Tuna Pasta Salad
Updated Jul 17, 2025
This Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad is made with fresh veggies, frozen peas, and a tangy Greek yogurt and mayo dressing- an easy quick summer recipe
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Tuna Salad with Pasta!
I make my classic tuna salad for lunch quite often because it’s simple and quick, but when I want something that feels like a fuller meal or a meal I can take to a summer potluck or picnic, this tuna pasta salad is one I’ve been turning to lately!
The tuna pasta salad is creamy, tangy and super flavorful from the dressing I use, and the best part is that it can be made ahead of time because it gets better as it sits!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Tuna Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta: I like to use fusilli for pasta salad because the spiral shape holds onto the dressing well, and it’s a great size for scooping up with a fork, but any short pasta shape will do. Feel free to swap in a gluten-free option, as well!
- Tuna: I usually go for canned tuna packed in olive oil for this recipe. It’s more flavorful than water-packed tuna, and it doesn’t dry out as easily!
- Greek yogurt: I prefer full-fat yogurt for creaminess, but any plain Greek yogurt will do.
- Mayo: A little mayo goes a long way in this recipe! Feel free to swap in low-fat or plan-based mayo if you like.
- Dill: I love the flavor of fresh dill in this salad, but you can also use dried dill or chopped parsley.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is always best, but the bottled stuff will work, too.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon packs a great punch in this dressing, but you can leave it out.
- Veggies: I use chopped celery, carrots, red onions, and frozen peas because they don’t get soggy overtime. Any chopped veggies will work though like cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and green onions.
- Seasoning: Salt & pepper! That’s all!
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad
Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fusilli pasta
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 10 ounces canned tuna drained
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- ½ cup celery chopped
- ½ cup carrots chopped
- ¼ cup red onions chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill roughly chopped
Instructions
- Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
- Add the tuna on top of the dressing and use a fork to flake the tuna and mix with the dressing.
- Transfer the cooled pasta to the bowl containing the dressing and tuna, and toss to coat. Fold in the peas, celery, carrots, red onion, and dill, then cover and refrigerate the pasta salad until chilled.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Mix your tuna with the dressing first. I find that using a fork to break the tuna up into the dressing makes it more flavorful!
- Rinse the pasta with cold water after cooking. You’ll need to cook your pasta al dente, but you can also immediately stop the pasta from absorbing any additional heat by rinsing it in cold water as soon as it’s done.
- Cut your veggies into equal pieces. If you have a vegetable chopper, this is a great time to use it. Otherwise, just make sure that all your veggies are roughly the same size, so they distribute evenly throughout the pasta salad.
- Let your tuna pasta salad sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. This gives the flavors a chance to meld together and makes the pasta salad even more delicious.
FAQs
Use a glass storage container if you have one! It’ll help keep the tuna flavor sealed in for up to 4 days in the fridge.
There are a few reasons why your pasta salad might be watery. One is that you didn’t rinse the cooked pasta with cold water. This helps to stop the cooking process and also prevents the heat from making the rest of the salad warm (causing the veggies to weep). Another reason could be that you used too much dressing. If this is the case, simply mix in a little more pasta until you get your desired consistency.
Comments
LOOOOVE this recipie!!! Has the perfect balance of zest, crispy, fresh, nutritious for late summer days! I used key lime vs lemon, a little more mayo because I used non-fat yogurt and it came out an itsy dry, regular onion bc I didn’t have purple, and macaroni instead of fusilli but it STILL was perfection! Had been looking for a summer pasta salad for a long time and this did not disappoint!
Yay! Aww, I’m so happy you found the recipe and loved it. Thank you so much, Fer!!
Recipe looks good! How would whole wheat pasta work?
Whole wheat pasta should work just fine! It will give it a heartier flavor (and more nutrients), I say go for it!!
Lovely Recipe Yumna! I love the addition of greek yogurt to reduce the amount of mayo needed. I was wondering however, does this work for meal prep? For how many days can I keep it in the fridge?
You sure can! It should last 3-4 days.
The flavors work together great! Yummy as a meal or side dish. Easy to make and will definitely be a repeat for me. Thanks so much for the recipe! 🙂
Thanks so much, Rachel! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Really loved this salad, the kids enjoyed it too!
I’m happy to hear you all enjoyed! Thank you!
Made this for a quick dinner, super easy and yummy. Packed it for lunch the next day it it took on another level of amazing!!! If you make this I highly recommend letting it sit in the fridge overnight, the flavors took on another level of perfectly coming together
Thank you so much! That is perfect. I love it!
omg! The flavors come together so nicely in this dish.
I prepared it a few hours ahead for a family dinner but I am so tempted to hide it and have it all to myself… it’s that good!
Thank you so much! I definitely relate to that!
My new go-to for lunch meal prep! We didn’t have peas so I used cucumbers and I replaced the yogurt with more mayo (I’m dairy free), and it still turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!
That is amazing to hear! I am glad you made it work and enjoyed it too!
I have made this pasta salad twice already and absolutely love it. I made it with and without peas and turned out very good both ways. Thank you for this! Now I have a nice go-to option for lunch.
That makes me so happy to hear! You’re so welcome!