Vegan Tuna Salad has all of the classic flavors and textures you want and none of the stuff you don't! This recipe takes regular chickpea salad up a notch by incorporating jackfruit seasoned with Old Bay and lemon. A tried-and-true reader favorite, this really is the most delicious vegan tuna salad ever! Use it for sandwiches and vegan tuna melts, pile it high on salads, and scoop it up with crackers and veggies.
Why You'll Love It
We've been enjoying this Oil-Free Aquafaba Mayo so much, I figured a vegan tuna salad recipe would be perfect for using up those chickpeas.
Instead of using 100% chickpeas like in this Curried Chickpea Salad, I wanted to incorporate jackfruit for a flaky, fish-like texture. Jackfruit is a great seafood substitute, and I love that it bulks up the recipe.
So you get the satisfying protein and fiber of the chickpeas plus the amazing texture of low-calorie jackfruit.
But in my opinion, the KEY step in this recipe that really makes it taste amazing, is sautéing the jackfruit with Old Bay seasoning and lemon.
Also, a little bit of dulse (seaweed) or crumbled nori gives this tuna salad a very mild hint of the sea, but you can leave it out if you don't have any. Seaweed not only tastes great but is a good source of iodine, too.
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Red onion and celery provide extra nutrition, crunch, and flavor! Honestly, this vegan tuna salad gets even better overnight as the flavors mingle.
I recommend whipping up a batch on Sunday or Monday, whenever you do your weekly meal prep, and then enjoying this healthy vegan tuna spread over the next few days anytime hunger strikes.
It has quickly become my new favorite afternoon snack!
UPDATE: I've had such amazing feedback on this tuna-less salad, I decided to make a Vegan Chicken Salad using the same base of chickpeas and jackfruit. So good!
For another way to use jackfruit, try my Vegan Ceviche next.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe is very versatile! You can add other veggies, sub store-bought mayo, experiment with the spices, and add dill pickles or sweet relish.
The basic ingredients you'll need for vegan tuna salad are:
- Cooked chickpeas - for convenience the recipe is written to use one 15 ounce can.
- Canned jackfruit - usually called "young" or "green" jackfruit. Make sure it's packed in brine, not syrup. Alternatively, you can use hearts of palm.
- Vegan mayo of choice - I highly recommend my oil-free mayo. It's rich and flavorful but made with healthier ingredients, and it has half the calories of store-bought mayonnaise.
- Red onion - make sure it's fresh for the best flavor. If it seems a bit strong when you slice into it, soak in cold water for a few minutes to tone it down.
- Celery - crisp and delicious, celery is a must for vegan tuna salad! If you want the crunch but don't love celery, chopped jicama is another option.
- Old Bay seasoning - I use the original version, which consists of: celery salt, paprika, and spices, including red pepper and black pepper. Old Bay now sells other flavors of their popular seafood seasoning, which I'm sure would also taste great. If you don't have Old Bay, use a pinch each of celery seed, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Lemon juice - fresh lemon tastes best
- Dulse granules - if you can't find dulse, crumbled sheets of nori are also delicious.
- Cayenne pepper, optional - include it if you like a touch of spicy heat.
See the recipe card below for amounts and full step-by-step instructions.
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How to Make Vegan Tuna Salad
A food processor makes prep super easy, but if you don't have one you can mash the chickpeas with a fork and roughly chop the the jackfruit before combining everything in a bowl.
Be sure to watch the video below to see how easily the recipe comes together!
- Preheat a saute pan over medium heat.
- Drain the jackfruit, and place on a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel, hold it over the sink, and squeeze the jackfruit VERY well to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Cook the jackfruit for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with Old Bay and cook for another minute, then add juice from half a lemon. Stir again, and remove from heat. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- In the bowl of a large food processor combine the cooled jackfruit, chickpeas, and vegan mayo. Pulse 5 or 6 times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the dulse, cayenne, and more mayonnaise, if desired (I use the entire batch of my Aquafaba Mayo). Pulse to combine.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, then fold in the red onion and celery. Transfer to a lidded storage container, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Flavor Variations
As far as additions go, you can take this basic combination of chickpeas, jackfruit, and mayo in so many different directions!
