Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (2024)

This recipe is: dairy freeegg freegluten freenut free

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.

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Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (1)

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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.

More tuna recipes: tuna cakes

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (2)

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (6)
Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (7)

How to make tuna salad without mayo

Prep the ingredients. Slice your celery, chop your onion and peppers. Grate your carrots. Open and drain your cans of tuna. Place them all in one big mixing bowl.

Make the dressing. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, herbs and salt in a small bowl or mason jar.

Mix the salad. Pour the dressing into the mixing bowl and mix with a fork until the salad is combined. Adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper.

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FAQs and tips for making the best tuna salad

Can you eat canned tuna raw?

You can definitely eat canned tuna without heating it. Tuna is cooked before it’s canned so it really isn’t possibly to eat raw canned tuna.

Is canned tuna healthy?

Absolutely! Everything is healthy in moderation, but tuna is a lean protein and works in many different recipes, so it’s a great choice for a healthy meal. Since it’s a large fish, it tends to be high in mercury, so you should be cautious not to eat too much, too often.

What can I mix with tuna instead of mayo?

Instead of using mayonnaise in your tuna salad, you can use a simple olive oil based dressing like this one that uses lemon juice and Dijon mustard.

What can you eat tuna with besides bread?

You can serve this tuna salad recipe on a bed of lettuce, in a tortilla wrap, on your favorite bun, or even in a lettuce wrap.

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (9)

What goes with healthy tuna salad?

  • Mojito fruit salad
  • Creamy vegetable soup
  • Shrimp macaroni salad
  • Instant pot baked beans
  • Rose sangria

More easy lunch recipes

  • Peanut chicken wraps
  • Turkey club sandwich
  • Chicken salad with grapes
  • Easy sesame noodles
  • Mediterranean chickpea salad

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Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (10)

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5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

4.8 from 12 reviews

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.

  • Author: Melissa Belanger
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Mixing
  • Cuisine: American
  • 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 (23 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

  1. In a large bowl, flake the tuna with a fork.
  2. Add celery, carrot, onion and bell pepper.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard and parsley. Pour dressing into salad and stir to combine.
  4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 198
  • Sugar: 1.5 g
  • Sodium: 471.4 mg
  • Fat: 10.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 3.7 g
  • Fiber: 1.1 g
  • Protein: 22.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 41.3 mg

Published: January 23, 2014. Updated: November 28, 2023.

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (11)

Melissa Belanger

Melissa Belanger is the founder and food-obsessed visionary behind Simply Whisked, where she creates dairy free recipes with simple ingredients. She lives in Wisconsin with her milk-allergic husband and two kids. Melissa's experience in developing dairy free recipes is unparalleled and she strives to make dairy-free living accessible and enjoyable. In addition to running Simply Whisked, Melissa also manages two other publications: Another co*cktail Blog, a co*cktail recipe website, and The Pasta Twins, a joint venture with her twin sister.

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  1. We like it, view the condition, Bravo. The clientele must have been happy you were aboard for the ride, Thumb up !!!

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

  2. 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!

    Reply

  3. 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.

    Reply

  4. I try this today and i really love t.. I’m on diet and this what exactly i need…

    Reply

  5. 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 ^_^

    Reply

  6. 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.

    Reply

  7. 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. 🙂

    Reply

  8. 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! 🙂

    Reply

    1. 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!

      Reply

      1. Too many ingredients that I don’t have. I guess I’m stuck with Mayo. Only (one) ingredient besides the tuna.

        Reply

  9. 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!

    Reply

    1. That’s awesome to hear! I’m so glad you liked it. It’s one of our favorite easy meals, too!

      Reply

  10. Pingback: Niçoise Tuna Salad - Simply Whisked

  11. 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.

    Reply

    1. That’s genius! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome tip! I love it, and I’m glad you liked the recipe.

      Reply

  12. 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.

    Reply

  13. 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!

    Reply

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  16. 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!

    Reply

  17. My absolute favorite tuna salad recipe I’ve ever had. SO fresh and delicious! A++++ Thank you!!

    Reply

  18. 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.

    Reply

  19. 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.

    Reply

  20. 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.).

    Reply

  21. 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?

    Reply

    1. 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).

      Reply

    2. 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.

      Reply

  22. 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.

    Reply

    1. What extra stuff did you add?

      Reply

  23. 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?

    Reply

    1. I think it would work just fine. There will be a tiny flavor change, but it won’t be a bad one.

      Reply

  24. I am on WW and this is perfect! I have made this recipe several times. It is delicious! Thank you!

    Reply

  25. 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!

