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.

Hand dipping a chip into Mexican tuna salad in a white bowl.

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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.

Chopped red onion and cilantro on a wood cutting board.

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.

White bowl filled with Mexican tuna salad with chips around the bowl.

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
Mexican tuna salad on a tortilla chip.

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, SafeCatchWild PlanetThrive Market and Trader Joe’s (which is the most budget friendly).  
Blue bowl filled with Mexican tuna salad, avocado in the background.

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.

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Chip being dipped in Mexican tuna salad.

Mexican Tuna Salad

Mexican tuna salad is quick, easy and packed with flavor. This bright, fresh Mexican tuna salad recipe is made without mayo and is ready in just 5 minutes. This avocado lime tuna salad recipe can be served with crackers, tortilla chips, on bread or over salad greens. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free and Whole30 friendly.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: Mexican tuna salad, Mexican tuna salad recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1

Guided Recipe Video

Ingredients

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

Top tips
  • 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.
Storing leftovers
  • Fridge: Store leftover tuna Mexican salad in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
477
Fat
 
31
g
Carbohydrates
 
20
g
Fiber
 
9
g
Sugar
 
3
g
Protein
 
36
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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.

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