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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.
More delicious salads
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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.
So easy to make and good! I did add a couple boiled eggs worschire sauce and some slap ya mama seasoning to mine. Good with crackers too! 👍🏽
Great recipe! I followed this recipe to make my first tuna salad and it came out perfectly. Great balance of flavors. Only change I made was I used yellow onion instead of red onion. I plan on using this recipe from now on for making a tuna, chicken, or egg salad.
I’m so glad you loved it, Sam! Thank you for taking the time to write. Please write again if you have any more questions! – Meggan
Next time put red onions in it and you will be pleasantly surprised!
I went heavy on the Mayonnaise but subbed a little homemade ranch. I also put egg in mine.
On the salt and pepper I add just enough but leave room for each household member to add the desired amount(I actually do it in stages, same with onions and relish).
But thank you for your ingredient amounts. I just looked at your servings in the picture and went from there.
Cheers from Texas
Hi Ruston, thank you so much for sharing! I’m so glad you found my recipe to be flexible! Take care! – Meggan
5oz can of tuna: Net weight or dry weight? thank you
Hi Marg, thank you for your question! It’s 5 ounces prior to draining. I hope you love this tuna salad! – Meggan
I love this recipe. I have made it quite a few times. I typically throw 2-3 hard boiled eggs in it as well.
Yum! Thanks you for your comment and visiting! – Meggan
Everyone always says their recipe is the best one ever, but this is the only one worthy of such a claim. It really is the best tuna salad and comes out perfectly every time without any need to alter the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for such a nice comment. I’m so glad you loved it. – Meggan
Just made the recipe but scaled it back because I only had 2 cans of tuna. I only had a mix of frozen onion, celery, and bell pepper. Placed that in the microwave for 1 minute and drained it well. Everything else I had. My tuna salad came out delicious! This is the best recipe and a keeper!
Hi Colette, thank you for your comment and sharing your tip about the frozen mix, what a great tip! I’m so glad you loved it. Take care! – Meggan
Not sure my husband would like tuna salad sandwiches – especially for supper, so I gave him a small sandwich on homemade sourdough bread that I bought at our local Farmers’ Market, for him to sample. He immediately asked for another, and this time I put it on store-bought English Muffin Toasting Bread. We loved it toasted and spread with butter on both breads. I did dice up a hard boiled egg, and I used yellow onions instead of red, diced garlic in a jar, and used shredded lettuce because that’s what I had on hand. There’s enough leftover for two more sandwiches today. And I don’t want to share!😜😋
Thank you so much for the comment, Helen! I’m so glad you both loved it! – Meggan
Question is it really going to affect the recipe if let’s say I don’t have a red onion I have the vidalia instead?
Hi Kirsten, thank you for your question! Vidalia onions work as a fine substitute, they are less pungent and more sweet than red. Also another reader as written in who used Vidalia, and said it worked. I hope you love this tuna salad! Please let me know if you have any more questions. – Meggan
I am old. And I have made tuna salad sandwiches forever. I decided to actually try a recipe and landed on this one. Far better than anything I have made in the past. I substituted dill pickle and it was absolutely excellent! The right measurement of agreements is lemon juice and garlic made the difference!
Hi Cheryl, thank you so much, I appreciate the comment! I’m so glad you loved it. Take care! – Meggan