Twisted Tuna will get you excited about Tuna Salad again! Packed with veggies and flavor, this Keto and Whole30 compliant tuna recipe is a 30-min meal!
Twisted Tuna Salad
I have always loved a good tuna salad, it’s quick and incredibly delicious. Whether you need an easy lunch or little mid-day snack this twisted tuna salad has you covered no matter how you choose to serve it up.
I’ve been making this recipe for years as it was the most popular item on my small catering business menu back in grad school, and it still holds up as the best tuna salad I’ve ever eaten.
You’ll love how simple it is to mix up and the fun twist it takes on a classic favorite even more. You might as well just grab your ingredients now because I’m sure you’re already craving some, just like I am right now.
What’s In Twisted Tuna Salad?
This recipe is much like a regular tuna salad with just a few additions that make it extra amazing! Don’t worry though, the few extra steps don’t make this tuna salad any harder than the classic recipe, so don’t be intimidated!
All ingredients included are simple and found at any local grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Solid white albacore tuna in water
- Carrots
- Celery
- Red onion
- Scallions
- Garlic
- Homemade mayonnaise
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Tuna Salad
Only 15 minutes of total prep time is needed before you can enjoy this delicious healthy twisted tuna salad recipe.
All you need to do is drain the canned tuna very well, dump it into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Use the food processor with the chopping blade to process the following ingredients individually — carrot, celery, parsley, red onion, and scallion.
Make sure to measure after chopping so you get the correct amount of each ingredient.
Then, Add to the bowl with tuna along with the clove of garlic mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
Use a fork to gently mash any very large chunks of tuna and mix all of the ingredients together. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve cold and Enjoy!
How To Serve Tuna Salad
Whether you serve this on a salad, wrapped in lettuce, on Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread, or rolled up in a wrap of some kind – I guarantee you will find yourself making this over and over again.
I love that I can make a batch of this tuna salad and eat it a different way every time. It makes it feel like you’re getting a little variety in your lunch if you plan to meal prep and eat the tuna salad throughout the week.
Here are a few ideas for how to get creative when serving your twisted tuna salad recipe.
- Lettuce Wraps
- On top of a Salad
- As a Sandwich
- Sliders for a Party
- On Cassava Tortillas
- Use a small cookie scoop to dollop onto sliced cucumbers
- Scooped into a halved and pitted avocado
Tips For Making The Best Twisted Tuna
- If you have a food processor, this is super easy and comes together in minutes. Every ingredient, except the tuna and mayo, is finely chopped in the processor, saving a lot of time!
- Twisted Tuna Salad is best when eaten within 4 to 5 days and needs to be kept refrigerated.
- This recipe can easily be cut in half OR doubled or tripled for a larger crowd.
More Great Healthy Lunch Recipes!
Mediterranean Chicken Bowl with Turmeric Tahini Dressing
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Twisted Tuna will get you excited about Tuna Salad again! Packed with veggies and flavor, this Keto and Whole30 compliant tuna recipe is a 30-min meal!
- 4 5 ounce cans solid white albacore tuna in water, drained very well
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 4 medium scallions finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 10 Tablespoons homemade mayonnaise (equal to 1/2 cup + 2 T)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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Drain the canned tuna very well. Dump in to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
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Use the food processor with the chopping blade to process the following ingredients individually -- carrot, celery, parsley, red onion and scallion. Make sure to measure after chopping so you get the correct amount of each ingredient. Add to bowl with tuna along with small clove garlic (crushed), mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
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Use a fork to gently mash any very large chunks of tuna and mix all of the ingredients together.
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Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve cold and Enjoy!
- Twisted Tuna Salad is best when eaten within 4 to 5 days and needs to be kept refrigerated.
- This recipe can easily be cut in half OR doubled or tripled for a larger crowd.
- Some serving ideas include:
- Lettuce Wraps
- On top of a Salad
- As a Sandwich
- Sliders for a Party
- On Cassava Tortillas
- Use a small cookie scoop to dollop onto sliced cucumbers
- Scooped into a halved and pitted avocado
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Update Notes: This tuna salad recipe was originally posted in August 2014 and was updated in July 2019 with edited photos, better instructions, and more useful recipe information.
Can’t wait to try this! Xx
Hope you love it!
I was a bit surprised by how yummy this tasted, given the ingredients are rather common and I’m not typically a big fan of tuna. I have saved it under ‘Great recipes’, and will be making again. Thanks for posting!