    Reply

  26. 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

    Reply

  27. 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

    Reply

  28. Tried this but also added a little garlic powder and A+++.

    Reply

  29. 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 .

    Reply

    1. I’ve used both options. I like a mix of the two the best, but I usually use chunk light.

      Reply

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Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe (No Mayo Tuna Salad) (2024)

FAQs

What can I use instead of mayonnaise for tuna? ›

What can you use instead of mayo in tuna? If you're not a huge fan of mayo but you want to mimic its creaminess, I recommend using Greek yogurt. However, tuna is also delicious with just a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice for a nice change of pace.

What can I mix with canned tuna? ›

Dress up your canned tuna in these healthy recipes.
  • 01 of 05. Tuna Cakes: Add Eggs, Herbs & Breadcrumbs. ...
  • 02 of 05. One-Pot Pasta: Add Pasta, Olives & Lemon. ...
  • 03 of 05. Tuna Melt: Add Greek Yogurt, Veggies, Cheese & Bread. ...
  • 04 of 05. Niçoise Salad: Add Potatoes, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Green Beans & Dressing. ...
  • 05 of 05.
Aug 19, 2022

What is the healthiest way to eat tuna? ›

According to question, Tuna can be cooked in a healthy way by grilling, baking, or broiling it. These methods retain its nutritional value while minimizing added fats. Marinating with herbs, spices, and a little olive oil can enhance flavor without excessive calories.

What does Martha Stewart put in her tuna salad? ›

directions. Combine tuna, celery, apple, mayonnaise, basil, and lemon juice; mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

What is a good substitute for mayonnaise for weight loss? ›

Some healthy mayo alternatives would be using a full fat, plain Greek yogurt, mashed avocado, or just a mix of olive oil and an acidic liquid like red wine vinegar or lemon juice, like in this favorite potato salad recipe. These healthy fats also provide essential nutrients for a balanced diet, so it's a win-win.

How to eat canned tuna healthy? ›

13 Healthy Recipes with Canned Tuna
  1. Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado. As you'll see on this list, my favorite way to make tuna salad sandwiches is open-faced. ...
  2. Canned Tuna Ceviche. ...
  3. Tuna Croquettes. ...
  4. Tuna Pasta Salad. ...
  5. Tuna Egg Salad. ...
  6. Tuna Noodle Casserole. ...
  7. Open-Faced Tuna Melt Sandwich. ...
  8. Tuna Salad Wraps.
Jun 9, 2023

What seasoning is good with tuna? ›

Organic Dill Weed: Adds a fresh, tangy kick, perfect for tuna salads. Organic Garlic Powder: A universal flavor enhancer for a savory touch. Organic Paprika (Sweet or Smoked): For a subtle warmth and color, excellent in rubs. Use smoked paprika for a more grilled flavor.

Why should you not eat canned tuna every day? ›

Certain types of tuna are high in mercury, which can have harmful effects on health in high amounts or in certain populations. For most healthy adults, it's recommended to consume at least 2 servings of fish per week, which can include tuna.

Which is healthier tuna or chicken? ›

If your iron levels are solid but you could use some more zinc, potassium, or phosphorus, then chicken is a better choice. In the end, the choice between tuna and chicken boils down to what you need. Whichever you choose, you're guaranteed lots of lean, low-calorie protein, with vitamins and minerals galore.

Is it healthy to eat tuna salad? ›

Tuna is a healthy food. But when folks make tuna salad, they tend to go overboard on the mayo adding tons of extra calories and fat. One cup of mayo has a whopping 1440 calories, 160 grams fat, and 24 grams saturated fat. It'll also tack on almost 50 percent of your daily recommended amount of sodium.

Why does restaurant tuna salad taste better? ›

The highest-quality tuna is bought fresh from the market or fishmonger, so some restaurants process and cook fresh tuna before incorporating it into the tuna salad. Although time-consuming and expensive, many chefs prefer this approach.

What is similar to mayonnaise but not mayo? ›

Greek Yoghurt

A nice thick Greek yoghurt seasoned with salt and pepper, makes an excellent mayonnaise substitute. Especially if you're looking for something lighter, fresher and egg-free.

Can you substitute mayo for? ›

Here are some good alternatives: Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is a creamy and tangy substitute for mayonnaise. It works well in potato salad and tuna salad. Use it in equal proportions to replace the mayo.

What is a good substitute for mayonnaise oil? ›

Sour cream or Greek yogurt works well instead of mayonnaise, as does butter. It's easy enough to make your own mayonnaise as well, using melted butter, beef tallow or chicken fat instead of vegetable oil if you don't like or have any vegetable oil.

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