Tuna Salad Recipes

12 tuna salads, from a no-cook bowl to a composed Niçoise platter

Every salad here skips mayonnaise entirely or uses only a little of it, leaning instead on Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, avocado, or a Mediterranean olive-oil dressing to do the work mayo usually does. All twelve clear at least 25 grams of protein per serving.

Four Ways These Salads Reach 25g+ Protein

Plant and pantry ingredients rarely get you to 25 grams alone, so each recipe here pairs tuna with a second (sometimes third) source rather than relying on tuna by itself. The most common pairing is dairy — Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad, High Protein Tuna Salad and Tuna Salad with Greek Yogurt all lean on cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or both together. A second group skips dairy for legumes instead — Tuna Salad Recipe Without Mayo uses chickpeas, while the two pasta salads (Tuna Pasta Salad Without Mayo and High Protein Tuna Pasta Salad) lean on cannellini beans or the pasta itself. A third group uses eggs as the second protein source — Tuna Egg Salad most heavily, Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad and Mediterranean Tuna Salad as a supporting player. The fourth, smallest group — Tuna Avocado Salad and Low Calorie Tuna Salad — skips a second protein source almost entirely and just uses a larger tuna portion instead.

The 12 Salads, One at a Time

Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad is the classic no-cook bowl — chunky cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, no mayo.

Tuna Salad Without Mayo keeps things plainest: just Greek yogurt, celery, onion and lemon.

High Protein Tuna Salad is the flagship — Greek yogurt and cottage cheese combined for the highest protein number in the group.

Tuna Salad Recipe Without Mayo drops dairy entirely for a Mediterranean, chickpea-and-caper version.

Tuna Salad with Cottage Cheese blends the cottage cheese smooth, built specifically to spread in a sandwich or wrap.

Tuna Pasta Salad Without Mayo takes the Mediterranean angle further with white beans, feta and olives over pasta.

Tuna Egg Salad puts mashed egg yolk and mustard at the center, deviled-egg style.

Tuna Salad with Greek Yogurt keeps a little real mayo alongside yogurt for a richer, French-bistro flavor with tarragon and capers.

Tuna Avocado Salad is the only fully dairy-free, egg-free option — mashed avocado, lime and cilantro instead.

Mediterranean Tuna Salad is a composed Niçoise platter with potatoes, green beans and olives arranged rather than tossed.

Low Calorie Tuna Salad skips added fat entirely — just tuna, vegetables and a vinegar dressing.

Tuna Pasta Salad is the classic American potluck version — mayo, peas, hard-boiled egg.

Compare the 12 Salads

* Filling only — figures exclude bread or wrap. All figures are preliminary estimates pending verification against a dedicated Tuna nutrition workbook.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which tuna salad has the most protein?

Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad, at about 34g per serving.

Which is lowest in sodium?

Tuna Salad Without Mayo and Low Calorie Tuna Salad are both around 380mg.

Which don’t use any dairy at all?

Tuna Salad Recipe Without Mayo, Tuna Avocado Salad and Low Calorie Tuna Salad.

Which one should I try first?

Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad — no cooking beyond boiling eggs, and it demonstrates the core swap (cottage cheese instead of mayo) that most of this collection is built around.

Which salad holds up best if I want to make it ahead?

The pasta-based salads — High Protein Tuna Pasta Salad and Tuna Pasta Salad Without Mayo — keep 3 days refrigerated without much change in texture. Avocado-based Tuna Avocado Salad is the opposite — best made the same day.

Are any of these good for a composed platter instead of a mixed bowl?

Yes — Mediterranean Tuna Salad is built specifically as a Niçoise-style platter, with components arranged separately rather than tossed together.

More From the Tuna Collection

See the full Healthy High Protein Tuna Recipes collection, or browse Tuna Rice Bowls, Tuna Wraps & Sandwiches, or Tuna Meal Prep.