This Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad is just like the classic recipe, except it’s made with Greek Yogurt and without mayonnaise. It’s healthy, creamy, and delicious, and you’d never even know there’s no mayo!
Why It Works
Greek Yogurt is delicious all on its own, used as a marinade, or as the perfect healthy substitute for mayo in most recipes.
The texture and consistency of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise are super similar, and the flavors are alike too, except Greek yogurt has just a tiny hit of tang to it.
When you mix Greek yogurt with all the classic tuna salad ingredients like canned tuna, celery, onion, and herbs (and don’t use any mayo), it ends up tasting amazingly similar (nearly identical!) to the recipe my mom always made.
So if you don’t like mayo, don’t have any in the fridge, or if you just want to limit your calories (for Weight Watchers or any other healthy eating plan), you can go right ahead and skip the mayo!
So make up a batch of this classic tuna salad with Greek yogurt for your healthy meal prep, and dig in!
Ingredients
Ingredients Notes:
- Canned Tuna. Tuna packed in oil will be more flavorful, but it will also be higher in fat and calories than tuna packed in water. Choose whichever you prefer.
- Plain Greek Yogurt. Be careful not to use flavored Greek Yogurt! I like to get nonfat yogurt, but whatever type you prefer will work out great.
- Celery. Celery adds mild flavor and crunchy texture to tuna salad.
- Red Onion. Just a little red onion goes a long way! It adds zesty flavor and a little more texture.
- Dijon Mustard. Mustard adds a punch of acid and bold flavor which helps to balance out the tang in the yogurt.
- Dill & Parsley. You can use either fresh or dried herbs. They help to add herby brightness to the dish that are just lovely.
- Salt & Pepper
Making It
I think the best thing about this recipe is how incredibly easy it is to make. There’s no cooking involved, just a little chopping and dicing and you’re in business!
Step 1: Do the prep work.
First, dice the celery. Mince the onion and herbs. Chop them as finely as you’d like. If you prefer everything minced up in tiny pieces, go right ahead and do that! I prefer a little bit of a chunkier texture. It’s 100% just a preference thing, so do what you prefer.
Drain most of the water or oil from the cans of tuna. You want the tuna to stay moist, but you don’t want it soupy or overly dry. The best way to get there is to simply pour out any excess liquid from the cans, but don’t use a strainer.
Step 2: Mix together.
Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Mix the ingredients well until they’re fully combined.
This is a great time to taste a little bit and adjust the recipe if needed. If you want it creamier, add about 1-2 more Tablespoons of Greek yogurt. If you want more mustard or herbs, stir in a bit more. If you’d like more seasonings, add more salt and pepper.
Once you’ve got it how you like it, the tuna salad is ready to go! You can enjoy it right away, or cover and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it.
Tips & FAQ
The average tuna salad recipe contains approximately 375 calories per cup, but when you omit the mayo and substitute nonfat Greek yogurt, tuna salad has approximately 195 calories per serving.
Tuna salad is great served on toasted bread, in lettuce wraps, or collard wraps. I like to serve it with sliced cucumber, crackers, tortilla chips, or carrot sticks.
When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, tuna salad will keep for 3-4 days, per USDA.
The short answer is yes, but I don’t recommend it. While it’s safe to freeze tuna salad, both Greek yogurt and mayonnaise tend to separate when frozen, so your tuna salad will be mushy and watery once it’s defrosted. It will taste better to make up a fresh batch whenever you’re ready to eat it.
More Meal Prep Recipes
- Mexican Tuna Salad. Another fun take on classic tuna salad, jam packed with healthy vegetables and Mexican flavor!
- Dill Pickle Chicken Salad. This is a fun take on traditional chicken salad. If you like pickles, this is for you!
- Egg Salad with Bacon. A Keto and Whole30 compatible, absolutely delicious meal prep recipe!
Are you making this recipe? I’d love to hear about your experience with it!
Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 14 oz. canned tuna with most of the liquid drained
- 1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 Tablespoons minced red onion
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1.5 teaspoons fresh parsley or substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1.5 teaspoons fresh dill or substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Do the prep work. Dice the celery and mince the onion. If you're using fresh herbs, mince the parsley and dill. Open the cans of tuna and drain most of the liquid.
- Add the tuna, Greek yogurt, celery, red onion, mustard, herbs, and salt and pepper to a large bowl. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients well until fully combined. Season to taste.
- Serve right away, or store covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
- To store: When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, tuna salad will keep for 3-4 days, per USDA. For best taste, it’s not recommended to freeze tuna salad.
- Tuna packed in oil will be more flavorful, but it will also be higher in fat and calories than tuna packed in water. Choose whichever you prefer.
- Be careful not to use flavored Greek Yogurt! I like to get nonfat yogurt, but whatever type you prefer will work out great.
