Broccoli Tuna Salad
Broccoli tuna salad is a fresh variation of a lunchtime favorite. It’s a simple blend of tuna, broccoli rice, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, green onions, and sunflower seeds. It’s a great way to sneak more greens into your tuna salad!
While a classic tuna salad is great, this version might be even better. It’s undeniably delicious, filled with crispy and creamy textures, along with bright flavors. It’s easy to make, and most importantly 100% pantry-friendly – just like a tuna salad should be.
But the best part? It’s got sneaky broccoli inside! You’ve seen me do this before, sneaking greens like spinach into tuna meatballs, or my chicken and rice, and of course I loaded greens into my green shakshuka. And because the broccoli rice is so small, most won’t even know it’s there! That makes it perfect for the kiddos.
Broccoli Tuna Salad Ingredients
Thanks to easy pantry staples, this tuna salad is a speedy recipe to make.
- Canned Tuna: I love to use wild albacore tuna in water, but the choice is yours.
- Broccoli Rice: The small size of broccoli rice is perfect for “hiding” in this recipe.
- Mayonnaise: While you can use a store-bought version, my homemade mayonnaise is super easy to whip up with an immersion blender.
- Dijon Mustard: A hint of spice complements the mayonnaise and tuna well.
- Green Onion: Adds a crisp and refreshing flavor.
- Sunflower Seeds: For little bits of crunchiness in every bite.
- Herbs: I’m using chopped parsley, but feel free to use whichever herbs you like.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
Let’s Make A Broccoli Tuna Salad
- Make the broccoli rice. Place broccoli florets into a food processor and pulse until it becomes grainy like rice.
- Mix it all together. In a large bowl, stir together the canned tuna, mayonnaise, green onion, sunflower seeds, herbs, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of broccoli rice.
- Enjoy in various ways! While you can eat the salad straight out of the bowl, see below for more ways to enjoy it.
Ways To Serve Tuna Salad
Sometimes I like to eat it straight out of the bowl with a spoon when I’m in a hurry. But if you have a few extra minutes to spare, here’s a few creative ideas!
- Add to a grain bowl. Layer a large spoonful of tuna salad onto a bed of quinoa and leafy greens. Then add some avocado slices and sliced red onions.
- Wrap it up. Use large butter lettuce leaves or my cassava flour tortillas.
- Make it a sandwich. Layer it in between sliced bread with spinach, sprouts, and cucumber slices.
- Serve as an appetizer or snack. Slab it onto seed crackers for a quick and easy bite.
The Perfect Make-Ahead Recipe
The great thing about tuna salad is that it can last for 3-4 days in the fridge. Which makes it a wonderful meal prep option. Just make sure to not let it sit at room temperature for too long since it has fish and mayonnaise in it.
If You Have Leftover Broccoli Rice…
Don’t toss it away! With how light and mild it is, you can add it to just about any meal for an extra dose of greens.
- Make a macro bowl with your choice of protein and roasted vegetables.
- Toss into fried rice with diced up carrots, peas, green onions, and eggs.
- Add more greens to your breakfast by sprinkling some into your breakfast egg muffin mixture or breakfast casserole.
- Freeze it for later and store in Stasher Bags for up to 3 months.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Here are a few of my favorite salads recipes, which I know you’ll love! And if you need more inspiration, check out my official list of 40+ easy and healthy salad recipes.
- Egg Salad (or this Curried Egg Salad)
- Ultimate Chicken Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Tuna, Cucumber, and Mozzarella Salad
If you make this recipe, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Broccoli Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 5-ounce cans tuna, drained
- 1 cup broccoli rice
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley, chives or other herbs
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Remove the florets from a head of broccoli, place in a food processor, and pulse until the texture resembles rice.
- Add the drained canned tuna, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, broccoli rice, sunflower seeds, green onion, and chopped parsley to a bowl.
- Stir everything together until it's well combined.
- Enjoy the broccoli tuna salad straight out of the bowl, turned into a sandwich, or wrapped in lettuce leaves.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised this was so good. I searched for a broccoli tuna recipe thinking I’d find a casserole, but came across this recipe. It is so good. I might not ever eat tuna salad the old way again! I added a few diced roasted beets for color and it is super yummy! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Glad you found what you were looking for Liz!
I don’t eat mayo (don’t like the taste of eggs) and I didn’t have any dijon on hand so I used tahini instead. Turned out perfect for me. What I appreciate the most is the serving suggestions, because I wasn’t really sure what else to do besides crackers.
I saw someone else in the Facebook group make this and immediately decided it would be my lunch today! I was too lazy to dig out my food processor so I just chopped my broccoli into really small pieces and the texture is still great. I used plain cashew yogurt instead of mayo and didn’t have sunflower seeds so I used chopped almonds. Super easy and sooo good!
Glad this turned out great for a snappy lunch Melissa!
This is delicious ! Best tuna salad I’ve made.. thank you !
Glad you’re loving this one Andrea!
Made it for lunch today. DEE-liscious! 😋👍
I made this recipe for my family the other night and it was a hit! Next time I’m debating adding walnuts for a nice crunch. Thank you!
You can never go wrong with additional nuts!
How long does it last if you store it in a fridge and put it in bowl and air tight lid.?
This will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Love this recipe! Just made it again and substituted tuna with chicken!
Glad this worked out perfectly with chicken instead of tuna :)
Turned out great! Couldn’t help myself, I still added lemon juice ;)
Glad this broccoli salad turned out perfectly Courtney :)
In the spirit of “don’t waste anything” I substituted red onion for the shallots because I didn’t want it to go bad and I can tell you this turned out AMAZING! Another home run recipe 😊
Glad this turned out amazing with red onion :)
The protein content seems low? only 3g?? There’s 10oz of tuna divided by 4 servings?? Is this correct ?
Hi Lindsay – good catch! You’re right, the nutritional info wasn’t calculating properly. I just fixed it. :)
What can you use in place of the Sunflower Seeds?
Hi Bev – you can use any other seeds you’d like!
Can you suggest something other than dijon mustard, I’m not a fan of it
You could use regular mustard or stone ground mustard as well. If it’s mustard you don’t like, you could add a variety of spices or even a splash of sriracha for a little kick.
Very tasty, and a great way to get in some more veggies. It was good!
So glad you enjoyed this tuna salad recipe Daisy!
Fantastic recipe! It’s easy to make, healthy, tasty and if you double it you’ll have great left overs!
This tuna salad is more than welcome for leftovers :)
This salad is perfect to eat without bread! It is now a lunch staple.
Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed this tuna salad Aline :)
Is it possible to use steamed broccoli instead of fresh one?
Hi Mariana – yes, that will work.
This is so delicious!! Definitely a “keeper” for my recipe collection! Thanks you sharing this.
Glad you loved this recipe!
This is so perfect for lunch! Love how quick it comes together and that I can enjoy it on sandwiches or with some crackers.
Absolutely! It’s such a versatile recipe to use.
Making a lettuce wrap from this salad sounds like the perfect healthy lunch. Thanks for sharing.
Of course! Wrapping it in lettuce is one of my favorite ways to eat this as well :)
This recipe is perfect for me. I just started working on the keto diet and now I can indulge in this. Yummo!
This is a great option for keto, and filled with easy and delicious flavors :)
Looks great! Can’t wait to try this one.
Hope you enjoy Katie!
I love tuna salad! I can eat this for lunch every day! Yum!
It’s the perfect meal for lunch – and easy to make!