FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook

• Why This Is The Best Tuna Salad Recipe
• Tuna Salad Ingredients & Substitutions
• How To Make Tuna Salad
• Storage Instructions
• Ways To Serve Tuna Salad
• More Hearty Salad Recipes
• Easy Tuna Salad Recipe card
• Recipe Reviews

When schedules get busy, meal prep recipes save me so much time — like this simple, easy tuna salad recipe ! It’s a great alternative to your usual lunchtime sandwich, and takes just minutes to put together. It’s a lot like my egg tuna salad (minus the egg) and my avocado tuna salad (except the creamy base uses mayo instead of avocado like my shrimp salad ). Toss in tangy pickles, and you get the best tuna salad ever!

Why This Is The Best Tuna Salad Recipe

• Balanced savory flavors
• Creamy, crunchy textures
• Simple, common ingredients — and not too many of them!
• Made in one bowl
• Ready in 10 minutes
• Perfect for a quick lunch, barbecues, or an easy snack

Tuna Salad Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains what to put in tuna salad, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card .

Dressing:

• Mayonnaise – I make my own homemade mayonnaise when I have time, but use store-bought when I’m in a rush. Either works! Greek yogurt would also make a fine substitute for a healthy tuna salad recipe.

• Lemon Juice – Fresh tastes best, but bottled lemon juice works as well. I don’t include the lemon zest, but you can add it if you want a more intense flavor.

• Dijon Mustard – You could also use regular yellow mustard.

• Sea Salt & Black Pepper

• Canned Tuna – You’ll need 3 5-ounce cans — use any kind you like. Many people prefer solid albacore for its texture, but I like to use a mix of chunk light and solid white albacore canned tuna — it’s the perfect balance of price and texture. I use the kind canned in water, but you could also use olive oil-packed tuna and use a little less mayo. Be sure to drain before using. (And if you have extra tuna, whip up my tuna patty recipe with it!)

• Celery – The crunchy texture provides a nice contrast to the creaminess of the tuna fish salad. You can also add in ¼ cup shredded carrot or chopped bell pepper for additional crunch, though it’s less traditional.

• Red Onion – Adds color, flavor, and crunch. Use white onion for a similar flavor, yellow onion for a sweeter flavor, or shallots or green onions for a milder flavor.

• Dill Pickles – I used finely chopped dill pickles, but you could use sweet pickle relish in this recipe for tuna salad. Just look out for added sugar, starch, or corn syrup on the label. I also tossed in pickled cauliflower (chopped finely) once because I had it on hand, and it worked surprisingly well!

• Fresh Parsley – Although optional, it adds a pop of color and a little flavor. Use it for garnish or mix it into the salad. You can also substitute 2 tablespoons of other fresh herbs, such as fresh chives or fresh dill.

How To Make Tuna Salad

This section shows how to make a tuna salad, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card .

1. Make the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper, until smooth. (I like to make the dressing right in the larger bowl for less dishes to wash, but you can also make the dressing in a medium bowl and then pour over the salad instead.)
2. Add the tuna salad ingredients. Add tuna, celery, onion, pickles, and parsley (if using). Fold gently until well coated.
3. Season. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate.

Storage Instructions

Store this salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s perfect for meal prep!

How Long Is Tuna Salad Good For?

Classic tuna salad will last up to 5 days in the fridge, but is best within 3 days.

Can You Freeze Tuna Salad?

No, freezing tuna salad recipes is not recommended, because the mayo-based dressing will weep and separate after thawing. If you really want to, you can freeze the salad without the dressing. Thaw overnight, then add the dressing.