Hey Jenn! So happy to hear you loved it!! 🙂
I eat tuna all the time. This looks amazing!
Love it! I seriously over shopped leaving me with a ton of extra vegetables. I repeated the veggie/food processor step sans tuna and I now have a delicious veggie spread for eggs and sandwiches!
What a great idea Heather!!
Do you have the nutritional info on this?
Hi Tara, you can use http://www.myfitnesspal.com to get free nutritional info! 🙂
Hi, I found this by lion,img through from your Whole30 meal plan, and ink this looks great! I’m just wondering, how long will this last in the fridge? I’m thinking of making it in advance for lunches etc. Would I be better off adding the Mayo fresh each day?
Hi Alissa,
It lasts about 4 days in the fridge and I would just make it all at once!
Is it true that you can not eat mayonnaise on the Paleo Diet is this correct.
No, it is not. You can absolutely eat mayo if it is made with high quality eggs and a good oil (olive, avocado, macadamia, walnut, etc.) Most people who eat Paleo avoid cheap seed oils (canola and safflower) and products with additives and preservatives. I have a recipe for homemade mayo that literally takes 3 minutes here!
Hi Alyssa,
I discovered your website last week and am so excited. I got up extra early today to prepare this salad and it is absolutely delicious. I like most vegetables but really have a problem eating chunks of celery, so I was keen to see if the way it was prepared in this recipe would make it more palatable for me. Success!
I have now made a vegetable soup preparing the vegetables in the same way. I love that I can eat healthily without it taking too long to prepare and intend to try out some of your other recipes. Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration.
I prepared it today and it was delicious thanks!
Wonderful Ann-Marie! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hi!, your recipe looks so delicious but I was wondering if you could precise the amount of tuna needed for the recipe. You write 4 5 ounces of tuna, does this means 4 cans of 5 ounces? Thanks for answering! Can’t wait to try it?
Hi Anne-Marie!
It’s 4 cans that are 5-oz each. Hope you love it 🙂
This is delicious!! I didn’t have fresh parsley, so I used fresh cilantro…love it. I also added a little squeeze of lime. This is a keeper! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs – I have to try this with some next time. I bet half cilantro and half parsley would also be good Christy! Glad you liked it 🙂
I love tuna, and this was a great variation to my traditional tuna salads. I made two changes, the first was I only used 2 scallions, there was already garlic and red onion so I felt it might be overkill, and I am glad I only used two…the other change was more of an addition, I think because I like a bit of a zing with my tuna salad and I normally put yellow mustard in it, I had to add some to make this recipe “pop” and it was the perfect addition IMO, just a light squeeze mixed over the top of the salad and voila…perfect! I love it with the lettuce!
So glad you found a way to make it perfect for you! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
With school lunches well under way, I’m going to make a big bowl to keep on hand. Love all the added ingredients and I can see why it was a hit during your catering days (which I had no idea about…so cool!). Thanks, Alyssa!
This is perfect for lunches Hannah!
I literally just got done making this and it is DELICIOUS! I know it’ll taste even better after being in the fridge overnight. I cannot wait to eat it tomorrow. It is so easy and fast to make. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Made this recipe a couple weeks ago when a friend was dropping over for lunch. We loved it but hubby and I liked it even better for the next night’s supper. Have six for lunch tomorrow and the tuna salad will be served again. I better get in the kitchen and start processing!
This tuna salad rocks! I’m just 5 months into a clean eating lifestyle change. The first 4 months, I concentrated on losing weight – a lot of weight, and this past month I’ve spent reintroducing foods that I can eat that don’t pack the pounds back on. Your tuna recipe inspired me. I made only one slight modification – I’ve discovered I’m sensitive to eggs and therefore had to come up with a mayo alternative – I subbed an equal part of a thick, mustardy vinaigrette and rally liked the result. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
So glad you like it Derin and thanks for letting me know!
Great time saving idea using the food processor. This sure is a delicious and healthy salad, love the idea of using romaine lettuce as a wrap.
The food processor is the key to this one Norma, without it, it would take a while!
I had no idea you catered during grad school! So cool. I can see why this was a hit. Comforting but not too heavy.
I did Joanne – it was a great learning experience (and a lot of work!!).
A lovely recipe. Thank you.
Making this today, love the convenience of the food processor and never thought about adding carrots. Have you ever tried curry seasoning in your tuna salad? It’s another way to enjoy tuna. Mmmm
How was it Char!?