Tuna Salad Without Mayo or Yogurt

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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)!

Overhead view of no mayo tuna salad in a bowl with veggies and crackers on the side.

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.

Ingredients to make tuna salad without mayo arranged in individual dishes.

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.

Sour cream mixture stirred together in a bowl with cans of tuna, capers, chopped onion and celery surrounding it.

Then, add in the drained tuna, red onion, celery and capers. Stir until everything is combined.

Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for an hour or so to let the flavours meld.

Tuna salad ingredients mixed together in a bowl.

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.

Side view of tuna salad in a small bowl on a platter.

FAQs

What can I substitute for mayo in tuna salad?

There are so many options for replacing mayo in tuna salad including dairy-free sour cream, Greek or Skyr yogurt, mashed avocado or even hummus.

How long will no mayo tuna salad last?

If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, no mayo tuna salad should last for up to 3 days.

How do you serve this tuna salad recipe?

We love it served with a plate of crackers, pretzels and veggies. Thick cut chips, air fryer pita chips or air fryer tortilla chips are also great for scooping up the tuna salad. It’s also delicious served as a wrap or sandwich using your favourite bread, croissants, bagels, tortillas or lettuce leaves.

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.

Tuna salad in a bowl on a platter with crackers and veggies surrounding it and lemon wedges and chopped parsley on the side.

More recipes made without mayo

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

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