15 Mayo Swaps That Will Make Your Tuna Salad More Flavorful

Adding mayonnaise to tuna salad is a no-brainer to most of us. It's decadent texture and distinct flavor binds tuna with all of its yummy ingredients together to yield the rich, creamy, and comforting dish we all know and love. Yet, despite its delicious benefits, there are times when mayo just won't cut it, and we're left craving for something outside of the ordinary. Thankfully, there are plenty of options out there for replacing mayo in tuna salad, and you might be surprised to know that many of them are already likely hanging out in your kitchen pantry.

Let's explore mayo replacements that can upgrade your tuna salad. From creamy concoctions to swaps that feature a totally different texture and flavor profile, you'll be amazed at the non-traditional yet oh-so-delicious ways you can jazz up tuna salad to make it one of a kind. Join us as we explore mayo swaps that will make your tuna salad more flavorful.

It might sound weird, but as long as you aren't too attached to the creamy characteristics of tuna salad, you can actually get away with just using good ol' vinegar to add moisture and flavor to the dish. Consider using a smidge (½ to 1 teaspoon) of vinegar per tuna can, along with other ingredients, like brown sugar, olive oil, and plenty of yummy seasonings for added flavor.

When it comes to other ingredients you should add when making this vinegar-essenced mayo-less tuna salad, the sky's the limit. Shredded carrots, black olives, green onions, or red bell peppers work as great starter additions, though whatever you throw in will undoubtedly be delish. Just be sure that your ingredients complement one another before dumping them in. Remember also that vinegar comes in several different varieties and that each one can lend its own unique flavor to your tuna salad. Flavorful additions include balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar, though other options like homemade wine vinegar will work just as well.

Yes, it's true — you can use lemon (or lime ) juice in place of mayo and still have amazing tuna salad. Will it be as creamy as traditional tuna salad? No, but it doesn't have to be. Adding lemon juice along with the perfect combination of ingredients will produce a lighter yet still very flavorful version of tuna salad you'll crave many times over.

How much lemon juice you add to your tuna salad will be up to you; it really depends on how lemon-y you want your tuna salad. We've seen recipes featuring as few as a couple of tablespoons to up to ¼ cup of lemon juice. Along with lemon juice, you'll also want to add the same amount — or more — of olive oil to your tuna salad to help coat the tuna and give it a silkier mouthfeel (more on that later). Once both your lemon juice and oil have been added, simply toss in your favorite ingredients (think cucumber, celery, and red onions) along with a few seasonings.

If you haven't heard already, you can turn traditional mayo-laden tuna salad into a mean, green, healthy tuna salad by replacing the mayo with avocado. And while you'll definitely need to love avocado to make this one work, if you're not against it, the avocado can make for a deliciously creamy and nutritious way to coat your tuna salad.

To do it, you'll simply chop an avocado (about ½ an avocado per every 5-ounce can of tuna will do) and throw it into a bowl along with your drained tuna. You'll then add the rest of your desired ingredients (we recommend a little olive oil along with complementary ingredients like celery and red onion) along with a bit of lemon juice and cilantro to amp up the flavor. Once everything is combined, use your spoon to mash and blend the ingredients until they become cohesive.

Note also that you could use guacamole (try using the world's oldest homemade guacamole recipe originally written by a pirate) as a substitute for chopped avocado here. Just be careful with the amount you put in, as using too much may cause your tuna salad to become gloopy.

You may already know this, but we'll say it anyway — olive oil makes a fantastic replacement for mayo when it comes to tuna salad. Olive oil provides a smooth texture and silky mouthfeel while acting as a conduit to cover all those delectable veggies you'll undoubtedly use in tasty herbs, spices, and seasonings. When it comes to the type of olive oil you choose, quality matters, especially since the olive oil will coat every square inch of your tuna salad. There are plenty of reasons to buy extra virgin olive oil for use in tuna salad over the conventional sort, including its naturally potent and peppery flavor and sundry health benefits.

How much olive oil to add to your tuna salad is yours to decide, though you should be cautious with the amount you choose to drizzle in. The goal is to gently layer your tuna and veggies with olive oil, not to saturate it. Try a single tablespoon at a time per can, steadily increasing according to your preference for texture and taste. Also, note that while many canned tuna options come packed in oil, it doesn't necessarily mean you should use the oil already in the tuna. Instead, we recommend draining that oil and replacing it with fresh extra virgin olive oil for optimal freshness and flavor.

Hummus is a delicious combination of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice, and though often enjoyed with pita bread or carrot sticks, is actually a wonderful option for tuna salad without mayo. To add hummus to your next tuna salad, simply scoop a couple of tablespoons into a mixing bowl along with one can of tuna. Add your choice of veggies along with a little extra lemon juice for zing before serving.

The type of hummus you use can be any variety, as there are plenty of flavors out there to suit different preferences and tastes. Switch up the flavor by experimenting with different options, such as the Baba Small Batch hummus brand on Amazon made in small batches and available in multiple flavors, including roasted garlic and artichoke, spicy harissa, and zesty lemon. Of course, you could always add your own seasonings if you'd rather use plain hummus as your tuna salad backdrop; fresh dill, pickle juice, and sea salt are just a few combinations that can help infuse your tuna salad with unforgettable flavor.

Never heard of coating your tuna salad in ranch dressing? Neither had we; at least, not until now. After a bit of probing, we found that drenching tuna salad with ranch isn't all that uncommon. Even so, we realize this option might be a bit more polarizing than the others, given that it is a more unconventional mayo swap that might not please everyone's taste buds.

If you aren't opposed to adding ranch to your tuna salad, you'll first want to begin with a high-quality ranch dressing. Since it'll be coating every inch of your tuna salad, you'll want to use something that tastes good. And though Hidden Valley offers two tastily different ranch options (dry seasoning and bottles), there are other brands, like Whole Foods 365 Organic Ranch, that will work, as well. Chop up your desired ingredients, such as celery and green onion, before adding your tuna fish and drizzling in the ranch.

Like with many of the other mayo alternatives, you'll want to be careful not to add too much ranch to your tuna salad. Our recommendation would be to add your ranch in only a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Using aioli as a replacement for mayonnaise can be a flavorful swap, however, it is important to note the similarities and differences between mayo and aioli before proceeding forward. True aioli is a staple in northern Mediterranean cuisine, and typically features garlic combined with olive oil. Even so, the "aioli" we are often presented with today looks similar to mayo, usually because it also emulsified oil and eggs, yet with the addition of garlic for an elevated take.

If you're simply looking to upgrade the flavor of your tuna salad without using classic mayo options, then today's creamier, modernized aioli options will function much like mayo to give your tuna salad a creamy texture with loads more flavor. If you're looking to nix mayonnaise from your recipe completely, try using traditional aioli options instead: simply mash garlic with a mortar and pestle until it becomes a paste before adding a bit of lemon juice and a couple of teaspoons of olive oil at a time. Stir until incorporated and use as a rich and decadent backdrop against your tuna and other ingredients.

It may seem like we've gone completely off the rails here, but adding beans to tuna salad is a great way to replace the mayo and bulk up this classic dish. When adding beans to tuna salad, you can opt for the canned variety (there are tons of great canned bean varieties you can keep stocked in your pantry) or go through the effort of making them from scratch. Most recipes we've come across use white beans of some sort, including garbanzo beans, although you should feel free to use whatever kinds of beans strike your fancy.

The nice thing about using beans as a substitute for mayo is that it provides a blank canvas that invites the use of a variety of ingredients. Use an acid of sorts (lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar) to brighten the flavor, and throw in a few herbs for contrast. If you like heat, you can add a dash or two of hot sauce (we love Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce) along with a little oil, salt, and pepper to further enhance your tuna salad's texture and flavor. Enjoy your bean-infused tuna salad on its own, over lettuce, or with a piece of bread. It's a great way to get in your fiber and protein, making it a quick, nutritious, and simple option for lunch or dinner.

Greek yogurt is a great mayo alternative for tuna salad, though there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind before you spoon it in. Greek yogurt is high in protein, rich in calcium, and contains probiotics, which work to support gut health, making it great for general consumption. Still, because of yogurt's tanginess, a tuna salad drenched in this alternative might taste quite different from the traditional mayo-immersed version. If you're fine with the tart flavor it brings, be careful not to use regular yogurt, as doing so may cause your tuna salad to end up thin and watery. Opt for Greek yogurt instead, which provides a certain thickness that will richly coat your tuna and any add-ins, yielding creamy and delicious results.

To add Greek yogurt to your tuna salad, simply spoon it in and stir until it resembles your desired consistency. Give it a taste and see what you think. If too tangy, adding some of the other substitutions mentioned on this list may help; options like mashed avocados or a smidge of aioli can work to help balance its flavor.

Cottage cheese is a tuna salad replacement you don't hear about often but it can be one heck of a replacement — assuming that you're a cottage cheese fan, of course. Since cottage cheese is creamy and full of important minerals like calcium and magnesium, it stands to make your tuna salad rich and nutritious. How much cottage cheese you'll add will depend on how creamy you'll want your tuna salad; using 1 cup of it per every 5 ounce tuna can will usually suffice. Consider adding chopped celery and onion to the mix, along with a bit of dill, for added flavor. Some also like to throw in diced pickles or relish to cottage cheese tuna salad, and of course, plenty of salt and pepper to round out the flavor.

