This dairy-free dill tuna salad is the best tuna salad recipe I have ever tried! I know, you may be thinking I’m biased since it is my recipe, but honestly, I like this tuna salad over the pre-made salad I can buy at Whole Foods Market. It is full of flavor, not too dry, contains wholesome ingredients, and is super easy to make! Whenever I don’t know what to have for lunch, I break out a can of tuna and whip up some dill tuna salad to have between two slices of bread or with some plantain chips. Whether you consider yourself a tuna fan or not, I think you should give this recipe a try!
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Modern Pioneer Recipe
Dairy-free dill tuna salad is a modern pioneer recipe. Canned tuna didn’t become super popular in the United States until the early 1900’s, meaning the early pioneers probably did not have cans of tuna stored in their chuckwagon. However, as modern pioneers, we can easily turn canned tuna into a healthy and sustainable meal!
In order to make this tuna salad a modern pioneer recipe, you need to pay attention to the sustainability of the ingredients. Obviously we all can’t fish for our own tuna, so buying canned tuna is an economical option. It can also be a sustainable option when buying from the right sources.
When buying canned tuna to make this dairy-free tuna salad with, look for these labels:
- wild caught AND ‘pole caught’ or ‘pole and line caught’
- dolphin safe
- FAD free or school caught
- BPA free (referring to the cans used for canning the tuna)
Aside from using sustainable ingredients, this modern pioneer recipe is also allergy-friendly! Of course, if you have a fish or seafood allergy, tuna salad will not end up on your menu. However, this tuna salad is free from other common allergens and is perfect for anti-inflammatory, healing diets!
This tuna salad recipe is…
- gluten-free
- grain-free
- dairy-free
- nut free
- corn free
- soy free
- sugar free
Choose Your Flavor
I initially made this tuna salad into a dill tuna salad recipe because I absolutely love the flavor pairing of dill with tuna, but there are also a variety of other flavors you can adapt this recipe into! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- lemon dill– add a splash of fresh lemon juice to the tuna salad for a hint of lemon flavor
- cranberry– omit the dill and celery, instead add a handful of dried cranberries for a sweet tang to your tuna salad
- tomato– omit the dill and add sun-dried tomatoes to add some flavor to your tuna salad
- garlic & onion– omit the dill and celery, add a sprinkle of garlic powder and onion powder or add a chopped shallot or red onion
- dill pickle– omit the chopped celery and instead add chopped dill pickles
- pickle– omit the dill and chopped celery, add chopped bread and butter pickles with some chopped red bell pepper (red pepper is optional)
You can also play around using different herbs to flavor your tuna salad with! Out of dill? Maybe you have basil or thyme on hand! Both of those would make a flavorful and unique tuna salad.
Need another quick lunch idea to make ahead of time? Check out this dairy-free heritage egg salad which is amazing!
Types of Tuna
When browsing the canned tuna isles, you may notice that you have several different types of tuna to choose from. First off, make sure you are selecting brands that are sustainable and eco-friendly, like Safe Catch or Wild Planet.
After selecting a sustainable brand, you can decided what type of tuna you like the best. I also like to pay attention to whether the tuna has salt added and if it is canned in water.
Skipjack tuna is the most commonly canned type of tuna, with albacore tuna coming in second and yellowfin tuna being third. Each type of tuna has a slightly different taste and texture. Any type of canned tune will work well in this tuna salad recipe, so you can choose whichever kind you like the best.
- Skipjack– darker meat with a flakey consistency and more fishy taste
- Albacore– has white flesh and is more of a dry, firm meat with a mild flavor
- Yellowfin– meat is light pink in color with a dry, firm consistency and a mild flavor
I also like to buy the canned tuna that has no salt added and is canned in water. Canned fish with salt added is often high in sodium. If you do buy tuna canned with salt, you may consider rinsing the tuna before making it into tuna salad to rinse off some of the salt.
