Avocado Tuna Salad Recipe (VIDEO)
This Avocado Tuna Salad has a simple and surprising combination of ingredients but it just works! This tuna salad can be served on the side with dinner or as a very satisfying lunch because it comes together quickly and is loaded with protein.
The avocado gives this tuna salad recipe a healthy and highly satisfying creaminess without needing mayo. The lemon juice and cilantro give it incredible fresh flavor – this may just become your new favorite tuna salad.
P.S. Want to know a little secret? This salad is a close relative to the #1 recipe on my site of all time – that’s where the inspiration came from and it was an instant hit!
OUR LATEST VIDEOSIngredients for Avocado Tuna Salad (print the recipe below):
This Avocado Tuna Salad has such simple ingredients and you may already have everything you need to make it (I love it when that happens!!).
What Kind of Tuna is Best for Tuna Salad?
We used drained Chunk Light Tuna in oil for more flavor and it seems to hold it’s form better, but you can substitute for well-drained tuna in water if you prefer.
Make-Ahead Tip: Once you add salt, the salad should be enjoyed within 3 hours of making, or the cucumbers start to lose their crispness. To prep the salad in advance, combine all of the ingredients except the salt, cover and refrigerate. Season with salt just before serving.
I would pass you a fork if I could so you could experience this amazing tuna salad for yourself. It’s worth discovering and this tuna salad recipe is meant to be shared!
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Avocado Tuna Salad Video Tutorial:
Watch Natasha make this Tuna Salad Recipe with Avocado! It is mouthwatering good and so simple – definitely an upgrade on classic tuna salad.
Is your mouth watering yet??
Print Friendly for Avocado Tuna Salad:
Avocado Tuna Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 oz tuna in oil, drained and flaked (3 small cans)
- 1 English cucumber sliced
- 2 large or 3 medium avocados peeled, pitted & sliced
- 1 small/medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro (1/2 of a small bunch)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
-
In a large salad bowl, combine: sliced cucumber, sliced avocado, thinly sliced red onion, drained tuna, and 1/4 cup cilantro
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Drizzle salad ingredients with 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper (or season to taste). Toss to combine and serve.
It really is as good as it looks. Avocado and tuna are a winning combination.
So much juiciness and flavour!!! Make this for your next party and your guests will rave about your avocado tuna salad. I hope you love this so much that it becomes a new favorite for you.
Q: What are YOUR favorite tuna recipes?
natashaskitchen
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Here you'll find classic Ukrainian food and other favorite recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Thank you for a beautiful flavourful and nutritious salad. Quick and easy, the whole family loves it! Thank you Natasha.
You are very welcome Amy and thank you for making it 😀
hi
i had all of the ingrediants, plus a half of red pepper that needed to be eaten so i added it, will definately make this again, very soon.
thanks,
sherry
You are very welcome Sherry and thank you visiting our site 😀
Always looking for quick lunch recipes and stumbled across yours. Oh wow, is an understatement. I never would have imagined combining these ingredients would be so spectacularly tasty.
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Hubbys doctor told us he need to eat more fish. I hadnt bought tuna as I didn’t know he like it. So I bought some, but also had some avocado that needed to be eaten. I came across this recipe and had all the ingredients in the house. I put it on croissants, added shredded cheese, hard boiled egg and tomatoes. It made a fantastic sandwich. Going to keep this recipe.
Yum, that sounds delicious Fern! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
Instead of regular tuna, I use ALBACORE.
do you have the nutritional info for me? net carbs and calories
We are working on adding nutrition labels and metric measurements on all of our recipes. It’s a slow process since it is one recipe at a time. Until all of the recipes are updated, check out this nutrition analyzer: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594. You can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you!
Thank you so much for being patient Karen!!
My husband and I just had this salad for supper, and we both liked it! He’s pickier than I am so I was thrilled that he liked it.
Thank you for this wonderful, healthy, recipe.
