Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad)
This healthy tuna salad recipe is made with no mayo, but it’s still full of flavor. It’s dairy free, paleo friendly and super easy to make. Serve it as a sandwich or in a lettuce wrap for a great heart healthy lunch. Makes about 8 servings.
Why I love healthy tuna salad
Just before Marc and I went to Thailand, we took the train to Almaty. It was a long ride. We needed food, but I wanted to be careful not to bring anything that would spoil.
This no mayo tuna salad was the perfect option – protein to keep us full and an oil-based dressing to bring the flavor. Plus, it stayed pretty cold in a our makeshift cooler (i.e. a tote bag with frozen water bottles in it). We’re so classy when we take the train.
There really isn’t much else to say about this. It’s just healthy tuna salad without mayo, which is very similar to my chicken salad without mayo, and it’s just as delicious.
If you like this recipe, you have to try this chicken salad with grapes, and my mediterranean chickpea salad and these tuna cakes. Or try this classic shrimp macaroni salad, it’s always a hit.
Searching for something to serve with this tuna salad? We love serving it with these recipes: Mojito fruit salad / Creamy vegetable soup / Instant pot baked beans / Rose sangria
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- Canned tuna – You can use your favorite tuna, we used light tuna for this recipe, but both will do just fine. Albacore tends to have a firmer texture and more mild flavor. Light tuna has a softer texture and stronger flavor, and typically available as chunks or flakes. If you prefer a less fishy taste then Albacore will be a good choice.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make tuna salad without mayo
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, herbs and salt. Set aside.
Combine the ingredients. Place the tuna in a large mixing bowl and use a fok to flake apart any large chunks of tuna. Add the celery, carrots, onion, and bell pepper, giving everything a quick stir to combine.
Mix the salad. Pour the dressing into the mixing bowl and mix with a fork until the salad is well combined and dressing is distributed evenly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving.
FAQs and tips for making the best tuna salad
Ingredients
- 4 5- ounce cans tuna drained
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion or chopped onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon 2-3 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, flake the tuna with a fork.
- Add celery, carrot, onion and bell pepper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard and parsley. Pour dressing into salad and stir to combine.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
We like it, view the condition, Bravo. The clientele must have been happy you were aboard for the ride, Thumb up !!!
Sooo yummy! I was looking for a healthy option for tuna salad minus the mayo and this did the trick. I had mine with lettuce wraps for a quick lunch. Will be my go to from now on.
I am totally going to try this and I can’t wait!! I need to spice up my packed lunches a little bit and this seems like the perfectly, easy way to do that!
Made this tonight as a part of a light no-cook supper for our first 80+ degree day. Delicious salad. Even the wife (who won’t touch salad of any kind) raved about it.
I try this today and i really love t.. I’m on diet and this what exactly i need…
Thanks for the no mayo recipe, simple which is what I need as a useless cook, and the mayo is bad for the cholesterol so I’m glad it’s no there! Delicious ^_^
I made this last night and it was a huge hit. I’m a beginner cook and this was so easy to make! I didn’t add the lemon but it was still great.
I made this last night for my lunch today. I’m on day 25 of my first Whole30, and I just did not have it in me to make homemade mayonnaise last night. I also did not feel like cooking. This recipe was pretty easy to follow. I used rainbow carrots instead of the veggies you suggested, but everything else was the same. It was pretty great. 🙂
The pictures look delicious, but the recipe is ‘broken’ – the ingredients list looks like the instructions for another recipe? Would love to have the ingredients, please! 🙂
Looks like it was a very strange glitch! But, the recipe is back to it’s original now. I hope that didn’t cause too much of a problem for you!
Too many ingredients that I don’t have. I guess I’m stuck with Mayo. Only (one) ingredient besides the tuna.
I’ll be honest and say that I was a little skeptical of a no-mayo tuna salad, but I’m really trying to eat healthy, so I thought I’d give it a try. Wow! It is delicious! My husband and I agree this will be our new go-to tuna salad recipe! Thank you for an easy, healthy meal!
That’s awesome to hear! I’m so glad you liked it. It’s one of our favorite easy meals, too!
