Mexican Tuna Salad
Mexican tuna salad is quick, easy and packed with flavor. This recipe only takes 5 minutes and is fresh, bright, and made with no mayo! This no cook lunch uses pantry ingredients and is a delicious twist on traditional Mexican tuna salad.
If you are always looking for quick and easy recipes, try this cranberry pecan chicken salad or buffalo tuna salad.

If you’re searching for quick and easy recipes that are ready in 30 minutes or less, you’ve come to the right place! With years of experience helping women as a personal trainer and coach, I understand how challenging it can be to get a delicious, satisfying meal on the table when life gets busy. That’s why I created Bites of Wellness—to make answering “What’s for dinner?” the easiest part of your day!
Why this recipe rocks
- Quick and easy
- Simple ingredients
- Budget friendly
- Great make ahead meal
- No mayo tuna salad recipe
- Ultimate lunch recipe
Ingredient spotlight
- Lime juice – lime juice brightens up the flavor of the tuna and gives this Mexican tuna salad a tangy bite.
- Avocado – the avocado provides some creaminess (and replaces the mayo). If you are making this salad more than 1 day in advance, wait to cut the avocado until right before serving.
- Canned tuna – use your favorite type of canned tuna – in water or in olive oil. Drain the tuna before adding it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. I love Skipjack tuna in olive oil.
How to make Mexican tuna salad
Start by chopping the red onion, cilantro and cutting the avocado into small chunks.
Drain the tuna and add it to a medium sized bowl.
Add the chopped red onion, cilantro, cubed avocado, spices, olive oil and lime juice to the bowl. Stir well
Serve immediately or refrigerate before serving.
Other additions
This Mexican tuna salad recipe is so flavorful and perfect for a quick, easy healthy lunch. Here are some other additions that you could make depending on what you have on hand and what you are craving.
- Veggies: Chopped tomatoes, red bell peppers, roasted red peppers, shredded red cabbage, charred corn, romaine lettuce
- Spice: Add pickled or fresh jalapeno, chipotle in adobo, cayenne pepper or more crushed red pepper flakes
- Creaminess: Add canned white beans or black beans (drained and rinsed of packing liquid)
How to serve Mexican tuna salad recipe
- With crackers
- Tortilla chips
- Slices of cucumber or bell peppers
- In a wrap or on bread
- In a tortilla
- On a crispy tostada shell
- On sweet potato toast
- In lettuce cups or in a collard green wrap
Common questions
Can you make this with something other than tuna
Yes! You can also use canned salmon or canned chicken. You could make this vegan by using canned chickpeas in place of the tuna.
What is the best tuna to use?
I recommend skipjack tuna since it’s typically the least expensive and easy to find. You can buy tuna in water or tuna in olive oil.
- Skipjack has 3-4 times less mercury than albacore tuna, so if you eat tuna often, skipjack is a great option. It’s important to note that skipjack tuna does have a much stronger fishy taste than albacore or yellowfin tuna.
- When I am buying tuna, I always look for line caught, pole caught, or troll caught as these are more sustainable fishing option.
- Some of the brands of tuna I love are Mind Fish Co, SafeCatch, Wild Planet, Thrive Market and Trader Joe’s (which is the most budget friendly).
More tuna recipes to try
What if you don’t like cilantro?
If you don’t like cilantro, you can simply omit it or you can replace it with flat leaf parsley. The flavor will change slightly but adding fresh herbs helps keep the recipe bright and fresh tasting.
Can you make this for meal prep?
Yes, you can make Mexican tuna salad for meal prep. The recipe keeps well for 2-3 days in the fridge. For the best color and texture, wait to add the avocado to the salad until right before serving.
It’s easy to double or triple this recipe in a large bowl to serve during the week. This is also a great no cooking required dinner.
Mexican Tuna Salad
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 small avocado
- 3 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
- 3 tbsp red onion, chopped
- 1 can tuna, drained
Instructions
- Chop the cilantro, red onion and cube the avocado.
- Drain the tuna from the can and place it in a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
- Serve with crackers, chips, raw veggies or on bread or tortillas..
Notes
- You can use tuna in water or tuna in olive oil. I prefer to use tuna packed in olive oil. In my recipe testing, I have discovered that tuna packed in olive oil tends to have a richer, deeper flavor and is so much more flavorful and moister than tuna packed in water, even when drained. Personally, I don’t add the oil from the can, but don’t go out of my way to drain it off either.
- If you are prepping this more than 1 day in advance, wait to add the avocado until you are serving it to avoid it getting brown on the outside.
- If you are using tuna that is unsalted, be sure to add a pinch more salt to the recipe to bring the flavors.
- Fridge: Store leftover tuna Mexican salad in the fridge for up to 3 days.
NOT A FAN OF TUNA SO I USED CANNED CHICKEN . CAME OUT GREAT . USED SAME ING.
That is such a great substitution Pat, glad you loved the recipe using canned chicken. Hope you have a great day! Sam
Not a huge fan of tuna salad, in general, but this recipe was exactly what I needed! The combination of ingredients made the TS very light and refreshing. I substituted fresh lemon juice for the lime and it was divine.