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This easy tuna salad is made with one can of tuna and a few simple ingredients for a flavorful, satisfying meal. It comes together in minutes and can be enjoyed as a sandwich, over greens, or with crackers. Perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner!
Enjoy this delightful tuna salad in a variety of ways! Make a classic sandwich with slices of homemade French bread, a buttery croissant, or wrap it in a tortilla. For a lighter option, serve it over salad greens with a zesty vinaigrette or scoop it up with tortilla chips for a fun change.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Made with simple pantry staples for a fuss-free meal.
- Versatile: Enjoy it as a sandwich, over greens, or with crackers.
- Customizable: Adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.
- Doubles Easily: Double the ingredients to make tuna salad for two.
Check out our other single serving salad ideas!
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch tuna salad recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Tuna: Use water-packed tuna or oil-packed.
- Mayonnaise: Substitute with yogurt for a lighter version.
- Celery: Adds crunch. Bell peppers or other crunchy vegetables work too.
- Pickle Relish: Use chopped pickles or leave it out if you prefer.
- Olive Oil: Adds smoothness but can be replaced with avocado oil.
How To Make Tuna Salad
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
To make a small batch of tuna salad, start by draining the tuna and transferring it to a bowl. Add mayonnaise, celery, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and pickle relish. Use a fork or spoon to mix everything together, breaking up any large pieces of tuna as you stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Expert Tips
- Drain Well: Removing excess liquid keeps the salad from being watery.
- Chill for Flavor: Letting it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes enhances the taste.
- Serving Options: Enjoy it chilled or at room temperature.
Ways To Customize Your Tuna Salad
Tuna salad is easy to adjust based on what you have on hand or what flavors you enjoy. Here are a few ways to change it up:
- Crunchy Add-Ins: I love adding chopped almonds, walnuts, or diced bell peppers for extra texture.
- Fresh Herbs: A little dill, parsley, or chives can brighten up the flavor.
- Sweet or Tangy Additions: Add chopped apples, grapes, or a splash of lemon juice.
- Vegetables: Diced bell peppers, cucumbers, or even avocado can add texture and a nutritious boost.
- Spicy Option: Mix in a dash of cayenne, chopped jalapeños, or a little hot sauce.
- Mediterranean Style: Toss in olives, feta, and a squeeze of lemon juice for a different flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Be sure to drain the tuna well and avoid adding too much dressing or liquid ingredients.
Absolutely! Double the ingredients to make tuna salad for two.
RELATED: Easy Dinner Ideas For One
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
RELATED: 20 Single Serving Meatless Meals
If you’ve tried this single serving tuna salad recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Tuna Salad For One
Ingredients
- 1 (5-ounce can) water-packed tuna -drained
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 stalk celery -diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon pickle relish (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, use a fork to break up the tuna. Add mayonnaise, celery, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and relish (if using). Stir until well combined.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Notes
- Drain Well: Removing excess liquid keeps the salad from being watery.
- Chill for Flavor: Letting it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes enhances the taste.
- Serving Options: Enjoy it chilled or at room temperature.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
By the time I get through adding any extra things in, like olives, eggs, etc — I can end up with enough mixture for a couple of sandwiches and/or salads for the next day or two…
Tuna, easy on the Mayo as I like it more dry than wet..chopped celery LEAVES, sprinkle of garlic pepper, smal squeeze of Dijon n a nice blob of prepared horseradish. That’s MY basic recipe. I’ve added choppped apple, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, chopped grapes. But always start with the root recipe
This was very good, but the best tuna salad I ever had was made with chopped olives instead of pickle relish. So good!
not as good as expected, but not terrible, i used sourdough
it would definitely taste good with chonks of hard boiled eggs, paprika, and if you let the salad rest in the fridge and chill
i didn’t add any veggies so it didn’t taste as fresh but still tasty
maybe it’s the texture of tuna that does it for me
‘,-‘,
I make a similar recipe without the mayo, add red onion, grape tomatoes cut in half, cucumber, celery, mashed avocado, and use low sodium tuna. I do not add any extra salt but do add Mrs. DASH Italian seasoning and serve either over romaine lettuce or 1/2 cup gluten free noodles.
This sounds wonderful, Lori.
This is similar to my standby tuna recipe but if I am having the girls by, I love to add chopped Gala apple and pecans (any sweeter apple is ok). So wonderful and the savory with the sweet is a hit every time. I always buy chunk tuna in water and add my own olive oil so I can control the type and amount of oil. Chunk has so much more flavor than albacore, etc. great protein and a quick yummy meal.
My favourite add in is finely chopped celery.
Oh wow! This is amazing! I had two cans of tuna, so I played around with it this evening.
One version per the recipe (divine and crunchy)
Second one: greek yogurt, tsp of dijon mustard, added sliced almonds, minced sweet pickle, and THEN
I made the tuna melt on rye!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE! I had forgotten how good tuna is on crackers as well. Thanks for posting and for all the suggestions for options! I’m pleasantly overstuffed…in a healthy way, of course!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the tuna recipe, Wendy and I love your version with the add-ins!
diced boiled eggs are good too.
I actually just made tuna salad very similar to this earlier this week. I put everything listed in this recipe along with some chopped apple. I always put some apple in my tuna because it takes away any fishy taste that the tuna might have.
Or add canned mandarins, rinse, or fresh orange sections cut in half along with celery & onions. Yum
I enjoyed all your recipes. From one of your fans LL
Thank you so much!