Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe With Avocado

This Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe can be made in 10 minutes and is the most delicious and fresh combination of flavors and textures!

What makes a healthy tuna salad recipe? The most significant change in this dish is replacing mayonnaise with avocado, which adds a delightful creaminess and a boatload of nutrition!

My favorite way to eat this is like a dip with crunchy salty crackers, but it’s delicious as a sandwich, wrap, on top of greens, or straight up with a spoon. 

If you’re a mayonnaise hater, avocado is the perfect substitute. It is a superfood and mimics the rich, creamy fattiness of mayonnaise while adding a boatload of nutrition. In this recipe, I like to leave it in small chunks, but feel free to mash it up. It’s delicious either way!

While avocados are very healthy, they are high in calories due to their high content of heart-healthy fats. If using a larger avocado, I suggest only using half and saving the rest for later. I’ve tested every possible way of storing leftover avocado, and the truth is, none of them are 100% capable of keeping the brown away. This method works best for me.

1. Save the half of the avocado that still has the pit.
2. Place it in a small baggie with about a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice.
3. Suck all of the air out of the bag.
4. Place in the refrigerator and use within 24 hours.

This method works because exposure to air is what starts the browning process. Sucking the air out of the bag removes the air, and the acidity from the lemon or lime further helps to slow down the browning process. I like to use lemon or lime instead of vinegar because they usually wind up in whatever I make with the avocado, and nothing is going to waste!

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe

Why We Love It

• Quick. From start to finish, you can have this ready to eat in 10 minutes.
• Nutritious. This recipe is packed with vitamins, healthy fats, potassium, protein, and fiber.
• Versatile. Enjoy this as it is, as a dip, rice bowl (shown above), salad, or sandwich.
• No mayonnaise. If you hate mayonnaise, avocado should be your new BFF. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Avocado. I use a small avocado since this is meant to be eaten in one serving. While avocados are incredibly nutritious, they’re high in calories. If you use a large avocado, I suggest only half and saving the rest.
• Tuna. In this tuna salad recipe, I prefer albacore tuna packed in water. It has more texture, and I like to control the fat. When you use tuna packed in oil, the quality of the oil is questionable. See below.
• Shallots. If onions and garlic had a baby, it would be a shallot baby. A little minced shallot adds a subtle onion and garlic flavor and a little crunch.
• Olive oil. A touch of good quality olive oil adds flavor and healthy fats!
• Lime juice. The acidity helps cut through the dish’s richness and brighten it up.
• Parsley—it’s not just for color! Italian parsley has a fresh, herbal flavor with subtle peppery notes.
• Salt and pepper to taste. Salt will help bring out the flavors.

Pro tip. Olive oil is healthy for you, but the health benefits vary significantly from brand to brand. Some olive oil is a blend of cheap oils, while others have been sitting in a hot warehouse for months and sometimes years. Choose your olive oil wisely if you’re consuming it for the health benefits. This is my all-time favorite brand. I buy it at Sprouts, but I included the link for those who can’t find it locally.

If you want this to be a creamy salad, mash the avocado and/or add some avocado oil mayonnaise. I’ve tried several different brands and love this one. Avocado mayonnaise adds additional heart-healthy fats, zero added cholesterol, and very little saturated fat.

Used In This Recipe
Low Mercury Tuna	Mayonnaise Avocado Oil	Albacore Wild Tuna

How to Make This Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe

1. Make the dressing first so the lime’s acidity can start to mellow the shallot. Add olive oil, lime juice, shallot, and some of the parsley to a small mixing bowl. Give it a good stir, and let it hang out while you prepare the tuna and avocado.
2. Drain the tuna. Tuna in water has much more liquid than you might think, so firmly press the lid down into the tuna. I do this several times, pouring the liquid off each time and slightly twisting the can to ensure I’ve pressed it on all sides. This may sound overkill, but you’ll be surprised how much more liquid you’ll get out even after you think you’ve drained it well. 
3. Prepare the avocado last because it turns brown quickly. Slice the avocado in half and remove the core. Cut it into cubes and add it to the bowl.
4. Add the remaining parsley to the bowl. Gently but quickly mix the salad until you like the consistency. 
5. Give it a taste and adjust the salt and pepper!

Helpful Tips

• As mentioned above, you must drain the tuna well, or your salad will be watery.
• Make sure you’re using a ripe avocado. Unripe avocado will not give the same creaminess. 
• If the brand of tuna you use contains salt, you many not need more.

Variations

• Fresh herbs make this even better. Dill and cilantro would be delicious.
• If you don’t have lime juice, lemon or red wine vinegar would work well. 
• You could add a little Greek yogurt or avocado oil mayonnaise for additional creaminess.
• Crumbled feta or goat cheese is delicious in this recipe.
• Capers and your favorite olives are perfect for a briny, salty bite.
• Load it up with veggies! Tomatoes, celery, red onion, cucumber, or all of the above would be good.

Storage 

• I do not recommend prepping this in advance. As mentioned above, despite countless efforts to prevent leftover avocado from going brown, the texture and color go downhill quickly.
• However, if you want to make this ahead, mix everything, leaving out the avocado and adding it just before serving.

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Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe With Avocado

This Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe can be made in 10 minutes and is the most delicious combination of flavors and textures!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 small ripe avocado
• 1 5-ounce can of tuna in water
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions

• Add the olive oil, lime juice, shallot, and some of the parsley to the bottom of a small mixing bowl.
• Stir the dressing and set aside. 
• Drain the tuna very well and add it to the bowl. 
• Prepare your avocado (dice or mash it) and add it to the bowl. 
• Add the remaining parsley and gently stir to combine. 
• Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. 
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

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