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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, 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.
This tuna salad is delicious!!!!
Happy you enjoyed it, Pearl! – Meggan
This is my “go to”. I’ve made it multiple times now so I thought it was time for a review. I use chopped up dill pickles instead of sweet relish.
My review is: IT’S AWESOME. EVERYBODY MAKE THIS! ⭐️
Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Hillary! Take care! – Meggan
For the creaminess factor I used Greek yogurt and Dijon – much healthier than store bought mayo.
Hi Tunasuse, thanks for sharing your alternative to mayo. I prefer this with mayo, homemade or store-bought, but I’m so happy you were able to adjust the recipe to your preference. It’s great that there are so many different variations to make a dish healthy. – Meggan
Yuck. Sweet relish in tuna. Always use dill relish. Tuna should not be sweet.
Hi Rae, thanks for sharing. Let’s not yuck someone else’s yum… – Meggan
I typically prefer dill pickles in most recipes and I have tried this with both the sweet relish and finely diced dill pickles. The sweet relish in this recipe is 10 times better than the dill in my opinion. Have you tried this recipe or are you just stating you prefer dill?
I liked this recipe a lot but I added a couple of additional ingredients. I added diced pimento for more flavor depth and Dill Weed & Salad Supreme for added flavor. Came out very tasty!
So glad you enjoyed it, Michelle! – Meggan
I have been trying to jazz up boring tuna salad for months. This is it! The minced garlic took it to the next level. Thank you!!
You’re so welcome, Angie! – Meggan
Missing the yellow mustard
Thanks for your input, Teyron! You can absolutely add to and adjust the flavors to your tastes. Take care. – Meggan
and Ketchup!
I am about to make this with plant based mayo and cucumbers instead of celery. I will let you know how it turns out
Great! How did it turn out, Deanna? – Meggan
Good, simple, safe recipe. I used sweet relish and felt the salad was lacking some tang. I added Dijon mustard and it seemed to help. Start with 1/2 teaspoons, add more to taste.
Thanks, Al! – Meggan
I made it for dinner, my family love your tuna salad recipe.