Salad doesn’t have to be boring. This avocado tuna salad recipe by The Healthy Maven. Mayonnaise is replaced with avocado, which adds flavor, creaminess and healthy fats. The celery, onion and apple give it a refreshing crunch.
Avocado Health Benefits
Avocado is the unsung hero in this dish. Loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, avocado can help reduce bad cholesterol levels, support cardiovascular health, and keep you feeling satiated. It’s also a fantastic source of dietary fiber, promoting digestive health, and an array of essential vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin K, and folate.
Tuna Health Benefits
Tuna is an excellent source of lean protein that can transform your salad into a satisfying and wholesome meal. It’s also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, known for their anti-inflammatory properties and potential benefits for heart and brain health.
So, as you dive into this Avocado Tuna Salad, you’re not just treating your taste buds; you’re nourishing your body with a medley of nutrients.
Want to log this recipe? Search for “MyFitnessPal Avocado Tuna Salad” in the app database.
Avocado Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans of flaked light tuna
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 red apple, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
- 1 T pickle juice (or water-if using increase salt slightly)
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- In a large bowl, mash up avocado with the back of a fork or potato masher.
- Combine all other ingredients and mix well.
- Serve on toasted bread (gluten-free if needed), on top of greens or enjoy it all by itself.
Leftovers should keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Per serving: Calories: 146; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 24mg; Sodium: 320mg; Carbohydrate: 8g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 15g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 423mg; Vitamin A: 1%; Vitamin C: 17%; Iron: 4%; Calcium: 1%
Davida is a healthy living blogger behind The Healthy Maven, where she writes about healthy food, fitness and her insatiable sweet tooth. She aims to create delicious recipes that are healthy, gluten-free and filled with good-for-you ingredients but still taste as authentic as the originals. It’s not rare that she’ll throw spinach in her brownies! Check out more of her recipes on her blog and follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Photo courtesy of Davida Kuglemass. Recipe originally published on The Healthy Maven.
62 Responses
I make some variation of this every time avocados are on sale depending on what other veggies I have on hand. It’s really good!
I make some variation of this every time avocados are on sale depending on what other veggies I have on hand. It’s really good!
Very interesting twist to one of my favorite meals. Will definitely try.
I would see this just after making my regular tuna salad for lunch -_- maybe next time
is there other foods you can use besides avocado? I am allergic but like tuna and if there is something else healthier I’ll try it 🙂
is there other foods you can use besides avocado? I am allergic but like tuna and if there is something else healthier I’ll try it 🙂
Maybe plain greek yogurt?
never thought of that,,thanks!
never thought of that,,thanks!
never thought of that,,thanks!
No problem 🙂
No problem 🙂
Cottage cheese is also a good substitute!
I am saving some of these recipes Will be making the tuna salad and the red cabbage smoothie this week.
Oikos has a yummy cucumber dill dip that I like to use in place of mayo on a lot of sandwiches and is really yummy on a burger.
A friend uses olive oil lightly and a touch of balsamic. She also minces carrot….yummy!
Google tangy tuna salad (Martha Stewart recipe). Once can of tuna, greek yogurt and a little mayo, green apple and lemon juice/zest. I serve it at lunch potlucks and get rave reviews!
I use plain Greek yogurt all the time in mine, sometimes I dress it up a bit with a little hidden valley garden green onion dip mix, or other spices with a touch of lemon.. But I am so going to try this avocado..
This sounds fantastic. Radishes are good in tuna too. They add a nice kick of flavor and a good crunch.
Just wondering what to have for lunch. And I just so happen to have a ripe avocado!
Won’t the apple and avocado turn brown without some citrus juice?
Won’t the apple and avocado turn brown without some citrus juice?
Won’t the apple and avocado turn brown without some citrus juice?
Maybe the onion and/or pickle juice covers that?
Not if you eat it all at once! I made it with just one can of tuna and it made 2 really yummy sandwiches.
Won’t the apple and avocado turn brown without some citrus juice?
Won’t the apple and avocado turn brown without some citrus juice?
I think the calories are off. I bought the ingredients and put them into the recipe editor for myfitnesspal, and I came out to 214 Calories, 11g Carbs, 13g Fat, 14g Protein, 5g Fiber, & 30g Cholesterol. That is per serving for a total of 4 servings just like her listed recipe. I’ve checked about 3 times and followed the recipe to the smallest detail. Why the disparity?
I’m guessing it may be due to the ‘can of tuna’ – she doesn’t list a size here. there are different sizes – I just had a can for dinner that was 100 calories, but I know there are other sizes out there.. medium avocado is 240, celery is 8, 33 for the onion, 40 for the apple, 180 for the walnuts = 701 (not including the minor ingredients/seasonings) and the average is 175.25. That said, there are a few ingredients that don’t give measurements, like the avocado (small, perhaps?) and the apple too. a Small Haas avocado, is listed at 150 calories, which drops this down to closer to 150/per serving. this is what’s rough about recipes like this. a few ingredients without real measurements can totally throw off the calorie count. I think it’s possible the counts are accurate, it’s just that the portion size for the ingredients is unclear.
Agreed, getting a size on the can & avocado would be ideal.
Personally, I would prefer they measure most of the ingredients by weight. Red Apples come in a lot of different sizes as well. 1/4 chopped toasted walnuts is also highly variable depending on how coarsely the walnuts were chopped.