- Keep it tuna-esque, but add other veggies, like yellow, orange, or red bell pepper, fresh jalapeno, or shallots.
- Switch up the flavors by adding chopped olives or pickle relish.
- Make it extra spicy with hot sauce or harissa!
- Try it with the curry flavors of this Curried Chickpea Salad.
- Add sweetness with dried fruit like raisins, currants, or cranberries. Or fold in chopped fresh apple or grapes.
- Switch up the seasonings and make Vegan Chicken Salad!
Serving Suggestions
This vegan tuna salad is so good I found myself scooping it up by the spoonful! Maybe you'll have more self control than I did and manage to make a proper meal of it.
Pile it on toasted bread or make lettuce wraps. Enjoy a big scoop on top of a green salad or a baked potato.
Or just scoop up your vegan tuna salad with tortilla chips (I do a lot of that, too!), crackers, or raw veggies like carrots, celery, and peppers.
And make an epic Vegan Tuna Melt with it!
Top Tips
Making this fishless tuna salad is pretty simple, but there are a few tips I recommend for the best flavors and a rich, spreadable texture.
- Drain the canned jackfruit then soak it in water for a few minutes. Drain again, and place on a lint-free tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel, hold it over the sink, and squeeze the jackfruit VERY well to remove as much moisture as possible. This helps get rid of the brine-y, canned flavor.
- Don't skip the step of quickly sautéing the jackfruit. This helps evaporate any remaining moisture and enhances the flavors of Old Bay seasoning and lemon.
- Use a food processor to break down the chickpeas and jackfruit. You'll end up with a really meaty, spreadable, pâté-like texture that most closely resembles traditional tuna salad.
- Taste and adjust the lemon, salt, and spices at the end, keeping in mind that the flavor of the onion will mellow and spread throughout the dish as it chills.
More Vegan Sandwich Ideas
I hope you love this Vegan Tuna Salad recipe as much as we do. If you give it a try be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below to let others know how it turned out. I'm off now to make another batch!
Recipe Video
Watch how easy it is to make this tasty mock tuna!
Recipe
Vegan Tuna Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (20 oz.) can young jackfruit in brine - sometimes labeled "green jackfruit"
- 1 large lemon
- 3 ribs celery, diced - about 1 cup
- 1 small red onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning - or more to taste
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 batch Oil-Free Vegan Aquafaba Mayo - Or ½ to ¾ cup vegan mayo of choice.
- 1 teaspoon dulse granules - Sub crumbled toasted nori, if desired.
- dash of cayenne pepper, optional
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Drain the jackfruit and place in a shallow bowl or dish. Cover with water and let soak for a few minutes while you prep the onion and celery and gather the other ingredients. Preheat a saute pan over medium heat.
- Drain the jackfruit, and place on a clean, lint-free towel. Gather up the ends of the towel, hold it over the sink, and squeeze the jackfruit VERY well to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Transfer the jackfruit to the pan, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.* Add 1.5 teaspoons Old Bay to the pan and stir. Cook for another minute or so, then add juice from half a lemon. Stir again, and remove from heat. Transfer jackfruit to a plate to cool.
- In the bowl of a large food processor combine the cooled jackfruit, chickpeas, and ½ cup mayo. Pulse 5 to 8 times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the dulse granules, cayenne, and more mayonnaise, if desired (I used the entire batch of Aquafaba Mayo to make the tuna salad nice and tangy and rich). Pulse to combine.
- Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, Old Bay, dulse, and/or cayenne, as desired. Add the red onion and celery, and pulse to incorporate. Transfer vegan tuna salad to a lidded storage container, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Tam says
I'm eating my tuna-less sandwich now. This recipe really works. It is like tuna salad and I didn't even use the crystals. I was going to use a different recipe but your Old Bay (grew up in Md) changed my mind. I love the combination of chickpeas and jackfruit. It makes more than with just jackfruit. I tried it after I made ot and was unimpressed. But today...yummy. Thank you.
