Break out of your lunch rut with Dill Pickle Tuna Salad! This protein-packed, quick and easy recipe is made with canned tuna, crunchy pickles, and a few other kitchen staples. Scoop over lettuce, in between slices of toast, or with crackers for a tasty and filling lunch.
In case you haven’t noticed, dill pickles are having a moment.
Recently I’ve seen everything from dill pickle popcorn seasoning, to dill pickle ice cream, and even dill pickle candy canes. File the latter two under no thank you, but that dill pickle popcorn seasoning? NEED!
I’m also filing Dill Pickle Tuna Salad under crave-worthy. Yes, craveable tuna salad! My mouth is watering thinking about the last bite I had of this easy, 5 ingredient tuna salad recipe that’s packed-to-the-max with minced dill pickles.
Pickle lovers unite!
Easy + Protein Packed Lunch
Tuna salad is a quick and fabulous lunch option because it’s make-ahead, high in protein, and delicious too.
My Dill Pickle Tuna Salad has the added benefit of being jam-packed with crunchy, tangy dill pickles plus a dollop of mayonnaise, dried or fresh dill, and green onions for added crunch and zesty flavor.
Whether you enjoy it scooped onto a bed of lettuce, between slices of toast, or spread over crunchy crackers, Dill Pickle Tuna Salad is a fun and satisfying way to jazz up lunch!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItHow to Make This Recipe
To a medium-sized mixing bowl add a 5oz can tuna that’s been drained, mayonnaise, chopped green onions, minced dill pickles, a small pinch dried dill OR a large pinch of chopped fresh dill, plus lots of freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir with a fork to combine, using the back of the fork to mash up the tuna to your desired texture.
This is the only brand of canned tuna I eat, by the way. I purchase it at Costco, though HyVee, Target, Whole Foods, etc sells it too.
FYI, the can says to not drain the liquid away from the tuna before using, but I recommend that you do.
I prefer to serve the tuna salad on top of a lettuce blend that includes arugula – the flavors play really nice – though obviously feel free to enjoy it however you’d like.
I hope you love this tasty, easy, dill pickley-take on tuna salad – enjoy!
More Healthy and Filling Lunch Ideas
- Healthy Chickpea Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pesto Panini
- Italian Quinoa Salad
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Spicy Tuna Roll Bowls
- Chickpea Chicken Salad
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
- 5 oz can tuna, drained, Wild Planet wild albacore tuna recommended
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons mayonnaise, depending on how creamy you want it
- 1/3 cup minced pickles
- 2 green onions, chopped
- small pinch dried dill OR big pinch chopped fresh dill
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Add all ingredients into a bowl then smash to combine. Taste then add more mayo for creaminess, or salt and pepper for flavor.
- Serve over lettuce, between toasted bread, or with crackers.
Notes
- Feel free to use less or more pickles depending on your dill pickle preferences.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Looks delish. Have you ever made your own mayo? I have when doing Whole 30 and find it to be so good.
I was looking for the perfect low carb tuna salad to make and came across this one. Of course, even though I live in Texas now and I’m moving to Germany, it would be another Iowa girls recipe. Can’t wait to try it, thanks for sharing!
I make mine like this but I add hard boiled eggs!
Yum! Sounds so good. I love any kind of pickles and I love tuna so can’t wait to try this. Curious what brand of pickles you use/love? :-)
I hope you love it, Amanda! I use Vlasic kosher dill gherkins for this recipe. :)
I stopped nursing 6 months ago and finally feel I have leveled out my food intake to where it needs to be. It is such a battle. Good luck!
Such a different mindset, plus it’s very emotional, too. Glad to hear you are in a good place now!
I am HERE for any tuna that doesn’t have sweet relish. This sounds so good!
Amen, sister!! I just say no to sweet relish…in anything!!
Made this today!! It was great!!
I’m so glad to hear it, Donna!! Thanks for your feedback!
We leave out the onions, but always add celery salt. It’s wonderful with the dill pickles. We do the same with potato salad.
Ooo, sounds delicious – I’ll give that a try next time! :)
Any suggestions on a substitute for mayo? I have never been a fan of mayo but I love pickles and tuna. Looks really good.
Hi Chelsea! You could maybe try using Italian salad dressing? I’d start out with 2 Tablespoons then add more to your liking.
I always use plain Greek yogurt as a substitute for mayo in tuna salad.
I have used white vinegar, red wine vinegar and/or different kinds of mustard. It’s a bit more dry than when using mayo. Or Greek yogurt, that’s good too.
Gosh, I’ve never been too crazy about canned tuna, but I gotta say this actually looks good. I’m always seeking out new lunch recipes, so I’ll maybe give this a try. Thanks for the recipe.
Oh my gosh you are so kind. It’s tough to photograph tuna salad without it looking like cat food. ? I hope you do give it a try though!
This is how I have always made my tuna. The more pickle-y the better. I also pour a little bit of pickle juice in there too. YUM!!!
Yuuuum!! Definitely trying this next time. ?
Love dill pickles in tuna salad! My favorite recipe is to use dill pickles and apple in tuna salad. Sounds weird but is so yummy!
I’m into it, Andrea! I love apples in my regular salads – I’ll have to try it in tuna salad sometime soon!
I’ve noticed my clothes are tighter than usual but I’m at the other end of your journey and can’t blame it on nursing. I think my hormones are shifting due to pre-menopause. I welcome your reminder to eat consciously and I love tuna salad with pickles! Thanks for posting this recipe.
I’ve been working against my hormones too. I went down from 4 to 1 nursing sessions a day in just a couple weeks and my skin went NUTS! Finally calmed down after a few weeks but ugh, that was brutal. I hope you love this recipe, Stephanie – and hang in there! :)