Avocado Tuna Salad – The Almond Eater

August 7, 2023

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This creamy Avocado Tuna Salad makes use of mashed avocados, flaky tuna, and cottage cheese to place a twist on traditional tuna salad. Take pleasure in it for a protein-packed and wholesome snack or picnic lunch!

Swap the gloopy, heavy tuna salad for this wholesome Avocado Tuna Salad as a substitute. Similar to my chickpea tuna salad and curried tuna salad, it’s simply as tasty because the traditional however makes use of not-so-traditional elements and isn’t weighed down by mayonnaise.

What makes this one of the best wholesome tuna salad recipe is the combination of mashed avocado, cottage cheese, and a small quantity of mayo within the dressing. It’s all combined along with flaky tuna and easy taste boosters, leaving you with a luxuriously creamy salad that’s full of wholesome fat and lean protein.

You may serve it any method you need, too. Take pleasure in your tuna salad with avocado in a sandwich, scooped on prime of a mattress of greens, or paired with veggies and crackers for dipping!

Recipe options

It’s fully foolproof! Merely stir the entire elements collectively in a single bowl and also you’re executed.
It swaps the heavy elements within the traditional recipe with lighter options, like avocado, cottage cheese, and lemon juice. You may even add in additional veggies or hard-boiled eggs for protein.
You can also make it the evening earlier than and convey it to work for a wholesome lunch the following day. It’s additionally good for picnics, potlucks, after-school snacks, and extra.

Substances

Tuna – Use canned tuna packed in water, however be certain that to empty the surplus water first. You need to use any number of tuna, similar to albacore or skipjack.

Avocado – Most creamy tuna salads are made with a mayonnaise or Greek yogurt-based dressing, which might really feel heavy and wealthy. Mashed avocado is an excellent oil and dairy free substitute. It provides a wealthy and creamy texture, wholesome monounsaturated fat, and a lift of potassium, vitamin Okay, vitamin E, and folate.

Crimson onion – Or use shallots or chives for a milder onion taste.

Lemon juice and zest – Freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest brightens up each chunk, balances the wealthy flavors, and prevents the avocado from browning too shortly. Be at liberty to make use of lime juice and zest in its place.

Cottage cheese – Similar to in my cottage cheese hen salad, the cottage cheese enhances the creaminess of this tuna salad. It’s additionally full of protein and provides a pleasant tangy taste! For those who don’t have cottage cheese, use extra mayo or plain Greek yogurt.

Step-by-step directions

Step 1: Mash the avocado. Mash the avocado in a bowl with a potato masher or a fork.

Step 2: Mix elements. Add the remaining elements to the bowl, then proceed mashing till mixed.

2 images: the left image shows all ingredients in a glass bowl and the right image shows the ingredients all mashed together

Step 3: Serve. Serve the tuna salad in bowls, in a sandwich, or on a salad!

Ideas and FAQs

Need to give the salad a lift of protein? Add hard-boiled eggs! Mash them up with the remaining elements or chop the eggs and gently stir them into the salad.
To make this paleo and Whole30, omit the cottage cheese and make the tuna salad with avocado and my home made avocado oil mayonnaise.

Tip

Let the tuna salad chill for half-hour earlier than serving. This offers the wealthy and zesty flavors time to meld collectively.

What sort of tuna is finest for tuna salad?

For one of the best tuna salad, use canned albacore or chunk gentle tuna packed in water. These varieties supply a steadiness of moisture, flakiness, and wealthy taste that enhances the opposite elements fairly than overpowers them.

What else can I add to tuna salad?

Get inventive right here! The extra extras you add, the extra nutritious and scrumptious the tuna salad will likely be. I like to recommend including sliced radishes or diced celery for crunch, cherry tomatoes or cucumber for garden-fresh flavors, crispy bacon for salt and fats, or a touch of sizzling sauce for an added kick.

How do you serve avocado tuna salad?

Two of my favourite methods to serve tuna salad are (1) unfold on a chunk of toasted crusty bread and (2) scooped on prime of a mattress of greens or over an intricate salad, like this apple, kale and brussels sprouts salad and this candy potato salad.

You too can use it to create these enjoyable dishes:

Avocado tuna sandwich – Add a beneficiant scoop of the tuna salad in your favourite sliced bread or in a wrap and prime it with lettuce and tomato.
Tuna salad lettuce wraps – Scoop the salad into crisp lettuce cups, similar to on this Whole30 hen salad recipe.
Creamy dip – The leftovers make for the right protein-packed snack. Serve them in a bowl and revel in with crackers and sliced veggies for dipping.

How do you stop the avocado from browning as shortly?

Wait so as to add the avocado till proper earlier than serving in the event you plan on making this recipe forward of time. Mashed avocado will start to show brown inside a couple of hours, which doesn’t have an effect on the flavour, however can take away from the salad’s vibrant presentation.

Storage

Fridge: Refrigerate the leftover salad in an hermetic container with a chunk of plastic wrap pressed instantly on the highest. It’ll keep recent for as much as 3 days. The avocado will brown over time however simply stir the salad and will probably be good as new.

side view of avocado tuna salad on a sandwich

Extra summer season salad recipes

For those who made this recipe, be sure you depart a remark and star ranking beneath. Thanks!