You’re welcome Linda! I’m happy to hear the recipe is “picky eater” approved! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Hi Natasha, I am gluten-free and cannot have mayo because of an allergy to canola and soybean oils (always in mayo), so your recipe intrigued me. I made it and added Roma tomatoes, red pepper and lime juice instead of lemon. Omg…off the charts fantastic! I ate half of it for my dinner and had to control myself from finishing it totally. Thank you so much…I will be watching for more recipes!
HI Marilyn, I am so happy to hear that!! If you liked this one, you will probably also Love our other viral salad recipes and this new salmon avocado salmon – all of them are mayo free :).
Thank you so much. I will definitely check out and try the other mayo-free recipes as well. This has been an answer to my “allergy” prayers!
My pleasure Marilyn, glad I can help!
This is AMAZING! I substituted chicken for tuna and cherry tomatoes (sliced) for cucumber. Absolutely wonderful!
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe and how versatile it can be! Thanks for sharing your great review Melanie!
How can you half this, since I am a single person
Hi Charlie, it might be easier to do 1/3 of the recipe and cut everything down by 1/3; i.e. 1 avocado, 1 can tuna, etc. We are working on a tool to add to all of our videos where people will be able to change the serving size and see the modifications in the list of ingredients but it is taking 1 recipe at a time so it will be a little bit before they are all completed.
You need to list the calories and carbs of your recipe. Will only use ones that do .
We are working on adding nutrition labels and metric measurements on all of our recipes. It’s a slow process since it is one recipe at a time. Until all of the recipes are updated, check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you and thanks for being patient Sandra!
Looks good.
Not sure if I could deal with the cilantro. Not a fan of cilantro.
And I might add some more veggies (olives, roasted red peppers, and celery) But damn, I love me a good Tuna salad!
It’s super popular for good reason! It’s so versatile, you can definitely change up the ingredients to fit your personal preferences. I hope you enjoy it Bob!
I made it tonight for dinner and my husband was very happy.
Your recipes are great! Greetings from Perú
Hello Diana! I’m happy to hear how much you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks for following and sharing your great review!
How many carbs?
We are working on adding nutrition labels and metric measurements on all of our recipes. It’s a slow process since it is one recipe at a time. Until all of the recipes are updated, check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you!
Would this be a low carb salad?
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Terri!
How far in advance can you prepare without avocado turning dark?
Hi Cindy, after adding salt, you should enjoy it within 3 hours as salt will soften cucumbers. If you want to make it a day ahead, I would add everything except the salt, cover and refrigerate, then toss with salt just before serving.
Best salad my husband and I ever tasted. Very delicious!!!
I’m glad to hear you both love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review Tammi!
agreed omg its so yummy
Just made this tonight…. can I just say umm umm delicious. Can’t wait to share with my co-workers!!!
I’m glad you love it Ann! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Oh yummy I just stumbled upon this. I think I’ll try it today. That’s a very colorful blend of ingredients, fresh, light and nutritious. Thanks!
You’re welcome Jocelyn! I hope you love it, please let me know what you think of the recipe!
Hi. My family and I wish to thank you. We enjoyed this w/Mango green tea from scratch! Little do they know I recorded them grunting like Neanderthals😂Very simple recipe yet you get an explosion of flavor. At least once TRY “Wild Planet Albacore Tuna in EVOO. I get from Whole Foods. Wow!
Hello Jocelyn! I’m happy to hear how much your family enjoys the recipe, lol! Thanks for sharing your suggestion and great review!
Yes, and that is what I do when making anything with tuna.
How long does this stay for?
Hi Jordan, because the avocado will slowly start to brown, I would say not more than 2 days. The lemon juice will preserve the avocados and keep them looking fresh overnight but probably not much beyond that.
I’m not a fan of cilantro, is there something else i could substitute? Thanks!
Hi Ellen, you could substitute with chopped fresh dill or even some finely chopped fresh parsley, adding either one to taste.
Looks really good. I would point out one thing — mayo has no carbs!!!! It’s not the big bad dressing it’s made out to be.
It’s a super popular recipe for good reason! Thanks for sharing Jayne!
So tempting and mouth-watering Nath…..really would love to try it but can i replace cilantro with parsley please? Not sure i can get cilantro here in Nigeria?
