough tortilla. You could even add in some cooked, chilled sourdough pasta for a healthy tuna pasta salad.
- Turn this into a tuna melt by following my sourdough grilled cheese instructions and just adding the tuna salad.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My mother made ‘tuna gravy’ for us often. It was a cheap meal. It was simple but tasty too. Just make a white gravy and add tuna to it. Serve it over saltine crackers. (this is how we ate it) This was a very budget friendly meal for our family.
My husband introduced me to tuna gravy! His mom served it over torn toast, it’s yummy! The other day I served it over Einkorn pasta and added some veggies for a homemade Tuna Helper. It was good, but I might add some sourcream next time.