Ways To Serve Tuna Salad

Nobody would judge you if you wanted to eat this easy tuna salad right out of the bowl! 😉 But if you want something a little more more filling, try these ideas:

• Tuna Salad Sandwich – Slather it between two slices of bread for a quick and easy sandwich. I love it on top of fluffy cloud bread !
• Tuna Melt – Butter one side of a bread, then top the unbuttered side of one of them with tuna salad, sliced tomatoes, and sliced cheese. Top with another bread slice, buttered side up (or skip for an open faced tuna melt). Bake or pan fry until the cheese melts.
• Crackers – If you’re not into sandwiches, you can simply eat it like a dip with crackers. For lighter options, try buttery almond flour crackers or crunchy flax seed crackers .
• Filling – Stuff this tuna salad recipe inside avocado halves (like a stuffed avocado ), hollowed out cucumbers (like a cucumber sub ), or a halved red bell pepper (like a bell pepper sandwich ).
• Lettuce Wraps – Serve it inside iceberg, romaine, Boston, or any other kind of lettuce leaves that are big enough to wrap. Or simply serve on a bed of lettuce!

More Hearty Salad Recipes

Want more easy lunch ideas? Try some of my other hearty salad recipes perfect for meal prep:

Recipe Video

Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise ▢
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice ▢
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard ▢
• 3/4 tsp Sea salt (to taste) ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper (to taste) ▢

Tuna Salad

• 3 5-oz cans Canned tuna (drained; I recommend a combination of solid white albacore and chunk light) ▢
• 1/2 cup Celery (diced finely) ▢
• 1/2 cup Red onion (diced finely) ▢
• 1/4 cup Dill pickles (finely chopped) ▢
• 2 tbsp Fresh parsley (optional; chopped) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth.
2. Add the tuna, celery, onion, pickles, and parsley (if using). Fold gently until well coated.
3. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
4. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to eat.

LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!

Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy .

Add Your NotesYour Notes

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.

Best Tuna Salad Recipe

Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List

• Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?
• The Basic Keto Meal Formula
• Understanding Macros
• Keto Food Swaps
• Keto Food List
• Electrolyte Basics
• Keto Diet Types
• Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?
• Recipe Reviews

Even though I have a great guide to starting a keto diet , people often ask me for a quick keto cheat sheet they can use. That’s why I created this simple keto diet cheat sheet , so that you can have all the info you need handy. We’ll cover the basic keto formula for building meals, foods to eat and to avoid, delicious keto swaps for high-carb foods, electrolyte basics, and 4 ways to follow the keto lifestyle.

You can keep reading to view this info, or download my keto cheat sheet printable pdf to print out or save ad-free on any device (plus the pdf has more details!).

Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?

Get all this information and MORE in convenient printer-friendly format – 13 cheat sheet pages you can take with you anywhere or keep in your kitchen, plus 4 recipe cookbooks! Includes:

1. Keto food list (230+ foods) – Super detailed & color-coded, with net carb counts, so you’ll know exactly what to eat.
2. Foods to avoid on keto – Detailed and specific list so that you know exactly what to watch out for.
3. Macros cheat sheet – Explains everything you need to know about macros to succeed on keto.
4. Keto food swaps (60+ foods) – Covers virtually every food you love, so you don’t have to miss out!
5. Keto meal formula – With specific food ideas, so it’s easy to mix-and-match.
6. Keto flu guide – Understand what it is and exactly how to avoid it.
7. Electrolyte cheat sheet – With whole food ideas + bonus keto tips.
8. Keto Diet Types – Summary of 4 ways to do keto, so you can choose what fits you best.
9. FOUR (4!) Keto Swaps Recipe EBooks – Dozens of recipes to replace bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, desserts, and other carbs you’d otherwise miss.

Get The Printable Keto Cheat Sheet System + EBooks (Only $37)

The Basic Keto Meal Formula

Eating keto doesn’t have to be complicated! While there are plenty of delicious easy keto recipes to choose from, you don’t even have to cook from a recipe to get started.

Simply follow the keto cheat sheet formula of protein + veggie + fat for your meals.

Be sure to choose a moderate amount of protein, only low carb vegetables (mostly ones that grow above ground), and generous fat to attain an optimal macro ratio. That’s approximately 60-75% of calories from fat, 20-25% protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates. The table below will give you ideas for what to choose.

Understanding Macros

Macros are macronutrients for short. They include fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

You can calculate your own macros using the macro calculator , but the macro keto cheat sheet below will explain how to look at macros when following a keto lifestyle.

Carbs Are A Limit.