Hi 🙂 you could substitute with chopped fresh dill or even some finely chopped fresh parsley, adding either one to taste.
This has been my lunch for the last three days! Soooooo fresh and delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome Glenda! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your great review!
Hi nathasha,
What about mix with some mayonaise
Hi Maja, you could if you wanted to but the avocado provides just enough creaminess where it is not necessary to add the mayo.
Why tuna packed in oil instead of water?
Hi Colleen, tuna in oil is more flavorful but tuna in water will work fine here as well 😀
Thank you! Looks delicious!
You’re welcome Colleen! 🙂
What is the calorie and nutritional content?
Hi Carol, I don’t typically include calorie counts because of the time constraint that I have. I really need to hire some help to do that for me! When I need a quick answer though; I have used Caloriecount.com (their recipe analyzer is free).
I put it in myfitnesspal and if you split the recipe into 4 servings, it is only 363 cals per serving.
Wow…just tried it this morning, though I added little lettuce to it. It taste great and very delicious and my husband really enjoyed it a lot.
Thanks a lot Natasha for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear you both enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your great review!
Hi, I’m wondering how long this keeps. I would love to make it for meal preps for lunch but I’m worried about the avocado oxidizing.
Any suggestions?
Hi Heath, the lemon will help to keep it from browning, but if you are looking to make-it the night before, assemble the full salad, cover with plastic wrap directly over the salad (the less air the better) and refrigerate but add the salt just before serving. If you add it early, the cucumbers will soften. Enjoy!!
This was absolutely DELICIOUS and so full of flavours! Thank you Natasha!! 😀
My pleasure Bianca! I’m glad you love it! 🙂
It would be really great if you could post nutritional information with your recipes! Looks delicious
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Mattie!
Another hit! I put this tuna salad on a bed of mixed greens & pea shoots. I also used a quarter of a sweet white onion, instead of the red onion. This recipe was simple, quick & easy. Loved the fresh lemon with the cucumbers. Thanks Natasha
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe Pam! Thanks for sharing your great review!
I am not a big fan of tuna have you tried this recipe with chicken or anything else?
Oh yes! Chicken would work great here :). I also have a chicken avocado salad that is currently our most popular recipe 🙂
FANTASTIC recipe! My only amendment would be to use only 1/2 of the red onion and to finely chop it rather than thinly slice it. I found it a bit overpowering as is, but even so this five star recipe is worth its weight in gold. Thanks for sharing, Natasha!
You’re welcome Laura! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
How long does this recipe keep??? It looks amazing 🙂
Hi Amber, because the avocado will slowly start to brown, I would say not more than 2 days. The lemon juice will preserve the avocados and keep them looking fresh overnight but probably not much beyond that.
Thus looks yummy and I’m going to try it with canned salmon. Canned tuna in Canada isn’t that popular and is usually served to cats, but salmon is very popular and easy to find.
lol that’s interesting and must be a cultural thing. Cats – that’s funny to me :). This would still work great with salmon. I love that idea!
What part of Canada are you in? Because we have canned tuna in our groceries just as much as there is milk and bread. I am in Ontario.
My dad is not easily pleased and this was magic! thanks Natasha for another successful recipe!
That’s great, I’m happy to hear that! Thank YOU for sharing your great review!
I despise cilantro. What could I use as a replacement? Looks delicious!
Hi Marsha, if you are not a fan of cilantro, you can use dill or chives/green onion. 🙂
Could I half the recipe? No one but me would eat it😕
Hi Janey, absolutely you can cut it in half 🙂
Hi! I write for SIMPLY SERENE, a blog about clean eating, gut health and natural wellness. I included this awesome recipe in one of my posts – hope you can check it out! Thanks!
thesimplysereneblog.com/2017/12/03/6-reasons-to-eat-more-avocados/
Hi. I’m new to avocados so I just want to know if cilantro is necessary in recipes
Hi Shirley, we are crazy about cilantro and it compliments avocados really well, but if you are not a fan of cilantro, you can use dill or chives/green onion
Looks yummy, not a fan of cucumber or celantro though. Any ideas? THX.
