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This Creamy, Fast Lunch Starts with Easy Pantry Staples

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This Tuna Salad Recipe is an easy lunch that can be made ahead for meals throughout the week. Made with flaky canned tuna, celery, onions, pickles, and mayonnaise, it’s refreshing and satisfying!

I love an easy lunch sandwich, from my classic chicken salad to ham and cheese; this tuna salad recipe is no exception.

Classic Tuna Salad in a bowl with bread in the background

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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Classic Tuna Salad

Why Make It: Tuna salad is quick and easy to prepare, while being versatile enough to add in any of your favorite ingredients.
Serving Suggestions: Make ahead and serve for lunch in sandwiches or with crackers as a snack.

Total Time: 15 Mins Servings: 4 Cooking Method: Chilled

Ingredients for Tuna Salad

pickles , lemon juice , green onion , dijon , mayonnaise , tuna , celery , salt and pepper with labels to make Classic Tuna Salad

Tuna: I prefer water-packed tuna over oil-packed tuna as it’s lighter, but you can use any variety. Solid tuna has larger pieces, while chunk tuna has smaller pieces.
Dressing: The dressing is really simple and uses mayonnaise as the base. Lemon juice and a bit of Dijon mustard are added for some tang.
Add-Ins: Diced celery, chopped pickles, and sliced green onion add flavor and crunch.

The Best Variations

Lighten this salad up a little by swapping some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
Add fresh herbs (like flat-leaf parsley or dill).
For extra crunch, try diced red bell pepper or red onion.
Elevate this salad with capers, chopped olives, or dried cranberries.
To stretch the salad further, add chopped hard-boiled egg.

adding ingredients together in bowl to make Classic Tuna Salad

How to Make Tuna Salad

Drain the tuna well (full recipe below).
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and gently stir.
Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving.

I like to serve tuna salad sandwiches with lettuce leaves and tomato on whole wheat bread or rye.
This tuna salad recipe is also great tucked into large tortillas as a wrap.
Serve it with potato chips on the side (and I usually sneak a few into my sandwich too)!

Classic Tuna Salad sandwich with lettuce

Storing Leftovers

If it doesn’t get eaten up first because it IS that good, tuna fish salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

More Tuna Favorites

Did you enjoy this Tuna Salad Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

▢ 2 (5 ounce each) cans tuna well-drained
▢ ¾ cup mayonnaise
▢ 3 tablespoons chopped dill pickles or sweet pickles, or 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
▢ 1 rib celery finely diced
▢ 1 green onion thinly sliced
▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or prepared mustard
▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
▢ salt and black pepper to taste

Drain the tuna well.
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, dill pickles, celery, green onion, Dijon, and lemon juice. And mix to combine.
Add the tuna and gently break it up with a fork. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Use to top a salad, in sandwiches, or to add to pasta salads.

Tuna salad can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Serve tuna salad as a sandwich, over lettuce, or as a wrap in a tortilla.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Fish, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

Classic Tuna Salad in a bowl and in a sandwich with a title

plated Classic Tuna Salad sandwich with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly