Have you ever seen those packets of flavored tuna in the grocery store? They were on sale once and I got curious, so I bought a few. The idea was interesting, but the execution failed, IMHO. So what did I do? MAKE MY OWN. #storyofmylife I chose this Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad as my first homemade flavored tuna because the simple combination of sweet and spicy is always irresistible to me, but I can’t wait to try more flavors. There are so many ways you can eat this simple no-cook dish that I now it’s going to become my new summer staple!
P.S. It’s great for meal prep! 👏
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No Mayo?
Mayo-free tuna salads are super popular these days, so I went ahead and made this Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad mayo-free (and to make it more like the store-bought version). That being said, I did add a little mayo to one of the test batches and it was also awesome with mayo! So if you are a mayo tuna salad person, feel free to go ahead and add a few tablespoons of creamy goodness to the bowl.
How to Serve Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad
I’m loving this tuna salad as a snack with crackers or vegetables, stuffed into peppers as an appetizer, or stuffed into a wrap with some spinach and cucumbers or avocado. It’s really quite versatile! Scroll down to see photos of different ways I used my Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad.
Should I Use Tuna Packed in Oil or Water?
You can actually use either for this recipe. I had tuna packed in water, so I added a little oil to the salad mix. If you’re using tuna packed in oil, you can skip the olive oil listed in the ingredients below.
Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad
Servings 2 About 3/4 cup eachIngredients
- 2 5oz. cans tuna* ($1.36)
- 1 carrot ($0.11)
- 2 green onions ($0.23)
- 2 tsp brown sugar ($0.03)
- 2 tsp olive oil ($0.08)
- 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
Instructions
- Drain the tuna well, then place it in a bowl.
- Shred the carrot using a cheese grater. Slice the green onion.
- Add the carrot, green onion, brown sugar, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the bowl with the drained tuna.
- Stir everything to combine, then let the mixture sit for about five minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad stuffed into celery sticks and mini sweet peppers. This would make a great party appetizer!
This is the wrap I made with spinach, cucumber slices, and the Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad. I wanted avocado as well, but all the avocados at the store were rock hard. That wrap is the sprouted grain wraps from Aldi. :)
How to Make Sweet and Spicy TUna Salad – Step by Step Photos
This tuna salad is incredibly easy to make. Drain two 5oz. cans of tuna (packed in oil or water) and add them to a bowl. Grate one carrot and slice two green onions. Add them to the bowl along with 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp olive oil (skip if using tuna packed in oil), 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Then just mix everything together. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to let the flavors kind of blend a bit.
Then dig in! It’s SO good on cucumber slices.
But these cute little sweet peppers were pretty amazing with it as well. 🤤
This is (and has been) a go to for me. It is SO easy, and SO tasty. I love to eat it straight, but as indicated here, it’s AMAZING on cucumbers and mini bell peppers. Cannot recommend Enough. I was momentarily concerned when immediately mixed, but when I let it sit, all the flavors melted together delightfully.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, Beth.
So simple and quick, yet so good! I usually don’t know what to eat if I don’t plan ahead, but when I realized I had canned tuna, I remembered this recipe, and decided to give it a shot. It was delicious! I made it as a wrap, and added some celery and capers. Loved it, and will often do it whenever I have no idea what to eat.
After working a nearly 9 hour shift at my active job, I was desperate for lunch when I got home. I was craving tuna. But I found I had no mayo after I had already opened a can! I remembered seeing this and happened to have most of the ingredients except the veggies. It’s still yummy without, so thank you very much for saving me from a hunger-rage induced tantrum while having to make something else.
This tuna salad was great! Just enough flavour, not too much, not too little. I made little tuna salad wraps with 7 inch tortillas and froze them. No mayo, so I can freeze it! Will make again, so easy and good. I bought a bunch of tuna on sale.
Oh this is yummy. You know what though? I loved the crunchy texture and thought this was delightful on mini peppers, cucumbers and celery (but kinda gross on club crackers) #weird Mmmmm, thanks Miss Beth!!
Tried this recipe tonight for a quick dinner – amazing and healthy. This will be a regular go to from now on. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Delicious as always! I’d love to see your take on the lemon pepper and lemon sesame ginger flavors as well.
What a great idea! I didnt much care for the tuna packets either. Cant wait to try this!
This is a regular quick easy (cheap!) favorite in our household. I do take the shortcut of adding dried chives instead of fresh green onion usually and it’s still delicious. Sometimes it works well to also use one can of tuna with one can of chick peas, instead of just two cans of tuna, if you’re looking to mix things up a bit. There are so many great ways to serve this, thanks for another amazing recipe!
Tried some other tuna salad recipes and while this recipe is a bit untraditional, the combination of flavors has a nice balance of sweetness and spicy is tasty and unique.
This was pretty good! I added some sriracha and some everything bagel seasoning to it. It was a bit to sweet for me, so I might half the brown sugar next time. Love how easy it is to make. Will definitely make again!
It tastes really weird because of smoked paprika. I am sorry to say this recipe is not balanced.
I have bought those flavored packets of tuna and had the same feeling… they’re OK and good for lunch in a pinch, but not my favorite. I’ll never buy those again – this recipe is great!! You should do other variations of flavor like Ranch or Lemon Pepper. :) Love your blog, I agree, every recipe I find here is awesome!
So refreshing to have a tuna recipe that isn’t the basic mayo-based mixture. I love the balance of spice and sweet! Tasted great on crackers. I recommend getting the green onion, I think it was so pretty in there with the carrot.
So amazing! I made this into a tuna melt with some white American cheese and it was to die for! Perfect spice level!