This quick, simple, and healthy avocado tuna salad comes together in just 5 minutes! With briny pickles and tangy mustard to elevate the creamy avocado and briny tuna, this nutritious and wholesome recipe is perfect for filling sandwiches or enjoying in a salad.

Avocado Tuna Salad on two slices of bread sitting on a white plate with a grey napkin to the side.

If you follow my Instagram stories, you know I had a massive craving for a tuna melt and white wine earlier this month.

Yielding to the craving, one of my girlfriends and I gathered up all sorts of tuna melting ingredients, grabbed a bottle of sauvignon blanc, and created the most epic Tuna Melt Fest known to human kind.

Because the responses I got from my Instagram story were so sensational, I figured I would share my go-to avocado tuna salad recipe so that you, too, can have a marvelous tuna melt extravaganza.

I used to make a 3-Ingredient Mayo-Free Avocado Tuna Salad without mayonnaise altogether but I now add a small amount of avocado oil mayonnaise.

I find this helps with the texture and creaminess, and it doesn’t take much! In addition, I chop up some dill pickles (use the naturally fermented ones for added probiotic points), and add stone ground mustard for tang to complement the creamy texture and flavor.

Crackers with tuna salad on top sitting on a plate, ready to serve. house plants in the background.

Let’s discuss the five simple ingredients for my tuna fish salad with avocado!

Ingredients for Avocado Tuna Salad

Light Tuna: Less intense than the fresh variety, canned tuna has a light fishiness and a satisfyingly hearty taste. It’s got a long shelf life and requires very little preparation, making it perfect for a quick and easy salad! I use Wild Planet yellowfin tuna.

Ripe Avocados: The creamy base of this easy avocado tuna salad. The heart-healthy fats complement our savory tuna in both texture and taste. Add extra avocado for extra creamy texture.

Avocado Oil Mayonnaise: This healthier, heart-friendly alternative to regular mayonnaise is free from highly processed vegetable oils, making it a winner in my book.

You don’t need much mayo to turn this avocado tuna salad into a rich, creamy delight! Plain Greek yogurt works here too.

Stone Ground Mustard: Adds some tangy sharpness and a subtle heat to this tuna avocado salad. The coarse grains in stone-ground mustard add a pleasingly rustic element to proceedings.

Dill Pickles: Finely chopped dill pickles bring a fresh, herbaceous, and salty note to this dish. It seriously elevates the tuna and provides a delightfully contrasting texture.

Sea Salt: Just a little, to taste!

Recipe Customizations

Regular mayonnaise works just fine for this recipe.
Diced bread and butter pickles or pepperoncinis are good substitutes for dill pickles!
Likewise, Dijon mustard will provide you with much of the same flavor as stone-ground, without the coarse texture. You could even use a small amount of mustard powder in a pinch!
Toss in fresh herbs like fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, or fresh basil.
Mix in kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or chopped artichoke hearts for extra flavor.

How to Make Tuna Avocado Salad

Finely dice the dill pickles, and peel and chop the avocado. Add them to a mixing bowl, along with the drained tuna, mustard, mayonnaise, and sea salt.

Ingredients for avocado tuna salad in a mixing bowl to make tuna fish salad.

Stir well until everything is combined. Give it a taste, and add more of any of the ingredients if required.

Avocado tuna salad in a bowl, all mixed up and ready to serve.

Let it chill in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for 30 minutes if you want it cold, then serve! Enjoy it as is, in a lettuce wrap, or make a tuna sandwich.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Because this recipe contains avocado, I recommend enjoying all of it by the next day for optimal freshness.

What Does It Taste Like?

It’s creamy, hearty, and surprisingly complex!

Given the relatively short list of ingredients, this avocado tuna salad is all things creamy and tangy.

Buttery avocado is perfect in a classic tuna salad, and the mustard and dill pickles add a lovely layer of complexity.

Recipe Tips

Opt for tuna packed in spring water rather than oil to cut down on unnecessary calories!
Store any leftover tuna avocado salad in an airtight container, and it’ll keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Add a small squeeze of fresh lemon or lime to help prevent the avocado from turning brown.
If you use recipes like this for meal prep, I recommend leaving out the avocado until just before you eat it.

Avocado tuna salad on crackers on a plate, ready to serve.

This fresh, light, and satisfying avocado tuna salad is as simple to prepare as it is tasty. This nutrient-rich meal is the perfect way of meeting your daily protein intake goals and makes a fabulous light lunch!

Enjoy this avocado tuna salad? Here are five more tantalizing tuna recipes for you to try!

More Tuna Recipes:

Enjoy this healthy tuna salad recipe!