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!

A bowl of healthy tuna salad with a metal spoon n a table with a few slices of bread, a napkin, a bowl of lettuce, salt, lemon wedges and parsley.

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.

Ingredients for healthy tuna salad on a table before being mixed together.

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!

Healthy tuna salad on a slice of bread on a plate. There is another slice of bread with lettuce and tomato on it. There is a bowl of tuna, a napkin, lemon wedges, and parsley on the table next to the plate.

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!

Tuna salad sandwich on wheat bread with lettuce and tomato, cut in half and the halves are stacked on top of one another. There is a wedge of lemon on the plate with the sandwich

5 from 8 votes

Healthy Tuna Salad (with added veggies)

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
0 minutes
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
This Healthy Tuna Salad is delicious, easy and offers up the perfect amount of crunch from added grated carrots and finely chopped celery! Lighted up by using half mayo and half Greek yogurt, this simple tuna salad is made flavorful from salt, onion power, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Delicious over greens, on a sandwich or simply on its own. The perfect no-cook meal!

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.
Serving: 0.25of the recipe, Calories: 204kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 439mg, Potassium: 374mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 2814IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 3mg