Best Keto Tuna Salad (Easy and Healthy!)

Keto tuna salad is a simple, versatile, low-carb dish that can be served for lunch or dinner. Whether you prefer the classic tuna salad with mayo and celery or want to try the versions with onion, herbs, and other seasonings, this recipe can satisfy anyone.

Table of Contents:

• What Is Keto Tuna Salad?
• Is Tuna Salad Keto?
• How Many Carbs Are in Tuna Salad With Mayo?
• How to Make Keto Tuna Salad
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• References

What Is Keto Tuna Salad?

Keto tuna salad is a quick dish for lunch and dinner that is high in fat and protein and low in carbs.

Not only is this recipe delicious, but it’s also just the thing if you’re looking to lose weight or improve your health on a keto or low-carb diet.

Regarding ingredients, we swap conventional mayonnaise for a version with avocado or olive oil.

This way, we trade pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids from refined seed oils, such as soy, canola, or sunflower oil, for healthy fats that reduce the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease (Ramsden et al. 2013¹).

The monounsaturated fatty acids in olive and avocado oil have been shown in studies to have the following health benefits (Kris-Etherton et al. 1999²; Paniagua et al. 2007³):

• Increased HDL levels (“good cholesterol”)
• Lower blood pressure
• Less abdominal fat
• Reduced insulin resistance

This low-carb tuna salad is one of the easiest keto recipes to make. The preparation just requires you to mix all the ingredients.

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious salad. You can find the exact quantities on the recipe card below. Here is an overview of the ingredients needed:

• Tuna: I prefer tuna in water as other cans contain unhealthy sunflower or soybean oil.
• Celery: The traditional tuna salad ingredient gives it some crunch and more zing. It is one of the lowest-carb veggies. However, you can leave it out if you don’t like celery.
• Mayonnaise: I use my homemade keto mayonnaise with olive oil for this recipe. You can make it in a minute. If you don’t want to make your mayo, you can buy this ketogenic mayo with avocado oil.
• Dijon Mustard: This traditional French mustard is creamier, thicker, and contains no added sugar like conventional mustard. I highly recommend it for this recipe.
• Garlic: You may have never thought of adding minced garlic to tuna salad, but trust me, once you try it, you’ll stick with it!
• Lemon juice: a squeeze of lemon juice adds some tartness and a fresh citrus flavor to the dish, which works well with the celery and pickles.
• Salt and pepper: I use pink Himalayan salt for seasoning because it is not bleached, has no anti-caking agents, and contains more micronutrients.

Variations

Sour cream can be used instead of mayonnaise. However, mayo is better for the keto diet because it contains significantly more fat.

Mix in diced red onions. They add a crunchy, spicy heat to the salad.

Use a splash of Tabasco sauce to make the salad spicier.

You can add garlic powder instead of fresh garlic and a pinch of onion powder. I prefer fresh vegetables.

Add a pinch of dried thyme to give the salad extra flavor.

Use chopped cilantro or parsley. I love the bold flavor of cilantro. But if you’re not a fan of it, parsley works too.

Add a tablespoon of diced bacon. You can’t miss a savory bacon option on keto!

Storing

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Re-mix the keto tuna salad before you serve it.

Is Tuna Salad Keto?

Store-bought tuna salad is rarely suitable for ketogenic diets due to its ingredients.

Most products contain either hidden sugars, too few, or pro-inflammatory fats that prevent you from losing weight.

I created this keto tuna salad recipe to eliminate these drawbacks. So you can have a healthy tuna salad in your fridge that you can eat anytime without guilt.

How Many Carbs Are in Tuna Salad With Mayo?

Celery⁴, garlic⁵, and pickles⁶ add carbohydrates to this tuna salad recipe:

• Carbohydrates: 1.05 g
• Dietary fiber: 0.4 g
• Net carbs: 0.65 g

One serving of keto tuna salad contains 0.65 g net carbs.

You can learn more about the net carbs calculation and daily limit in my article on carbs on a keto diet.

What to Eat With Keto Tuna Salad

This keto tuna salad fits ideally on rolls because of its consistency. Of course, they have to be low-carb, too.

I recommend my classic keto bread or the 90-second keto bread, which has an ideal round shape.

How to Make Keto Tuna Salad

Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe.

Instructions

• Chop: Drain the tuna well, place it in a bowl, and shred it with a fork.
• Mix: Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix everything.
• Serve: Serve the salad on toasted keto bread or in a lettuce wrap.

Tips for the Perfect Salad

• Avoid low-fat mayo: For keto, avoid mayonnaises that are labeled low-calorie, light, diet, low-fat, or sweetened. Therefore, these are unsuitable and contain less fat and more carbohydrates than regular mayonnaise.
• Don’t skimp on mayo: Canned tuna contains hardly any fatty acids. The salad will not suit the ketogenic diet if you skimp on the mayonnaise.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

References

¹Ramsden, C. E., Zamora, D., Leelarthaepin, B., Majchrzak-Hong, S. F., Faurot, K. R., Suchindran, C. M., Ringel, A., Davis, J. M., & Hibbeln, J. R. (2013). Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: Evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis. The BMJ, 346. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e8707

²Kris-Etherton, P. M., Pearson, T. A., Wan, Y., Hargrove, R. L., Moriarty, K., Fishell, V., & Etherton, T. D. (1999). High-monounsaturated fatty acid diets lower both plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 70(6), 1009–1015. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/70.6.1009

³Paniagua, J. A., Gallego de la Sacristana, A., Romero, I., Vidal-Puig, A., Latre, J. M., Sanchez, E., Perez-Martinez, P., Lopez-Miranda, J., & Perez-Jimenez, F. (2007). Monounsaturated fat-rich diet prevents central body fat distribution and decreases postprandial adiponectin expression induced by a carbohydrate-rich diet in insulin-resistant subjects. Diabetes care, 30(7), 1717–1723. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc06-2220

^{4, 5, 6}U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2022. USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 2019-2020. Food Surveys Research Group Home Page, http://www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg