Healthy Tuna Salad

5 from 3279 votes

This recipe for Healthy Tuna Salad is lightened up by using greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise; it has less calories and less fat, but is still so flavorful

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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.

Tuna salad on a slice of bread with lettuce
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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.
Ingredients to make the recipe gathered in bowls

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.
Step by step photos for how to mix the tuna salad

Tips To Make Tuna Salad

  1. Dice all of the ingredients very finely. This will make everything easier to combine and eat.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

How long does tuna salad keep?

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.

How do you serve tuna salad?

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.

Can you freeze tuna salad?

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.

Final tuna salad in a large bowl with bread slices nearby

More summer salads

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!

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Healthy Tuna Salad

This recipe for Healthy Tuna Salad is lightened up by using greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise; it has less calories and less fat, but is still so flavorful
5 from 3279 votes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 115
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Video

Ingredients
  

  • 2 5- ounce cans white albacore tuna in water drained
  • 2 celery stalks minced (about ¼ cup)
  • 2 tablespoons minced red onion
  • 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

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
  • 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.
* Please note nutrition label does not include the bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 480mg, Potassium: 220mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 188IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Main Course

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. This is so good as a tuna option without the fat. I substituted the Greek yogurt with cottage cheese (that’s all I had on hand), and it was perfect!

  2. Just made this and it’s REALLY good! Thanks to those who recommended dill, I added that. And to the person who said they served with apple wedges…brilliant! I definitely recommend this recipe and the apple tip 🙂

  3. Yum!! Will probably add some fresh dill, which is our “secret ingredient” in traditional tuna sandwiches.

  4. This was absolutely delicious!!! I made it exactly as written. IF I had to do anything differently, I would add a little less lemon juice. I will never make tuna any other way than this way! I served it on apple slices. I’m a mayo girl and was extremely surprised that the Greek Yogurt was SO GOOD!

  5. This is an extraordinarily delicious tuna salad and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything! Thank you!!!

  6. I can’t wait to try this but I’m not sure why people still think that fats are bad for you or that you need to restrict them. Let’s evolve past the 80’s mentality. The worst part of mayo is the TYPE of fat. Nearly all contain exclusively seed oils such as soybean, canola, or safflower, all of which contribute to inflammation in the body. These cheap alternatives to good fats are in nearly everything these days from mayo and salad dressings to “good for you” protein shakes.

    Thank you for providing what seems to be a tasty alternative to toxic mayo. <3

    1. You’re so welcome! I agree, it is the ingredients that are being used now in excesses that makes products from the 80s & 90s no longer good to eat.

  7. Easy to make and delicious! I’m not a tuna fish fan as I’m not wild about mayonnaise but this was really yummy.
    Served it over romaine lettuce so even healthier.

  8. Could I use sweet relish with this recipe or would it be too overpowering? Otherwise, this was amazing and tasted so fresh and delicious.

    1. I think if that is a flavor you like, go for it! You can always start with 1 or 2 tablespoons and add more to taste. Hope you enjoy it!

  9. I just made this for lunch and it is FANTASTIC! I have a dairy allergy unfortunately -I cannot do Greek yogurt – so I used avocado mayo and added chopped dill pickles – this was so, SO good. I ate it with Simple mills “veggie flour pita crackers – Mediterranean herb” they are gluten free because I have gluten allergies as well. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  10. I subbed kale for the celery, mostly because I have an abundance of it around the house of my smoothies anyway, and it still tasted amazing with everything you suggested. Since I only cook for myself, I try to be as economical as possible with what I have, so I’m not buying things to have them go bad before I’ve finished them. Wonderful recipe!

  11. Only things I would add is one dill pickle, diced, and some dashes of Frank’s hot sauce for a bit of heat.

  12. Great ideas. I love tuna salad but besides using your ingredients I slice romaine up in thin strips, add diced radishes, and dill picked. Yummy, and you get extra nutrients and taste from the romaine & radishes.

  13. This was a very good substitute for the Mayo I usually use. I also use red wine vinegar in my regular Tuna salad and wonder if I can add it here even though it already has lemon and dijon.. 🤔

    Thank you for a high protein, low fat lunch option!! 😋

    1. Hi Kelly, I have not tried this recipe with red wine vinegar but, I don’t see why you couldn’t test it out. I would cut the lemon and Dijon in half and add more if necessary.

  14. I made a version of this using a 6oz PKG. of Albacore tuna. Substituted green onions and tops for red onion and reduced all ingredients by about half.
    I was only making dinner for 2 and I didn’t want left overs. Served tuna with toasted English muffin and 3 leaves of head lettuce cut up. My husband complimented me on the meal (and he’s not a fan of fish). I was quite pleased with this recipe (and I really am NOT a fan of fish either! But I will make this again.)

