This tuna potato salad is a fun and flavorful twist on the classic potato salad! Chunks of tender tuna are combined with baby potatoes, fresh dill, red onion and a bright and tangy dressing. You can make this easy potato salad recipe in only about 25 minutes.
Potato salad is always a winner, but the standard potato salad can be a little...well, standard! If you love potato salad but are looking to mix it up a bit, you need to try this recipe for tuna potato salad!
This tuna and potato salad combines meaty chunks of tuna with tender baby potatoes, along with tons of fresh dill, red onion slices, and a tangy dressing made with red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano and garlic.
You only need about 25 minutes to make this flavorful potato salad, and, the flavor gets even better the next day, making this a great "make ahead" recipe for lunch or a quick dinner!
Jump to:
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Baby potatoes: these are a great option for potato salad because they are easy to prep and hold their shape well after cooking. But, you can use any waxy potato such as red skin potatoes, yellow potatoes or fingerling potatoes.
- Canned tuna: you can use any type of tuna you like, but my top pick is solid tuna packed in oil. Solid tuna gives firm, large pieces that hold their shape well, and the oil gives the tuna a rich, moist texture.
- Lemon juice: freshly-squeezed lemon juice will give the best flavor. You only need 2 tablespoons so just one lemon should be enough.
Step by step photos
Here is how to make the tuna potato salad, step by step!
1. The first step is to prep the potatoes. If your potatoes aren't pre-washed, give them a good scrub with water. Then, cut the baby potatoes in half. If you're using larger waxy potatoes, cut them into about 1 ½ inch (3.8 cm) chunks.
Top Tip
It's important to cut the potatoes into similar-sized pieces so that they cook evenly. If you have a few baby potatoes that are larger than the rest, cut those into quarters instead of halves.
Once the potatoes are cut, put them into a large saucepan. Cover the potatoes with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of cold water. Gently simmer the potatoes in generously salted water until they are fork-tender.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, we can prep the other ingredients. Finely slice the red onion and chop the fresh dill. And, mince the garlic. I used a garlic press here to make it easy on myself!
3. Next, mix up the dressing. In a large bowl, add the salt, oregano, grainy mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk the dressing to combine.
4. After the potatoes are done cooking, drain them and rinse them under cold water to cool them down a bit. They should still be warm afterwards, just not piping hot.
Add the cooked potatoes to the bowl with the dressing, and stir them to coat each potato in the dressing.
5. Now, we add in the sliced onion, dill, and drained tuna. Stir the salad together gently, just to combine all the ingredients. Taste the salad and add in a bit more salt if needed.
Tips and tricks
- After adding the tuna, dill and onion, be sure to stir the salad gently so as not to break the tuna up into too many tiny pieces. It's nice when you get big chunks of meaty tuna in the salad!
- When cooking the potatoes, be sure to use a gentle boil (not a full rolling boil). I found that when using a full boil, some of the potatoes broke up into small pieces and got mushy before they were all done cooking.
- And, when cooking the potatoes, use a generous amount of salt in the water (I like to use about 1 tablespoon). Adding salt to the cooking water is the best way to season the interior of the potatoes, ensuring you get the most flavorful potato salad possible!
Recipe variations
The ingredients for this potato salad with tuna are pretty simple, so there are plenty of ways to customize the recipe to your own tastes. Here are some substitution and addition ideas:
- If you don't have lemon juice, you can substitute an equal amount of red wine vinegar. (And vice versa - if you don't have red wine vinegar, replace it with an equal amount of lemon juice.)
- Don't like the flavor of dill? Feel free to substitute an equal amount of any fresh leafy herb that you like. Some good options are parsley, cilantro, basil, or chives (or a combo of these!).
- If you want to amp up the tangy, briny flavors in the salad, try adding in some capers, chopped green olives, and/or chopped cornichons.
Serving suggestions
- If you'd like to garnish the potato tuna salad, try wedges of lemon and/or extra sprigs of fresh dill.
- This tuna potato salad is delicious served right away, while the potatoes are still warm. Or, you can store the salad covered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors merry. Then, serve it cold or at room temperature.
