Skip the boring tuna salad and make this avocado tuna salad packed with fresh cilantro, avocado and ranch. Whip this simple salad up in just 5 minutes. Tuna will never be the same again!
Love tuna but hate mayo? This Avocado Ranch Tuna Salad is for you then.
There are quite a few who are not mayonnaise fans can still enjoy a delicious tuna salad thanks to avocado!
I also have a not-so-tuna salad for my vegetarian friends--I have made this Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Salad for several parties and get rave reviews from even my biggest meat eaters. Serve it up on crackers and everyone's happy!
If you are a mayo fan, try this Strawberry Pecan Chicken Salad as well! And if you are interested in all things salad, check out our list of favorite salad recipes!
Why You Will Love This Avocado Ranch Tuna Salad:
- Simple to whip up--only about 5 minutes! Doesn't take long to make this flavorful avocado ranch tuna salad recipe. Mash the avocados and toss all the ingredients together.
- Packed with protein. Tuna on its own is one thing, but adding avocado makes for a protein filled recipe.
- It's so delicious! No reason to make the same old tuna salad. The addition of avocado adds a level of creaminess to start but the ranch and cilantro take it to the next level of flavor. Simple ingredients to make your tuna incredible.
What You Will Need:
- tuna: most cans are 5 oz. so two cans will do for this recipe.
- avocado: nice and ripe--make sure they are really soft.
- ranch dressing: you can use your favorite. Heck, maybe you have a homemade ranch dressing around, bonus!
- cilantro: freshly chopped for the best flavor
- red onion: you can most certainly skip the onion if desired, my husband is not a fan so I omit it often.
- lemon juice: This will really help if you are not planning on eating the tuna salad right away. Lemon will help keep the avocado from browning too much.
- garlic powder: I just add a dash or two since there is already plenty of seasoning in the ranch dressing. Add a bit more if desired.
Recipe Tips:
- Keep your avocado tuna salad from browning. If you want to keep the avocado in this tuna salad from browning, add plastic wrap over the tuna and press it into it before putting the lid on the airtight container. This will help keep it from browning much before serving.
- Chill your avocado tuna salad for the most flavor. It isn't 100% necessary to chill this tuna salad before digging in, however if you can, I encourage it. The flavor is so much better if you give the flavors some time to really meld.
- Vary the flavor with lime juice instead of lemon juice. Since we are working with cilantro, perhaps a bit of lime juice versus the lemon juice is worth a try??
Other Tuna Salad Recipes:
- AVOCADO AND WHITE BEAN LETTUCE WRAPS
- VEGAN CHICKPEA "TUNA" SALAD
- SPINACH MANDARIN SALAD WITH HONEY BALSAMIC DRESSING
- STRAWBERRY POPPY SEED CHICKEN SALAD
- SIMPLE CAPRESE FARRO SALAD
- BLACK BEAN CAULIFLOWER RICE SALAD
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for all the latest!
Avocado Ranch Tuna Salad
Skip the boring tuna salad and make this avocado tuna salad packed with fresh cilantro, avocado and ranch. Tuna will never be the same again!
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 4
Calories: 263kcal
Ingredients
- 10 oz tuna in water
- 2 small avocados, ripe
- ¼ c chopped red onion
- 2 T Ranch dressing
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ c chopped cilantro (I use a heaping ¼ cup)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Dash of garlic powder (optional)
Instructions
- Remove seeds and scoop avocado into a medium bowl and mash.
- Add in ranch, onion, cilantro, lemon juice and spices and mix well. If you prefer a touch more of garlic (depends on how strong the garlic tastes in your ranch dressing) add that as well.
- Chill for about 15 minutes before serving.
- Store in refrigerator in airtight container for 1-2 days. To keep the avocado from browning, put plastic wrap over the tuna and press it into the tuna and then add the lid on your container.
Notes
- Keep your avocado tuna salad from browning. If you want to keep the avocado in this tuna salad from browning, add plastic wrap over the tuna and press it into it before putting the lid on the airtight container. This will help keep it from browning much before serving.
- Chill your avocado tuna salad for the most flavor. It isn't 100% necessary to chill this tuna salad before digging in, however if you can, I encourage it. The flavor is so much better if you give the flavors some time to really meld.
- Vary the flavor with lime juice instead of lemon juice. Since we are working with cilantro, perhaps a bit of lime juice versus the lemon juice is worth a try??
Nutrition
Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 629mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 292IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!
Nora says
My kids (age 6 and 4) are not tuna lovers or even use to tuna, but they loved this recipe! I made it with honey wheat toast and some fresh romaine lettuce in the sandwich and they said they loved it! Will add it to their regular weekly lunches! 🙂
Lorie says
Oh wow—kid approval for the WIN!!!
carolyna espinoza says
I realized I had no Mayo but had ranch and found this recipe it’s so good, I added capers and lime juice.
Lorie says
Thanks for the reminder—haven’t made it this one in a while. Glad you loved it!
Samuel Gabbard says
I found this recipe yesterday and decided to try it. It turned out really good. I used probably a little more than a quarter cup of cilantro and you cam taste in in the mix. This is something that I will be makimg more often.
Lorie says
Great to hear! I feel like if there is cilantro in something I’m always game!!
lucy says
omg first of all how percent is this blog i love it so much i can't get enough . avocado is my best thing anything that has avocado is my favourite so i would love this for sure. need to learn more from your website and blogs to mine better http://lucyakaos.blog
Lorie says
Thanks so very much Lucy!
Tabbie says
Oh wow this sounds so good! And with the avocado and ranch, I might be able to get my kids to eat some tuna for once!
Lorie says
Oh that is a big deal!
Linda says
I usually eat something very similar to this (less the ranch and bread) on crackers. But your version sounds delicious! I believe I will be giving this a try sometime this week!
Lorie says
Yes, crackers are a win. I love pretzels to dip as well.
Danielle @ A Sprinkle of Joy says
I love tuna and avocado so much!!
Lorie says
It’s the best combo!
Albert Bevia says
So important when infants start eating solid foods, sounds like you are on the right track, plus this tuna salad sounds devine, I am not a fan of mayo so this is right up my alley
Lorie says
Thanks Albert!!! And yes, the avocado is a game changer.
hillary says
This recipe looks so yummy! I would have never thought to combine avocado and tuna in that way. Brilliant!
Lorie says
It’s a game changer Hillary! Thanks!