Tuna salad can be really delicious when it’s done right. My Classic Tuna Salad recipe has all the basics plus a few upgrades like walnuts and a hit of lemon, which makes this recipe a far cry from the gloopy mess I remember from childhood lunches. I’ve also included a few tips for making a good tuna salad with plenty of flavor and texture, and a few optional add-ins so you can make it your own. Let’s go get it!
“This is my go to tuna salad. It’s so crisp and refreshing yet filling.”
Brandy
Easy Tuna Salad Recipe
In my opinion, to make a good tuna salad, you want to use good tuna, make a dressing that has flavor dynamic, and add in some crunchies to give the salad some texture…something to chew on. I use chunk light tuna to keep things budget-friendly, mayo, simple seasonings, and lemon juice for the dressing, and I mix in plenty of celery, walnuts, and green onions for crunch. No more bland mush!
Budget-Saving Tip
If you’re looking to save a little, go with chunk light tuna. It’s usually one of the most affordable options and works great in this recipe. It has smaller, more shredded pieces, but once it’s mixed with the dressing and add-ins, you won’t miss the bigger chunks. Solid albacore is more expensive, but you’ll get nice, big, solid chunks of fish that give your salad more texture. However, for everyday meals, chunk light gets the job done without stretching your grocery budget.
Classic Tuna Salad
Equipment
-
Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 12oz. cans chunk light tuna in water $5.00*
- 1 cup celery diced, (about 2 ribs), $0.35
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped, $0.30
- 2 green onions sliced, $0.20
- ½ cup mayonnaise $0.40**
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice $0.04
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.02
- ¼ tsp salt $0.02
Instructions
-
Drain the canned tuna well. Finely dice the celery, chop the walnuts, and slice the green onions.
-
Combine the tuna, celery, walnuts, green onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine.
-
Serve as a sandwich, salad over a bed of greens, or with crackers and vegetables for dipping. Refrigerate up to four days.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Classic Tuna Salad Step-by-Step Photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Combine the ingredients: Drain two 12 oz. cans of chunk light tuna in water. Finely dice about one cup of celery, chop ¼ cup walnuts, and slice two green onions. Add the tuna, celery, walnuts, green onions to a bowl with ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Stir the ingredients well to combine.
Serve: Now it’s ready to serve! I do like my salad a little bit dry, so if you prefer, you can always add an extra tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to make it a little “softer.”
What Else Can I Add?
There are several things you can add to your tuna salad to add texture (and flavor). I like to add celery and walnuts. They each have their own “brand” of crunch that really adds to the interest as you chew (mushy is boring). Here are some other ingredients you can add into this recipe for texture:
- Sunflower seeds
- Shredded carrots
- Pickle relish
- Shredded radish
- Pickled carrots
- Olives
- Capers
- Dried cranberries
- White beans
- Hard boiled eggs
Serving Suggestions
There are several ways I like to serve this salad. We’re all familiar with the classic tuna salad sandwich, which is often built on toast with lettuce. You could also serve it without bread over a bed of greens, like in a Niçoise salad. Sometimes, I eat it with just some crackers or veggies for dipping, or you can stuff it into a pita or cottage cheese wraps. Also, check out my tuna salad lunch box. Lots of options, all delicious!
Storage Instructions
This classic tuna salad is definitely best served fresh, while the celery is nice and crunchy, but you could also meal-prep it for lunch. I’d keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Tuna Salad Recipes
Our Tuna Salad recipe was originally published 8/18/20. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 8/20/25.
The post Classic Tuna Salad appeared first on Budget Bytes.
from Budget Bytes https://ift.tt/pJTWjus
via IFTTT