Cece says
I wanted to try out this recipe but I haven't used Old Bay Seasoning. I did not know which to choose as there is a variety of different Old Bay Seasonings, can you please advise which one you use? Thank you.
Lori Rasmussen says
Oh, interesting. I didn't even realize they make other variations now. I used classic Old Bay. The ingredients are: Celery Salt (Salt, Celery Seed), Spices (Including Red Pepper and Black Pepper), and Paprika. Even if you choose one of the others, such as "lemon herb" or "blackened" for example, assuming it's a flavor you like, it's not going to ruin the recipe. Hope you enjoy it.
Cece says
I made the recipe yesterday and it was delicious! Never had used Old Bay Seasoning and it gave it a great taste. Thanks so much for sharing your creativity in developing such great recipes--who would have thought to use jackfruit!!
CAS says
Excellent! Although I am vegan now, it tastes *exactly* like how I remember tuna salad tasting. And the texture is spot on, too! This is my favorite “tu-no” salad recipe! Thank you!
Jocelyn says
I normally don't like things that are trying to taste like something else. But this is AMAZING!!! My new go to.
Lavinia says
Hi there,
I’d really like to make this recipe but I’m not a big fan of celery. Is there an alternative I could use please?
Thank you.
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Lavinia - definitely. You could simply leave it out or replace the celery with a different light and crunchy veggie that you enjoy, something like jicama or carrot.
Veronica Michelle says
Hi Lavinia!
Pickles and hearts of palm are both amazing for flavor and added texture in vegan tuna!
Tiffany says
Lots of food bloggers throw around the phrase "the best" of a particular recipe, but this IS the best vegan tuna salad. Made it as written. Thank you.
Jeff says
This recipe is remarkably good. My son even commented on how much he likes it, and he does not usually enjoy sandwhich spreads. The jackfruit really adds to the flavor and texture, and the dulse rounds out the taste. Will definitely make this one again.
Caroline says
Next level! The step of sautéing the jackfruit with old bay and lemon is genius. Really makes all the difference! Thank you for this recipe, Lori.
Lawrence Kellie says
So what purpose does the jackfruit serve? What does it add that would be missing if omitted?
Lawrence
Lori says
Hi Lawrence,
It's a bit difficult to describe, but if you've ever made chickpea salad you know there are really just two basic textures in it, the grainy/firm chickpeas and creamy mayonnaise (and maybe some crunch from whatever veggies you add). The jackfruit introduces a different texture that's soft, reminiscent of tuna. The flavor is mild and blends well, too. So overall it just takes it up a notch!
Lawrence Kellie says
Thank you
Annbone Malone says
This is a FABULOUS FABULOUS recipe. I make this 2-3 times a week as this is what my husband eats for lunch when he is working from home. I use both nori sheets and the dulse granules - won't be too fishy, promise. Chick peas bother my stomach so I sub with any white bean - this changes nothing in the recipe. Lastly we often will add vegan cole slaw on top of the tuna for a really hearty sandwich (and extra veg). Thank you - this recipe is a home run!!!!
TofuAnnie says
I second everything in the below comment. Just wow! I’d pretty much taken a long break from chickpea salad (tuna-ish salad) as I was a little bored with it. Not anymore! I made this and left it in the refrigerator overnight to let the flavors meld. The next day, I made a sandwich with sprouts and it was amazing. I can’t wait to make a tuna melt. This recipe is so good. Thank you for all your work to bring fabulous recipes.
Stacey says
Wow... I'm speechless! This salad is amazing!!! At first I was skeptical that it would feel& taste like tuna but it's even better than any tuna I've ever had. I bought the old bay & dulses worried they would be unused, but this is such a hit I'm going to make it a repeat weekly lunch. I make a half a sandwich on toasted 16 grain bread with slivered Cucumber and Sprouts. The rest on the side to spoon onto Cucumber slices. I really can't say enough how impressed I am. The chickpeas combined with the jackfruit is the perfect texture. Every step is perfection for building the flavors. Thank you again for a wonderful recipe Lori💗