Cucumber Tuna Salad
A delicious and protein-packed twist on a classic cucumber salad, today’s Cucumber Tuna Salad with creamy avocado and tangy red onions is one of my favorite healthy lunches and it makes a great BBQ salad offering, too.
Tuna Cucumber Recipe
Crunchy cucumbers, creamy avocado and tangy red onion combine with tender, flaky tuna in this perfect summer lunch or side salad. The light lemon pepper dressing adds a bit of a kick and brightness that elevates the meal from pretty good to absolutely scrumptious.
It’s the perfect summer lunch or side salad with plenty of protein, veggies and not a hint of mayonnaise in sight.
Avocado adds a healthy fat that serves to make this salad more filling and flavourful, while also giving this cucumber tuna salad creaminess without using mayonnaise. The riper your avocado and more you mix the salad up the more it will impart that creaminess to the other salad components.
To switch things up, you can add in chopped tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, capers, sliced olives, celery, shaved carrots, etc.
We used canned tuna but you could swap it out for salmon (fresh or canned), salad shrimp, flaked crab meat or shredded chicken.
I typically enjoy this salad as-is but you can serve tossed with some salad greens, use in a wrap for a grab-and-go lunch or even add some cooked and cooled pasta for a cucumber tuna pasta salad.
To reduce the acidity of the red onion, I place the sliced red onions in a bit of water to mellow them out. I do this before starting with the rest of the recipe and then just add them in at the end.
This cucumber tuna salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. The lemon juice prevents the avocado from browning too quickly, but 2 days is really the max before the cucumbers get too watery and the avocado starts to brown.
More Cucumber Salad Recipes
Tuna Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- Cucumber, sliced and halved
- Avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
- Red Onion, sliced
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Canned Tuna, drained
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning <– grab our recipe for homemade lemon pepper seasoning here
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: add additional seasoning, as desired. I sometimes add in dill, paprika or red chile flakes to shake things up a bit.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Spoons
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.
How to Make Cucumber Tuna Salad
In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, avocado and red onion. Stir until avocado begins to soften.
Combine the lemon juice and olive oil, then sprinkle over the veggie mixture. Stir to coat completely.
Break up the tuna and then stir into the salad.
Season to taste with the lemon pepper seasoning.
Pin this Easy Cucumber Tuna Salad for a flavorful, light lunch option that is protein-packed:
Grab your free printable recipe card for our easy cucumber tuna salad recipe:
Tuna Cucumber Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 Cucumber, sliced and halved
- 1 Avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1/4 cup Red Onion, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 5oz Canned Tuna, drained
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, avocado and red onion. Stir until avocado begins to soften.
- Combine the lemon juice and olive oil, then sprinkle over the veggie mixture. Stir to coat completely.
- Break up the tuna and then stir into the salad.
- Season to taste with the lemon pepper seasoning.
Notes
To reduce the acidity of the red onion, I place the sliced red onions in a bit of water to mellow them out. I do this before starting with the rest of the recipe and then just add them in at the end.
To switch things up, you can add in chopped tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, capers, sliced olives, celery, shaved carrots, etc.
We used canned tuna but you could swap it out for salmon (fresh or canned), salad shrimp, flaked crab meat or shredded chicken.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 364mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family likes this easy tuna cucumber salad recipe as much as mine did!
For more delicious salads, check out our full salad recipe collection here:
For more scrumptious seafood ideas, check out our full seafood recipe collection here:
