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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.
I love this recipe and added a little mustard.
Does albacore make a difference?
Thank you.
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy! I have honestly never made this with albacore. I tend to stay away from it because of the higher mercury levels, I just love tuna and I’m always eating my limit. So if I eat albacore, that just means less. So I’m not sure! I imagine it’s just personal preference. I love the idea of mustard. I might try some Dijon next time. Thank you! -Meggan
It’s how I usually make it so good recipe.
I add fresh dill .
I also add sautéed onions in butter to the melt and sliced tomatoes! Killer☺️. Only problem is turning over😋
Wonderful Recipe! I like more relish and more salt and pepper.
thank you
To make it even healthier, add a tin of sardines. Even better is a tin of sardine and small can of salmon.
We make ours a tiny little bit differently than this but the most important thing to remember is: buy quality, wild caught albacore. In a side by side taste comparison, salad made with the cheap stuff tasted like it washed up on shore and laid in the sun for awhile before processing. The good stuff does not have that off-putting “hey I’m a fish” odor. 😊
A word of caution on Albacore. It has the highest mercury content. Best choice is Skipjack, also labeled as chunk light. Even Yellowfin is safer but it’s larger than Skipjack. It’s best to go for smaller varieties.
I’m SOOO glad to see that you didn’t add mustard (gaaag)! I make my tuna almost the same way, except that I add a bit of fresh minced dill when I have some. Also, try using “Duke’s” mayo. It’s absolutely delicious.
This is excellent! I made a tuna melt with a toasted pita, melted sharp white cheddar, tomato and sprouts. the sprouts give it a fresh nutty flavor. I work on a yacht and will be making this for my crew!
Sounds amazing Shan! -Meggan
The Nutrition Facts per serving seems way off. I have 167 cal per serving, not 400.
Hi Mike, agreed. Sometimes the nutrition calculators have values that are totally wacky. I recalculated it within the recipe card and got 264 calories per serving without bread. That’s assuming about 2/3 cup tuna salad, so if your portion is smaller, your calorie count might be smaller. I’m assuming 6 servings per batch. Thanks for pointing that out! So sorry about that. -Meggan
Best over leafy green lettuce with tomato slices. I put it on lightly toasted Oro wheat with buttermilk ranch dressing for lunches. The addition of garlic & lemon put the right touch on this recipe.