Hi Aldo, you can customize it. I would suggest making our chicken avocado salad and just subbing with tuna.
This was so good! although I didn’t use tuna and used Cannellini Beans and chick peas instead, so simple and so yum and so healthy! 🙂
I’m glad you love the recipe Stasia! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
I have made this recipe with great results, using tuna in olive oil. Instead of draining/discarding this oil, I use it for the dressing. Also, I have found the leftover salad to be fine for lunch several days later. Thanks for thd inspiration.
You’re welcome Michael! I’m happy to hear you enjoy this recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
This recipe was awesome, all I did differently was add thinly sliced fennel and enjoyed it on toasted whole wheat bread. Delicious!
I’m happy to hear that Octavia! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review with other readers!
This is very good. I am just wondering how long this will keep i you do not add in the salt.
Thank you much.
Hi Stan, because the avocado will slowly start to brown, I would say not more than 2 days. The lemon juice will preserve the avocados and keep them looking fresh overnight but probably not much beyond that.
Can you please provide the nutritional value content?
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Sandra!
How much is in one serving? Look delicious!!
Hi Rebecca, it depends on how you are serving it but generally about 1 cup per serving.
How many calories per cup?
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Toni!
This was so delicious I’m not a tuna person myself but when you add all these ingredients together it takes the flavor of tuna to a whole new level . Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome Maria! I’m glad to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I’m thinking this would be a great lunch for my diabetic husband. I have a question though – what is the difference between an English cucumber and just a regular cucumber? Is there a taste difference? Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Julie, generally, there isn’t much taste difference. English cucumbers are more expensive because they are not waxed like plain cucumbers so you don’t have to peel English cucumbers where you do want to peel regular cucumbers. Homegrown is best if you have them, but any kind of cucumbers will work in this recipe 🙂
Hello Natasha. Great website! Awesome work – especially the videos. I wish there were more videos!
I found your site by accident, and have been visiting it often ever since. Also, with a daughter named Natasha, your site has a special meaning for us!
Being as you are a really good cook, I would LOVE if you explored alternative diets, such as the Whole 30 and Paleo diet, or even the Auto Immune Paleo diet, and developed recipes for those special diets. My husband was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s recently, and I have been searching for recipes that suit his eating requirements ever since. Some of your recipes have been helpful to me, such as this one above.
Looking forward to seeing what you might be able to come up with!
Many thanks!
Hi Kate, I do need to study up on the newer diets and learn the ins and outs. Is there a good book you could recommend for getting started? Thanks Kate!
Kate- Have you checked out the Trim Healthy Mama diet?? In what is called an “E” setting, Hashimoto’s is helped. My
daughter has this as well and she likes the whole 30 diet and THM
Good Luck
Sarah
Hello. Im interested in trying this. Do you need to use tuna in oil or will the tuna in water work just as well. Tyia!
Hi Nicole, it will still work using tuna in water 🙂
This is the best I ever had… Very yummy and healthy. It has become my favorite dinner. Thank You for the Good Job.
You’re welcome Ernest! I’m so glad to hear how much you love this recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I added a little shredded cheddar and pine nuts. Delicious!
YUM, that does sound good! Thanks for sharing Tennery!
This is fantastic! I didn’t have cilantro, so I substituted celery. It is so refreshing!
I’m glad you love it Erin! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Yum! Yum! Yum! Inexpensive and good for the wasteline! Oh, also takes no time to make! Idea for a family with a newborn with the mom (and maybe dad too) working on the postpartum body. 🤣
Thank you!
You’re welcome Yuliya! I’m glad to hear you both love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I´m eating it just now. Its really delicious. Thanks 😉
You’re welcome Dagmar! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Thank you very much for this recipe. I made it today. My husband and I loved this salad. I have already shared this recipe with my mom.
You’re welcome Anna! I’m so glad to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!!
Natasha, I’m not a fan of cilantro. Is there another replacement that I could use in this recipe?
