Healthy Tuna Salad (with added veggies)
This Healthy Tuna Salad is delicious, easy and offers up the perfect amount of crunch from added grated carrots and finely chopped celery! Made from simple ingredients, this delicious salad is great over greens, on a sandwich or simply on its own. The perfect no-cook, easy, healthy lunch recipe!
I don’t know about you, but I always have a couple cans of tuna in my pantry and this tuna salad recipe is my go-to I-don’t-want-to-cook dinner. Whether it is over a bed of lettuce, on a few slices of bread with all the sandwich trimmings, or made into a cheesy tuna melt, this healthy tuna salad always hits just right. And the best part is, it has added veggies for that delightful taste, added crunch and (of course) boost of nutrients! Made with the perfect blend of Greek yogurt and mayo for a lightened up creaminess and made flavorful from the addition of onion powder, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard, this flavorful tuna salad takes just 5 minutes to make and is a great jumping off point for any easy meal. And don’t we all need a little extra easy when it comes to dinner time!?
Plus, this recipe is loaded with protein, is naturally gluten free, requires no cooking, and is perfect to make as part of meal prep since it stores beautifully in your fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe testing tips from Taesha
- Dice or grate all of the veggies small. This will make sure that you have a little bit of everything in every bite and ensures that the veggies are easy to enjoy vs a workout to chew.
- Be sure to get tuna packed in water, not oil. We’ve all made that mistake! Accidentally grabbing the tuna in oil instead of water. And while some people love it, it changes the texture, taste and nutritional profile of a tuna salad big time. So, I highly recommended sticking to water packed tuna for this salad recipe.
How to make this tuna salad: a step-by-step visual guide
This tuna salad truly couldn’t be easier (I mean, 2 steps!), but if you are a visual person *raises hand* then this section is for you! This is how the recipe should look at each step, but be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements!
Suggested adaptations
- Use whatever veggies you have. I love to make this with whatever veggies I have. I will often make it with finely chopped spinach, cabbage, chopped cucumber, grated raw zucchini or even smashed avocado.
- Make this chicken salad instead! If you have some cooked chicken or canned chicken on hand, I use the same blend of veggies and seasonings for an equally epic chicken salad.
- Replace all of the mayo with plain yogurt.
- To make this dairy-free, use all mayo.
- Make it your own with some diced pickles, finely chopped bell pepper or whatever else you love in tuna!
- Replace some or all of the mayo with mashed avocado.
How to store this tuna salad
I love to make this tuna salad ahead of time so I can quickly throw together a sandwich or toss it over a bed of greens for an extra fast meal. If you do make this recipe as part of meal prep or are lucky enough to have leftovers, just pop it into an air-tight container and store it in your fridge for up to 3 days.
Other easy salad recipes that serve up extra veggies!
- Veggie-Loaded Spring Chicken Salad
- Greek Chicken Salad
- Veggie-Loaded Mashed Chickpea Salad
- Lemon Garlic Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Healthy Tuna Salad (with added veggies)
Ingredients
- 2 5 oz cans of tuna
- 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons mayo
- 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt, or extra mayo
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder, or to taste
- salt & pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Open cans of tuna and drain off any extra liquid.
- Place the tuna in a medium bowl. Use a fork to break the tuna apart. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add more mayo or yogurt for a creamier salad.
- Enjoy immediately over greens or in a sandwich. Store leftovers in fridge for up to 3 days.
Is there anything I could use instead of mayo? Like sour cream or greek yogurt?
Check out the suggested adaptations piece of the post! I cover that!
This is the best tuna I’ve ever had!love the mustard and vinegar addition. Also loved the carrots
So happy to hear that, Amy!
Made it for lunch. Easy and really delicious. I’ll be making this often
Excited to try this! My 8y/o is getting bolder with veggies and doesn’t need me to sneak them in her meals as often these days lol and she LOVES tuna salad (we usually do cream cheese/sour cream/plain yoghurt instead of mayo) with avocado & sweet chili sauce… I even started using your green goddess dip sort of as “butter” hehe on some of her sandwiches. I think adding a bit of extra veggies that are visible but blend-in well is a fantastic idea! She’s not sold on celery yet so we’ll see about that, although the crunch part sounds fun 😉 I’m gonna try carrot & zucchini to start and then switch things up from there if it’s a success! Your veggie-loading ideas are always so helpful… loving how adaptable they are! The inspiration is starting to flow again at meal times so THANK YOU 🙂
What a wonderful comment to find waiting for me, Samantha! Um, your tuna salad vibe sounds AMAZING (must try the green goddess dip with tuna!!) and I am so happy that veggie-loaded recipes are not only helpful, but also helping you to get creative in the kitchen! Nothing is worse than boring veggies!
I had no celery so I substituted it with a radish or two. It’s a nice change form my normal tuna salad. Thank you
I bet that was delicious! I must try!
This is my new favorite way to eat tuna. I make it almost every week and enjoy it in a salad of lettuce and spinach. Thanks for another great veggie-loaded recipe!
Same same! It is my go-to easy dinner or quick lunch! So happy you enjoy it as much as I do.