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I never get tired of an excellent Tuna Salad Recipe, and of the hundreds of versions I’ve 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. It’s 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 ¼ 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 ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ 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 (½ 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 entrée.
- Ahi Tuna Salad: Is the Ahi tuna looking fabulous at the fish market, or have you got an extra bit of Ahi tuna from last night’s 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, Turkey 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 (¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, ¼ 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
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, relish, lemon juice, and garlic.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ 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 ¼ 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 (½ cup per sandwich).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Just made it for myself and my roommate for breakfast in 15 minutes, better than any tuna salad I ever brought out there. 10/10
Thanks Mark! – Meggan
I have been making my tuna salad this way for a long time because my mom did too only difference is we add boiled eggs to it once in a while not always though but anyways this is a very good tuna recipe.
Fantastic recipe. Thank you for the suggestions- I prefer the dill pickle version. My family loves it!
I’m wondering if Kewpie/Japanese mayo would take it up a notch, has anyone tried it?
A completely delicious Tuna Salad recipe! Thank you Meggan Hill for posting this and the suggested alternations. We loved it.
I’ve never been a fan of sweet relish nor have I ever put relish in my tuna salad…so I’m a bit nervous! Anyone make it with dill relish? Or just omit the relish all together? How did it turn out? Did you add cheese or any lettuce? TIA!
I add relish to my tuna salad and I love it. Try it you will not be disappointed.
I used the sweet relish to balance out the tuna taste. Then using Romaine Lettuce as the base, place the Tuna Salad on the lettuce and serve with a wedge of your favorite dill pickle.
I don’t care for sweet pickle relish, so I dice up a pill pickle or 2.
This is a very good recipe, the flavors are really balanced. I like to add water chestnuts to tuna and chicken salad for the extra crunch.
excellent!made it yesterday stuffed into sweet peppers and mama it was great.
Mustard and lemon made the difference.
I’ll never go back to blah tuna salad
Love love this recipe! Very tasty and includes all the essentials for an amazing tuna salad.
Seriously the best combination of ingredients and the best ratios for the perfect mix! I never put garlic in my tuna salad before – I will definitely be following this recipe again!
I’m currently stuck in the hospital with the pancreatitis I’ve had for the last 2 months, waiting to transfer to another hospital to get the surgery I need to finally start healing (I haven’t been able to eat for the last couple of weeks). Once I’m able to start eating again, I’m definitely trying the recipe! I can think of some additions or modifications I would like to try, but I want to try it your way first. It’s definitely different and interesting looking!
Growing up, I remember my grandma’s way of making a tuna melt was to put a hefty amount on both sides of a hamburger bun, put a thick slice of red tomato on top, sprinkle that with black pepper, cover with a slice of American cheese, and broil it open faced until the cheese is melty and slightly charred on the top. Serve with Lay’s potato chips and a pickle on the side. Soooo delicious! Definitely going to try this with your recipe!