Hot Honey Tuna Salad (No Mayo)
Hot Honey Tuna Salad is a no-mayo tuna salad made with creamy cottage cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and hot honey for sweet heat. Loaded with crisp apples, celery, cucumber, and pickled red onions, this easy, protein-packed recipe comes together in 15 minutes with no cooking required. Perfect for sandwiches, a guilt-free snack, or meal prep.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 tablespoons hot honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon or stone ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 sweet-tart apple (such as Envy, Cosmic Crisp, Honeycrisp) , chopped into small dice
- 1 stalk celery (i.e., one rib) , chopped into small dice
- 3 inch piece of a Persian or English cucumber (or 1 small seedless mini) , chopped into small dice
- 2 tablespoons chopped pickled red onions*
- 10 ounces albacore tuna , water-packed, drained**
Instructions
- Add the cottage cheese, yogurt, mustard, honey, and vinegar to the bowl of a small food processor or chopper. Blend until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, mix the apples, celery, cucumbers, and tuna together, breaking up the clumps of tuna as you go.
- Stir in the dressing until evenly distributed.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.
Notes
* If you don’t want to buy prepared pickled red onions, you can make them at home. You’ll need two tablespoons for the recipe, but you can make extra and store in the fridge: place sliced or chopped red onions in a bowl and cover with a solution of 50% water and 50% white vinegar, plus a pinch of salt. Let marinate for 15-30 minutes. Drain off the liquids and pat the onions dry with a paper towel. (If storing, move the onions to an airtight container and fill with a fresh mixture of 50% water and 50% vinegar. Seal, and keep in the fridge.)
** In the U.S., tuna usually is available in 5-ounce cans or 3-ounce pouches. Use two cans or three pouches, or mix and match. I don’t recommend oil-packed tuna for this recipe because it makes tuna salad a little weird, imo.