A classic tuna salad recipe is an easy lunch and can be made ahead of time for meals throughout the week.

This recipe combines flaky canned tuna with celery, onions, pickles, and mayonnaise for a refreshing and satisfying lunch!

plated Classic Tuna Salad sandwich

Tuna Salad Is a Favorite Because…

  • It’s quick and easy to prepare.
  • Tuna salad is versatile, add in any of your favorite ingredients.
  • A good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
  • It’s great to make ahead and serve for lunches or with crackers as a snack.
Tuna Salad ingredients in a bowl

Ingredients for Tuna Salad

I love an easy lunch sandwich, from chicken salad to ham and cheese, and this tuna salad recipe is no exception.

  • Tuna: I prefer water-packed tuna over oil-packed tuna as it’s lighter, but you can use any variety.  Solid tuna has larger pieces, while chunk tuna has smaller pieces.
  • Dressing: The dressing for this tuna salad recipe is really simple and uses mayonnaise as the base. Lemon juice and a bit of Dijon mustard are added for some tang.
  • Add-Ins: Diced celery, chopped pickles, and sliced green onion add flavor and crunch.

Variations

Vary this salad by adding different flavors and textures. Here are some favorites:

  • Add fresh herbs (like flat-leaf parsley or dill).
  • For extra crunch, try diced red bell pepper or red onion.
  • Elevate this salad with capers, chopped olives, or chives.
  • To stretch the salad further, add chopped hard-boiled egg.
Tuna Salad mixed in a bowl with bread next to it

How to Make Tuna Salad

Tuna salad is so easy and requires very little prep.

  1. Drain the tuna well (recipe below).
  2. In a medium bowl, combine drained tuna, mayo, dill pickles, celery, green onion, Dijon, and lemon juice.
  3. Gently stir them together. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serving Suggestions

  • I like to serve tuna salad sandwiches with lettuce leaves and tomato on whole wheat bread or rye.
  • This tuna salad recipe is also great tucked into large tortillas as a wrap.
  • We love to serve it with potato chips on the side (and I usually sneak a few into my sandwich too)!

Lighten It Up a Little

If you’d like to reduce the calories, replace some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. It will have a slightly more tangy flavor but still be delicious!

Storage

If it doesn’t get eaten up first because it IS that good, tuna fish salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

More Tuna Favorites

Did you love this Tuna Salad recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
plated Classic Tuna Salad
4.95 from 136 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Easy Tuna Salad

This easy tuna salad is refreshing and satisfying, made with tender chunks of tuna, crisp celery, tangy pickles, and creamy mayonnaise.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
buy hollys book

Ingredients  

  • 10 ounces canned tuna 2 cans, well-drained
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons chopped dill pickles or sweet pickles, or 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
  • 1 rib celery finely diced
  • 1 green onion thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or prepared mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Drain the tuna well.
  • In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, dill pickles, celery, green onion, Dijon, and lemon juice. And mix to combine.
  • Add the tuna and gently break it up with a fork. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Use to top a salad, in sandwiches, or to add to pasta salads.

Notes

Tuna salad can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 
Serve tuna salad as a sandwich, over lettuce, or as a wrap in a tortilla.
4.95 from 136 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 369 | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 738mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Fish, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine American
Classic Tuna Salad with a title
healthy Classic Tuna Salad sandwich with writing
ingredients to make Classic Tuna Salad in a bowl and plated Classic Tuna Salad sandwich with a title
plated Classic Tuna Salad sandwich with a title

Categories:

, , , , ,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

4.95 from 136 votes (104 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. I didn’t have celery or onions, but did the chips on my sandwich for crunch factor. I also added dashes of garlic and onion powders. Delicious meal on no oven days!5 stars

  2. That certainly looks very delicious. Having a friends brother funeral repast, and I would like to make some along with a fruit salad and honey bun cake.

  3. Very tasty but I had to tweak it a bit. I followed the recipe to the letter and it made mayo soup. so I added two chopped boiled eggs and about a cup of Italian bread crumbs to soak up the mayo and it’s delicious.

  4. Holly
    The BEST Tuna Salad recipe you published a couple of years ago—
    is the BEST. We have a local organic grocery store that makes tuna salad from
    wild caught, fresh tuna. My son who is quite a chef, says your recipe is the best tuna salad he has ever tasted in his life. Me too.
    Thank you for all your recipes. I use them at least 5+ times a week.
    I am grateful.

