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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.
Very good!
Thanks, Chloe! – Meggan
This should be renamed to Mayo Lovers Tuna Salad. I suggest starting with 1/2 cup mayo then add to personal liking. Otherwise pretty standard. I added a little Dijon mustard, and if I made again I might add a little more lemon and some spices to taste such as a touch of cyan pepper, fresh parsley, and whatever else stuck my fancy that day.
Hi Joel, thanks for your feedback and suggestions. I like the sound of “Mayo Lover’s Tuna Salad”. Luckily, recipes are suggestions and can be adjusted. I hope your next batch is perfect. – Meggan
Good thing her recipe literally says to start with 1/4 cup of mayo and adjust to your liking.
Absolutely fool proof, delicious recipe! I used Grillo’s Pickle de Gallo to save time on the chopping. I also added half a jalapeno for a little kick. Thanks for the recipe!!
You’re so welcome, Quin! Sounds delicious! – Meggan
the next time you make tuna salad use sardines in mustard sauce in lieu of tuna!
Thanks for the suggestion, wjd! – Meggan
Everything works out well. Tasted very good.
Thanks
You’re welcome, Jimmy! – Meggan
This is very close to how I have always made tuna salad sandwiches. I have never added lemon juice though and it made them amazing. My husband, son and 6 grandsons love my tuna salad sandwiches and I can’t wait for them to try these when they are gathering cattle tomorrow. Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Beth! Thank you for giving it a try, I hope they love them, too! – Meggan
Beth,
How did they like the tuna salad? 🙂
I read the recipe and thought…isn’t that how I make tuna salad? Then I followed the recipe to a tee. I have just eaten the best tuna salad sandwich of my life. Thank you.
You’re so welcome, Jennifer! I’m so happy you loved it! – Meggan
I think it was a very good recipe. I just have no appetite today.
Thanks, Christopher! It holds well in the refrigerator, so I hope you enjoy it within the next 4 days. – Meggan
I found this recipe a few years ago- and it has been my go-to for delicious tuna salad!
Thank you so much, Carroll! I’m so happy you love it! – Meggan
SPEED HACK: DON”T CUT VEGGIES! It’s a complete and pointless waste of time, throw them all in the food processor and give them 5-6 short pulses. They will come out better and more evenly diced than any top chef can do.
Also, for the love of God, don’t make it with yogurt. I tried that and it was absolutely disgusting, I dumped a whole lot of mustard in there to save it and it was still barely edible. Just… DON’T!!! 95% of any tuna salad flavor comes from mayo and tuna balancing out each other, veggies add very little to the taste honestly and really serve more as a texture/garnish to make it look like it’s more than just tuna and mayo inside. I still add them because… why not?
I use Best Foods light mayo (1/3 of real Mayo calories) and it still tastes great. Made this salad several times already (2x or 3x portions).