Sides & Salads

Avocado Tuna Salad

What could be a better substitute for Tuna Salad that’s healthier, tastier, and loaded with protein? Avocado Tuna Salad without a doubt!

The creamy texture of the avocado is a perfect substitute for mayonnaise, and, as obvious as this may sound, a much healthier one.

It’s a perfect salad to accompany your lunch, or even make a sandwich out of, for a light, healthy meal, it could also be served on the side with dinner.

When it comes to making an Avocado Tuna salad, the choice of your base ingredients is crucial. In this case, it’s tuna and avocado.

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Avocado Tuna Salad
Image by Layla Atik via gimmedelicious.com

So, what Kind of Tuna is Best for Tuna Salad?

Well-drained Tuna in water is great, it adds some extra flavor to the mix and seems to hold its form the best, but you can always substitute it for other types of tuna-like the Wild Albacore one with Sea Salt or Drained Chunk Light Tuna in oil depending on your preference or what you have on hand.    

How do you pick the best avocado?

When making an Avocado Tuna Salad, make sure to choose an avocado that would be a perfect substitute for the mayonnaise.

Ripe avocados make it easier to get the desired creamy texture by mashing them with a fork.

Note that you will need more seasoning than usual since the mayo comes salted, but avocados don’t.

How to make the Avocado Tuna Salad?

For this avocado tuna salad, all you will need is avocado, tuna, cucumber, red onion, lemon, and green cilantro or parsley to sprinkle over your salad.

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Take out your ingredients and cut the avocado and cucumber and onion into small pieces.

In a big bowl, toss the tuna and the rest of the ingredients and mix everything with some fresh cilantro and a zesty lime vinaigrette that only takes a couple of minutes to put together.

The final result is a fresh, protein-loaded meal that also happens to be extremely tasty. It should, however, be enjoyed within 3 hours of making, or else the cucumber will start to lose its crispness.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate before proceeding with the seasoning, which you will do as a last finishing touch before you serve your salad, salt, and black pepper will do.

Serve it over greens, on a roll, or put your salad between two pieces of toast and you have a perfect tuna salad sandwich with the creamy addition of avocado.

Image by Sharon via heartandstove.com

Meal prep Avocado Tuna Salad

Avocados are a bit tricky to use when it comes to meal prep recipes because they brown very quickly. But don’t you worry, we’ve got your back! There are two ways you can prevent this from happening:

  1. If you want to meal prep your avocado tuna salad for the next day, try to push making it as late as possible. Toss the avocado alone in the dressing first, so it’s completely covered, then add the rest of the ingredients and combine. Adding lemon to the mix will help keep the avocado from browning.
  2. However, if you want to meal prep your salad for the week, then proceed to prep and mixing all the ingredients and dressing in a bowl except the avocado, you want to keep it aside, as the avocado skin is its best protection. If it’s firm, keep it on the counter for a couple of days until it reaches the desired level of ripeness, then store it in the fridge. Only take it out once you’re ready to serve the salad.

How should you store your Avocado Tuna Salad?

When preparing an Avocado Tuna Salad in advance, it’s crucial to know how to store it properly.

As mentioned before, the lemon zest will help prevent browning, but covering it with plastic wrap is important too.

Make sure it’s secured, it should last 2 days in the fridge if so.

How long do avocados last in this salad?

Avocados are great. They go well with almost anything!

The only downside is that they go bad pretty fast. So, if you make the Avocado Tuna Salad, sprinkle a little bit of lemon juice over the exposed avocado flesh and cover tightly with plastic wrap before storing it in your fridge, it will typically last two days.

If you need it for longer, however, you’re better off leaving the avocado aside until the D-Day, just like mentioned above.

Is it healthy to eat tuna salad?

Tuna is healthy for you, as long as you don’t go overboard with the mayo.

It contains various Omega 3 fatty acids that help control inflammation and are vital for the nervous system.

Many of us don’t realize the importance of these acids and don’t get enough of them as a result.

Some useful tips to help you make the best Tuna Salad:

  • You can opt for canned or pre-cooked chicken instead, it works just as well as the Tuna.
  • Make sure you dice the vegetables relatively small so the salad is easier to digest.
  • Try out tuna packed in water instead of oil and see if you like the flavor any better. I personally think it offers the best flavor and fewer calories.

What can you mix with canned tuna?

Canned Tuna goes well with pretty much anything. Here’s a small compilation of the ingredients I personally prefer to mix it with:

  • Lemon juice
  • Greek yogurt
  • Dijon mustard
  • Parsley
  • Cilantro
  • Chopped pickles
  • Chives

IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!

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Avocado Tuna Salad Recipe


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5 from 4 reviews

  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

This Avocado Tuna Salad recipe is one of the easiest and quickest to make but contains the most flavory and healthy ingredients jam-packed with proteins and essential nutrients.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 oz. can tuna in water
  • 1 avocado peeled, pitted & sliced
  • ½ cup English sliced cucumber
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped red onion
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley cilantro
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

  1. In a large salad bowl, combine: sliced English cucumber, sliced avocado, thinly sliced red onion, drained tuna, and 2 Tbsp of fresh parsley cilantro
  2. Drizzle salad ingredients with 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper (or season to taste). Toss to combine and serve.

Notes

And voilà – a fresh Avocado Tuna Salad filled with juiciness and flavor to accompany your lunch or dinner, I can’t wait for you to try it out and love it so much it becomes a new favorite!

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Calories: 149

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