Avocado Tuna Salad is the perfect easy lunch. This recipe is filling, full of flavor and will be your new favorite sandwich recipe.
I love a good tuna salad sandwich, but today I’m going to give you the most delicious spin on the classic. This creamy Avocado Tuna Salad takes out some of the mayonnaise in the dressing and replaces it with delicious avocado. The avocado perfectly combines with the dressing ingredients and makes this a salad that you will fall in love with.
While this makes a great nutritious lunch recipe, it is also perfect as a side dish for get togethers, picnics, and BBQs. Additionally, it will make a fast and easy dinner recipe that everyone will feel great about. If you have little kids, let them try this. My youngest is obsessed with avocado.
How to Make Avocado Tuna Salad
This is a brief overview of how easy this recipe is. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Make the dressing: Mash the avocado in a bowl and whisk in mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients: Stir the dressing into the drained tuna, diced onion, celery, and diced pickle.
Eating Tuna Salad
This is a great recipe to eat on it’s own if you are on a low carb diet. You could also eat it in endive cups or bib lettuce like with my Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
I love this salad on whole grain bread with Romain lettuce and sliced tomato. If you are taking this to work for lunch and are high maintenance like me, assemble the sandwich at work. Or add a layer of Romain to both sides of the tuna salad to keep your bread from getting too moist.
How to Pick a Ripe Avocado
When looking for avocados for this recipe, you want to find an avocado that is just ripe. Here are three things to look for:
- Skin color: The avocado’s skin should be dark green, or almost black.
- Skin texture: The avocado’s skin should be bumpy rather than smooth.
- Softness: When you gently squeeze the avocado, it should have just a slight give. It shouldn’t feel overly soft or hard as a rock.
Pro tip: If you pick an avocado that is underripe, throw it in a paper bag for one to two days and it will ripen perfectly.
What Tuna to Use
For this tuna and avocado salad, I recommend using a chunk tuna that has been packed in water. The tuna that has been packed in oil adds flavors and calories that aren’t needed here. If you have more questions and concerns about what tuna to buy, this article is extremely helpful.
FAQ
I enjoy this recipe the most right after it is made. It can be stored in the refrigerator for three days after being made.
This isn’t a recipe that I would recommend freezing. Because of the mayonnaise and the avocado, this recipe is best when made fresh.
This recipe makes three cups of tuna salad, which is enough for four hearty sandwiches.
What to Serve with Avocado Tuna Salad
- Fruit Salad: This delicious fresh salad with it’s light dressing would go great with these sandwiches.
- Corn Salad: If I’m being honest, I could make this corn salad a meal of it’s own.
- Summer Salad Recipe: The bright colors and flavors of this recipe make it unique and absolutely delicious.
If you make this Avocado Tuna Salad recipe, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Avocado Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 14 ounces canned tuna drained
- 1/2 small red onion diced small
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1/4 cup dill pickles diced
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
- 1 avocado
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the tuna, red onion, pickles, and celery.
- In a small bowl smash the avocado. Then whisk in mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste being careful to start out with just a little.
- Stir the dressing into the main ingredients.
- Serve right away or store in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. Please note that if this salad sits out for more than 2 hours, the leftovers should be thrown away.
SHARYN BAY says
The sandwich looks wonderful I will be making this one this weekend. What pickle do you recommend?
Any crunchy dill pickle would be great!
Donna Lombardo says
This looks yummy!
I love anything “avocado “!
Can’t wait to try it 🥰
I hope you like it!
Alison Fortier says
I love this recipe, but cannot find the nutrition guide for it…curious about calories and protein etc..
It is in there now!
Susan says
Do you use sweet or dill pickles?
Dill! thanks for asking, I’ll update the recipe.
Nicole says
Does the lemon juice prevent the avacodo from turning brown?
To an extent yes. The second day it won’t be quite as vibrant but it won’t be brown like a left out avocado.
Carl Pirro says
Thanks Lisa, love tuna salad sandwiches.
You’re welcome!
Gerry Fagoaga says
Hi Lisa,
First, I want to express my appreciation for all your recipes that ARE Simple Joy! Cooking is NOT one of my gifts, but I started using my crockpot when the pandemic started in 2020. Your recipes were a joy, as they were simple enough for me to prepare, and very delicious! I even shared them with family and friends.
You’ve then encouraged me to try your non-crockpot recipes, and I’m now enjoying preparing them as well.
I’m writing about your Avocado Tuna Salad recipe I followed it not realizing how much it would make. I live alone, so need to learn how to reduce the recipes when it’s recommended not to freeze them. Will I run the risk of getting sick if I eat this salad for more than three days?
Gratefully,
Gerry (Ms.)
Thank you so much for this amazing comment. I got it on a day when I truly needed it, so thank you again. I personally wouldn’t get sick of this recipe after three days, but I know that tastes vary. For the future, you can easily scale down my recipes by hovering over the serving size box. (This is easiest on desktop.) As you slide the bar down, the serving numbers will change (so you could cut this in half and bring it to 2). And then the amount of ingredients will change. Some aren’t great (like .17 cups) but we are working on that and google is great at changing things. If you google .17 cups to tablespoons it will tell you that you need about 2 3/4 tablespoons. I hope this helps!
Sunshine Wilson says
I used canned chicken instead of tuna. Added carrots along with all other ingredients. Simply splendid!!! Sour dough toast made it perfect. Can not recommend this recipe more.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Marie says
So good. What a great idea.
I’m glad you liked it!
Joe says
Simple and easy to make. First time making this combo and love. Wife is a very picky eater and I’m always looking for something new to try and she loved it. Wil be keeping this around. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy you both liked it!