  15. I made per your directions but had to use a bit of vegenaise, no yogurt in house. It was delicious!! The Dijon sets it off!

  16. I couldn’t decide between your tuna and chickpea salad recipes, so I combined them! One can of tuna and one can of beans, I skipped the onions since I don’t like raw onions but added everything else. Delicious and healthy, now I have several meals prepped for the week!

      1. This was delicious! I was looking for a tuna salad recipe without mayo or avocado (ran out) and this was perfect since I always have Greek yogurt in the fridge. I basically copied the recipe but added some fresh basil from my garden. Thanks so much! Will definitely become a regular here

  17. I prefer tuna with mayo, and I found this recipe to be an excellent substitute while trying to lose a few pounds. Didn’t change anything. If you want mayo instead of yogurt please just do it. Some people are making an honest effort to loose weight and need support. Great recipe! Thank you.

  18. I liked this recipe as a good base. I added two tablespoons of Mayo and some Dill. Next time I will use a little less Dijon mustard. Otherwise it was great!

  19. I really wanted to like this recipe, I made it for my husband and myself for lunch, it was way too lemony. It was overpowering. Lemon is literally the only thing I could taste, and I couldn’t even finish my tuna wrap because of it. If I make this again I’ll cut the lemon juice down to a teaspoon, maybe one and a half teaspoons.. definitely not two tablespoons. I’ll try to update if I make it again with less lemon juice.

    1. Oh no, I am sorry to hear that the lemon was too overpowering. You can definitely cut back on the lemon to fit your taste. Thank you for your feedback!

  20. With the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and mustard, it’s way too tangy and not creamy enough. I think it would be better maybe with a full fat Greek yogurt so the fat cuts some of the acidic taste.

    1. Thank you for your feedback! You can for sure try it with full-fat Greek yogurt! Or cut the lemon juice or mustard if you feel like it is too much.

  21. I followed this recipe exactly and it was terrible! A better swap for Greek yoghurt would be low fat olive oil Mayo. The Greek yoghurt is so horribly bland, the only flavor that came through was onion.

  22. This was amazing! I usually like mayo but don’t love how it makes tuna salad so mushy and heavy. The greek yogurt and mustard combo was so good with a nice tang. Did not have a lemon on hand but was great without it. Made an open-face sandwich with half the recipe- so filling and a great high-protein lunch option!

    1. Thank you so much, Kate! I agree mayo tends to make tuna salad a little too heavy for my liking – so glad you enjoyed it with the Greek yogurt!

    1. Hi Hazel, this recipe makes 4 servings – you’ll want to try and divide it evenly, usually around 1/2 cup per serving.

  23. So good !!! I was skeptical because I love mayonnaise, didn’t even miss it . This was delicious on dark rye. I will make tuna salad no other way now. I did add hot banana peppers to my sandwich, Thank you so much !!!

    1. You’re so welcome! Mmm, rye sounds wonderful with the tuna salad, especially with the tartness of the banana peppers. Thanks for sharing!

  24. I’ve always wanted something healthier to put in my tuna than mayo. This recipe is delicious! A new lunchtime regular.

  25. This recipe is really amazing. I added pickles & changed out the parsley for cilantro and it was great. My friends were skeptical about the greek yogurt but they say it tastes the exact same as if it were made otherwise. Healthy tuna salad !!!!

  26. Super delicious!! I’m recommending this to everyone! I was a little iffy because of the Greek yogurt but it turned out so good and my gym buddies and I absolutely loved this quick meal! Thank you! thank you! thank you!

    1. Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear – glad both you and you gym buddies enjoyed. You’re so welcome!

  27. Thank you for this easy recipe. It’s delish! I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes–Will make the Crustless Quiche tonight.

    1. You’re so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Can’t wait to hear what you think about that one!

    1. I don’t have the serving weight. I recommend making a batch of this recipe, weighing it all out, and dividing it by four to get the exact weight for a serving.

  28. I was sure I was going to be disappointed – but this tuna salad is great! The celery and onions made it fresh and crunchy and I love that the greek joghurt makes it a light salad compared to my usual mayo. Full taste no regrets 5/5

  29. I started making tuna sandwiches again using this technique rather than having mayo. I count macros and this is a great way to get my protein in. I use this as my go to recipe now. I really struggle to eat fish but I know I need to eat it so this mix really works for me. 5 stars from me!

  30. This was horrible! Lemon juice and Greek yogurt is not what I ever want to taste in my tuna salad again. Keep scrolling for a better recipe

    1. I’m sorry to hear that! I love Greek yogurt as a substitute for mayonnaise, but it might not be for everyone.

  31. If you’re going to have this more than once every two weeks, do NOT get albacore tuna. Get light skipjack tuna. Albacore has roughly three times the mercury of light tuna.

