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With just a few ingredients, this Homemade Tuna Salad recipe makes a quick and easy lunch. Serve on bread for a tuna salad sandwich, in a lettuce wrap, or straight from the bowl.
As a child, I wasn’t a huge fan of tuna salad sandwiches. But, thankfully, my tastes have changed as an adult! This classic tuna salad is just what you’d expect for a quick and easy lunch. With canned tuna, mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and a few other ingredients, it’s super flavorful and creamy.
Why This Recipe Works
- Creamy and tangy. Made with creamy mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, tangy lemon juice, and crunchy celery, every bite of this tuna salad is packed with flavor.
- Super simple to make. There are essentially two steps to this easy recipe: drain the tuna and combine the ingredients. (Draining the tuna is a very important part, though, to avoid a watery dish.)
- Great for lunch or dinner. You can make this tuna salad recipe in advance to enjoy chilled for lunch, or dig in right away as a light dinner. Either way works!
- Adaptable. There are so many ways to switch up a homemade tuna salad. You can add mustard, diced apples, herbs, and more – check out the variations section below for more ideas.
What You’ll Need
This easy tuna salad recipe requires just 8 ingredients. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts and the full set of directions.
- Tuna – Tuna packed in water is best. Oil will make this salad a bit too greasy.
- Mayonnaise – Be sure to use a quality brand of mayo, like Hellman’s.
- Celery – Adds some crunch to the salad.
- Sweet pickle relish – Dill relish can be used as well, but I like a hint of sweetness in my tuna salad.
- Lemon juice – Tangy lemon always pairs well with tuna and really enhances the other flavors.
- Garlic
- Salt & pepper
How to Make Tuna Salad
- Combine the ingredients. Mix the drained tuna with all of the other ingredients.
- Serve. Serve as desired (see suggestions below). You can also let it chill for a few hours before serving if you like.
Tips & Variations
- Make sure to drain the tuna well. The dish will come out too watery otherwise, and it won’t be possible to make sandwiches/wraps.
- How to change up your salad with more mix-ins. Green/red onions, Dijon mustard, parsley, diced apples, diced cucumbers, and shredded cabbage would all work fabulously in this salad.
- Substitute the mayo. Not a huge fan of mayonnaise? No problem, use some plain yogurt instead. (You can also partially substitute with yogurt, if you would like.)
- Kick up the heat. If you like a little heat in your tuna salad, try adding some curry powder!
Serving Suggestions
- Sandwiches: The most common way to use this recipe is in a sandwich. Personally, I love making tuna salad sandwiches on croissants with tomato and lettuce, as you see in the photo. You can also use regular bread.
- Lettuce wraps: You can make a tuna salad lettuce wrap with a nice, crispy iceberg lettuce leaf.
- Pasta: If you want to make this a slightly more substantial meal, cook some pasta and add it in to make a tuna pasta salad.
- Crackers: Or, enjoy this easy tuna salad recipe as a snack with crackers right from the bowl!
Proper Storage
Homemade tuna salad will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep it covered in an airtight container. It’s perfect for making in advance and having lunch ready to go for the next few days!
I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
More Easy Salad Ideas
Add as Google Trusted SourceTuna Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cans tuna packed in water, drained (5 ounce cans)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup celery, minced
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Drain the liquid from the tuna cans. Then, add the tuna and the rest of the ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Stir all of the ingredients together until well combined.
- Serve the tuna salad as-is out of a bowl, wrapped up in lettuce, or in a sandwich.
Notes
- Storage: Homemade tuna salad will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep it covered in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delish, but I must add onion to mine!
I add chopped onion and hard boiled eggs to mine. Sometimes I add diced pickled Jalapeño peppers instead of pickle relish. Just for that extra kick. I always toast my bread.