Feel free to experiment with your tuna salad by throwing in a dash or two of garlic along with a few capers if you feel up for it. Since cottage cheese has a neutral taste, it works wonderfully as a blank canvas for testing fun and exciting flavors on an old classic.

Sour cream is also a wonderful swap for mayo, given its thick and creamy qualities. Like yogurt, sour cream will lend your tuna salad a tangier flavor, which, for those who dislike mayo yet love sour cream, may be a welcome change. Feel free to add your sour cream a little at a time until your tuna salad reaches the correct consistency. Remember that sour cream comes in both full-fat and low-fat varieties; it's up to you which you'd prefer to use.

Add to your sour cream tuna salad your choice of ingredients. We've seen people throw in pickled relish, cayenne pepper, and other goodies to amplify the taste of the dish, although the traditional celery and onion route works as well. If the sour cream on its own seems a little dull, try dishing in a teaspoon or so of mustard for more zing and a bit of color.

If you've never heard of tzatziki before, you're in for a flavorful treat. Tzatziki is quite simply a Mediterranean cucumber yogurt dip often enjoyed with grilled meat, falafel, and even as a base for tzatziki coleslaw. Often infused with herbs and garlic, this flavorful and creamy dip would work as the perfect backdrop to tender and flaky tuna.

Using tzatziki in your tuna salad is simple. Just add tzatziki to your can of tuna (like most mayo replacements on this list, the amount used will depend on your preference) along with other ingredients that might prove complementary in flavor. Consider fresh chopped red peppers, black olives, red onions, and lemon zest for an upbeat twist on traditional tuna salad flavor. You could even combine tuna and tzatziki and enjoy the two flavors in isolation (without added ingredients) for a quick, easy-to-throw-together creation that you can enjoy over crackers or toast.

Pesto is largely responsible for turning pastas, sandwiches, and even eggs into culinary deliciousness, so it shouldn't surprise you that it works as a yummy alternative to mayo for tuna salad as well. Pesto is a combination of basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. It's very versatile, and as such, pesto can easily be transformed into a salad dressing not only for leafy salads but tuna salad, as well.

When using pesto as an alternative for mayo, pay close attention to your pesto's texture, as it will affect the consistency of your tuna salad. If you'd like to thin your pesto out a bit, add some lemon juice along with a drizzle of olive oil before ladling it over your choice of ingredients. Of course, you can also use your pesto as is, even if it's on the thicker side. Simply spoon it into drained canned tuna in a mixing bowl, along with whatever veggies and add-ins that suit your fancy. If you want to use homemade pesto in your tuna salad rather than store-bought, we totally recommend it — just be sure to freeze any leftover pesto in cubes when you're done to keep your pesto fresher for longer.

If you love sweet potatoes as much as we do, you know there's always room at the table for this tasty root vegetable, whether it's for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In this instance, sweet potatoes work impeccably as a replacement for mayo as it can give your tuna salad a kiss of naturally sweet flavor along with a bit of bulk for an extra hearty texture.

To add sweet potatoes to your tuna salad, you'll first need to cook them. You can roast them, boil them, or bake them, depending on your preference. From there, you'll dice them into small pieces (if they aren't diced already) and throw them into your tuna. Add complementary ingredients depending on your preference; we love the autumnal feel of roasted pecans, red onions, dried cranberries, and lettuce. If you wish to, you can stop there, but for added decadence, you can consider making a "dressing" of sorts using lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and a few seasonings.

Feel free to chuck in a few of the creamier additions already mentioned on this list, too; avocado cubes would work well, as would a few tablespoons of hummus. Experiment to see what flavors you enjoy best.

Silken tofu is another way to achieve rich and creamy tuna salad without the use of mayo. Believe it or not, combining silken tofu with lemon juice and mustard can leave you with a velvety mayo-like consistency that can easily be mixed into tuna salad along with all of your usual favorite ingredients.

To use silken tofu as a part of your next tuna salad, combine tofu, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Once smooth, add a few dollops into a mixing bowl along with drained tuna and all of your usual tuna salad ingredients. Consider spicing up your tofu mixture by seasoning with salt, pepper, and a bit of celery seed. Using onion, pickle relish are also great additions, as these will inject even more flavor. Serve this tofu tuna salad creation over bread, salad greens, or with crackers for a wonderful snack completely mayo-free!