Serving & Storing
Dairy-free dill tuna salad is super easy to serve and store! While I often make up this salad for a quick lunch option, I also like prepping it ahead of time to use for on-the-go meals or travel meals. The tuna salad can be made up and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. For long camping trips or RV adventures, bringing a can of tuna along with some of the additional ingredients makes whipping up a tuna salad super simple. It makes a great camping lunch!
No matter how you like to have tuna salad, this dill tuna salad version can be made into a variety of meals! My favorite way to have tuna salad is between two slices of gluten-free bread (or grain-free bread) or with some Against the Grain pita. Making a dairy-free tuna salad melt is absolutely amazing with Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free bread, Daiya provolone cheese slices, and this dill tuna salad!
If you like to veggie-fy your sandwich a little more you can easily add a slice of tomato, some homegrown sprouts, organic romaine lettuce, homemade coleslaw, sliced onions, or pickles to your tuna salad sandwich! You can also use these grain-free cheese rolls to make a tuna salad sandwich!
You can also use this dill tuna salad as a chip dip. Plantain chips, grain-free tortilla chips, lentil chips, and cassava root chips are all delicious served with this tuna salad!
Making this dairy-free tuna salad into a leafy green jar salad is also convenient for packing lunch ahead of time or making a travel lunch. You simply place the tuna salad at the bottom of a glass jar and then add whatever salad fixings you want on top.
Do you have a favorite way to eat tuna salad? I’d love to hear it!
Recipe Tips
Dairy-free tuna dill salad is a super easy recipe to make! In fact, I don’t even follow a recipe and actually had to be very conscientious about writing down the recipe as I made the tuna salad! I just got into the habit of adding a little bit of this and little bit of that to make a delicious and flavorful salad. Sometimes I wonder if sharing simple recipes is even worth it, but I know it is since I often find myself doing a quick search for a simple, easy recipe.
You probably don’t need too many tips for making this tuna salad, but I figured I give you a few pointers if you were wondering about substitutions or consistency.
- Primal Kitchen mayo can be substituted for your favorite paleo mayo option. I have also used dairy-free yogurt instead of mayo.
- Substitute in any veggie you like for the chopped celery, or add to it for a more veggie-based tuna salad.
- If you add lemon juice, you may want to add 1 tsp. of tapioca flour to keep the tuna salad from being too liquidy. You can do this even if you don’t add extra lemon juice.
- If the tuna is canned in water I don’t recommend draining off any liquid from the canned tuna. Keeping the liquid with the tuna helps keep the tuna salad from being too dry.
- You can customize the amount of mayo you want in the salad until you achieve your favorite tuna salad consistency. The tuna salad in the photos was made with 1.5 tablespoons of mayo.
This dairy-free dill tuna salad is bursting with flavor and has the perfect tuna salad consistency! It is delicious served between two slices of gluten-free bread or with chips!
Dairy-free Dill Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 1 5 oz. can sustainably caught tuna, in water, no salt added
- 1.5-2 T. paleo mayo or dairy-free yogurt
- 1 small stalk of celery, chopped
- 2 tsp. chopped dried dill
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice optional
- 1 tsp. tapioca flour optional
Instructions
- Open the tuna can and dump the contents into a medium size mixing bowl. Seperate the tuna chunks with a fork until the pieces are small.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with the fork to combine.
- Enjoy with gluten-free bread, grain-free pita, with your favorite chips, or on a leafy green salad!
Where to Find the Ingredients
- Wild Planet albacore tuna in water
- Primal Kitchen paleo mayo
- organic dried dill
- Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- Supplies: medium mixing bowl, herb chopper
This dairy-free dill tuna salad will quickly become a modern pioneer lunch time staple! Make up a double or triple batch to serve as a quick lunch option for several days out of the week. Like I mentioned earlier, I absolutely love making tuna salad sandwiches using this tuna salad recipe! I also like dipping my favorite chips (plantain chips or Siete tortilla chips) in this tuna salad for a nutritious snack. This recipe uses simple, wholesome and sustainable ingredients to create a nutritious and delicious modern pioneer meal that is good for you and the planet!
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by Alexa
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