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I never get tired of an excellent Tuna Salad Recipe, and of the hundreds of versions Iโve made, this version is the best. Serve on toast, crackers, a bed of greens, or grilled as a very delicious tuna melt.
No matter how you mix it, making tuna salad at home is one of the easiest, most satisfying meals you can whip up from pantry ingredients.
Start with my recipe and enjoy it just as it is, or throw in your own favorite must-haves. Itโs ready in minutes and always handy to have when hunger strikes.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Tuna: I prefer tuna packed in water with a dolphin-safe label. I usually buy cans, but you can use packets instead. Or, substitute oil-packed tuna (feel free to decrease the amount of mayonnaise if you do).
- Mayonnaise: This recipe is heavy on the mayonnaise. Start with ยผ cup if you prefer and add more to taste.
- Sweet pickle relish: Or substitute dill relish or minced dill pickles if you prefer that flavor.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium bowl, add tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, relish, lemon juice, and garlic.
- Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ยฝ teaspoons salt and ยผ teaspoon pepper). Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 3 cups of tuna salad, enough for 6 sandwiches (ยฝ cup per sandwich).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- More mix-ins: Add a small amount of cut apples (Granny Smith would be perfect), a handful of thawed peas, or a couple of chopped hard-boiled eggs to your tuna salad.
- Tuna Melt: Add melty cheese, juicy tomatoes, and golden brown, buttery grilled bread for the perfect tuna melt.
- Lettuce wraps: Tuna salad is delicious wrapped in lettuce leaves or piled on a bed of lettuce.
- Tuna pasta salad: Make a tasty tuna pasta salad by adding cooked macaroni, rotini, or your other favorite small pasta.
- Stuffed tomatoes: Hollow out juicy tomatoes and fill with tuna salad for an old-fashioned and super-delicious lunch entrรฉe.
- Ahi Tuna Salad: Is the Ahi tuna looking fabulous at the fish market, or have you got an extra bit of ahi tunaย from last nightโs dinner? Splurge and make tuna salad with it. Cook it through, then flake it up in this recipe.
- More deli salads: If you love this Tuna Salad, you might also love my Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, Ham Salad, classic Potato Salad, and my favorite Macaroni Salad.
Recipe FAQs
Instead of mayonnaise, you can make tuna salad dressing with plain yogurt or whipped silken tofu. You can also add lemon vinaigrette (ยผ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, ยผ teaspoon Dijon mustard, fresh herbs like dill, parsley, or chives and salt and pepper to taste).
Yes, oil-packed tuna tastes great in tuna salad (feel free to decrease the amount of mayonnaise if you do).
If you prefer water-packed tuna but only have access to oil-packed, you can remove the oil yourself. Add the tuna to a fine-mesh sieve, rinse vigorously with cold water, and press with a spatula to extract all of the liquid out of the fish.
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The Best Tuna Salad
Ingredientsย
- 4 (5-ounce) cans tuna packed in water drained (see note 1)
- 1 cup mayonnaise or less to taste (see note 2)
- 1/3 cup celery finely chopped (about 1 rib)
- 2 tablespoons red onion minced, about 2 small slices
- 2 tablespoon sweet pickle relish (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructionsย
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, relish, lemon juice, and garlic.ย
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ยฝ teaspoons salt and ยผ teaspoon pepper). Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Tuna: I prefer tuna packed in water with a dolphin-safe label. I usually buy cans, but you can use packets instead. Or, substitute oil-packed tuna (feel free to decrease the amount of mayonnaise if you do).
- Mayonnaise: This recipe is heavy on the mayonnaise. Start with ยผ cup if you prefer and add more to taste.
- Sweet pickle relish: Or substitute dill relish or minced dill pickles if you prefer that flavor.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 3 cups of tuna salad, enough for 6 sandwiches (ยฝ cup per sandwich).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
OK, I now see it. I had to scroll down.
Hi Joseph, thanks for writing and no worries! Sorry you missed them. I hope you love it! โ Meggan
You donโt specify quantities of ingredients!!
This is a great recipe!!!
I added a diced green apple and used 2 green onionsโฆ this is so good! Iโm thinking maybe Iโll do a slice of tomato and provolone cheese and toastโฆ
Sounds delicious! So glad you love it, Sandra! โ Meggan
Simple, fresh and delicious! I could eat a vat of this. Had it on a croissant and wow. Life changing haha!!!!! I will not have a container of this in my fridge. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Youโre so welcome, Michelle! Enjoy! โ Meggan
Perfect! I followed the recipe exactly as written and added two hard boiled eggs. Thank you for a great recipe that I know will become a staple at my house.
Iโm so glad you loved it, Jaimee! โ Meggan
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Can I substitute the sweet relish for sweet gherkins?
Hi Tina, sure! Sounds great! โ Meggan
Lemon takes it to next level. Delish
Thank you, Debbie! Iโm glad you enjoyed it! โ Meggan
Oh wow! This is delicious! The only thing I changed was to use celery salt instead of regular salt and half mayo/half nonfat Greek yogurt instead of all mayo. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Youโre welcome, Tina! Thanks for writing, so glad you loved it! โ Meggan
Good Morning I made this last night and then found out there was not one slice of bread in the house. Plan B activated, Ritz crackers to the rescue. This recipe for Tuna Fish is flavorful, moist and almost gone it is a 10 out of 10, highly recommend.
Thank you, Rochelle! So glad you loved it! Itโs great with Ritz crackers! โ Meggan
Here are two other great tips for excellent tuna salad. Squeeze out all of the liquid from all of the tuna you will be using with cheesecloth. Kind of twist it into a log or a ball in a few layers of the cloth and squeeze all that liquid out. You want it dry as a bone, trust me. Then add all your stuff to it and mix. Cover in a tight Tupperware container, refrigerate overnight and then tell me how it tastes the next day. This is professional advice; youโre welcome!
Thanks for the tips, Danno! โ Meggan