This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This single serving tuna salad is creamy, fresh, and easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. Ready in minutes, it’s perfect for a quick lunch or light meal and can be served in a sandwich, tortilla, or lettuce wrap.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: This single serving tuna salad is ready in minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
- Versatile: Serve it on bread, in a tortilla or croissant, in lettuce wraps, or over greens.
- Customizable: Adjust the mix-ins and seasonings to suit your taste.
- Doubles Easily: Double the ingredients to make a small batch tuna salad for two.
There’s something deeply satisfying about a good tuna salad, especially when it’s creamy, well-seasoned, and has just the right amount of crunch. This is the version I reach for when I want something simple but still really enjoyable. The tuna stays tender, the celery adds freshness, and the seasoning is balanced so nothing overwhelms the bowl.
I love how flexible this recipe is. Some days I enjoy it straight from the bowl, and other days I pile it into a croissant or wrap it in a fresh flour tortilla or a slice of homemade French bread. It’s the kind of everyday recipe that feels familiar, dependable, and always hits the spot.
Looking for more single serving salad recipes? Try our hummus crunch salad, small batch macaroni salad, and chicken salad for one recipes. Each one is easy to make and perfectly portioned.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch tuna salad recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Tuna: Use canned tuna packed in water or oil. Water-packed keeps it lighter; oil-packed gives richer flavor and juiciness.
- Mayonnaise: Adds creamy binder. For a lighter, healthier version, swap some or all with plain Greek yogurt.
- Celery: Provides fresh, crunchy texture. You can substitute bell pepper, red onion, or other crisp vegetables.
- Pickle Relish: Brings tangy, slightly sweet flavor. Use chopped dill or sweet pickles, or skip it if you prefer mild taste.
- Olive Oil: Smooths and enriches the mix. Can be replaced with avocado oil for a neutral, healthy fat option.
Recipe Variations
This single serving tuna salad is easy to customize with a few simple additions.
- Extra Crunch: Add chopped almonds or diced bell peppers for more texture.
- Fresh Herbs: Stir in chopped dill or parsley to brighten the flavor.
- Creamy Addition: Fold in diced avocado for added richness.
- Mediterranean Style: Mix in chopped olives, a little feta, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
How To Make Tuna Salad
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Drain the tuna well and add it to a medium bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise, celery, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and pickle relish.
- Stir with a fork until evenly mixed, breaking up any large pieces of tuna.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Expert Tips
- Drain the Tuna Well: Press out excess liquid to prevent a watery tuna salad.
- Mix Gently: Stir just until combined to keep the tuna from becoming mushy.
- Let It Rest: Chill for 20 to 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
- Adjust Before Serving: If the salad thickens after chilling, stir in a small amount of mayonnaise to loosen it.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this tuna salad on its own, spooned into crisp lettuce leaves, or piled onto bread, a tortilla, or a croissant for an easy sandwich.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Tuna salad can be made a few hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator. For best flavor and texture, give it a quick stir before serving.
Stored in an airtight container, tuna salad will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Canned tuna packed in water or oil both work well. Water-packed tuna is lighter, while oil-packed tuna has a richer flavor.
Drain the tuna very well before mixing and avoid adding ingredients with excess moisture.
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 classic 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.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
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
- Add the drained tuna to a small bowl and break it up with a fork.
- Stir in the mayonnaise, celery, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and relish, if using, until evenly mixed.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Notes
- Drain the Tuna Well: Press out excess liquid to prevent a watery tuna salad.
- Mix Gently: Stir just until combined to keep the tuna from becoming mushy.
- Let It Rest: Chill for 20 to 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
- Adjust Before Serving: If the salad thickens after chilling, stir in a small amount of mayonnaise to loosen it.
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!