Mexican Tuna Salad
This Mexican tuna salad boasts fresh, bold flavors and irresistible texture. With its creamy yogurt-mayo base, hearty black beans, corn, red pepper, and a bright, herb-flecked kick of cilantro and lime, it transforms simple pantry staples into a truly satisfying and refreshing party appetizer or meal in just minutes!
Ready to eat in 15 minutes or less, this Mexican tuna salad is a fantastic make-ahead option for your Cinco de Mayo celebration. Nutritious and delicious, it works perfectly as a snack, but it can easily be transformed into a satisfying light lunch when served in crisp lettuce leaves.
However you choose to enjoy this Mexican-inspired salad, don’t expect to have any leftovers!
What is Mexican tuna salad?
Mexican tuna salad is a protein-packed salad that works beautifully as a party appetizer, snack, or light meal. It combines flaky canned tuna and hearty beans with a creamy base of yogurt, mayonnaise, and oil. Fresh herbs, crisp red onion, sweet corn, red pepper, and warm spices add layers of flavor and texture, making it both refreshing and satisfying. Served over a bed of crisp lettuce or alongside crackers, this balanced snack or light lunch comes together in minutes using simple pantry staples.
Ingredients needed to make Mexican tuna salad
- Tuna: I prefer to use canned tuna in water, not oil, as the avocado oil, mayo, and yogurt will provide enough richness and moisture.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Adds creaminess and a tangy flavor while boosting the protein content.
- Mayonnaise: Provides richness and helps bind the salad together for a smooth, cohesive texture. Cool Whip isn’t an appropriate substitute and will alter the flavor of this salad significantly.
- Ground cumin: Lends an earthy, warm note that complements the other Mexican-inspired flavors.
- Chili powder: Brings mild heat and a smoky depth to the salad.
- Kosher salt and pepper: The salt enhances all the other flavors while the pepper adds a touch of warmth.
- Avocado oil: I prefer to use a neutral oil like avocado oil so that it doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients while still adding richness and a silky consistency.
- Fresh lime juice: Provides a sharp, clean acidity to brighten the tuna salad. You could use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Corn kernels: Adds a pop of sweetness and pleasant crunch to every bite. Feel free to use canned corn kernels, drained, or from cooked corn cobs.
- Red pepper: Offers a crisp texture and mild, sweet flavor along with vibrant color.
- Black beans: This Mexican tuna salad gets a boost of protein from canned black beans. Make sure to drain and rinse the beans well before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
- Green onion: Contributes a mild, fresh onion flavor without being overpowering.
- Red onion: Adds a mildly sharp, crisp, and slightly sweet flavor to the salad. You can soak your sliced onion in water for 10-30 minutes to reduce its pungent flavor.
- Cilantro: Brings a fresh, citrusy, herbaceous note that brightens the overall dish.
- Jalapeno: Provides a spicy kick. Remove the seeds and membranes for less heat, or leave them in for extra fire.
How do you make Mexican tuna salad
Combine salad ingredients:
- In a large bowl, combine the tuna, yogurt, mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lime juice.
- Gently flake the tuna with a fork and stir until the mixture becomes smooth and well blended.
- Add the corn, red pepper, black beans, green onion, cilantro, and jalapeño, then stir to combine.
Assemble and serve:
- Serve as a crowd-pleasing snack with guacamole, chopped vegetables, crackers, or chips.
- For a light lunch option, assemble individual portions of the salad in small iceberg lettuce bowls.
Serving
This Mexican tuna salad is great for Cinco de Mayo celebrations as a tasty snack alongside guacamole, crackers, chopped and sliced vegetables, crackers, or chips. It pairs beautifully with an array of other Mexican-inspired appetizers, such as Grilled Margarita Shrimp Skewers, Roasted Mini Peppers, or Jalapeno Popper Cheese Ball.
Easily turn it into a light lunch option by assembling portions into iceberg lettuce bowls or load it into these Quick Dinner Rolls.
Complete your snacking with a bowl of Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream or Mexican Chocolate Brownies and a drizzle of Homemade Chocolate Syrup.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Salad storage: This Mexican tuna salad can be stored for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make ahead: Make this salad 1-2 days in advance and store in the fridge, ready to be served just before your guests arrive to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
- Double the recipe: Make a double batch of this Mexican tuna salad when serving a larger crowd.
- Uniform size matters: Make sure to chop the peppers and onion into uniform pieces so that the salad looks more appealing and to ensure every bite includes a perfect mix of flavors and textures.
- Combine ingredients in order of directions: It’s important to flake the tuna with the creamy ingredients separately to the softer beans and fresh ingredients. This will help to preserve texture, especially since the beans can break when too heavy-handed.
- Drain well: Always ensure canned beans and tuna are well-drained so the salad doesn’t become watery.
- Optional chilling: You can serve this salad straight away or chill it in the fridge before serving which will allow the flavors to meld and intensify.
Variations:
- Bean swaps/add-ins: Use another variety of canned beans in this salad, such as kidney bean, cannellini beans, butter beans, or chickpeas.
- Mix-ins: Add chopped hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon pieces, toasted nuts (slivered almonds, walnuts), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), crumbled Cotija or feta cheese, or, halved cherry tomatoes.
- Mexican pasta tuna salad: Cook your favorite pasta in salted boiling water, drain, and cool. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and add in extra mayo, Greek yogurt, and oil, as needed. You may also need to add extra spices and seasoning.
Tuna is a fantastic source of nutritious protein and a budget-friendly choice when feeding the whole family too! For more delicious tuna salad recipes, try Ahi Tuna Salad, Tuna Spaghetti Salad, Tuna and Bean Salad, and Marinated Chickpea Tuna Salad.
More Cinco de Mayo recipes you may want to try:
Get the Recipe:
Mexican Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans albacore tuna, drained
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- Juice of ½ a lime, about 1 tbsp
- ½ cup corn kernels
- ½ cup red pepper diced
- ⅓ cup black beans
- 2 Tbsp green onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp red onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 Tbsp jalapeno diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the tuna, yogurt mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lime juice.
- Gently flake the tuna with a fork and stir until the mixture becomes smooth and well blended.
- Add the corn, red pepper, black beans, green onion, cilantro, and jalapeño, then stir to combine.
- Serve as a crowd-pleasing snack with guacamole, chopped vegetables, crackers, or chips.
- For a light lunch option, assemble individual portions of the salad in small iceberg lettuce bowls.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Salad storage: This Mexican tuna salad can be stored for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make ahead: Make this salad 1-2 days in advance and store in the fridge, ready to be served just before your guests arrive to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
- Double the recipe: Make a double batch of this Mexican tuna salad when serving a larger crowd.
- Uniform size matters: Make sure to chop the peppers and onion into uniform pieces so that the salad looks more appealing and to ensure every bite includes a perfect mix of flavors and textures.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
