This easy flavorful cottage cheese tuna salad has 29 grams of protein per serving and uses cottage cheese in place of mayo. It’s just as delicious as classic tuna salad but made a little bit lighter and higher protein!
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Why you’ll love this
After both my Cottage Cheese Egg Salad and Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad were such a big hit, I knew I needed a tuna salad version too! Using high protein cottage cheese instead of mayo has become one of my favorite ways to use cottage cheese.
There are so many reasons to love this cottage cheese tuna salad, here are just a few!
- It’s high protein! This tuna salad packs 29 grams of protein per serving, so it’s going to keep you full and satisfied and support your protein intake goals.
- There’s no mayo. If you’re not a big mayo fan, you’ll love this cottage cheese swap instead of mayo. And if you’re not a fan of the cottage cheese texture, don’t worry, it gets blended and adds the perfect creamy texture to the cottage cheese.
- It’s delicious. This tuna salad is SO flavorful and has everything you love about traditional tuna salad made with mayo.
- It’s perfect for meal prep! This tuna salad stores well, so you can make it at the start of the week for easy lunches.
There’s nothing like a delicious high protein recipe that’s perfect for prepping ahead. You’re going to love this one!
Ingredients
- Cottage cheese: You need cottage cheese, of course! My favorite is the whole milk Good Culture small curd cottage cheese, but you can use any kind you like.
- Canned tuna: I like to use canned albacore tuna for this one. You can feel free to use any can of tuna that you like.
- Red onion: I prefer the bite of red onion, but sweet onion or green onions works here too.
- Celery: Crunchy celery is a must for tuna salad!
- Dill pickles: Pickles add just the right amount of tangy brine-y flavor to this tuna salad. You can also use sweet pickles or capers instead.
- Garlic: Adding a finely minced or microplaned clove of garlic adds an amazing amount of fresh flavor to this recipe.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice adds the perfect amount of bright citrus flavor.
- Dijon mustard: I love the flavor of dijon mustard in this recipe. You can use yellow mustard too but it makes the tuna salad a bit tangier.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh dill, chives or parsley are all great here.
- Salt + black pepper
How to make cottage cheese tuna salad
- Using a blender or immersion blender in a small container, blend cottage cheese until smooth and creamy. You can also leave the cottage cheese with curds if you want to.
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna (drain well to remove excess water), cottage cheese, celery, red onion, pickles, dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Add hot sauce to taste if desired. Note: If you like a drier tuna salad I recommend starting with 1/3 cup of cottage cheese and then working up to 1/2 cup to your personal preference.
- Serve as a sandwich, with crackers, in a lettuce wrap, or however you typically enjoy your tuna salad! You can also serve on top of greens, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and Italian dressing for an easy salad option.
How to store
Store leftover tuna salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Variations
- Add diced red bell pepper for more veggies and flavor!
- Add cayenne pepper or minced jalapeño for a spicy version.
- Omit the pickles and add cranberries or diced apple for a salty and sweet version!
- For even more protein add 2 diced hard boiled eggs.
- Use plain Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese.
- Add some diced avocado for healthy fats and creaminess!
- Serve in mini bell peppers for an easy nutrient-dense lunch!
- Top crackers and drizzle with your favorite olive oil and crushed red pepper for an easy appetizer!
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Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 5 oz. cans white albacore tuna drained well
- 1/3-1/2 cup cottage cheese start with 1/3 cup if you prefer a drier tuna salad
- 1 stalk celery minced
- 3 tbsp red onion minced
- 2-3 tbsp dill pickles or sweet pickles minced
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice more to taste
- 1 garlic clove finely minced or microplaned
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, parsley or dill
- 1/4 tsp salt more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper more to taste
- hot sauce optional, to taste
Instructions
- Using a blender or immersion blender in a small container, blend cottage cheese until smooth and creamy. You can also leave the cottage cheese with curds if you want to.
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna, cottage cheese, celery, red onion, pickles, dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Add hot sauce to taste if desired.
- Serve as a sandwich, with crackers, in a lettuce wrap, or however you typically enjoy your tuna salad!
Nutrition
Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 684mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
18 Responses
Wow, this was so good that I’m writing a review as I’m eating it. I found the recipe super easy to make, and it’s easy to customize it by adding more of what you want. I added more celery because I like the crunch. I do feel like it tastes way better with hot sauce, but so good! I paired this with crackers and they work so well together
Thank you so much for leaving a review! I love adding a few dashes of hot sauce myself 🙂
This is very tasty. Can you tell me what the serving size is? 1/2 cup?
I usually just split it into 4 equal servings, but it ends up being around 1/2-2/3 cup.
Just curious how big a serving size is?
I usually just split it into 4 equal servings, but it ends up being around 1/2-2/3 cup.
how many cans of tuna?
The recipe calls for 3 5 oz. cans white albacore tuna. The full ingredients in right in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
What a wonderful find. Love trying something different. And I’m on a bit of a health kick. Was barely enough for 2 the first time. So I Doubled the and celery and cottage cheese to make 2 nice lunches. Oink Oink.
So easy to prep and delicious! Added everything but the bagel seasoning, too! Glad I tried it so I can put it in my lunch rotation.
Your recipes are great Keto finds. I was delighted to discover how to add more protein with the cottage. However. I am a very senior senior and can only enjoy very small meals; therefore, I am now trying to convert, (reduce the finished size using 1 5oz can of tuna). I’m not a number cruncher so it will take time.
Akso, delighted to your cottage cheese pasta sauce. THANK YOU!!!!
Peg
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
Probably a dumb question but is the nutrition sheet at the bottom for the entire dish or per serving? It is delicious by the way!!
Never a dumb question! Per serving 🙂 Happy you enjoyed!!
I very much enjoyed this! I did blend my cottage cheese a bit then omitted mustard and lemon juice – more because I didn’t have any mustard and didn’t want the acid from the lemon – omitted the garlic and added dill relish instead of chopping pickles 🙂
Thank you!
So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for the kind review 🙂
Made this recipe, with frozen dill and parsley (And I might also have forgotten about the lemon, and the garlic, and the celery) and it’s just as good.
This recipe is a lifesaver for my keto diet. I made 2 servings which amount to about 5g carbs each, I will be making it often.
So glad you enjoyed, thank you for leaving a review!