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This healthy tuna salad is one of my favorite lunchtime meals that makes me full and satiated. I make it healthier by swapping the mayonnaise for greek yogurt, loading it up with crunching celery. You can serve it on its own, on top of greens or in a sandwich. It’s a delicious lightened up tuna salad.
A healthier tuna salad
A lot people who are on a weight loss diet will turn to tuna because of its high level of protein – 3 oz of albacore tuna has 20g of protein but only about 100 calories. However, if you’re eating tuna as a traditional tuna salad with mayonnaise, you may be consuming unnecessary calories and fat. 1 cup of mayo has more than 1400 calories and 24g of fat.
This healthy tuna salad is full of flavor, light on calories and super easy to whip for lunch any day of the week! Swap the mayo for greek yogurt and dijon mustard and save those calories for a treat later.
Ingredients to make tuna salad
- Tuna: I like to use white albacore as it has a great chunky and firm texture that doesn’t disappear when you mix it with the other ingredients
- Celery: Celery adds a wonderful crunchy texture as well as a hit of freshness.
- Red onions: I prefer to use red onion in salads as it is much milder than white. Mince it finely so that it’s not overpowering.
- Greek yogurt: I use Greek yogurt rather than mayonnaise, to make this wonderfully creamy. Greek yogurt is also a great source of protein and probiotics.
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for a wonderful zingy taste that cuts through the yogurt.
- Dijon mustard: Mustard adds some tang and spice and works so well with the other ingredients.
- Salt and pepper: To help bring out all of the other flavors.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley really lifts this dish and makes it light and fresh tasting. You can use other fresh herbs like cilantro or dill.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to make healthy tuna salad
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dressing: Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and parsley until well combined.
- Add the drained tuna on top, along with the celery and red onions and gently mix
- You can serve it immediately or let it cool in the fridge for half hour.
Tips To Make Tuna Salad
- Dice all of the ingredients very finely. This will make everything easier to combine and eat.
- Use tuna in water not oil. Oil packed tuna has more fat, but water packed tuna is more solid, making it perfect for this salad.
- Customize this healthy tuna salad with add-ons. You can add in additional ingredients like capers, pickles, cucumbers, tomatoes or boiled eggs.
Frequently asked questions
Once you have made the salad, place it in an airtight container and place it in the fridge. It will keep well for 3 to 4 days.
This is great on its own or served on top of a simple green salad. It makes a great sandwich spread or serve in in lettuce leaves for a light low carb lunch. It’s also a great topping for baked potatoes.
Yes, you can freeze tuna salad. However the Greek yogurt may release extra moisture, so you may find that you need to drain it after you thaw the tuna. You can liven it up with fresh celery and onions if necessary.
More summer salads
- Corn Tomato Avoado Salad
- Avocado Egg Salad
- Healthy Coleslaw
- Healthy Egg Salad
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Cauliflower Potato Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Shirazi Salad
If you make this healthy-ish feel good Healthy Tuna Salad recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Healthy Tuna Salad
Video
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dill or parsley chopped
- 2 5-ounce white albacore tuna in water drained
- 2 celery stalks minced
- 2 tablespoons red onion minced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and dill or parsley until well combined.
- Add the drained tuna on top, along with the celery and red onions. Gently stir until well combined.
- Serve on its own or in a sandwich or on toast.
Notes
- Instead of Greek Yogurt, you can use regular yogurt, sour cream or leave it out all together.
- You can switch the dijon mustard to yellow mustard, or leave it out.
- Use any herbs you’d like instead of parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Deliciously different! I am allergic to seafood, so I made this with drained, mashed chickpeas. I also added a finely diced mini orange pepper for extra color & crunch. My husband had the tuna version & loved it too. I will definitely be making this regularly. Looking forward to exploring some of your other recipes… Cheers!
Aww, so happy you were able to modify it and make it work for you! And that your husband liked the tuna flavor too! Thank you!!
this sounds amazing! just wondering if it could be meal prepped??
Yes! You can make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days. Enjoy!
I make a lot of your recipes and recipes from other cooks, and this tuna salad is by far the best!!! Thank you for sharing!
Aww, thank you so much! I’m so happy you liked it!!
Thanks for sharing. I like healthy things. This tuna salad had crunch to it. I have made it twice. It has good flavor.
Aww, so happy you liked it! I love a good crunch too haha. Thanks, Jane!