Buffalo Tuna Salad is made with canned tuna, chopped veggies, mayo and hot sauce. It is great on whole grain bread, a bed of lettuce or in a wrap. If you love Buffalo chicken flavor, you will absolutely love this fun version of a classic tuna salad.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This salad only takes a couple minutes to throw together.
- It is low carb, paleo, keto and Whole30 friendly.
- Highly customizable – you can add crunchy veggies, more or less mayo (or no mayo at all), make it more or less spicy or add fresh herbs.
- This recipe is budget friendly and uses staple pantry ingredients.
- Great as party food or game day appetizer served as a dip with crackers or fresh veggies.
- A must-try for any Buffalo flavor lovers!
- Make sure to check out my Buffalo Chicken Thighs and Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders (no breading) for more Buffalo-flavored recipes.
Ingredient notes
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Tuna: I used albacore tuna packed in water but any kind of canned tuna will work.
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Mayo: use your favorite kind of mayonnaise (I like paleo friendly Primal Kitchen Mayo or Sir Kensington's).
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Celery: to give this creamy salad a crunch and complement the Buffalo flavor.
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Onion: sweet onion such as vedalia will work best because of its mild flavor
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Green onions: for a bright fresh flavor. You can also use chives, parsley or dill.
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Hot Sauce: I used Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. If you prefer milder Buffalo flavor, I recommend Mild Buffalo sauce by Noble Made
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Paprika & Garlic Powder: for an extra layer of flavor
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Salt & Pepper: to taste
How to make Buffalo Tuna Salad
Simply mix all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until they are combined into a creamy salad. I recommend starting with two tablespoons of hot sauce and if the salad isn’t spicy enough for you, add another tablespoon.
Optional garnishes include chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, dill or parsley and an extra drizzle of hot sauce.
Serving suggestions
This is such a versatile salad that can be served in a variety of ways! Here are some suggestions:
- Wrap: use a tortilla or pita and load it with Buffalo tuna salad. You can add extra veggies or a pickle for a quick and satisfying lunch.
- Lettuce wraps: this is a great low-carb version
- Sandwich: serve it on your favorite bread or in a bagel with some fresh greens or sprouts.
- Salad: it’s great on a bed of greens with halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and red or green onions. Try it in place of regular canned tuna on top of this Tuna Caesar Salad.
- Dip: great with multigrain crackers or celery sticks.
Like protein salads? Try this Mexican Tuna Salad (another great canned tuna recipe), Chicken Salad Without Mayo and Herbed Egg Avocado Salad for more great recipes.
Variations and substitutions
What I love about this salad is that you don’t have to stick to the proportions in the recipe. As long as you stick with the tuna + mayo + hot sauce formula, adjust the amounts and additions to your individual taste.
- Add more chopped vegetables for extra crunch, such as carrots, green bell peppers or radishes.
- To brighten the flavors you can also add chopped fresh herbs: chives, parsley or dill.
- This salad will also work with canned salmon instead of tuna.
- For a cheesy buffalo
- If you prefer a more creamy texture, feel free to add more mayo or Greek yogurt for a lighter version. Blended cottage cheese will also work as a healthier option, especially if you add a little fresh lemon juice, too (to imitate the tanginess of mayo).
- For spicy food lovers – add as much hot sauce as you like!
- If you want to add extra protein, add some chopped up hard boiled egg to turn it into delicious buffalo egg salad
For more healthy recipes using canned tuna, try this Tuna Caesar Salad, Tuna Melt Zucchini Boats, high protein Tuna Spread and Tuna Pesto Pasta recipe.
Storage tips
Store this salad in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge. You can also freeze it, if you’d like. Thaw completely before serving. If any liquid separates during the thawing process, that’d ok. Just drain it and serve!
This salad is also perfect for meal prep. Once you make it, divide between individual containers and serve as a dip with crunchy veggies, in lettuce cups or in regular sandwiches, topped with extra veggies and creamy avocado.
Recipe FAQs
This low-carb tuna salad is great as a paleo / keto / Whole30 option as long as you use paleo friendly hot sauce and mayo.
I prefer tuna in water for tuna salads with mayo but if all you have is tuna in oil, you can still use it – just make sure to drain it well.
If you don’t want to use mayo, swap it for thick Greek yogurt. You can also use ½ mayo and ½ yogurt.
For this recipe I used Costco brand white Albacore Tuna but my favorite tuna brand by far is Chunk Light Tuna from Thrive Market. I also like Wild Planet Skipjack Wild Tuna.
More low-carb recipes
Recipe
Buffalo Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna packed in water, drained (5 ounce cans)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce such as Frank’s Hot Sauce or similar
- 1 celery rib diced small
- 2 tablespoons sweet onion minced
- 2 green onions chopped, divided
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place drained tuna, celery, onion, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons hot sauce, garlic powder, paprika, half of the green onions, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Mix with a fork until all ingredients are well combined.
- Taste and add another tablespoon of hot sauce (or more), if desired.
- Serve on its own, in a sandwich, on a bed of lettuce or in a lettuce wrap with an optional drizzle of hot sauce and more green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Alexandra says
This made the perfect lunch - so full of flavour!
The hot sauce is so good!
Kayla DiMaggio says
Yum! I love this buffalo tuna salad! It is so easy and delicious and the buffalo sauce was divine!
Maya says
Such a simple recipe but so good! I like a lot of hot sauce in mine but it's great even if you don't go too heavy on the hot sauce!
amanda says
I loved this buffalo tuna salad! Such good flavor - thanks!
nancy says
what a great idea to use a pantry staple and make it spicy! my go to meal when i'm in a pinch
Bethany says
I love anything and everything buffalo sauce! This recipe is so refreshing and spicy, perfect for lunch at work =]
Bri says
This stuff is amazing 🤩
Nora says
Such a delicious salad! It turned out perfectly!
Addie says
So quick and easy! Yum!
RDeal says
Never thought to add garlic powder and paprika! Makes it next level!
Agnieszka says
Glad you liked the recipe!