by Holly
A classic tuna salad recipe is one of my go-to easy lunches during the warmer summer months. Flaky tuna is mixed with crisp celery, onions, dill pickles, and a creamy mayo dressing. Perfect for tuna salad sandwiches or creamy tuna melts with some coleslaw on the side!
With just a few basic ingredients probably already in the fridge and pantry, you can whip up a salad or sandwiches or even scoop it into half an avocado for a fancy (and low carb) dish!
How to Make Tuna Salad
Tuna is a great protein that requires very little prep making it the perfect addition to tuna casseroles, tuna macaroni salads or even just to top a bed of lettuce! Because it’s so easy to make, tuna fish is a great lunch recipe!
- TUNA: Drain a can of flaked tuna in water. Albacore tuna has the freshest flavor, any brand will do as long as it’s packed in water. Put the tuna into a bowl and use a fork to separate the pieces.
- ADD INS: Add diced celery, chopped dill pickles, the sliced green onion and mix well. These all add great flavor and crunch, you can add in your own favorite including sweet dill pickles or diced cucumber!
- DRESSING: Gently fold in the mayonnaise, the Dijon and lemon juice. If you’d like to cut some of the calories, replace some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and keep and serve cold! If you’ve got fresh herbs on hand, add them in! Don’t be afraid to add a dash of your favorite spice mix.
I like to serve tuna salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread or a darker loaf like rye. It’s also delicious on croissants like shrimp salad!
How Long Does Tuna Salad Last?
If it doesn’t get eaten up first because it really IS that good, tuna fish salad will keep in the fridge for a few days. Because it has fish and mayonnaise in it, be careful to not leave it out on the counter for too long.
Make that tuna fish sandwich and put the tuna salad back in the fridge in an airtight container to keep it as fresh as possible! The best tuna salad is fresh and safe to eat!
Can You Freeze Tuna Salad?
Tuna salad, tuna pasta salad, even tuna macaroni salad can be frozen, but may need to be drained after it is thawed out. Pasta freezes well, but you made need to correct it with freshly cooked pasta or extra chopped celery and onions to restore the crunch from the celery and pickles.
More Easy Salads
- Sweet Potato Salad – the perfect side dish
- Creamy Carrot Salad – so fresh
- Caprese Salad – one of my favorites!
- The Best Potato Salad Recipe (Easy) – a classic!
- Ham Salad – super flavorful
Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz white flaked tuna in water drained
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- 2 dill pickles finely chopped
- 1 green onion sliced
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
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Instructions
Drain the tuna well.
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Use to top a salad, in sandwiches or to add to pasta salads.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Great basic recipe. I’ve never added mustard! I had it rolled up in romaine leaves.
What a delicious way to enjoy this tuna salad Jana!
What type of bread do you buy.
I buy whatever looks the tastiest at the time Joe! Feel free to use your favorite variety!
Perfect, as usual, another recipe worthy of 10 stars. I however use tuna in oil, and info for viewers, if you use tuna packed in oil, drain it really well, like in a strainer and reduce the mayo to 1/2 cup.
I used Japanese Kewpie mayo and was out of pickles so I chopped some capers, perfect and did not distract from the intent of the recipe. I made sandwiches on plain bread, with a layer of lettuce.
Thank you for a great recipe, Holly :)
Those sound like delicious variations Lee! Thanks for sharing!
i live alone and would like to take this for lunch, but how long will it still be good in refrig?
3 days is a safe bet for Tuna Connie. I hope you enjoy the tuna salad when you try it!
Chopped apple is also an excellent addition to tuna salad…not to big or small. I usually chop the apple and gently toss it with a little lemon juice to keep it from turning brown. I also use sweet relish a just a tiny bit of grated onion… sometimes with and sometime without the dijon mustard.
Apple sounds like a tasty addition to tuna salad Cheryl! I will have to try it!
Tuna salad is a go to for my lunches! I can’t wait to try out this recipe!
I hope you love it Mikayla!
Yum! Tuna salad is always a favourite for us, especially for picnics and boating, and I love your addition of pickles.
So glad you loved the pickles Colleen! We did too! Next time you’re taking tuna salad on a picnic and boating can we come too!!
I haven’t had a good tuna salad in so long that I actually forgot there were pickles in a classic version. Definitely making this next week for lunches!
Mmmm! Your lunches are going to be dill-icious Lauren!!
I’ve made a lot of varieties of chicken salad but I always stick with a classic tuna salad recipe. Now I’m craving tuna salad!
You can never wrong with a classic Jill! We don’t blame you for craving it!
I haven’t made tuna salad in a while. Your recipe is simple and it sounds delicious. Adding it to our menu. :)
We are glad to be able to bring you and tuna salad back together! Enjoy Lizet!
A slice of Swiss Cheese and iceberg lettuce completes a great sandwich on crusty rye bread for us.
I do love the crunch of iceberg!!
We’ve always loved a good Tuna Salad – be it in a sandwich or in lettuce cups. Once again, WHY the mustard? Don’t get me wrong, I love mustard, but seafood and mustard are not compatible. Mustard definitely has it’s place, since it’s a very tasty condiment, but NOT in any type of dish which contains seafood. Is the use of mustard in (almost) all cold salad recipes a southern tradition? (I ask this with the utmost respect).
You can certainly leave it out if you’d prefer. I’m sharing the recipe the way I make it! Enjoy! :)
I’ve always added mustard to my tuna salad, as well, but I usually use yellow mustard. It adds a bit of tang, and it makes it a bit less sweet. Also, mustard contains tumeric, which is a great antioxidant, so even healthier. It still tastes great without it, so make it how you like it. Definitely do not omit the pickles and celery though. They give it the crunch needed.