Hi Ines, you could try dill or chives/green onion
Great idea! I just love the flavor of green onion in salads. Thank you, Natasha for your amazing recipes.
My pleasure Ines! Thanks for following 😀
I’m not either and use green onion. I love this salad
I just made and ate this salad for dinner. Yum, Yum!
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Patrick! Thanks for sharing your great review! 🙂
Making 3x the recipe for a “vegan food only” party and wanted to make it in the AM to prevent the avocado from turning brown by 3PM. I didn’t see this as an issue mentioned in comments, but would appreciate your feedback. Thanks!
Hi Nancy, I would suggest tossing the avocado first with the lemon juice then tossing together everything else into the bowl. Add salt just before serving so it doesn’t soften or make your cucumbers juicy.
Thank you! It tuned out wonderful like everything else I made from your blog. Keep up the good work!
You’re welcome Tammy! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! Thanks for following and sharing your great review!
This salad is delicious! I had a Persian Lime infused olive oil I used and it was a nice enhancement. I can see this becoming a go-to salad for my work lunches.
I’m glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review and tip with other readers!
I made this and LOVED it. Added a bit of celery for some extra crunch. Do you have any idea of the nutritional content? Calories, fat, carbs–all that stuff. It doesn’t seem like it would be bad for you–I’m just wondering if you had the nutritional lowdown.
Michelle, thank you for the wonderful review. 😬 I don’t typically include calorie counts because of the time constraint that I have. I really need to hire some help to do that for me! When I need a quick answer though; I have used Caloriecount.com (their recipe analyzer is free)
This really looks delicious. Have you tried it with canned chicken? I am not a big fan of tuna.
Roberta, I haven’t tried it but it should work fine with well-drained chicken 😬.
Tried it with chicken…AWFUL! So bland, even with usual seasonings!
Trish, thanks for letting us know, looks like its best with tuna.
Made it for the first time last night. Both my husband and I loved it. It will definitely go into my regular rotation and that says a lot since I am not really a fan of anything “fish”.
That’s fantastic! I’m glad to hear you both enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review Marilyn!
I just made it for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t have cilantro, so I used some parsley from my garden. Will definitely make it again. Loved it! 🙂
Great! I’m so glad to hear that Olga! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Looks amazing… What’s the calorie count? I’m on a restrictive diet and have to keep the calorie count low.
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Don!
Make this a couple times a week.
Love it. Sometimes add a little feta. Totally YUMMY!
Yay, I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for sharing Trish! 🙂
Very good salad with easy at home ingredients!
I’m happy you like it Judy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re very hard to get in touch with. How how would a serving be if this was to be made into a lunch ?
Hi Marissa, this is the best place to get in touch with me for recipe questions because comments on other platforms tend to get buried easily. Where else have you tried to get ahold of me? For lunch, the easiest way to cut it down to 1 large lunch serving is to cut the salad down to 1/3 of the recipe using 1 can of tuna and 1 smaller/medium avocado.
I am very allergic to citrus fruits, what can I add in place of the lemon juice or can I just leave it out?
Hi Andrea, you can substitute with 1 Tbsp of white vinegar. I use vinegar for my cucumber tomato salad and it is always a hit.
This salad is gorgeous!!
Thank you Brittany! It tastes even better!
Wonderful, thank you!
You’re welcome Rhonda! I’m so glad you like it!
Sounds awesome. I don’t eat cilantro or cakes. Any suggestions.
I’m not sure what you mean by cakes, but you might try dill instead of cilantro. 🙂
It would be so helpful if the nutritional information was available with the recipe.
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you!
Delicious healthy and flavorful! I added 1 tsp of Webers Roasted Garlic and pepper . Doubled the cilantro and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Used two cans of chunk tuna packed in oil…and one can of solid packed albacore packed in water. Wonderful! So happy with the result we we thinking could be great on a panini with a slice of smoked Gouda. Healthy version of a Tuna Melt. Enjoy!
Oh my goodness, what a great suggestion! I’m actually going to try that! I’m happy you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing Melissa 🙂