This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
order MY book
The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook is now available everywhere books are sold!
Amazon TargetBarnes & Noble Books A Million Hudson Booksellers BookshopSCHULER Books
Healthy Tuna Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 2 5- ounce cans white albacore tuna in water drained
- 2 celery stalks minced (about ¼ cup)
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- ⅓ cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the 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. 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.
I was looking for an easy lunch that was also healthy and tasted good, an alternative to relying on frankly sad tasting lunch meats and stuff. This recipe definitely fit the bill!
It’s also the first time I’ve used Greek yogurt in something and honestly? Where has this stuff been my whole life? It’s amazing!
Yay, I’m so happy you liked the recipe! Welcome to the Greek yogurt fan club haha!
I was craving tuna salad for lunch this week but wanted to make a healthy version. This recipe met all the criteria and tasted so good too! The Greek yogurt added moisture without the fat. I’m excited to enjoy this heathy tuna salad for lunch this week. Thank you!
Yay! So glad you like it, Sally!
I just can’t get used to the difference in taste. If you like Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream then it’s probably fine. I am just not the biggest fan of those to begin with and the taste is strong on both fronts.
Sorry you didn’t like it, Bear. The flavor can be strong, especially if you aren’t a fan of Greek yogurt or sour cream.
I made the tuna salad today, and tried it with the Greek yogurt. I’ve never really liked Greek yogurt or sour cream, but I thought I would try it in this recipe. I couldn’t get past the taste either. I will definitely use some mayo in the future. The tuna tasted good once I added a few things.
I made the dressing but I think I added too much mustard. It’s missing the sweetness of mayo.
Thanks for the feedback, Lucia! Obviously Greek yogurt isn’t an exact replacement for mayo so it’s going to taste a bit different, but you could try using a sweet onion instead of red onion to help add that sweetness you’re looking for. Hope that helps!
Excellent!
Thanks, Jacob!
Sorry if I missed it… How many servings does this make and what do you consider a serving size? (Looking at the nutrition information.)
Hi Adam! Each serving is about 1/2 cup and the recipe makes 4 servings.