    1. Thank you ! This was pleasant , and felt light and delicious . I’ve been hitting the gym and making healthier meal choices I exacerbated all my options so it’s nice to have something new to throw in the mix . I did add a little paprika for a boost of flavor , but this recipe is excellent .

  32. I edited this recipe a little by using a little mayo 😅 and adding relish. This recipe is delicious. My picky child, who hates onions and celery, liked it too. I’m trying to eat healthier and this will definitely be a go to recipe.

  33. This was delicious! Didn’t have Greek yogurt, but regular (plain, non-fat) worked great. Added a bit of chopped carrot. Loved it, will make it again! Thanks!

  34. Love the recipe~
    Fix the part about the number of grams of fat from the mayo and you can wipe this comment if you want 🙂
    Using greek yogurt substitutions lately has been very cool.

  35. What a delicious recipe. Really glad I found this…I swapped dijon with wholegrain mustard, and it tasted scrumptious

  36. Easy to make, healthy and taste great. In order to keep may calories under control I eat either over spinach as a salad or Rice Cakes instead one bread.

  37. This is THE BEST tuna fish recipe I’ve ever tasted. Thank you so much for making a light version of this high protein dish. 🙂

  38. Just made this – DELICIOUS!! As mentioned, I’m trying to take off some weight, and tuna has a lot of protein for the calories. Have you actually frozen it and had it thaw well? Thanks for the great recipe!

    1. Thank you! Tuna is a great option! 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.

  39. Have you ever tried it with fat free plain Greek yogurt instead of 2%? Asking because that’s what I have currently.

  40. This recipe is wonderful. I have made it twice now and will try it with chicken next time. Thank you! Was missing a creamy salad and this is perfect!

    1. Just made a tuna sub for my husband and I using this recipe. I did not tell him the tuna was mayonnaise-free. His initial comment was “good sandwich.” I did not tell him until he was done eating! I substituted fat free plain greek yogurt for the 2%.

  41. Great tasting recipe! The only change I made was using Chunk Light Tuna as I prefer it over Albacore. Thanks so much!

  42. Delicious! I loved the crunch of the celery. Definitely will be making again, will make a great summer time lunch 😊. I love all of your recipes!

    1. You could do that too! I like to include it because it gives a zingy taste that cuts through the yogurt.

  43. Just the recipe I needed today. Started trying to lose this covid 20 I’ve gained and this had such a great taste. I was sad I didn’t have Dijon mustard so I’ll do that next time

  44. This recipe came to show us a new and delicious way to include tuna in our diet. it’s creamy, full of flavor, healthy and so easy to make. We have eaten it with cassava, with whole wheat bread and even in tacos.

    Thank you for this and all your recipes. ♥️

  45. The new year always encourages me to try new healthy recipes and I made this today. It is a fresh take on my old lunch staple. Thank you!

  46. Can you please tell me what kind of bread you used for this sandwich, Besides the tuna salad, it also looks good! I”m looking for a healthier bread. Thanks.

    1. Thank you so much! I used whole wheat bread, but any bread would do for this sandwich! For a healthier option, I recommend sprouted whole grain or sourdough.

  47. I made this today it is the most flavorful tuna salad I’ve ever had! The tang from the yogurt, the brightness of the lemon, the zing from the mustard, and the pepperiness from the parsley. So delicious and GUILT FREE because it is made with clean ingredients. Thank you, Yumna, for this awesome recipe.

  48. This recipe was so easy and delicious! I had to reduce the ingredients because it was just me eating but it turned out amazing!!!

  49. This recipe is amazing! So flavorful and light, yet filling. I also added some leftover white beans I had on hand. So so yummy!

  50. Can you please tell me what I can use instead of dijon mustard please? I hate any kind of mustard. Thank you!

  51. Tuna salad sandwiches are the best!! I used green scallions (what I had on hand) and added a couple teaspoons of creamy horseradish too and my family ❤️‘d it ☺️ Thank you Yumna!

  52. Thank you. I made this today. I didn’t have celery on hand so I used a pickle. Added on hard boiled egg and a splash of spike seasoning on top. Such a different flavor vibe. I love it.

  53. I’ve been a slow convert to seafood / fish, but finally find the flavors agreeable and decided to try this as my first tuna salad! Delicious! Can you advise on the nutritional information – is this including the avocado halve? or only the salad?

    Thank you!!

  54. Great Recipe!! Tried it for lunch today. I didn’t put them in the avocado but enjoyed it on some whole wheat toast. So delicious even my 1 year old loved it! She was eating it by the spoon fulls. Happy Momma here.

  55. This was delicious!!!! Thank you for sharing!!! Personal & consistency preferences, I added a bit more yogurt, 1/2 lemon & no onion-scrumptious and so glad I stumbled upon this recipe the day before Lent starts 🙂