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Skip the mayonnaise and make this protein-packed Hummus Tuna Salad instead! It only has 152 calories per serving but is loaded with over 15 grams of protein. It goes together in about 10 minutes and works great to prep ahead for an easy lunch during the week.
Quick Summary: Hummus Tuna Salad
- Why make this recipe: Swapping mayo for hummus gives you a creamy, Mediterranean-style tuna salad with double the protein and a fraction of the fat, plus it makes four lunches in one go.
- Nutrition: 152 calories, 16 grams of protein
- Diet: Low-Calorie, High-Protein, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
- Time: 10 Minutes
- Method: No-Cook
- Best for: Lunch, Meal-Prep
- Tip: Flake the tuna apart with a fork before mixing so you don’t end up with big chunks, and let it chill for an hour — the flavor gets noticeably better.
Making tuna salad with hummus is a great way to enjoy a healthier version of a lunchtime favorite. Not only does hummus contain less than half the calories of mayonnaise, but it also has a fraction of the fat and double the protein.
Swap out the pickles for cucumbers for a little crunch, then add tomatoes for a more Mediterranean-style salad. This recipe makes enough tuna salad to last you 4 days, so lunch is taken care of for most of the week in just 10 minutes!
If you like easy tuna recipes, you will love tuna taco salad and low-calorie tuna pasta salad!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Mayonnaise: One of the best parts of tuna salad is how creamy it is, but mayo isn’t the healthiest option. Swapping out mayo for hummus amps up the protein and fiber while reducing calories and fat.
- Only 6 Ingredients: All you need to make this high-protein tuna salad are your favorite hummus, tuna, tomatoes, cucumbers, coriander, and parsley.
- Ready in 10 Minutes: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, and you have lunch prepared for almost the whole week in 10 minutes or less.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Hummus: You can use your favorite store-bought hummus in any flavor variation. If you prefer, you can make your own hummus. I have a great garlic hummus recipe you could try!
- Tuna: Use your favorite brand of canned tuna stored in either oil or water. You’ll need to drain it well so your hummus isn’t watery.
- Cucumber & Tomatoes: Adding chopped cucumber and tomatoes adds more flavor, veggies, and a crunch to the salad and embraces the Mediterranean flavors.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Add a Bigger Protein Boost: You can pack even more protein into no-mayo tuna salad by stirring in ½ cup of Greek yogurt or making it a cottage cheese tuna salad. You could also stir in a chopped hard-boiled egg.
- Swap the Tuna: Not the biggest tuna fan? Turn this into a hummus chicken salad or use canned salmon instead.
- Make It Lower Carb: If you’re looking for a tuna salad with fewer carbs, or you don’t digest beans well, try making zucchini hummus instead! Just keep in mind it doesn’t have much protein.
How to Make Hummus Tuna Salad
This tuna salad made with hummus is such a simple recipe! Once you open your hummus, or make it from scratch, you’ll drain and flake apart the tuna, and you’re ready to mix it!
- Step 1: Combine Ingredients. Fold together the hummus, tuna, tomatoes, cucumber, and seasonings in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Divide Into Servings. Divide the salad into 4 equal servings and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy your tuna salad with hummus with a side of Greek yogurt fruit salad.
Expert Tips
- Tastes Better After an Hour: Like many other creamy salad recipes, this no-mayo tuna salad tastes better after an hour in the fridge. That gives the coriander time to permeate the salad with flavor.
- Flake Tuna First: Cans or pouches of tuna often contain large chunks of fish. Be sure to use a fork to flake them apart into uniform pieces for consistent texture and flavor.
- Fold Vs Stir: The tomatoes will break down if you over-stir the salad, so be sure to gently fold the ingredients together and then stop mixing.
- Storage Directions: Keep your tuna salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not freeze this salad.
Serving Suggestions
Whether you’re trying to cut down on calories or increase your protein intake, this hummus and tuna salad is the perfect lunch. It’s incredibly simple, tastes amazing, and has a great balance of macronutrients. You can enjoy it as a dip, on a sandwich, or by itself. You could even eat it differently every day to keep your meal-prepped lunch interesting!
- Make a tuna hummus sandwich and serve your salad on gluten-free honey oat bread or low-carb cauliflower bread.
- Enjoy this tuna salad with hummus as a dip with pita chips, pretzels, or veggie sticks.
- Pair your hummus salad with a side of healthy air fryer sweet potato fries.
Hummus Tuna Salad Recipe FAQs
If your salad is watery, it’s probably from not draining the tuna well or from the tomatoes. Be sure to totally drain your can of tuna before flaking it. You can remove the seeds from your chopped tomatoes to cut down on the moisture they release.
Absolutely! Use any flavor of hummus you like, from classic to roasted red pepper or spicy; they all work! I’ve got a jalapeno hummus recipe, if you like a little spice, or this roasted red pepper hummus for slightly different flavor.
Your tuna salad with hummus may taste bland due to the type of hummus you used. Be sure to taste test and add salt, pepper, or a little squeeze of lemon juice to amplify the flavor. Also, the flavors may be muted after refrigeration so it may need a bit more seasoning when serving.
More Delicious Healthy Creamy Salad Recipes
If you tried this Hummus Tuna Salad recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Hummus Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup Hummus, regular or your favorite flavor
- 8 ounces Tuna, 3 cans, in water, see note
- 2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup Cucumber, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together all the ingredients in a bowl then divide into 4 servings. Serve as a salad, in a pita, wrap or on bread.
Notes
- This tuna and hummus salad tastes even better after chilling for an hour in the refrigerator. It gives the seasonings and flavors time to deepen.
- Flake the tuna apart into smaller pieces to avoid large clumps in the salad.
- Fold the ingredients together to avoid crushing and breaking apart the tomatoes and cucumbers.
- I recommend a meaty tuna like Wild Planet. It’s also low in mercury. Safe Catch is a low mercury brand, but not as meaty as Wild Planet. Any canned tuna will work. If it is tuna in water, drain the water before mixing. I do not recommend using tuna in oil for this recipe. If you do use tuna in oil, it will increase the calories per serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my Holy Grail of lunch meal prep recipes – quick to prep for the week, reasonable number of ingredients, low cost, hits my nutrient goals, stupidly easy to actually get onto my plate at lunchtime, satisfies me for the meal and DELICIOUS.
This was amazing! The only ingredients I had were red pepper hummus and tuna, so that’s what I used. SO good and very easy!
I do this with basically everything – salmon, shredded chicken, tuna. I could live on hummus, no joke. Love the coriander add!
It’s a simple combo that a lot of people don’t think about. Love the salmon idea!
I used to be the same way about tuna! I couldn’t stand the stuff and didn’t even like being around someone who was eating it. Then a few years ago I was traveling with some friends and we were on a hike where the only lunch option was tuna sandwiches. I reluctantly took a bite and realized that it was not bad. And with each bite I liked it a little more! By the last bite of the sandwich I was officially a tuna lover! Now I eat tuna all the time, definitely at least once a week. This recipe looks INCREDIBLE and from one tuna convert to another, I can tell you that I can’t wait to try it! š
That is awesome Lauren! I’m so happy I’m not the only one who discovered this. I think this can be true of so many foods too. People have a preconceived belief that they “don’t like something” then they try it and realize they do. Hope you like the recipe!