Perfectly met my goal of no mayo for a reception where the finger food would be on a table. I didn’t have to worry about how long the food was left out! Gobbled up. I rolled up the tuna salad in tortilla shells and cut them into 1 1/2 inch wide roll-ups, secured them with a toothpick, and placed them in standard cupcake papers. Very festive and easy to handle.
That’s genius! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome tip! I love it, and I’m glad you liked the recipe.
I made this this morning for my husband’s lunch, he hasn’t tried it yet but I loved it! I may tweak it in the future, it tasted heavy on the soy a bit. I might also try a bit of lemongrass, we grow it and I love using our garden in the kitchen. It is definitely going on our repeat list.
I added some finely chopped zucchini, used 1 can tuna, 2 green onions instead of regular onion and 1 soup spoon of rinsed capers – this was a perfect lunch served over some shredded power greens – seriously restaurant, spa quality!
Made this for hubby’s & my lunch today… At first he said he “wasn’t sure about how he felt toward it”—he likes things to just be a certain way, n he’s never eaten no-mayo tuna salad….
After a few cautious bites, he went back for seconds! He even said it would be good with a bit of ginger—hadn’t thought of that, but think I’ll try next time.
Definitely making this again!
My absolute favorite tuna salad recipe I’ve ever had. SO fresh and delicious! A++++ Thank you!!
I think the calorie count is off, or the amount of servings. The entire recipe is probably not more the 700 calories, so this looks like the servings should be closer to 3, not 6.
Thinking about making this tuna spread to fill a half slice of provolone cheese, rolled into a cornucopia, as an appetizer for an outdoor party.
I enjoyed the recipe but the nutrition panel does not define a “serving” in terms of mass or volume (grams, ounces, or cups, tablespoons, etc.).
Kind of a funny move. This recipe removes the Mayo, but then adds back 4 of Mayo’s 5 ingredients: Oil, Mustard, Lemon Juice, and Salt. So really the only thing removed was the most nutritious part of the mayo? All the fat, leave out the protein?
Great for folks who can’t have eggs or have to make their own mayo and looking for an alternative (I’m in the latter camp–all the mayo at our local stores contains nightshade or corn derivatives).
The tuna has plenty of protein. Olive oil is a much healthier oil than soybean oil, which is the predominant oil in most commercial mayonnaises.
Absolutely amazing. I’ve done away with mayo for some time and haven’t been eating my egg & tuna salad in which I love so I googled a recipe and this came up. I added a little bit of extra stuff in there but it’s absolutely an amazing recipe.
What extra stuff did you add?
I love this recipe! I’ve made it many times and I was just going to make it again when I realized we don’t have any olive oil. Do you think avocado oil would be ok as a substitute?
I think it would work just fine. There will be a tiny flavor change, but it won’t be a bad one.
I am on WW and this is perfect! I have made this recipe several times. It is delicious! Thank you!
This looks delicious! I plan on making it tomorrow for lunches for the week ahead. How long will the salad last in the fridge? Thank you!
Absolutely brilliant especially as I just received a stent after a blocked artery
As healthy and tasty as it is a quarter of a cup sounds like a lot of olive oil
But it’s on point for a clean fresh taste.And of course vastly healthier than mayo by comparison.
Take a bow and thanks for a delightful meal
Love the no mayo tuna recipe and have made it several times. However, now that my wife and I are on the keto diet we need nutrition information. It is not included on the page we have. Will you kindly provide the nutritional breakdown for us. Thanks, John & Ophelia
Tried this but also added a little garlic powder and A+++.
Hi
Sounds Great!
What type of Tuna do you use?
Solid White in water or Chunk Light in water?
Thank you & look forward to hearing from you .
I’ve used both options. I like a mix of the two the best, but I usually use chunk light.
Super delicious, and I love that it’s dairy free, but can there be more clarity on the nutritional facts? How much of a serving is 198 cals? 1/2 cup? 1 cup?
I would estimate that each serving will be about ¾ cup when it is prepared.
Delicious. The only change I made was to include a little dill. Great recipe. Thanks!