High-protein tuna salad with a tangy, flavor-packed twist! Lunch has never been so easy and delicious thanks to this creamy but light pepperoncini tuna salad.
“Love how easy, healthy, and delicious this was!”
You’ll also love my copycat tunacado, dill pickle tuna salad, and spicy tuna salad. Or, explore more high protein recipes.
Recipe Highlights
- Ready in under 10 minutes. No cooking, minimal effort, and maximum satisfaction — this easy protein-packed lunch is ready in minutes.
- High protein and light. Thanks to lean canned tuna and Greek yogurt, each servings packs over 30 grams of protein.
- Creamy, tangy, and delicious. This tuna salad is light, but never lacking in flavor thanks to delicious ingredients like pepperoncinis, green onion, and fresh lemon juice.
Need more easy lunch ideas? Try my easy tortilla quiche, no-chop quinoa edamame salad, or my viral Italian grinder bean salad.
Key Ingredients And Swaps
- Canned tuna: Most canned tunas will work for this, but I prefer chunk-style packed in water since it’s lean. The most important thing is that you drain it thoroughly so your tuna salad isn’t too wet.
- Greek yogurt and mayonnaise: I love to use a blend of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise for the perfect balance of protein and richness. Feel free to play around with the ratios to fit your taste.
- Pepperoncini peppers: These are sold in jars and packed in brine. They have a unique and mildly spicy flavor — I wouldn’t recommend swapping for another pepper.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and detailed recipe.
How To Make Pepperoncini Tuna Salad
Step 1: Add ingredients to your bowl. Start with less yogurt and pepperoncini brine and add more as desired.
Step 2: Mix and mash. Taste, and add more yogurt or brine. Adjust salt and pepper if needed, and enjoy!
Make It Your Own
- Swap canned tuna for a different protein like canned or leftover salmon, rotisserie chicken, or canned chickpeas.
- Use different veggies like red onion instead of green, or diced cucumber instead of celery.
- Swap Greek yogurt for mayonnaise (or light mayonnaise) if you prefer a richer tuna salad.
- Play with ratios to make it the perfect taste for you. Add more or less brine, lemon juice, or celery.
Prefer chicken salad? You’ll love my ranch chicken salad or rotisserie chicken salad.
How To Serve
You can serve this tuna salad as an easy lunch or high protein snack. Here are some ideas:
- Dip with crackers, chips, or pretzel thins.
- Scoop with veggies like sliced bell pepper, cucumber, or carrot chips.
- Serve with greens or other chopped veggies for a flavorful salad or bowl.
- Serve inside a tortilla or a few slices of bread for a sandwich or wrap. You could also slice your wrap into pinwheels!
- Enjoy it open-faced on a whole wheat english muffin, sourdough toast, or a few rye crisps.
- Serve with avocado for extra fiber and healthy fats.
Miranda’s Tips
Tip From My Test Kitchen
Start with less liquid. Tuna cans can vary in size, and some brands are drier than others. To make sure your tuna salad isn’t too wet, start with less yogurt and brine and add more as you go.
More Protein-Packed Salads
Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad
Cottage Cheese Egg Salad
Southwest Chicken Salad
Ranch Chicken Salad
Pepperoncini Tuna Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cans (170-g each) chunk light tuna in water (see notes), thoroughly drained
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt, or more to taste
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ¼ cup small diced celery
- 2 green onions, sliced thin
- ¼ cup small diced pepperoncini peppers, drained
- 1 Tbsp brine from pepperoncini peppers, or more to taste
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to your mixing bowl.
- Mix and mash until combined and smooth. Taste, and add more yogurt or brine as desired. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over greens, in a sandwich, or as a dip with crackers. Enjoy!
Notes
- Check the size of your tuna cans. The recipe calls for two 170-g cans — if yours are smaller, start with less yogurt and brine and add more as desired. This is important to making sure your tuna salad isn’t too wet, especially if you’re using it in a sandwich or wrap.
- Adjust the yogurt and brine to your preference. I prefer a creamy tuna salad, so I use the full 1/2 cup yogurt and 2 Tbsp brine. I recommend starting with less and adding more as you taste it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love how easy, healthy, and delicious this was! I measured each ingredient mostly with my heart and it turned out great. There’s a lot of wet ingredients, so I really appreciated the caution to be mindful of those measurements. I think I may try this with the addition of chickpeas next time!
Hi Miranda; I eat a lot of good quality tuna packed in olive oil as I do not like water packed tuna. I drain the olive oil completely to the best of my ability. What adjustments would you make to the recipe to compensate for the olive oil?
Hi Jo-Ellen! If you’re draining the oil, I don’t think you’ll need too many adjustments, if any! Start with a little less Greek yogurt and mayo since your tuna will have more fat and moisture from the oil, and add more as needed. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
So easy! I love pepperoncinis, and added chick peas for some extra fibre and to make it more filling.
Made it again, and this time I added lentils instead of the chick peas. This combo was even better!
Oh YUM what an amazing idea!! Thanks so much for the review.