Keeping carbs low is what gets you into ketosis and keeps you there. Ketosis means that you’re using fat as your primary energy source instead of sugar, and requires keeping carbs very low.

A good starting point is 20-25 grams net carbs per day, but you can experiment after a few weeks to see if your body stays in ketosis at higher levels. People who are very active may be able to do more and stay in ketosis, up to around 50 grams per day.

“Carbs are a limit” means that you set a limit for how many carbs to eat per day and don’t exceed it. You don’t have to hit that limit, so if you’re under that’s okay, just don’t go over. Ideally most of your carbs would come from low carb vegetables, and if you’re eating enough veggies, you’ll usually get close to the limit naturally.

A common misconception is that reaching ketosis requires a certain macro ratio, but it’s really only restricting your carb intake that gets you there [ * ]. In the absence of sufficient carbs to use as energy, the body will switch to using fat as fuel. This is called the metabolic state of ketosis.

Protein Is A Goal.

Protein is made up of amino acids, the building blocks of all our cells. It’s a crucial for keeping our muscles strong and for many cellular functions [ * ].

“Protein is a goal” means that you always want to eat enough protein to reach the goal each day, but not exceed it too much. You want enough for your needs, but excess protein can trigger gluconeogenesis, which is protein being converted to sugar [ * ] and can kick you out of ketosis.

Fat Is A Lever.

Fat is the primary macronutrient in a keto lifestyle, because being in ketosis means that fat is your primary fuel source. Fat as a fuel source will come from your food, and if you are losing weight, from your body.

A big advantage of a keto lifestyle is the high fat intake. It keeps you full and satisfied, making it easier to stick to, and using it as the primary fuel source makes it easier on your body to burn body fat, with a lower chance of breaking down your muscle (provided you get enough protein).

Aside from reaching your protein goal and limiting your carbs, the remainder of your calories on a keto diet comes from fat.

Don’t fear fat – it’s your main energy source on keto, and getting enough of it trains your body to use fat for fuel instead of sugar. That means that as long as you are not overdoing your overall calorie intake, you’ll efficiently burn your body fat for fuel as well.

“Fat is a lever” means that you can increase or decrease your fat intake depending on your goals and hunger levels. Increase it (along with exercise) to gain muscle, or decrease it to lose weight.

Keto Food Swaps

One of my favorite challenges is creating recipes, or just discovering, keto food swaps. These are delicious keto replacements for traditionally high-carb or high-sugar foods.

So, I created this keto diet cheat sheet with all the swaps in one place! I also have more keto food swaps in my Easy Keto Cookbook .

Keto Swaps For Breakfast

Keto Swaps For Bread

Keto Swaps For Meals & Side Dishes

Keto Swaps For Snacks & Sauces

Keto Swaps For Cooking & Baking

Keto Swaps For Drinks

If you’re looking specifically for keto alcohol options, browse the full keto alcohol guide .

Keto Food List

When looking for a keto cheat sheet printable, the most-requested information is a keto food list.

The great thing is that keto doesn’t have to feel restrictive. It’s incredibly satisfying and there’s such a wide variety of foods you can eat!

Foods To Eat On Keto

• Leafy greens – Such as spinach, chard, and lettuce.
• Above-ground veggies – Such as peppers, zucchini, and cauliflower.
• Full-fat cream & cheese – Such as heavy cream, sour cream, and full-fat hard cheeses.
• Natural meats – Such as beef, lamb, and pork.
• Berries – Such as raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
• Avocados
• Unsweetened nut milks – Such as almond milk and coconut milk.
• Almond flour and coconut flour
• Eggs
• Healthy fats – Such as coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil and butter.

Foods To Avoid On Keto

• White flour & sugar
• Rice & grains – Such as barley, wheat, and corn.
• Milk & yogurt – Such as fruit on the bottom yogurt, sweetened Greek yogurt, and all milk.
• Cereal
• Processed food – Such as granola bars, candy
• Most fruit – Such as apples, bananas, and grapes
• Hydrogenated fats – Such as vegetable oil, soybean oil, and margarine
• Sweetened beverages & condiments – Such as soda, ketchup, and sweet dressings
• Starchy veggies – Such as peas, carrots, and beets.
• Potatoes – Such as sweet potatoes and white potatoes.

