Easy Avocado Tuna Salad {video}
This Easy Avocado Tuna Salad is a delicious, heart-healthy twist on the traditional tuna salad recipe. No mayo necessary thanks to the creamy, rich avocado. It’s super flavorful, easy to make and the perfect 5-minute no cook lunch or dinner; that’s packed with protein and nutrition. Pile it on bread for a delicious sandwich, stuff it in a tortilla wrap or scoop it in lettuce cups. Great for Whole30, Paleo, Keto and low-carb diets.
Salads are my favorite for lunch. I pretty much eat one every day, such as my skinny egg salad or this copycat Magnolia Market chicken salad. And a good tuna salad is always a favorite! It’s a quick, easy, nutrient-rich meal that can be served a variety of ways.
If you’re a fan of tuna and you love avocado then this avocado tuna salad is for you. I personally think adding avocado to tuna salad is even more delicious than the original! The avocado adds a wonderful flavor and a creamy texture to the salad and replaces mayo making this meal super healthy.
As an added plus, avocado tuna salad is versatile enough to serve in lots of different ways. Serve it up in a wrap, on sandwich bread, over a bed of baby spinach, topped on apple slices or use it as a dip with crackers or tortilla chips. The options are pretty much endless!
How Do You Make Avocado Tuna Salad?
This recipe starts with canned tuna, which is drained and flaked in a bowl. You can use your favorite variety of canned tuna in oil or water. I like to use albacore or white tuna packed in water, but any type of tuna or even salmon will work.
Mix the tuna with the finely diced celery, chopped avocado, thinly sliced red onion, and chopped fresh cilantro to form the base of the salad. A simple lemon or lime dressing goes over the top, then the final step is to toss, eat and enjoy!
Tips For Making Avocado Tuna Salad
- When draining the tuna, try to drain as much water (or oil) as possible before mixing the tuna with the other ingredients.
- Choose soft, but not overripe avocados. You want to make sure your avocados are soft, but not too soft. If they are more on the firm side, the tuna salad won’t be creamy.
- Mash up the avocado as much or little as you like. As seen in the pictures, I usually keep my avocado in coarsely chopped pieces, but feel free to make this salad extra creamy by mashing it all up.
- To make this salad ahead of time, simply stir all ingredients together, except the avocados. When you’re ready to serve, mix in the avocado. You can make this salad about a day in advance.
Tuna Salad Variations
This avocado tuna salad is a very simple recipe and I personally love it as-is, but there are so many ways to make this salad your own and customize it to your preferences!
- Vegetables: You can add other veggies to the mix such as cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, corn and/or olives.
- Beans: Try adding canned beans for an extra dose of protein and fiber. I would suggest using only 1 avocado and a can of beans that have been drained and rinsed. Chickpeas or cannellini beans work great in this salad.
- Cheese: For an added flavor dimension, sprinkle in a little cheese to the salad, such as feta or crumbled cotija.
- Herbs: If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can replace it with parsley, chives or fresh dill.
- Additions: Sometimes I like to add in crumbled bacon and/or a couple of chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Serving Suggestions
There are variety of delicious ways to serve this avocado tuna salad. Which is your favorite?
- Bread: Pile the salad on toasted or untoasted bread with any other favorite sandwich fixins.
- Pita: Stuff the tuna salad into pita bread halves.
- Crackers or Chips: Scoop up the salad with your favorite crackers or chips.
- Apple Slices: Load the salad on top of large thin slices of apple.
- Lettuce Cups: Spoon the salad into romaine or butter lettuce leaves.
- Tomato: Fill the salad into a large tomato with the meaty part of the tomato spooned out.
- Wrap: Add the tuna salad to a tortilla wrap and roll it up. Or wrap it in a large burrito-size tortilla and toast it in a skillet, crunchwrap style.
This avocado tuna salad truly takes the classic tuna salad from ordinary to extraordinary! I make it on the regular. It’s just that good! Trust me and give it a try!
More Salad Recipes To Try
If you try this easy avocado tuna salad recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Watch the video, below, to see just how simple this recipe is to whip up!
This Easy Avocado Tuna Salad is a delicious, heart-healthy twist on the traditional tuna salad recipe. No mayo necessary thanks to the creamy, rich avocado. It's super flavorful, easy to make and the perfect 5-minute no cook lunch or dinner that’s packed with protein and nutrition. Pile it on bread for a delicious sandwich, stuff it in a tortilla wrap or scoop it in lettuce cups. Great for Whole30, Paleo, Keto and low-carb diets.
- 3 cans tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
- 2 large celery stalks, finely sliced and diced
- 3 medium avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced and diced (can roughly mash, if preferred)
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (substitute with fresh parsley, if preferred)
- 1/2 medium lemon, juiced (lime juice will work)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper + more to taste
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In a large serving bowl, combine drained tuna, diced celery, diced (or slightly mashed) avocado, thinly sliced red onion, and fresh cilantro.
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In a small bowl or jar, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Pour dressing over tuna mixture and toss to combine. Serve with chips or crackers, in a wrap, as a sandwich or in lettuce cups. Enjoy!
To store: Cover with plastic wrap to keep the avocado from browning. The tuna salad should last 2 days in the fridge if covered properly.
Make ahead: This salad can be made up to a day before you plan to serve it. Simply omit the avocado, then stir in the avocado right before serving.
Photos by Sasha at Eat Love Eats.
Did you make this recipe?
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This post was updated with new content on 2/5/20.
This was even more delicious than I expected. Great for quick and easy lunches!
This was extra tasty!! I loved in lettuce wraps and my kids used it as a dip with chips. Will definitely make again!
This was so flavorful!! And what a great idea to put the tuna salad on top of apple slices – YUM!
Really good! Added some hot sauce to pop flavor. This will be a regular in our menu.
That’s an awesome idea! So glad you enjoyed!
Simply delish!
I halved the recipe because I am a solo household. I was looking for something fast and easy and I had all the ingredients. It come together nicely, added a pinch of cayenne. Will definitely make again.
So glad that you enjoyed and it worked well to half the recipe! Thanks so much for taking time to leave feedback!
LOVE this twist for a tuna salad. Easy and DELICIOUS.
This recipe is a favorite that I make at least a couple of times a month. Sometimes we even use chicken instead of tuna.
I absolutely love this tuna salad recipe! It’s so simple, yet so flavorful!
Excellent recipe. Did not miss the mayo at all. We added our usual tuna toppings on each wrap, lettuce, tomato, spicy peppers and hot mustard, and one sandwich easily filled us up. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Laura! And thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment!
It’s a winner for sure! Had all the ingredients on hand. Great fats and proteins, low carb. thank you!
My favorite tuna salad ever! I love how easy and tasty this recipe is!
Made it! Loved it! Substituted avocado oil for olive oil, reduced, slightly the amount of celery, used 1/4 cup, added two tablespoons of diced jalapenos, one tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning. So good!
Great way to make tuna salad; I have no problem with mayo, but I often sub avocado as a bread spread. What really pulls the flavors together is the lemon juice.
Awesome flavor! I just made this and am really enjoying it! I know I will make it often. Thank you!
This was so good! I replaced celery with cucumber and opted out oil, cilantro, and onion. I added old bay seasoning and a little lemon pepper. My toddler enjoyed it on honey wheat!! Thank you!!
Love your substitutions! So glad you and your little one enjoyed! And thanks so much for taking time to comment!
Just made this. It’s sooooo good! What a delicious and healthy lunch option. Thanks, Kim!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed!! Thanks for your comment!