Easy tuna salad made with three basic ingredients. This mayo-free tuna salad recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make, is packed with healthy fats and protein, and is perfect for work lunches.
I almost didn’t share this recipe on account of the fact it’s so easy. After a little back and forth, I reasoned that I, myself, am always looking for inspiration for lunch, so I figured you could potentially get some good use out of it.
Made with three simple ingredients, this mayo-free tuna salad recipe requires just tuna, avocado, and lemon juice. The avocado replaces mayonnaise for a creamy tuna salad that’s full of healthier fats.
I’ve found the ratio of 1 can of tuna : 1/2 an avocado : 1 tablespoon of lemon juice yield a marvelous result. You can play with the ratio, or multiply it by any number to feed more people.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Tuna Salad:
- Fun fact: Did you know tuna has a HUGE amount of protein per weight? It’s one of the most protein-rich animal proteins you can eat. For those of you who are cognizant of your protein intake, tuna is a great option and it’s also low in calories.
- You can customize this tuna salad concept to your heart’s delight.
- It only takes a few minutes to whip up – ideal for workweek lunches!
Ingredients for This Mayo-Free Avocado Tuna Salad
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this mayo-free avocado tuna salad. And that’s right, there are only 3 ingredients to think about here (and a pinch of salt!).
Tuna: The protein-packed base of this salad! Canned tuna is convenient, budget-friendly, and surprisingly satisfying. I like using wild-caught and sustainably sourced tuna in water for a cleaner flavor that isn’t too heavy. But feel free to use what you have on hand!
Avocado: The all-star ingredient that takes the place of mayonnaise. It adds richness, healthy fats, and an impressive buttery texture that mimics mayo magically.
Make sure it’s ripe but not mushy. You want to be able to mash it with a fork, but not have it be too soft or brown.
Fresh lemon juice: A zesty and bright addition to this salad. The tang cuts through the richness of the avo and brings the salad to life!
Sea salt: Even a pinch goes a long way here to enhance the flavors.
Recipe Customizations
- Want to switch it up? Add a little Dijon or stone ground mustard, toss in chopped veggies, or play around with herbs and spices. It’s super versatile.
- Add a little spicy kick with a dash of hot sauce, sriracha, or red pepper flakes.
- Toss in some fresh dill, parsley, or chives for herby flavor.
- If you’re making this as part of a Mediterranean-inspired lunch, why not throw in capers, sun-dried tomatoes, or chopped olives?
- I love global spice blends, so why not throw in a dash of curry powder to make things more interesting?
- If it’s not quite creamy enough, you can add a little plain Greek yogurt or a drizzle of olive oil. It’s a minor change to the recipe, but it might shift the texture a little more to your liking.
How to Make Mayo-Free Avocado Tuna Salad
Add all of your tuna salad ingredients to a small mixing bowl.
Stir together until well-combined.
Add sea salt to taste and enjoy on top of a green salad or in a sandwich! It is great in lettuce wraps for a light lunch too.
I usually eat this on top of greens for a quick, balanced meal. Think spinach, shredded carrot, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, almonds, and goat cheese with a simple homemade dressing. It’s great in sandwiches, wraps, or on its own, too.
A quick note on storage!
I highly recommend keeping this recipe in a sealed container in the fridge to keep it fresh. It’ll stay good for up to 3 days – and nope, the avocado won’t turn brown.
The only reason I haven’t tested it past the three day mark is because I’ve consumed it before it has sat longer. But I’m willing to bet you could stretch it to 4 or 5 days.
So if you like to make big batches of food for work lunches, this would be a fantastic recipe to quadruple.
Love tuna? Also try out these amazing recipes.
More Tuna Recipes:
- Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Tuna Rice Casserole
- Avocado Tuna Salad
- Cucumber Dill Avocado Tuna Salad
3-Ingredient Mayo-Free Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 (5-oz) cans 5-ounce can tuna drained
- 1 large ripe avocado pitted and mashed
- 1 to 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice to taste
- 1 pinch sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all tuna salad ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir together until well-combined. Sea salt to taste and enjoy on top of a green salad or in a sandwich. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
yummy! So easy so and so good and so healthy! Thank you for posting this. I will be making this more often!
I love hearing that, Dana! Thank you for following up to share your experience 🙂
My parents used to make tuna salad sandwiches that they’d keep in the freezer, so all my brother and I had to do was take a sandwich every day to school, and it’d be thawed and good in time for lunches.
Can this tuna salad be frozen?
What a great idea!! I’ve never frozen this particular recipe, but my guess is the avocado may thaw a bit funky…I imagine it would be a bit brown and liquidy, but I can’t be sure having never tried it. It may be worth freezing just a small amount of it to test it before freezing a whole batch!
made this today. it was PERFECT and so easy!!
Woop woop! So thrilled to hear it! Thanks so much for letting me know, Diana!
What kind of dressing did you use on this salad? It looks good as you have it pictured.
Such an easy and healthy salad recipe. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I’m all about no-mayo recipes so I’m glad you posted it! I love that you used avocado — this is something I would truly enjoy!