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.
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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!
Ingredients 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 Solid White Albacore Tuna in oil for more flavor and it seems to hold its 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!
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT (affiliate links):
Boos Cutting Board
OXO Fruit Scoop
Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Inch Santoku Knife
VIDEO GEAR (if you’re curious!):
CANON 6D Camera
Canon 80D Camera (auto-focus for overhead shots)
Canon EF 24-105 F4 Camera Lens
Canon EF 100mm 2.8L IS Camera Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L IS USM Camera Lens
Manfrotto Tripod
Manfrotto Video Head
Rhino Slider with Motion Controller
Rhino Arc Motorized Pan Head for Motion
Camera Mount Wireless Lavalier Mic System
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
- 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.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
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?
I made this for dinner last night and it came our delicious. Great way to enjoy tuna without mayo. I served it with pita chips on the side. I also added some cherry tomatoes to the salad (sliced in half) for a little pop of color.
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad you love it.
You know this is wonderful, I think a tspn of Creek Yogurt with a tspn of Mayonnaise will make it absolutely fabulous . because Avocado and Mayonnaise are matches in heaven. cheers Natasha. Ed
Hi Ed! That sounds great. 🙂
I made this salad tonight and it is delicious!! Hubby loved it too! Will definitely be making it again!
Glad to hear that, Shelly! Thank you for sharing.
Very satisfyingly delicious loved it, it is a keeper as is. Thank you Natasha
You very welcome. I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you for sharing that with me.
I paired this down for my lunch today with 1 can of tuna. I ate it all! Yummy way to enjoy tuna! Creamy, crunchy, refreshing.
I’m glad you loved it, Rhonda! 🙂
Another fantastic recipe!!! Raw onions can be a little harsh for me, even though I love the flavor, so I made pickled onions and they were delicious with this salad! Thank you again – hoping for a recipe book from you someday?!?!?!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Jenna! We have a book coming out Fall of 2023! Stay tuned!
Natasha, this is a VERY GOOD recipe for a type 2 diabetic like me. I’m trying to reverse my condition. That being said, I made this & only did 2 tweaks. 1) I didn’t have red onion, so I chopped up a yellow onion!
2) I didn’t have sea salt & didn’t want to use regular salt (due to hypertension), so I used a pinch of pink Himalayan salt instead.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Sean! Good to know that you were able to make some tweaks and liked the result!
Will this work if you make it the night before? Wondering if the avocado will turn brown.
Hi Rose. The lemon juice will preserve the avocados and keep them looking fresh overnight but probably not much beyond that.
This recipe is so delicious! We have it in lettuce cups, over jasmine rice or just on it’s own. Thanks Natasha
You’re so welcome. Thank you for the feedback.
This recipe is delicious. It is now my go to tuna salad recipe. Lite yet filling the ingredients are so refreshing and complimentary. My only addition was grape tomato which added color and even more flavor. Love love love this recipe.
I’m so glad this is your new go-to! That’s just awesome Coral!
I used leftover cucumber salad instead of fresh cucumber, added some walnuts, and put it all on toasted deli swirl rye bread with romaine lettuce and sliced tomato. Poured an icy Arnold Palmer and… wow!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
This looks so good! Can I replace the cilantro with another herb?
Yes. Parsley and dill work great.
I love and try a lot of your recipes but this one is my fave. This is a first time I commented anything but I’ve must. I also wanted to ask, how do you make that Calories sheet, is it some app or something? I am trying to follow my intake so that would help. Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your good comments and feedback. When I need a quick answer, I have used Calorie Count (their recipe analyzer is free).
Natasha, I made the Avocado tuna salad. I didn’t change anything and it was delicious. This has become my way to make tuna salad from now on. I have also shared this recipe with friends. Just love it. Thanks
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for sharing it as well. 🙂
This is now my “go-to” recipe for tuna salad! It was such a blessing to share it with my family for dinner the first night and then with a special friend for lunch the next day! Tagged you on Instagram with my rendition! Thanks for sharing such delicious recipes~
This recipe is life!!! It is soooo delicious! I like to add diced tomatoes and hemp seeds on top of my servings. Thank you for sharing this!!!
You’re welcome, Teri. Happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Natasha! I’m just wondering what would be a serving for the salad? A cup?
Hi Jenn! Sorry, I do not have that exact measurement. This recipe serves 6 so it’s best to use a food scale to measure the recipe as a whole and then divide by 6. I hope that helps.
Made this exactly as you said except I had some pickled red onion and used that instead of fresh red onion. Amazing! Such a good recipe for the summer.
Great to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Alicia!
Just gave this to the kids and they loved it. The recipe is wonderful as is. I made it with canned albacore, but as I was plating it for the kids, I realized that a pound of cooked shrimp could be substituted for the can tuna, and I bet that would be delicious.
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Looks delicious, I would love to try this! Is there any substitute for cilantro? Thanks so much!
Sounds good, Gloria. You can try parsley or basil.
Another delicious recipe and this tasty one is low carb/keto friendly. Thank you, Natasha.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, John!
This is outstanding! All of your recipes are wonderful. I love all your videos. I wish you had a show on Food Network! Thank you for sharing.
You’re so nice! Thank you for that great compliment, Lyle!