Tuna Salad Without Mayo or Yogurt

You’ll love this creamy, dairy-free tuna salad without mayo or yogurt! It’s tangy, delicious and loaded with crunchy celery and red onion. Serve it with your favourite crackers for a protein packed snack or enjoy it as a meal in these tuna lettuce wraps.

We always have canned tuna stocked in our pantry for easy lunches and dinners. It’s healthy, has a long shelf life and works in a variety of recipes. One of our faves is this white bean tuna salad (also made without mayo)!

I grew up eating canned tuna sandwiches with plenty of mayo. It’s delicious, but can be a bit heavy. Nowadays, when I enjoy canned tuna, I load it up with plenty of veggies and seasonings and mix in some mashed avocado, cashew mayo or dairy-free sour cream, as is the case with the recipe I’m sharing today.

Many of the no mayo tuna salad recipes you’ll find use yogurt as the substitute for mayo. I wanted to make this tuna salad recipe dairy-free, and since I haven’t found a thick, dairy-free yogurt that I like yet, I used dairy-free sour cream instead. It’s thick, creamy and tangy like yogurt, and works perfectly in this recipe.

Why you’ll love this no mayo tuna salad recipe

• Easy, make ahead recipe. It takes just 15 minutes to make a batch and it stores well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Versatile. You can enjoy it on its own, on crackers, in a sandwich or stuffed into wraps.
• Flavourful. It has amazing flavour thanks to the tanginess of fresh lemon juice, vinegar and capers.
• Dairy-free. As mentioned above, this tuna salad recipe is yogurt free and made creamy thanks to some dairy-free sour cream.

Details on the ingredients

Below is just an overview of the ingredients. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact quantities used.

Tuna – I used flaked white albacore tuna packed in water. For a chunkier version, you can also use solid white albacore tuna. I wanted to keep this recipe light, but for additional flavour, you can use a tuna that’s packed in oil.

Sour cream – To keep this recipe dairy-free, you’ll want to use dairy-free sour cream. I’ve tried a number of different brands, and there is definitely some difference in flavour and texture. A thick sour cream, like Tofutti, works best for this recipe.

Lemon juice – This adds extra tanginess to the sour cream. Be sure to use freshly squeezed instead of bottled lemon juice.

Vinegar – A little apple cider vinegar also adds tanginess. You can use distilled white vinegar as well.

Mustard – For even more flavour and texture, we are opting for whole grain dijon mustard in this recipe. It adds a sharp, peppery punch. Feel free to use regular dijon mustard if you prefer.

Sugar – To balance all of the tangy flavour, you’ll need just half a teaspoon of sugar. I used cane sugar, but you can also use granulated sugar.

Seasonings – We’re keeping it simple with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Celery – I absolutely love the crunch of celery with tuna. You’ll need 3 stalks diced into small pieces.

Red onion – For more crisp texture and flavour, diced red onion is also added to the tuna salad. Feel free to use yellow or white onion for a bolder flavour, or use chopped green onion or chives.

Capers – These are small little buds that come from caper bushes. They are usually pickled and add a salty, savoury flavour to dishes.

How to make tuna salad without mayo

This recipe couldn’t be easier to make!

First, add the sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, sugar and seasonings to a bowl and stir until combined.

Recipe substitutions and variations

• For even more flavour, add some sweet green relish or chopped dill pickles.
• Replace the red onion with chopped green onion or chives.
• Replace some of the chopped celery with finely chopped or shredded carrots.
• Add chopped red or green peppers, or for a spicy kick, some chopped jalapeños.
• Speaking of spicing it up, add some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
• For a smokey flavour, add a little smoked paprika or chili powder.
• If you don’t need the recipe to be dairy-free, use regular sour cream or Greek yogurt.
• I also love this recipe with my homemade cashew mayo instead of sour cream. Just use half a cup of the mayo and leave out the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder and onion powder from the tuna salad recipe as the cashew mayo is already well seasoned.

FAQs

Key recipe tips

• Dice the celery and red onion into small pieces so they mix well with the tuna and other ingredients.
• To avoid a watery tuna salad, make sure the canned tuna is well drained.
• While you can enjoy the tuna salad right away, I like to let it rest in the fridge for about an hour to let the flavours blend.
• If you want a creamier tuna salad, feel free to use a little more sour cream.
• Make sure your sour cream is thick and creamy. Runnier sour creams may make the tuna salad a little runny.

More recipes made without mayo

• Chipotle Dip
• Dairy-Free Caramelized Onion Dip
• Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
• Salmon Pasta Salad

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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Tuna Salad Without Mayo

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• Author: Leanne
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Lunch
• Method: Chop & Stir
• Cuisine: American, Canadian
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

You’ll love this creamy, dairy-free tuna salad without mayo or yogurt! It’s tangy, delicious and loaded with crunchy celery and red onion. 

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dairy-free sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cans albacore flaked white tuna (packed in water), drained
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained

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Instructions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, add the sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
2. Add the tuna, celery, red onion and capers. Stir until everything is combined.
3. Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for an hour to let the flavours meld.

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Notes

1. Dice the celery and red onions small so they mix in well with the tuna and other ingredients.
2. To avoid a watery tuna salad, make sure the canned tuna is well drained.
3. If you want a creamier tuna salad, feel free to use a little more sour cream.
4. Make sure your dairy-free sour cream is thick and creamy. I used Tofutti brand for this recipe. Runnier sour creams will make the tuna salad a little runny.
5. Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.