- If the olive oil has solidified after being stored in the fridge, let the salad sit at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes, then stir the salad again before serving.
- Pair the salad with soup, sandwiches, or cooked veggies for lunch or dinner. (Try my recipes for easy black bean soup and grilled halloumi sandwich!)
Storage instructions
- Store the tuna and potato salad in the fridge, tightly covered. It will last in the fridge for 3 - 4 days.
- As the salad sits in the fridge, the potatoes will continue to absorb the dressing and the herbs and onions will soften. To refresh the leftovers, you can add in some more freshly chopped herbs and an extra drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice and/or red wine vinegar.
Recipe FAQs
The skins on baby potatoes and other types of waxy potatoes are very thin. Therefore, there is no need to peel the skins. In fact, the skins on red potatoes add a beautiful color to the salad.
However, if you're using larger waxy potatoes and you want to peel the skins, you can. But, peeling baby potatoes would be so tedious just don't bother!!
While any type of canned tuna would work for this salad, the best option in my opinion is to use solid tuna packed in oil.
Solid tuna will provide larger, distinct pieces in the salad. However, chunk tuna tends to break apart into smaller flakes that blend somewhat into the other ingredients. And, tuna packed in oil has a nice richness and moist texture compared to water packed tuna.
What to serve with tuna potato salad:
If you’ve tried this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or review in the comments section below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. And sign up for my weekly newsletter to get recipes delivered straight to you!
Print📖 Recipe
Tuna Potato Salad
This no mayo tuna potato salad is so simple to make but packed with bold flavors from fresh dill, red onion, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. You can make this easy and fresh salad in only about 25 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 g) baby (or other waxy) potatoes, scrubbed with water
- ½ medium red onion (113 g), thinly sliced
- ½ cup (18 g) chopped fresh dill (or other leafy fresh herb, see note 1)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- â…“ cup (79 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (32 g) grainy mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain salt, or to taste (plus salt for cooking water)
- 2 five-ounce (142 g) cans of tuna, drained (preferably solid tuna packed in oil, see note 2)
Instructions
- Cut each baby potato in half (for larger baby potatoes, cut into quarters). If using full-sized waxy potatoes, cut them into about 1 ½ inch chunks (you don't need to peel the larger potatoes but you can if preferred).
- Place the potatoes into a large saucepan. Fill with cold water until potatoes are covered by about 1 inch. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat and add a generous amount of salt to the water (about 1 tablespoon). Gently boil the potatoes until fork-tender, about 8 - 9 minutes. During the cook time, turn the heat down as necessary to maintain a gentle boil.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain and rinse them with cold water to cool them down a bit, and drain again well (potatoes should still be warm, but not steaming hot). Set potatoes aside if still prepping the other ingredients (steps 4 - 5).
- While the potatoes are cooking, prep the veggies: slice the onion, chop the dill, and mince the garlic.
- Then, make the dressing: to a large bowl, add the minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, grainy mustard, dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the still-warm cooked potatoes to the bowl with the dressing. Stir gently to coat the potatoes in the dressing.
- Add the drained tuna, sliced onion and chopped dill. Stir gently to combine. Taste the salad and add more salt if needed. The potato salad can be served warm right away, or at room temperature, or cold.
Notes
If you don't like dill, you can use any other fresh leafy herb that you like. Some good options would be parsley, cilantro, chives, or basil (or a combination of these).
You can use any type of tuna that you like for this salad, but my preference is solid tuna packed in oil. Solid tuna will give you larger, firmer pieces that you can bite into, whereas chunk tuna will break apart into smaller flakes that blend somewhat into the other ingredients. And, tuna packed in oil has a nice richness and moist texture compared to water packed tuna.
The nutrition information below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator; the nutrition counts of your dish will vary based on the brand and exact amounts of ingredients used. This nutrition estimate should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, health, or nutritional advice. See our full disclosure policy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: â…› recipe
- Calories: 286
- Sugar: 2.9 g
- Sodium: 460 mg
- Fat: 9.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.5 g
- Fiber: 5.3 g
- Protein: 16.2 g
- Cholesterol: 14 mg
Leave a Reply