You guys, this is crazy.

Vegan "Tuna" Salad

What do we have here?

A mock tuna salad made almost entirely out of almonds and sunflowerย seeds. I know. Mind blow. No mayo…no meat, no cooking…just you, the ingredients, and a blender.

Before you cock your head to the side with eyes glazed over and promptly bounce out, lemme ‘splain myself.

This copycat “tuna” salad tastes puuurdy similar to the real thing. Because it’s made with nuts, it’s a great high-protein food that is perfect for vegetarians, vegans, anyone who is trying to lower their intake of meat, or forย those who, like me, are curious about experimenting with flavors and ingredients. The salad turns out with a lemony-parsley flavor with a soft, yet nutty texture.

I used this salad in sandwiches and on green salads for added protein. It was also great on crackers and I could see it going over really well with guests when served as a dip.

Vegan "Tuna" Salad | made with almonds and sunflower seeds!

In order to make this recipe, you soak almonds and sunflower seedsย before blending. they are still a bit tough to blend, so I definitely recommend using a high-powered blender or food processor. I used my Blendtec Blender, which did a fabulous job of blending up the tough almonds and sunflower seeds. Trying this in a less powerful blender would probably end in a lot of frustration and a lot of coarsely-chopped nuts and seeds.

Vegan "Tuna" Salad

I had the overwhelming urge to eat the vegan “tuna” salad in abundance, so I was careful to remind myself that, no, I do not need to eat a month’s worth of nuts in one sitting. ย In spite of the restraining order I put on myself, I did get a bit carried away with the salad a time or two…as in, I ate the whole thing in two sittings. Just joking. Not really.

For this epic mind boggle, head over to Oh My Veggies and get my Vegan Tuna Salad recipe.

Julia Mueller
Meet the Author

Julia Mueller

Julia Mueller is a recipe developer, cookbook author, and founder of The Roasted Root. She has authored three bestselling cookbooks, – Paleo Power Powers, Delicious Probiotic Drinks, and The Quintessential Kale Cookbook. Her recipes have been featured in several national publications such as BuzzFeed, Self, Tasty, Country Living, Brit.co, etc.

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Questions and Reviews

  1. My mind is going to be blown over this for the rest of the week. And maybe even the month. So excited to get it in my belly!

  2. Just when I think I’ve about calculated your next move, you pull a mock tuna salad on me. Well played, Julia. Well played.

    1. Next thing you know, I’ll be side-swiping everyone with a legit cinnamon roll recipe. Oh yeah, and I do mean one with all the glutens and all the cane sugars. Just you wait, my dear…juuuust you wait.

      Okay, that’s probably not going to happen, so I should can the lead-up.

  3. Omg I have had the same craving!!! I am making some tonight too! Wiiiierrrdddd, tuna salad cravings abound! So clever using nuts!

  4. Loving this! I have a strong aversion to mayo, so this is perfect for me. Thanks for sharing!

  5. this is a pretty interesting recipe …never thought of nuts to make mock tuna salad.

  6. Oh yeah, this is my kind of recipe. I’ve had chickpea tuna salad on a “tuna melt” and it was really good but when I tried to recreate it at home, it sucked. This, however, looks like it does not suck. I predict this will be happening soon!

    1. Haha! Yup, this recipe un-sucks. It’s pretty phenom! Let me know if you try it! Although, I’m not sure if the melt part would work…worth a try, though!

  7. This is such a great idea! I’ve made mock tuna salads before and have never been impressed. Chickpeas are most people’s go-to for it, but come on, everyone. Chickpea “tuna” basically tastes like chickpeans with a little seaweed, it’s baaaaad. But this looks delightful and delicious!

    1. Ahhh naaaaaah! I’ve only heard faint whisperings of the chickpea “tuna” salad with kelp granules, so I don’t know much about it at all. Thinking I’d best stick with this recipe, then!