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Here’s the very best tuna salad sandwich you’ll have! This classic recipe is creamy, zingy, and full of flavor. (Plus, a few variations to mix it up.)

One taste of this tuna salad sandwich, and it will become your go-to. Yes, tuna salad is something you can wing with the ingredients you have on hand. BUT! If you’re looking for the best tuna salad sandwich on the internet, you’ve come to the right place. It’s perfectly creamy, bright and tangy, with just the right crunch from the vegetables. Make your sandwich dreams come true with this recipe! We can’t stop making it. (Truth.)

Ingredients for the best tuna salad sandwich

You’ll only need a few veggies on hand to make a tuna salad sandwich: the rest are pantry ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

Canned tuna: Use either water-packed or oil packed: we prefer water packed here since you’re mixing it with lots of flavorings.
Greek yogurt + mayo combination: The key to the creamiest, best tuna salad! It tastes savory and creamy, but using some Greek yogurt helps to keep it less calorie-laden and rich. It’s just perfect. Or swap these out for avocado (see below).
Celery, red onion & dill pickles: A good tuna salad must have pickles! After extensive testing, we found it was the key to bringing in a tangy and lightly sweet element.
Lemon juice & Dijon mustard: Both are essential to making this taste like deli-style tuna salad.

4 variations: tuna salad sandwich recipes!

Once you’ve mastered the classic, there are a few variations to keep variety in your tuna salad sandwich! Here are the three sandwich recipes to try:

Classic Tuna Salad Sandwich

The best tuna salad? This one is it. It's perfectly creamy, bright and tangy, and so irresistible you can't stop eating it. One bite in, you'll declare it "the best!" too.

Features: The Classic! Greek yogurt + mayonnaise take the creamy factor over the top. Add Parmesan cheese for the best savory flavor.

Egg & Tuna Salad Sandwich

Step up your tuna salad with hard boiled eggs! This tuna salad with egg is creamy and savory, perfect as an easy lunch or dinner idea. Adding egg adds texture and protein to make this a filling meal.

Features: Take the classic and add a chopped hard boiled egg! Follow stovetop hard boiled eggs or Instant Pot hard boiled eggs.

Avocado Tuna Salad Sandwich

This fresh and healthy avocado tuna salad swaps the classic mayo for nutrient-rich avocado! It will become your new go-to after first bite.

Features: Trade the Greek yogurt & mayo for ½ chopped avocado! Or go Mexican-style and switch lemon for lime and add chopped cilantro.

World's Best Tuna Melt

This tuna melt: this is the stuff dreams are made of. Between crusty bread is sandwiched a creamy, gooey mess so perfectly seasoned that you won’t be able to stop taking bites. And the filling? Yes, you've got it: it's our classic tuna salad. Here we’ll show you how to make a tuna melt that will make you…melt.

Another variation on tuna salad? Pasta salad! Try this Classic Tuna Pasta Salad, a creamy pasta salad perfect for a quick dinner or easy lunch.

Step it up with a sprinkle of Parmesan

If you really want to step up your tuna salad: add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese! It really makes for the best savory flavor. Alex and I did a taste test of before and after, and you really can tell the difference! Of course if you’re making up this tuna salad sandwich as a quick pantry dinner and don’t have Parmesan on hand, it’s still incredible without it.

A vegan variation: chickpea salad!

Want to make a vegan tuna salad sandwich? Use chickpeas! While it doesn’t quite have the flavor of tuna, this Chickpea Salad Sandwich is full of incredible flavor using chickpeas instead of tuna. It’s got most of the same players, and you’ll mash the chickpeas until they integrate into the texture. It’s a tasty plant-based version of this standard, and has become a fan-favorite!

Use best-quality bread or homemade

The final key to a great tuna salad sandwich: the bread! Try to find the best bread you can: most grocery stores have options for artisan-style bread loaves vs the standard sandwich loaf. To up the ante you can lightly toast the bread, which adds a nice crunchy contrast to the salad.

Or if you have the time, try homemade bread! Here are a few of our best bread recipes to try:

Easy Homemade Bread or Easy Whole Wheat Bread The perfect homemade sandwich bread! You don’t need any special equipment at all. Just a loaf pan!
Easy No Knead Bread Best artisan bread for beginners! This one results in a crispy crust and perfectly chewy interior.
Artisan Bread A seriously tasty bread with a developed flavor. Medium level difficulty.
Best Sourdough Bread If you’re up for the challenge, this really is the best sourdough bread on the internet.

This tuna salad sandwich recipe is…

Pescatarian. For dairy-free, use the Avocado Tuna Salad option.