Are you ready for your new favorite lunch recipe? This Avocado Tuna Salad is made with no mayo!
Do you know if you’re getting enough omega 3 fatty acids? For me, the omega 3s available in plant foods, ALA, are much easier to get in my diet than the ones found primarily in some fish, EPA and DHA. Unfortunately, the ones that are harder for me to get are the ones I need more.
EPA helps control inflammation, DHA is vital for our nervous system, including brain function (and development in children), and both are important for our heart health. These omega 3 fatty acids are probably one of the most important nutrients we can feed our bodies, yet many of us aren’t getting enough.
I’ve been turning to this Avocado Tuna Salad for one way to help me get those essential fatty acids into my body. I took the traditional mayonnaise out and added avocado in its place. This isn’t a revolutionary recipe, but I’ve been eating it for lunch every week, so I thought I’d share.
It’s not that I don’t like mayo. I like it a lot, actually. It’s just difficult to find a mayonnaise with healthy oil. Most have soybean oil, which I mostly avoid, and even the healthier varieties are made with canola oil, another one I prefer to limit. Sure, I could make my own mayonnaise, but who has time for that? Not this mama. 
Avocado is a perfect stand-in for mayonnaise in this recipe. I add carrots and celery for crunch and extra veggie goodness. For a different twist, I also add just a touch of smoked paprika. I love the flavor of it and it makes this avocado tuna salad a little different than traditional tuna salad. You can definitely leave it out if you don’t have any or don’t love the smoky flavor of it.
I use Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna, which is only cooked once (many tuna brands are cooked twice which diminishes their nutritional content) and is packed without oil, water, or fillers. According to their website, this tuna is not only rich in omega 3s but also has lower mercury content due to the smaller size of fish they catch. I highly recommend this brand. I find this brand at Costco or you can get it on Amazon.
I think this salad is perfect on top a bed of lettuce. It’s a filling, yet light lunch. I hope you love it, too!
- 1 (5 ounce) can wild albacore tuna
- 1 small/medium avocado
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalked, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- In a medium bowl, mash together the tuna and avocado.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Serve as a sandwich or over a bed of lettuce.
- Enjoy!
I make this combination all the time – although with a slightly Japanese twist through sesame oil, sesame seeds, and a few drops of soy sauce.
The celery and carrot addition sounds great – I’m gonna try this variation next!
That sounds like a great twist! I’ll have to try your idea too. 🙂
P.S. I wanted to comment on your wardrobe post, but got a 503 error. Just wanted to let you know something may be wrong with your commenting system. Loved your ideas on simplifying your wardrobe! I need to take yoru advice for sure. Great thoughts and very inspiring.
Thanks, for the info Maryea. It should be working now.
Great that you loved the ideas on simplifying your wardrobe. Let me know how it goes.
Made this and it was fantastic. I added celery too as well as red onion. Thanks for sharing.
So glad to hear it, Rach!
I like mine with a little more tangy dressing so I use Miracle Whip made with olive oil. It does have some soybean and canola oild in it, though. I saw Veganaise at the grocery store last week….made without soy. Next shopping trip I’m going to try it. I buy Wild Planet Albacore as well and I like the fact that it’s pole caught, not caught with seine nets. I put celery and a tiny bit of chopped sweet gherkins in it. It’s good and has a lot of protein.
I am in love with this simple lunch recipe! I make it twice a week, and have changed out the tuna for chicken, and it was just as delicious!
Thanks for the feedback, Christine! 🙂
How much is one serving?
Super helpful recipe. I made this for lunch because … avocado & tuna.
I liked it exactly as you have it here, and I liked it even more with some fresh chopped onion.
Thank you for a new way to enjoy avocado!
You’re welcome, Becky! Thanks for letting me know you tried this. 🙂
How long does this keep if you make it ahead of time? I’m guessing the lemon juice will keep the avocado from browning.
I try to eat it up within 2 days.
Believe it or not, you DO have time to make your own mayonnaise! It takes me longer to describe the process than to do it. If you have an immersion blender and a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, you can do it, too!
First, measure out your oil of choice (I use safflower or sunflower) in a separate 1 cup measure (use 1 cup oil).
In your 2-cup measure, add 1 egg, 1 Tbsp vinegar (I use cider vinegar), 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Next, turn on your immersion blender and briefly blend the ingredients in the 2-cup measure. Then, VERY SLOWLY, WITH BLENDER RUNNING, pour the oil into the 2-cup measure. Add the oil as slowly as you can at the beginning of the process. By the time you have poured in half of the oil, you should have something that is starting to look like mayo! At this point, you may add the oil more rapidly since the emulsification process has begun. Continue to blend until all the oil has been added. If your mayo is getting too stiff (happens sometimes) simply add a Tbsp of hot water and reblend as needed. (yes, there is raw egg in homemade mayo… I know that will be a dealbreaker for some folks.)
ANYWAY – thank you so much for this recipe! I have been looking for a way to make chicken salad or egg salad that did not use mayo at all (even though I always make my own), & here it is.
Sarah,
How long does mayo last making it this way? I would do it if it would last a while, but since we don’t use mayo much, I don’t think that we’d use it up before it goes bad. I’m the only one who likes it in my house.
Something I add to tuna is cottage cheese. It’s creamy and helps the texture without using very much mayo. I will try the avocado too…looks delicious. Also I add some fresh chopped red onion, celery (powder ok too) a bit of Dijon mustard, and A sprinkle of seasoned salt (lawrys) adds great flavor.
Great ideas, Annie! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Mareya,
I am excited to try your tuna salad idea. Is the addition of lemon juice to help keep the avocado from turning? I am always so hesitant to use avocado unless I will be eating it right away lol.
Thanks!
Yes, the lemon juice is there to help with keeping the avocado from turning brown. I feel the same way about avocado. I’ve had good luck with this one still being okay to eat the second day.
will lime juice work the same for the avocado as lemon juice……..?
Yep that should work fine!
Wow, this was delicious! I brought the mayo out cause I thought it would need it but it went right back in the fridge. I added lime juice instead of lemon, cilantro, and celery salt instead of paprika and dill. It was fantastic, served on a bed of greens. Can’t wait to make this again for a healthy dinner, thanks for sharing your recipe!
I’m creating a list of healthy and quick recipes I can use to start sorting out my candida, and this looks easy and fun.
Great! I wish you the best on your health journey.
I am soooo happy to find this! I don’t like mayonnaise, so always ate my tuna sandwich with just butter. I can’t wait to try this!
Oooh I think you’re going to love this Ruth! Please let me know. 🙂
Recipe tastes good but doesn’t “work” as suggested. Following the recipe I just got a dry, crumbly mess. I needed to add mayo to make the recipe moist enough to be edible.
Your avocado may have been not ripe enough and/or too small. I have made this countless times, and it never turns out the way you described, so something must have been off in your preparation.
Hi! Can’t wait to try this but I was just wondering if this recipe is a single serving size or is the portion for 2? Thanks!
This recipe serves 2. 🙂
I just want to thank you so much for this recipe!
I’m in the total groove of cleaning my house today, and I started to get hungry. I popped open a can of tuna to realize that my mayonnaise expired just about 2 weeks ago (oops, haha)! I searched up “no mayo tuna” and this page came up saving my tuna. Thank you!
Yay! So glad you found this. I hope you enjoy some of my other recipes as well. 🙂
Rfignugget
How can I get more of your recipes? I don’t have facebook but I see you have so many healthy choices!
I’d really appreciate if you could let me know where to find more!
Thank you,
Amy R.
Hi Amy! You definitely don’t need Facebook to access my recipes. They are all hosted right here on my site. 🙂 Here’s my recipe index: https://happyhealthymama.com/recipes-2 You can always bookmark that and come back whenever you wish. Hope that helps! 🙂