Tuna salad can be really delicious when it’s done right. My Classic Tuna Salad recipe has all the basics plus a few upgrades, like walnuts, to add a bit of crunch and a hit of lemon to add freshness, which makes this recipe a far cry from the gloopy, tasteless mess I remember from childhood lunches. The result is a creamy tuna salad with the perfect balance of texture, brightness, and savory flavors in every bite. I’ll eat this tuna salad with a spoon straight from the bowl, top a green salad with it, stuff it into a pita, roll it into a wrap, or smear it between two slices of bread.
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“This is my go to tuna salad. It’s so crisp and refreshing yet filling.”
Brandy
Easy Tuna Salad Recipe
In my opinion, to make a good tuna salad, you want to use good tuna, make a dressing that has flavor dynamic, and add in some crunchies to give the salad some texture…something to chew on. I use chunk light tuna to keep things budget-friendly, mayo, simple seasonings, and lemon juice for the dressing, and I mix in plenty of celery, walnuts, and green onions for crunch. No more bland mush!
Budget-Saving Tip
If you’re looking to save a little, go with chunk light tuna. It’s usually one of the most affordable options and works great in this recipe. It has smaller, more shredded pieces, but once it’s mixed with the dressing and add-ins, you won’t miss the bigger chunks. Solid albacore is more expensive, but you’ll get nice, big, solid chunks of fish that give your salad more texture. However, for everyday meals, chunk light gets the job done without stretching your grocery budget.
Classic Tuna Salad
Cost $6.33 recipe / $1.58 serving
Ingredients
- 2 12oz. cans chunk light tuna in water ($5.00*)
- 1 cup (100 g) celery (diced, (about 2 ribs), $0.35)
- ¼ cup (30 g) walnuts (chopped, $0.30)
- 2 green onions (sliced, $0.20)
- ½ cup (100 g) mayonnaise ($0.40**)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.04)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
Video
Instructions
- Drain the canned tuna well. Finely dice the celery, chop the walnuts, and slice the green onions.
- Combine the tuna, celery, walnuts, green onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Serve as a sandwich, salad over a bed of greens, or with crackers and vegetables for dipping. Refrigerate up to four days.
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Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Classic Tuna Salad Step-by-Step Photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Combine the ingredients: Drain two 12 oz. cans of chunk light tuna in water. Finely dice about one cup of celery, chop ¼ cup walnuts, and slice two green onions. Add the tuna, celery, walnuts, green onions to a bowl with ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Stir the ingredients well to combine.
Serve: Now it’s ready to serve! I do like my salad a little bit dry, so if you prefer, you can always add an extra tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to make it a little “softer.”
Serving Suggestions
There are several ways I like to serve this salad. We’re all familiar with the classic tuna salad sandwich, which is often built on toast with lettuce. You could also serve it without bread over a bed of greens, like in a Niçoise salad. Sometimes, I eat it with just some crackers or veggies for dipping, or you can stuff it into a pita or wrap to make a tuna wrap, which is a little lighter than eating the tuna as a sandwich. Our cottage cheese wraps are a great option if you’re gluten-free or want extra protein in your diet! Also, check out my tuna salad lunch box. Lots of options, all delicious!
how to make a tuna sandwich
To turn this tuna salad into a proper sandwich, I like to start with two slices of basic sandwich bread, like honey wheat bread. The slight sweetness of the bread pairs well with the savoriness of the tuna. If you aren’t up for the task of making your own bread, store-bought sandwich bread is fine too. To ensure the bread doesn’t get soggy, I’ll add a layer of cheese or lettuce in between the tuna and the bread. This recipe yields 4 sandwiches if you use about 1 cup of tuna salad per sandwich.
What Else Can I Add?
There are several things you can add to your tuna salad to add texture and flavor. I like to add celery and walnuts. They each have their own “brand” of crunch that really adds to the interest. All of these will add another layer of texture, and depending on which you choose, you’ll get either an additional burst of savory (shredded radish, pickled carrots) or a hint of sweetness (dried cranberries, pickle relish). If you opt for more protein (beans, eggs), you’ll have a heartier sandwich.
- Sunflower seeds
- Shredded carrots
- Pickle relish
- Shredded radish
- Pickled carrots
- Olives
- Capers
- Dried cranberries
- White beans
- Hard boiled eggs
Storage Instructions
Tuna salad is definitely best served fresh, while the celery is nice and crunchy, but you could also meal-prep it for lunch. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I find it best to prepare the sandwich just before I want to eat it. While you can store an assembled sandwich in the fridge for a day or two, the bread will get softer the longer it sits. I don’t recommend freezing tuna sandwiches; the texture will just not be the same.
More Tuna Salad Recipes To Try
- This protein-packed Mediterranean Tuna Salad features beans, tuna, and all my favorite Mediterranean add-ins.
- This spicy and savory Gochujang Tuna Salad is great for sandwiches, wraps, or just stuffing into vegetables.
- Tuna Pasta Salad features tender pasta, canned tuna, sweet peas, with a simple creamy dressing.
More Easy Tuna Recipes
Our Tuna Salad recipe was originally published 8/18/20. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 8/20/25.
I made this tuna salad recipe and it was so good. The celery gives it a good crunch. I wouldn’t of thought of adding walnuts but this salad was incredible.
Loved the walnuts–nice addition. This is basically my recipe, too, but no onions for me, I vary mine from time to time–love to add a chopped hardboiled egg and/or chopped dill pickle or capers, all in your list of options. DH likes it with no egg but a heaping T of sweet relish–I use Wickles brand for a little bite. I used to do a version with a spicy pickled shredded carrot condiment which no longer seems to be available, but a staple in Austin for a couple of decades–Hell of a Relish.
I make this regularly for my lunches. It’s a great tuna salad recipe.
This is my go to tuna salad. It’s so crisp and refreshing yet filling.
Great recipe! I’ve made it several times.
One of our favorite easy go to meals! Sometimes I add grated or sliced radish for some fun color.
Love this version of tuna salad, just different enough to stand out but also for fans of the classic
This is an amazing tuna salad recipe. I make it every couple months and keep it in rotation! The recommendation for albacore tuna is excellent as well.
This recipe is my go to when I’m craving tuna salad. It is so incredibly easy and so delicious!
This hit the spot!
Sometimes I don’t have celery on hand, so I keep cans of diced water chestnuts in the cupboard. They add a nice crunch. Sometimes I add them with the celery — I like a crunchy veggie-filled tuna salad.
Never been a fan of tuna til now! Beth you are always killing it. I keep coming back to this recipe & I love adding shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, and hard-boiled eggs like you suggested.
I like a basic tuna salad so I omitted the crunch ingredients and just did mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt & pepper and wow what a tasty tuna salad! I thought the lemon juice would be too much but you don’t taste it that much which is a good thing! This tuna salad will be my go-to!
Love tuna salad.
Try adding a grated carrot to the combo.
Also like to top a tuna salad sandwich with thinly sliced sweet onion & lettuce of course.
The grated carrot is a great budget extender.
Got the idea from a friend who needed more tuna salad for party sandwiches,
Give it a try.
Love your recipes!
What brand of bread is featured in your photos? Looks delicious.
I believe that just came from the Kroger bakery. :)