Healthy Mediterranean Tuna Salad (No Mayo) (2024)

BySamantha Rowland Posted onJanuary 17, 2019March 1, 2024 Updated onMarch 1, 2024

Mediterranean tuna salad (no mayo) is the perfect lunch or quick dinner recipe! Ready in just 5 minutes, this healthy tuna salad recipe has a bright lemon dressing and is packed with veggies. Serve on a sandwich, lettuce, in lettuce cups or with crackers for a filling, protein packed meal.

Ingredients

Salad

• Skipjack tuna – you can also use albacore tuna, but skipjack is often the lowest in mercury since it’s a small fish and it’s usually more budget friendly. You could also make this with canned salmon or canned chicken as well.
• Bell peppers – bell peppers add crunch and color and a touch of sweetness. I recommend red, orange or yellow for the best flavor.
• Red onion – red onion provides a unique flavor and is mellowed out a bit by the lemon dijon dressing. Typical tuna salad recipes often include red onion because of how well it goes with tuna, and this healthy tuna salad recipe is no different.
• Cucumber – cucumbers provide crunch and help make this no mayo tuna salad super filling.
• Roasted red pepper (optional) – I love the contrast between the roasted red pepper and fresh bell pepper. I find the roasted red pepper to be a bit sweeter and if you have them on hand, it’s a great addition to canned tuna salads.
• Capers (or chopped kalamata olives) – capers provide a briny, salty addition to the tuna salad, and I think they help make this salad extra-ordinary in flavor.
• Fresh flat leaf parsley – flat leaf parsley helps to add a fresh element to the salad and really helps to make the flavors fresh and bright. You could also use fresh mint, basil or fresh oregano (not as much oregano as parsley though as it’s overpowering).

Dressing for tuna salad:

• Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is best in this recipe. You can use bottled if needed but I really think fresh is best!
• Olive oil – olive oil helps to coat the salad ingredients and emulsifies with the lemon juice to create a super yummy dressing.
• Dijon mustard – dijon mustard helps to emulsify the dressing (make it thick and allow the oil to bind with water from the lemon juice). Dijon also adds so much flavor to the dressing.
• Spices: Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning), salt, garlic powder – these spices help to bring flavor to the dressing and the salad and are easy to find.

How to make healthy tuna salad without mayo

Start by chopping all the veggies, making sure they are bite size pieces. For the fresh parsley, you will want to finely chop it so that it incorporates throughout the salad.

Drain the tuna and add it to a large bowl with the rest of the chopped vegetables

Next make the lemon herb dressing by adding everything to a mixing bowl and stirring with a fork or a whisk until well incorporated.

Pour The dressing over the tuna salad and stir well.

Other additions to Mediterranean tuna salad

• Cooked broccoli, asparagus or cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
• Artichokes (canned or jarred)
• Olives (kalamata would be amazing)
• Fresh mint, oregano or basil
• Hearts of palm
• Shredded carrots
• Sundried tomatoes
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Lemon zest

How to serve tuna salad with vinaigrette

This healthy chopped Mediterranean salad does not have to just be eaten on a sandwich or on salad greens! Here are some fun ways to serve tuna salad that you may not have thought of:

– Stuffed in a bell pepper
– On crackers
– Stuffed in a cucumber boat
– On cucumber rounds
– On sweet potato toast or regular toast for tuna sandwiches
– Fill avocados
– Stuff in tomatoes
– Fill celery sticks
– In collard green wraps
– In lettuce cups
– In red cabbage leaf cups

Common questions

What is the best kind of tuna to use for tuna salad

I personally love tuna in olive oil (vs. tuna in water). It has so much more flavor and I feel like it isn’t quite as dry. However, this recipe was tested with skipjack tuna in water, so don’t feel like you need tuna in oil for great results.

I love both skipjack tuna and albacore tuna, but usually buy skipjack because it’s more budget friendly and also has less mercury than albacore.

When looking for canned tuna, I think it’s important to consider the fishing practices, to ensure that the fish were sustainably caught (this helps to ensure that overfishing won’t happen). Look for the words pole caught, line caught or troll caught on the can.

What can you use instead of mayo in tuna salad

If you want the same traditional creamy consistency but don’t love mayo, you could use greek yogurt, mashed avocado or even cottage cheese instead of mayo. Or you could try a tahini based dressing as tahini creates a creamy dressing without any dairy or mayo.

To switch things up and want a different take on tuna salad, you can use a vinaigrette or your favorite dressing (like this creamy basil dressing) instead of mayo!

Can you make this no mayo tuna salad recipe in advance

Yes, you can easily make this healthy tuna salad recipe in advance. It stores well in the fridge overnight and tastes even better the next day. Since the veggies can start to lose some of their shape, I don’t recommend making this more than 24 hours in advance if you are serving it to a crowd.

Storing leftovers

• Fridge: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The veggies may start to get soft at this point, but the flavor will still be delicious!
• Freezer: You can freeze traditional tuna salad but I would not recommend freezing this recipe because of the veggies that are added.

If you love this recipe, you should try

Mexican Tuna Salad

Super Simple Salmon Bites

Smoked salmon cucumber bites

Tuna Caesar Salad

See Also

Chicken Shawarma - Middle Eastern Style, Healthy, Low Carb RecipeBalsamic Chicken with Onions and Mushrooms | easy and low carbKeto Big Mac Smash Burgers - 2 Net Carbs Per ServingKeto Sesame Pork and Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes