5-Minute Easy Tuna Salad

You can make this easy tuna salad in 5 minutes using five ingredients and it’s so good! It’s creamy, it’s salty, it’s umami…It’s just delicious and one of the best salads you can make with canned tuna. You can serve the tuna salad on lettuce leaves for a low-carb option or on some toasted bread of choice for a more filling option. That will make the tastiest, quickest easy lunch idea.

This is a very simple tuna salad recipe without mayo or celery and it stores well in the fridge for about 3 days.

Why You’ll Love This 5-Minute Easy Tuna Salad

I’ve always loved tuna salad…but to be honest I’ve never made or liked it the traditional way, because I just don’t like mayo or celery.

But once when I was living in Germany I had tuna salad at one of our corporate events and it was made with creme fraiche or sour cream and capers. They served it on the most pretentious little pieces of bread and I had like 10 of them that evening. It was so savory, tangy and so perfect as a snack, but it was my dinner that night.

The tuna salad I’m sharing today is very similar and you will love it, because it:

• tastes amazing
• is ready in 5 minutes
• is made with pretty affordable ingredients
• makes the most satisfying lunch
• has only five ingredients
• is pretty versatile (you can add to it whatever you want!)

Easy Tuna Salad Ingredients

• Canned tuna. Use tuna canned in its own brine for a more low-calorie option.
• Capers. I know capers aren’t everyone’s thing, but I love them with tuna. They add saltiness and tanginess to the recipe. However, if you don’t love capers, you can use pickles or pickled jalapenos to achieve similar results.
• Cream cheese. I was going to make a no-bake cheesecake for my dad’s birthday, so we had cream cheese in the fridge. That’s why I used cream cheese in the tuna recipe – and it was a great choice. But, if you don’t want to use cream cheese, you can use sour cream or creme fraiche instead. That’s what I’ve used often in the past. Greek yogurt might also work for a healthier version, but you will probably need to add something extra to the salad.
• Scallions. Or onions. Lots of them. Thinly chopped. No tuna salad is complete without some onions.
• Chopped dill or cilantro. I love, love, love fresh herbs in combination with tuna. My top picks for this salad are thinly chopped dill or cilantro, but basil might go well too.

And of course, finish it off with black pepper and some salt if needed.

How To Make The Easiest Tuna Salad

I could just write it in one word: Mix. But, let’s make it more clear:

• chop scallions and cilantro (or dill) very thinly
• drain tuna and capers
• add all ingredients to a bowl
• mix until well combined

And there you go, your lunch is ready!

Serving Options

Since I live in Nostalgia, I chopped a baguette in small slices, toasted those in a pan on the stove on each side for 2-3 minutes. Then put the tuna salad on top, had a bite and I was brought back to that corporate event form the past.

Then my son screamed “Mommy mommy” while showing me the 56th paper “airplane” he made that day and I was back to the here and now. And it’s so much better. And so was this salad.

And also you can serve it on a lettuce leaf if you desire something lighter. Otherwise toasted bread for a more substantial lunch.

What To Do With Leftovers

Don’t know about you, but I’m always suspicious about food that’s been in my fridge for more than 2 days. So I always make sure to heat it up in some way. For example, with this tuna cream cheese salad if there is any left after 2 days you can:

• Spread it on half of a tortilla, put some cheese and maybe some tomato slices or leaves of spinach on top. Then fold the tortilla in half and toast it on both sides in a pan until golden brown.
• You can do the same using sliced bread. Spread salad on one slice, add vegetables if desired, cheese and the other slice of bread on top, then toast in a heated pan with a little bit of olive oil. You’ve got yourself the tastiest tuna melt.
• Bake it into egg muffins similar to this tuna quiche I made a while ago. Mix the salad with eggs, place into a suitable baking form and bake at 350F or 180C for about 15-20 minutes or until firm and golden.

But, to be honest with you, it never came to that. In fact, I barely could take a picture of the salad – I have only three pictures and had to make them while I was eating.

More Easy Tuna Recipes

I really do hope you enjoy this simple tuna salad – it’s perfect for toasts and sandwiches. For more tasty tuna recipes, check out these links:

• Spicy Tuna Quesadilla
• Crustless Tuna Quiche
• Mediterranean Tuna Salad