Broccoli Tuna Salad

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Broccoli tuna salad is a fresh variation of a lunchtime favorite. It’s a simple blend of tuna, broccoli rice, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, green onions, and sunflower seeds. It’s a great way to sneak more greens into your tuna salad!

Broccoli tuna salad in a bowl next to a spoon.

While a classic tuna salad is great, this version might be even better. It’s undeniably delicious, filled with crispy and creamy textures, along with bright flavors. It’s easy to make, and most importantly 100% pantry-friendly – just like a tuna salad should be.

But the best part? It’s got sneaky broccoli inside! You’ve seen me do this before, sneaking greens like spinach into tuna meatballs, or my chicken and rice, and of course I loaded greens into my green shakshuka. And because the broccoli rice is so small, most won’t even know it’s there! That makes it perfect for the kiddos.

Ingredients for broccoli tuna salad on a table.

Broccoli Tuna Salad Ingredients

Thanks to easy pantry staples, this tuna salad is a speedy recipe to make.

  • Canned Tuna: I love to use wild albacore tuna in water, but the choice is yours.
  • Broccoli Rice: The small size of broccoli rice is perfect for “hiding” in this recipe.
  • Mayonnaise: While you can use a store-bought version, my homemade mayonnaise is super easy to whip up with an immersion blender.
  • Dijon Mustard: A hint of spice complements the mayonnaise and tuna well.
  • Green Onion: Adds a crisp and refreshing flavor.
  • Sunflower Seeds: For little bits of crunchiness in every bite.
  • Herbs: I’m using chopped parsley, but feel free to use whichever herbs you like.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below

Let’s Make A Broccoli Tuna Salad

  • Make the broccoli rice. Place broccoli florets into a food processor and pulse until it becomes grainy like rice.
  • Mix it all together. In a large bowl, stir together the canned tuna, mayonnaise, green onion, sunflower seeds, herbs, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of broccoli rice.
  • Enjoy in various ways! While you can eat the salad straight out of the bowl, see below for more ways to enjoy it.
Mixing ingredients for a broccoli tuna salad in a bowl.

Ways To Serve Tuna Salad

Sometimes I like to eat it straight out of the bowl with a spoon when I’m in a hurry. But if you have a few extra minutes to spare, here’s a few creative ideas!

  • Add to a grain bowl. Layer a large spoonful of tuna salad onto a bed of quinoa and leafy greens. Then add some avocado slices and sliced red onions.
  • Wrap it up. Use large butter lettuce leaves or my cassava flour tortillas.
  • Make it a sandwich. Layer it in between sliced bread with spinach, sprouts, and cucumber slices.
  • Serve as an appetizer or snack. Slab it onto seed crackers for a quick and easy bite.
Broccoli tuna salad on bread with lettuce.

The Perfect Make-Ahead Recipe

The great thing about tuna salad is that it can last for 3-4 days in the fridge. Which makes it a wonderful meal prep option. Just make sure to not let it sit at room temperature for too long since it has fish and mayonnaise in it.

If You Have Leftover Broccoli Rice…

Don’t toss it away! With how light and mild it is, you can add it to just about any meal for an extra dose of greens.

  • Make a macro bowl with your choice of protein and roasted vegetables.
  • Toss into fried rice with diced up carrots, peas, green onions, and eggs.
  • Add more greens to your breakfast by sprinkling some into your breakfast egg muffin mixture or breakfast casserole.
  • Freeze it for later and store in Stasher Bags for up to 3 months.

More Easy Salad Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite salads recipes, which I know you’ll love! And if you need more inspiration, check out my official list of 40+ easy and healthy salad recipes.

Broccoli tuna salad in a sandwich on a plate.

If you make this recipe, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

A bowl of broccoli tuna salad on a table.

Broccoli Tuna Salad

5 from 22 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Broccoli tuna salad is a flavorful variation of a classic. It's a blend of fresh and easy ingredients, with an extra dose of broccoli greens!

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 5-ounce cans tuna, drained
  • 1 cup broccoli rice
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley, chives or other herbs
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Remove the florets from a head of broccoli, place in a food processor, and pulse until the texture resembles rice.
    Broccoli being processed in a food processor for broccoli tuna salad.
  • Add the drained canned tuna, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, broccoli rice, sunflower seeds, green onion, and chopped parsley to a bowl.
    Ingredients for broccoli tuna salad in a bowl.
  • Stir everything together until it's well combined.
  • Enjoy the broccoli tuna salad straight out of the bowl, turned into a sandwich, or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 331mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 484IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Broccoli Tuna Salad, tuna salad, tuna salad recipe
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

5 from 22 votes

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Recipe Rating




50 Comments

  1. Great healthy recipe with a nice mix of texture due to the broccoli! Im planning to make this recipe again but with your mayo recipe rather than store bought. Thank you Lisa!5 stars

  2. I made the broccoli tuna salad, added a few sultanas and lime juice, a few drops of maple syrup and it was delicious!5 stars

  3. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised this was so good. I searched for a broccoli tuna recipe thinking I’d find a casserole, but came across this recipe.  It is so good. I might not ever eat tuna salad the old way again!  I added a few diced roasted beets for color and it is super yummy!  Thanks for sharing this recipe.5 stars

    1. I made this exactly except I added half an ounce of low fat cubed cheese and onion flakes and put it on a low carb jalapeno queso wrap. Delicious, thanks.

  4. I don’t eat mayo (don’t like the taste of eggs) and I didn’t have any dijon on hand so I used tahini instead. Turned out perfect for me. What I appreciate the most is the serving suggestions, because I wasn’t really sure what else to do besides crackers.5 stars

  5. I saw someone else in the Facebook group make this and immediately decided it would be my lunch today! I was too lazy to dig out my food processor so I just chopped my broccoli into really small pieces and the texture is still great. I used plain cashew yogurt instead of mayo and didn’t have sunflower seeds so I used chopped almonds. Super easy and sooo good!5 stars

  6. I    made this recipe for my family the other night and it was a hit! Next time I’m debating adding walnuts for a nice crunch. Thank you!5 stars

  7. In the spirit of “don’t waste anything” I substituted red onion for the shallots because I didn’t want it to go bad and I can tell you this turned out AMAZING! Another home run recipe 😊5 stars

    1. The protein content seems low? only 3g?? There’s 10oz of tuna divided by 4 servings?? Is this correct ?

      1. Hi Lindsay – good catch! You’re right, the nutritional info wasn’t calculating properly. I just fixed it. :)

    1. You could use regular mustard or stone ground mustard as well. If it’s mustard you don’t like, you could add a variety of spices or even a splash of sriracha for a little kick.

  8. Fantastic recipe! It’s easy to make, healthy, tasty and if you double it you’ll have great left overs!5 stars

  9. This is so perfect for lunch! Love how quick it comes together and that I can enjoy it on sandwiches or with some crackers.5 stars