  5. Hadn’t thought of celery, will have to give that a try.
    I don’t care for pickles in it, but my wife does, so I make my sandwich first, then add pickles to hers last. We’re both happy that way.
    I always add chopped white mushrooms to it.
    I used to include grape tomatoes, radishes and green onions, but have not done that lately.
    Else, that is exactly how I make a tuna sandwich.
    I will also stress that the quality of the tuna makes a big difference. Forget the inexpensive stuff you find in the store, that has the consistency of cat food. Bleh!!!! Costco’s Richland brand albacore is great, so is Polar brand.
    John5 stars

  6. It’s nice to find someone who else likes tuna salad. I like to add a little green pepper to my salad.
    My Grandma used to make a variation of tuna salad. She called it Bumpsteds. It may sound a little odd but it’s delicious, my kids are grown and they still make it for themselves.
    1/4 Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 3 Hardboiled Eggs, 1- 6oz. can tuna flaked,
    2 T. each Green Pepper, Onion, Green Olives, and or black olives, Sweet Pickles, or Dill Pickles if you prefer. 1/2 C. Mayo. Mix together spread on Hamburger buns, wrap in foil. BAKE 1/2 hour at 250. I hope someone will try this. Here’s a shout out for all you tuna lovers!!!5 stars

  7. Can’t wait to try this tasty recipe. I have never drained canned tuna. It didn’t seem to have much to drain. But I definitely will now.5 stars

  8. This will be my go to tuna salad recipe! Honestly, I have never made a tuna salad successfully. Had just about given up! Thank you so much. I am not a huge Albacore tuna fan but this combination really works! However, I will also try with light tuna.5 stars

  9. This is a wonderful version of tuna salad. Never thought of adding pickle to this but it works wonderfully. Instead of swapping out some of the mayonnaise with yogurt, I swap out half with homemade tzatziki for some added punch. I always have tzatziki on hand as a sauce for fish and kebabs. Always appreciate your guidance on recipes, even when I appear to change them up quite a bit!5 stars

  10. This sounds delicious! I’m in the UK and was wondering if gherkins are almost the same as dill pickles? We don’t have dill pickles here! Also can we use spring onions instead of green onions? Also something we don’t really get here. Myself and many other brits would love it if most of the recipes on Pinterest weren’t solely aimed at Americans or gave us alternative ingredients that we can source here.
    Many thanks.

    1. Gherkins are much sweeter, but with a similar texture to dill pickles. They would be a good alternative. Spring onions will work perfectly. Enjoy the recipe Sarah!

      1. I always use gherkins in my tuna salad with a little bit of the pickle juice as well. Also the celery and green onions and I only use the white albacore tuna, drained really well. Everyone raves about my tuna salad sandwiches.

  11. I make mine about the same as this regular recipe. I use some 0% Fage’ yogurt and cut down on calories by using a light mayo. I only us one TBS of mayo to three TBS of yogurt and keep the basic ingredients the same. It give the tuna more of tang to the taste.4 stars

  12. curious why you mentioned Mayonnaise as a problem ingredient when leaving the tuna salad out. Mayonnaise by nature is acidic and actually helps prevent the growth of bacteria in the tuna salad. It is a misconception that mayo is to blame if left out in a room temperature. You perpetuate the myth when you accuse mayo of being a problem. I quote: Commercially produced mayonnaise, does not need to be refrigerated, according to the report. Food scientists find it’s because mayo undergoes strict testing and “its acidic nature slows the growth of the bacteria associated with food-borne illnesses,” according to NPD Group.

    1. Greg, could you then explain why bottles of mayo or salad dressing, such as Kraft Miracle Whip, are ALWAYS imprinted with the word “Refrigerate After Opening”⁉️

  13. I like to put the drained tuna in my small food processor. It does a great job of making the tuna easy to mix with the other ingredients plus giving it a light and airy texture. I also use sweet pickles in my tuna salad instead of dill, but this is just a matter of taste. I add diced green onion or diced red onion and chopped boiled egg (I also chop this in my small food processor).4 stars

  14. Holy, I never really enjoyed tuna and chicken sandwiches until I came across your recipes, and I love them now, thank you for opening my eyes to good flavors and delicious sandwiches.

    1. Sorry to hear that Joy, this recipe is a popular one among readers! Did you add the full ¾ cups of mayonnaise? That should prevent it from being dry.