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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.
Wow, this is good! I had to substitute chopped bread and butter pickles for relish and Vidalia onions for red and it was still amazing. Thank you for sharing!!!
Hi Pat, excellent substitutions that will only enhance the tuna salad! I really think you can’t go wrong here. Thank you for trying the recipe and leaving a comment with your review. I appreciate it so much, and thank you again! -Meggan
All my family loved this recipe. Now I’m thinking how my college son can benefit from it as well…
Can this salad be frozen and then thawed in the fridge before eating?
Hi Maria, I’m SO happy you guys liked the tuna salad! When it comes to freezing cold salads with mayonnaise, it’s fine from a food-safety perspective but not really a great idea from a quality perspective. Mayonnaise is an emulsion so when it freezes and then thaws, it’s likely to separate and it won’t be what you want. The veggies might also lose their crunch, but really, the issue is the mayonnaise. If you are determined to press ahead, pack it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4 months (it would last indefinitely but again quality-wise it’s going to really go down hill after 4 months). I hope this helps! Thank you for your comment! -Meggan
Delish! Almost identical to our favorite tuna salad recipe we’ve been making for several years – just add a little Dijon and less mayo – and it’s the best EVER‼️
So delicious
Glad you loved it, Philipp! – Meggan
Excellent tunafish salad especially if you’re using the Costco albacore tuna, which is excellent to begin with
I added diced tomato and corn so yummy 😋
Yum! Great suggestion! – Meggan
Add horse radish. It tangs it up and puts a new spin on the hohum
Great suggestion, D! Thank you! – Meggan
Horseradish sounds delish! How much do you add to the recipe? I am making this today and don’t want to mess with its perfection, but can’t get the thought of how great it would taste with a little horseradish involved! lol
She’s not joking… DELICIOUS! Made for a work lunch-on and people loved it. Paired it with lettuce wraps and sprinkled some extra sea salt on top.
SO SO good. I made this last week, didn’t have all the ingredients so I improvised (white onion instead of red, no celery, and only 2-3 tbs of mayo). But it was still delicious, I ended up eating the whole batch in one sitting 😬 I made it again tonight and I’m so excited bc it will help to hit my protein macros much easier and tastier! I keep the mayo very low, prob 1/3c at the most so it’s relatively healthy! I eat it on Ezekiel bread toast. It’s also great on a French baguette.
So glad you loved it, Klola! I’m happy you were able to substitute with what you had on hand, and it still came out amazing. Take care! – Meggan
I like to add eggs to mine. Great recipe 👌🏿
Thank you, Tiera! Sounds delicious! – Meggan