Curried Tuna Salad

No more boring tuna salad with this healthy Curried Tuna Salad that has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and plenty of crunch. We also love this Curried Chicken Salad and Tuna Egg Salad.

This curry tuna salad will seriously be your new favorite healthy lunch. You can make up a batch, keep it in the fridge, and make all kinds of yummy lunches - sandwiches, lettuce wraps, salads, rice bowls, and more.

I don't know about you but lunch is actually one of the meals that I have the hardest time planning for. With super hectic mornings where we are all scrambling to get out the door on time, lunch becomes an afterthought until my stomach is screaming for food 4 hours later. Then because I have entered a starving state where I would eat anything, I do. And it usually isn't pretty.

I have started planning ahead for lunches on Sundays so that I have healthy options for the week. Normally that means making up a big batch of something delicious and healthy, like today's curry tuna salad, and using it all week. It has been working like a charm for me and I have happily been avoiding fast food or processed convenience foods.

So now let's talk about this amazing curried tuna salad. I make a curry chicken salad all the time, that I absolutely love, so this week I decided to switch it up and try it with tuna instead - delish! I added some sweetness with red grapes. I just love the sweet and savory combination with any curry salad dish. Then I tossed in some carrots, celery, carrots, and green onions for some extra flavor.

One more note, if you can let this salad sit for a few hours before serving it so all the flavors can combine. It gets even better with time.

Ways to Serve Curried Tuna Salad

This tuna salad is so packed with flavor, making it the perfect protein source in all kinds of delicious meals. Here are some favorites:

• Open Faced Sandwiches: Instead of making a traditional tuna salad sandwich, I like to make open faced sandwiches. Start with your favorite whole grain toast, add a layer of lettuce, tomato, and sprouts. Then top with the curried tuna salad. Delicious and it feels like twice the food as a standard sandwich.
• Salads: If salads are more your style, grab all your favorite veggies and make a big green salad. Then use the tuna salad as your topping. Some of the best salad veggies to pair with the curry are crunchy cucumbers, sprouts, butter lettuce, carrots, and red onion.
• Lettuce Wraps: Another light and healthy option is to make lettuce wraps. Use butter lettuce, Romaine lettuce, kale, or collard greens for your wraps. You could also use cabbage for a vegetable holder with lots of crunch.
• Wraps: Grab a whole wheat or low carb wrap. Fill it with the curried tuna salad and any veggies you like.
• Rice Bowls: While this may seem like an unexpected option, I actually love serving this over a bed of brown rice alongside some roasted veggies. Take inspiration from this Spicy Tuna Bowl, swapping in curry tuna salad.

Recipe Ideas for Curry Tuna Salad

While I am partial to using red grapes, carrots, green onions, and celery - there are so many other options for this tuna salad.

• Add sliced almonds for crunch and some added healthy fats.
• Try adding some golden raisins or currants for sweetness.
• Swap in diced red onions for the green onions.
• Add brightness with some fresh cilantro.
• Try using a different fruit. Mango, pineapple, or green apples would all work.
• Add more curry powder to deepen the curry flavor.
• Use all Greek yogurt if you try to avoid mayonnaise.

How long can I keep tuna salad in the fridge?

Generally speaking, tuna salad will last in your fridge for 3-4 days. If you know you will need it to last longer, make the dressing and prepare your veggies. Then simply open the tuna, add the dressing, and add the veggies when you are ready to eat.

What is the best tuna for making tuna salad?

There are many different types of tuna on the market. If you are watching calories and fat, you will want to make sure you always choose a tuna that is packed in water. Both solid white tuna and light tuna will work for the recipe. Chunk light tuna is known to have lower levels of mercury and usually is more affordable. If you are concerned about some of the environmental concerns of tuna, look for a line caught tuna. 

How can I make this without mayonnaise?

If you are trying to avoid mayonnaise, you can make this salad with all Greek yogurt. You can also swap in sour cream for the mayonnaise or use vegan mayonnaise.

How can I make this low carb?

If you want to make this recipe low carb, leave out the Mango Chutney and potentially leave out the red grapes, depending on your specific carb limits. You also will want to choose full fat yogurt and mayonnaise.

Can I make this Whole30 or Paleo friendly?

To make these work for either a Paleo or Whole30 diet, you can use a compliant mayonnaise and leave out the yogurt. You will also want to leave out the chutney. Another option is to replace the mayonnaise with mashed avocado.