Buffalo Tuna Salad
Buffalo tuna salad is packed with flavor, it’s creamy, spicy and so easy to make. This simple buffalo tuna salad can be made in just 5 minutes and is great for lunch or as a quick dinner. Serve with crackers, veggies or on a sandwich.
If you love buffalo flavors, you should try this Buffalo Chickpea Salad or Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls.
Why you will love this recipe
- Quick and easy – this buffalo tuna salad is ready in just 5 minutes and comes together in just one bowl.
- Simple ingredients – you likely have all the ingredients you need for this spicy tuna salad recipe in your pantry or fridge. The beauty of this recipe is how the simple ingredients come together to create such a flavorful meal.
- Budget friendly – canned tuna is so budget friendly and this meal is the perfect simple lunch or dinner recipe.
Ingredients
- Tahini – tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and has the consistency of runny peanut butter. Tahini is a great way to create a creamy sauce without any dairy. If you don’t have tahini, you could use almond butter or swap it out with mayo or Greek yogurt.
- Hot sauce – hot sauce helps create that buffalo flavor making a spicy sauce that is easy to keep on hand. Hot sauce is different than buffalo sauce, as hot sauce is just vinegar, peppers, salt and garlic powder.
- Spices – Salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika – these spices help to create a really balanced flavor sauce. The smoked paprika adds a little smokiness to the sauce and the garlic powder gives the sauce umami and garlic flavor.
- Shredded carrots – you can buy shredded carrots from the store or grate carrots using a box grater. Carrots add a little sweetness to the salad and are traditional with buffalo wings.
- Chopped celery – celery adds some crunch and is usually served along side of buffalo wings.
- Red onion – red onion adds just a little flavor and a nice bite. You could also use green onion if you don’t have red onion.
- Canned tuna – use whatever your favorite canned tuna is in this recipe.
How to make buffalo tuna salad
In a bowl combine the tahini, hot sauce and spices. Stir well.
Shred the carrots, chop the celery and red onion and add them to the bowl along with the tuna (be sure to drain the liquid from the tuna).
Stir well until the buffalo sauce coats all the tuna and veggies.
Top tips
- Double or triple this recipe and serve it as a dip with fresh veggies or chips. It’s the perfect simple appetizer.
- Make this with canned salmon, canned chicken (or shredded chicken), or chickpeas in place of the tuna.
- Swap out the tahini for mayo or greek yogurt
- Make it spicier with more hot sauce or the addition of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
Ways to serve buffalo tuna
- With crackers or chips
- On sliced cucumbers or bell pepper slices
- On toast
- Wrapped up with lettuce and ranch dressing in an oat tortilla
- On salad greens with a quick tahini ranch dressing
- As a sandwich with lettuce and tomato
- In lettuce boats
- Stuffed in a baked potato with steamed broccoli on the side.
Other additions
- Fresh dill, fresh parsley, chives
- Feta
- Green onion
- Radish
- Bell pepper
Common questions
What is the best tuna to use for tuna salad
Usually I love to recommend using tuna stored in olive oil but for this salad you can use tuna stored in water since the creamy tahini buffalo sauce. Skipjack or albacore tuna are both a great option and budget friendly.
Skipjack tuna is a great option because it’s super budget friendly and has less mercury than albacore tuna (3-4 times less).
I recommend buying a sustainable tuna that is pole caught, line caught or troll caught tuna (typically these things are advertised on the can).
What is tahini
Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds (it has the same consistency and texture of runny peanut butter or almond butter). Tahini is great to create a creamy sauce without any dairy (or mayo). It’s also great in sweet applications.
Tahini has a nutty, earthy flavor that taste like sesame sees and is often used in Mediterranean dishes.
You can buy tahini in most grocery stores, usually around the other nut butters or in the International foods section. My favorites are Trader Joe’s tahini, Whole Foods 365 Brand, Thrive Market Tahini or Soom Foods Tahini.
What is the difference between hot sauce and buffalo sauce
Hot sauce is usually made by combining hot peppers and vinegar, and is usually very thin and can add spice to any meal.
Buffalo sauce is usually made with hot sauce and butter to create buffalo sauce.
This recipe uses tahini to create the buffalo sauce (when paired with the hot sauce and spices).
What is the best hot sauce to make buffalo sauce
I really like Franks Red Hot (it’s got very simple ingredients, just cayenne peppers, vinegar, water, salt and garlic powder). Aldi also carries a dupe for Frank’s, Burmans hot sauce which has the same ingredients but also has xantham gum added.
Another great option is Crystal’s Hot Sauce with super simple ingredients of cayenne pepper, vinegar and salt.
Texas Pete is a great option for a less spicy hot sauce if you are worried about your buffalo tuna salad being too spicy.
Can you make this healthy tuna salad in advance
This buffalo tuna salad can be made 3-4 days in advance, since there is no lettuce included. You can easily double or triple the recipe. If you want to make this even further in advance, you can chop the celery, shred the carrots and make the tahini buffalo sauce. When you are ready to make the salad, combine everything in a bowl.
Storing leftovers
Fridge – store leftover buffalo tuna salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Substitutions
- Tahini – you can also use almond butter or sunbutter in place of the tahini or replace it with mayo or Greek yogurt.
- Hot sauce – you could try this with sriracha in place of the hot sauce. You can also use buffalo sauce in place of hot sauce (you won’t need any tahini if you are using buffalo sauce).
- Spices – if you don’t have any of the spices, omit them from the recipe.
- Shredded carrots, chopped celery or chopped red onion – you can simply omit the carrots, celery or onion if you don’t have them on hand. You could also use green onion in place of the red onion.
- Canned tuna – you could also use canned salmon, canned chicken or chickpeas in place of the tuna.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Buffalo Tuna Salad
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 can tuna, drained
- 1/4 cup shredded carrots
- 2 medium celery stalks, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped red onion
Instructions
- In a bowl add the tahini, hot sauce and spices. Stir well.
- Finely chop the celery, onion and shred the carrots if needed. Add them to the bowl with the hot sauce.
- Drain the tuna, add it to the bowl with the veggies and hot sauce mixture. Stir well until everything is well coated in buffalo sauce.
- Serve with crackers, veggies, on a lettuce wrap, sandwich or your favorite wrap or pita.
Notes
- Double or triple this recipe and serve it as a dip with fresh veggies or chips. It’s the perfect simple appetizer.
- Make this with canned salmon, canned chicken (or shredded chicken), or chickpeas in place of the tuna.
- Swap out the tahini for mayo or greek yogurt
- Make it spicier with more hot sauce or the addition of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
- Store leftover buffalo tuna salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
