Low FODMAP Tuna Salad - Quick & Easy Lunch Recipe | Bites of Wellness (2024)

Low FODMAP tuna salad is the perfect weekday lunch. Ready in just minutes and made with no mayo, this healthy tuna salad is packed with flavor and easy to find ingredients! Ready in just 5 minutes and is great on bread as a sandwich, in a wrap, on lettuce or my favorite, wrapped in collard greens for a low carb portable lunch!

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Why you will love this recipe

• Low FODMAP friendly! If you struggle with stomach issues, you may have been prescribed a low FODMAP diet. If so, this tuna salad is going to become your favorite new lunch recipe! Even if you are not low FODMAP, this healthy tuna salad is so flavorful and the perfect change to your typical tuna salad recipe.
• Easy to make! All you need are a few veggies finely chopped, tahini, vinegar and a can of tuna for a simple lunch anytime! No mayo in this tuna salad!
• Great for all diets! This healthy tuna salad recipe is Whole30, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and low FODMAP friendly!

Ingredients

Tahini Dressing

• Tahini – tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Tahini is low fodmap friendly in 1 tablespoon or less servings.
• Red wine vinegar – red wine vinegar adds so much flavor to this tuna salad and helps to cut through that fishy taste from the tuna. It’s low FODMAP friendly in 2 tablespoon or less servings.
• Dijon mustard – Dijon mustard can help to emulsify dressings (help to bind them since water and oil don’t typically mix well). In this recipe, the dressing doesn’t require emulsification, the Dijon mustard is simply for flavor. Dijon mustard is low FODMAP in 1 tablespoon or less servings.
• Water – water helps to thin out the dressing and give a bit of moisture to the tuna salad, which sometimes can be dry.
• Dried dill – most dried herbs are low FODMAP friendly and a great way to add flavor to a dish!
• Salt – salt helps to elevate all the flavors in the dish.

Tuna Salad

• Tuna – use your favorite brand/type of tuna in this recipe. If you are low FODMAP, it’s important that you check the ingredients of the tuna you buy. Some brands pack tuna in water in a vegetable broth solution to give the tuna more flavor. Often this vegetable broth has FODMAPs. Because of this, it may be helpful to buy tuna packed in oil (drain the oil off before using in this recipe) or check the label to ensure the only ingredients are tuna, water and possibly salt.
• Cucumber – cucumber are used instead of celery in this recipe to provide some crunch. Celery is higher in FODMAPs if you eat more than ½ stalk at a time. Cucumbers are a FODMAP free food and can be eaten in the amounts that you can tolerate. I like to use English cucumbers, as the skin is thin (no need to peel the cucumbers) and the seeds are easy to digest.
• Red bell pepper – red bell pepper provide some color and crunch to the tuna salad. Red bell peppers have no FODMAPs and are a great veggie to include on a low FODMAP diet.
• Fresh green onions – onions and garlic are high in FODMAPs, so to get the same flavor without the FODMAPs, I recommend using the green parts of a green onion. The green parts of a green onion are low in FODMAPs, but the whites are high in FODMAPs.

How to make low FODMAP tuna salad

Check out the step by step process on how to make low fodmap tuna salad.

Start by making the dressing. Combine the tahini, red wine vinegar, water, Dijon mustard, dried dill and salt in a bowl. Stir well, at first this will look like it won’t come together because of the tahini, but keep stirring and it will.

Add the tuna to the bowl with the dressing.

Chop the veggies into small pieces, add them to the tuna and dressing.

Stir well, breaking up the tuna as needed.

Top tips

Tuna salad is great to make the night before or even double batch to enjoy 2 days in a row. If you plan on serving it as a sandwich, wait to add the tuna salad to the bread until the day you plan on eating it so the bread doesn’t get soggy.

Be sure to drain the tuna from the oil if you get tuna packed in oil. If you want to use the oil it was packed in, you can omit the tahini and use the oil from the can instead. Simply add the tuna to the bowl and the rest of the dressing ingredients (except the water) and stir well. Then add the veggies and stir again. If you find your tuna salad is dry, you can add water at this point.

How to serve tuna salad

• As a sandwich. You can use a low FODMAP friendly bread if you need this recipe to be low FODMAP. Alternatively you can use a gluten free or grain free bread depending on your dietary requirements. Tuna salad is great on toasted bread, so if you can toast it first, I highly recommend that!
• With crackers. I love to serve tuna salad with crackers, they are crunchy, salty and make the whole experience more fun. I love to use my almond flour flax crackers or pumpkin seed crackers. For low FODMAP crackers, I love Laiki Brand (the red bag) they are seriously so tasty and made with rice!
• With veggies. You can use sliced cucumber or large strips of red bell pepper for scooping up the low FODMAP tuna salad.
• In a collard wrap – I love to use collard greens, as a low carb wrap for tuna salad. They are easy to make and the perfect way to get in more veggies and collard greens are low in FODMAPS in under 1 cup portions.
• In an oat wrap – you can use oat flour tortillas. Oats are low FODMAP friendly.

How to make a collard green wrap

First cut away the large thick part of the stem, you will need 2 leaves for each wrap.

Next pour boiling water over the leaves. I typically put the collard leaves in a large skillet and pour boiling water from the kettle over them. Remove the leaves immediately (use tongs to make sure you don’t burn your fingers). This helps make the collard greens more pliable and easier to wrap. You don’t want to leave them in the hot water long as the flavor of the collard greens will start to change.

Next layer the collard green leaves over top of each other to ensure the large gap in the center from the stem being removed is covered.

Add your tuna salad to the center and wrap. Start first by pulling the sides of the collard green up over the tuna salad then start to roll like a burrito.

You may decide to secure the wrap with toothpicks. Next cut the wrap in half and enjoy (be careful of the toothpicks).

What other veggies can you add

• Carrots – shredded carrots add great crunch and texture and are considered to have no FODMAPs in any amount.
• Kalamata olives – if you love olives, they would be a great addition to this tuna salad. Kalamata olives are low FODMAP in serving size of 15 or less olives.
• Celery – if you just love celery in your tuna salad, you can add a small amount. Celery is low fodmap in 1/2 stalk per serving.

What to serve along side this tuna salad

• Cajun parsnip fries
• Carrot fries (using only salt for seasoning)
• Air fryer sweet potato cubes or Air fryer sweet potato wedges (in ½ cup serving for low FODMAP)
• Air fryer frozen broccoli (in 1 cup servings for low FODMAP)

Storing leftovers

Store leftover tuna salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe. Since tuna is very shelf sable and many of these ingredients are items you would naturally always have on hand, it is helpful just to make 1-2 servings at time so you don’t have to freeze it for later.

If you love this recipe, you should try

• Low FODMAP Ketchup
• Ranch Turkey Mini Meatloaf (low FODMAP)
• Taco Seasoning (low FODMAP)
• Mediterranean Tuna Salad
• Pesto Tuna Pasta