Healthy Tuna Salad

August 30, 2022
5 from 6 votes
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Healthy Tuna Salad made with greek yogurt for added protein, veggies and fresh parsley and dill! You would never know this Tuna Salad is healthy! Serve it on bread for tuna salad sandwiches, with melted cheese and tomato for tuna melts or on top of your favorite salad!

Looking for other easy lunch recipes? Try my Cucumber Tea Sandwiches or my Curry Chicken Salad!

Tuna salad is one of those recipes that I always make in a pinch. It’s super easy to make and is the perfect addition to salads or makes a quick tuna salad sandwich. I almost always have a can of tuna around and throw in whatever herbs and veggies I have on hand.

I wanted to make this tuna salad recipe a little lighter so I substituted almost all of the mayonnaise for greek yogurt for added protein. To break it down for you 1 cup of mayonnaise contains 1,495 calories and 165 grahams of fat! 1 cup of full fat greek yogurt contains only 220 calories and 14 grams of fat. I’d say that’s a huge difference!

Fresh herbs and veggies are also added for some crunch! You would never know this tuna salad recipe is healthy! It tastes just like the normal version we all love.

These healthy tuna salad makes a great back to school lunch too! With kids going back to school, I know that many of you have to start getting creative with boxed lunches. I remember eating it growing up and loving it.

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Ingredients for Healthy Tuna Salad

Canned Tuna: You can use your favorite brand of canned tuna. I use the tuna that is in water instead of tuna packed in oil to reduce the calories.
Mustard: You can use yellow, dijon or whole grain mustard depending on your preference.
Mayo: I still add mayo to my healthy tuna salad recipe for the texture, but I add significantly less than the traditional recipes call for.
Greek Yogurt: Use greek yogurt to replace the rest of the mayo for a creamy and tangy tuna salad. I wouldn’t recommend using regular non fat yogurt in this recipe. It won’t be as thick as greek yogurt and could be a little watery.
Pickles: I mince my pickles myself but you can use relish if you have it on hand. I like to stick to dill pickles or dill relish, but if you really like sweet relish you can use that instead!
Celery: Dice your celery for a perfect crunch and added fiber.
Red Onion: Red onion adds flavor to the salad and an additional crunchy texture.
Lemon: Lemon juice will balance the flavors and add a nice tang. You can use fresh lemon juice or bottled lemon juice.
Fresh Parsley and Dill: Fresh herbs like parsley and dill add flavor and are also filled with nutrients. If you only have dried, substitute 1 tsp dried herbs for 1 tbsp fresh herbs.
Salt and Pepper to Taste

How to Make Healthy Tuna Salad

Add ingredients to a bowl: Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl.
Combine: Stir to combine everything and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve & Enjoy: Serve immediately on top of some toasted bread, on a bed of lettuce, as a tuna melt or even on top of some avocados. Enjoy!

Open faced tuna salad sandwich.

Tips for Success

Make sure to drain your tuna before you mix it with the other ingredients to get the right texture of salad.
Look for good quality white tuna packed in oil! Eat This breaks down the best canned tunas to buy and why!
Break up some of the bigger clumps of tuna with a fork before mixing. Pro tip: For instant shredded tuna use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You will have perfectly shredded tuna without clumps in seconds.
Add in some drained and rinsed chickpeas for added protein. You can also substitute all of the tuna for chickpeas if you are vegetarian.
To store your tuna salad, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 2-3 days. Since it has seafood and mayonnaise in it, don’t leave it out on the counter for too long.
Make your recipe extra crunchy by adding diced cucumbers or cabbage.

Is canned tuna healthy?

Canned tuna is actually very healthy. It is packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. It is also low in saturated fat and it is lower in calories and fat than chicken or beef! That being said, tuna and other fish like it have been known to contain mercury. You want to eat canned tuna in moderation due to this.

How long is tuna salad good for?

This Healthy Tuna Salad is good kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days! It’s great for meal prepping easy lunches throughout the week. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled!

How to Serve Healthy Tuna Salad

There are so many different ways you can serve tuna salad. You can go for a classic tuna salad sandwich and put it on your favorite toasted bread. You can also put it into a wrap with your favorite tortillas. This could be a great protein packed breakfast on top of a bagel. Or add some cooked pasta for a healthy tuna pasta salad!

For a lower carb lunch, put the tuna salad on top of two avocado halves or hollow out some juicy tomatoes or cucumbers and fill them with the tuna salad! The possibilities are endless.

To make your tuna salad lunch a larger meal, try eating it with Parmesan Potato Wedges or a Cucumber Avocado Salad.

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