That’s the short keto diet cheat sheet version of all the keto food categories, but I recommend downloading the full Keto Cheat Sheet System. It includes a super detailed printable keto food list with over 100 items, including 2 color-coded pages with net carb counts, along with 6 more pages of keto cheat sheets:

Get The Keto Cheat Sheet System PDF (Only $37)

Electrolyte Basics

Getting enough electrolytes is crucial for anyone, but especially so on a keto diet. The reason is that ketosis has a diuretic effect, which increases excretion of water and electrolytes, especially sodium [ * ]. This is often the cause of the keto flu.

For more details on electrolytes and avoiding keto flu, check out the full keto flu guide here .

The important thing to know about electrolytes is that replenishing them will keep keto flu away and keep your body functioning well. I always recommend an electrolyte drink and whole food sources of anything your body needs before resorting to supplements, so I made a list of what to eat to get each of the 3 major electrolytes – sodium, magnesium and potassium.

Here’s your keto diet cheat sheet for getting electrolytes from food:

Keto Diet Types

People follow a keto lifestyle for different reasons. Some do it just to lose weight, others are after better overall health, increased energy, and reduced inflammation.

Strictly speaking, the defining factor of a keto diet is the metabolic state of ketosis, which is achieved by restricting carbs. However, many people (myself included) also reduce or eliminate processed, inflammatory, or low-nutrient foods.

Below is your keto cheat sheet summary of the different ways that people follow keto. You choose what works best for your goals and lifestyle!

• Strict Keto – Up to 20-30g net carbs daily, count all calories and macros, and eat clean, unprocessed foods.
• Lazy Keto – Up to 20-30g net carbs daily, and track only net carbs OR eat keto foods without tracking.
• Dirty Keto – Up to 20-30g net carbs daily, with “if it fits your macros” approach including processed foods.
• Low Carb – Up to 50-100g net carbs daily, less strict.

For a more detailed listing of these different types of keto with pros and cons, grab the Easy Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF below!

Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?

Get all this information and MORE in convenient printer-friendly format – 13 cheat sheet pages you can take with you anywhere or keep in your kitchen, plus 4 recipe cookbooks! Includes:

1. Keto food list (230+ foods) – Super detailed & color-coded, with net carb counts, so you’ll know exactly what to eat.
2. Foods to avoid on keto – Detailed and specific list so that you know exactly what to watch out for.
3. Macros cheat sheet – Explains everything you need to know about macros to succeed on keto.
4. Keto food swaps (60+ swaps) – Covers virtually every food you love, so you don’t have to miss out!
5. Keto meal formula – With specific food ideas, so it’s easy to mix-and-match.
6. Keto flu guide – Understand what it is and exactly how to avoid it.
7. Electrolyte cheat sheet – With whole food ideas + bonus keto tips.
8. Keto Diet Types – Summary of 4 ways to do keto, so you can choose what fits you best.
9. FOUR (4!) Keto Swaps Recipe EBooks – Dozens of recipes to replace bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, desserts, and other carbs you’d otherwise miss.

Get The Printable Keto Cheat Sheet System (75 pages, Only $37!)

Easy Tuna Salad

Make the best tuna salad recipe in just 10 minutes: Creamy, crunchy, and full of flavor, with simple ingredients and the best dressing!

Scan this QR code with your phone’s camera for the full recipe, including tips, step-by-step photos, and storage, or to save it to your account. You can also find it at: https://www.wholesomeyum.com/tuna-salad-recipe/

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp Sea salt (to taste)
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper (to taste)

Tuna Salad

• 3 5-oz cans Canned tuna (drained; I recommend a combination of solid white albacore and chunk light)
• 1/2 cup Celery (diced finely)
• 1/2 cup Red onion (diced finely)
• 1/4 cup Dill pickles (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp Fresh parsley (optional; chopped)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth.
2. Add the tuna, celery, onion, pickles, and parsley (if using). Fold gently until well coated.
3. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
4. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy .

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. :)