Note: I’ve lived in the US my whole life, so I’m used to volume-based measurements on ingredients where it makes no sense. As an Engineer… I’ve learned to hate them…
Agreed as well 🙂 I have a digital food scale, and have taken to using that 90% of the time. whether you mound dry ingredients, or pack them, or even some wet ingredients, the actual values can vary so much. For example, as I am building a salad, I just throw in each ingredient and check the weight as it goes. so much easier than pulling out varying measuring utensils. Speaking of – spring mix is a horrible one to measure (so are Berries – how do you level that off??) like nuts, it’s hard to really get an accurate measurement. We’d get along famously I suspect 😉
Thank you for the feedback! To clarify, the nutrition information for this recipe was calculated using a small avocado (227 calories) and 2 cans of solid white albacore tuna in water (8 ounces tuna, 200 calories). We will try to be as specific as possible when listing ingredients in the future. Enjoy!
You are obviously excluding the bread which will be close to 200 cal itself
Thank you for the feedback! To clarify, the nutrition information for this recipe was calculated using a small avocado (227 calories) and 2 cans of solid white albacore tuna in water (8 ounces tuna, 200 calories). We will try to be as specific as possible when listing ingredients in the future. Enjoy!
Thank you for the feedback! To clarify, the nutrition information for this recipe was calculated using a small avocado (227 calories) and 2 cans of solid white albacore tuna in water (8 ounces tuna, 200 calories). We will try to be as specific as possible when listing ingredients in the future. Enjoy!
Agreed as well 🙂 I have a digital food scale, and have taken to using that 90% of the time. whether you mound dry ingredients, or pack them, or even some wet ingredients, the actual values can vary so much. For example, as I am building a salad, I just throw in each ingredient and check the weight as it goes. so much easier than pulling out varying measuring utensils. Speaking of – spring mix is a horrible one to measure (so are Berries – how do you level that off??) like nuts, it’s hard to really get an accurate measurement. We’d get along famously I suspect 😉
Agreed as well 🙂 I have a digital food scale, and have taken to using that 90% of the time. whether you mound dry ingredients, or pack them, or even some wet ingredients, the actual values can vary so much. For example, as I am building a salad, I just throw in each ingredient and check the weight as it goes. so much easier than pulling out varying measuring utensils. Speaking of – spring mix is a horrible one to measure (so are Berries – how do you level that off??) like nuts, it’s hard to really get an accurate measurement. We’d get along famously I suspect 😉
Agreed. I use my digital scale all the time — otherwise the calorie value for many items on MyFitnessPal are worthless! What use is it when it says one apple, one “slice” or one “serving?” It makes a difference to know exactly what you’re eating.
Are you calculating calories with our without bread? Bread would up the total for sure.
Has anyone tried this yet? I love tuna and avocados, but together. ..?
Has anyone tried this yet? I love tuna and avocados, but together. ..?
Has anyone tried this yet? I love tuna and avocados, but together. ..?
I know a slice of red onion in with a leftover avocado keeps it green. Maybe the chopped red onion does the same thing here?
This sounds great and will definitely try but I think i will try it with grilled or rotisserie chicken also. Love chicken and avocado together.
You should make the recipes pinable! Am I not seeing a place where that’s possible? If not, my greatest frustration is not being able to pin recipes I want to try later.
You should download the pin “app” for your computer internet task bar at the top. Whatever site you’re on, you can hit the “pin it” tab and it’ll do just that.
I have the yum print app and love it. Check that app out and you don’t need to pin just use the website and it cuts out just the recipe for you. And you can develop your own cookbook so you have everything on hand.
they are printable it said print just above recipe
They are pinnable to pinterest. Just click on the “share” at the bottom and a new window pops up with the pinterest logo, or it may just be scroll mouse over it too for a drop down. Either way it works. 🙂
What size can of tuna?
standard 7oz can
Try avocado as a substitute for mayo in egg salad also. It’s delicious.
I just made two batches of this avocado tuna salad. I didn’t have any onions or celery in the house so I used onion powder instead. It turned out delicious. I like it better than the traditional tuna salad.
The Healthy Maven is an excellent resource for delicious, healthy recipes. Go Davida!!
Thought it was great, used it for an appetizer with my favorite crackers.
This was amazingly yummy – served it as an appy with some whole wheat crackers. I could easily see losing the crackers and serving with rounds of cucumber or zucchini, even celery and carrots for dipping. Super yummy and can be left out for time as nothing goes bad. I added lemon juice for the concern over browning affect and really like the taste with it! This will definitely be a goto recipe for me!
Just made it and I can say…DELICIOUS!
I LOVE the idea of this as I am not a fan of mayo and this sounds like a better, healthier alternative to the traditional tuna sandwich. However I am not a big fan of nuts and want to know if I could replace that ingredient with something else that would provide the same nutritional value or if it would be just as good to forego the walnuts?
🙂 sounds lovely, I will try it tomorrow, if I can be bothered to do so much maths – I never got the cup thing and I’m usually too impatient to bother figuring out how much it is in grams! (weirdly, the only alternative this website offers for things that have been submitted in cups is to calculate it in Milliliter, equally impractical and not precise enough for me! :/ (e.g. how full do you cram a cup if it is chunky stuff like nuts or chopped apples? wouldn’t you have much more in there if you cut them smaller and had fewer gaps?)