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This cranberry apple tuna salad is a delicious blend of tuna, crisp apples, and sweet cranberries. This tuna salad has both sweet and tart notes for the perfect balance of flavors. The apples and celery add crunch while the cranberries add a burst of juicy, delicious flavor to each bite. We have put our spin on the classic Whole Foods apple tuna salad and lightened it up. Serve this tuna salad on top of sliced apples or right out of the bowl. This tuna salad is incredibly flavorful and a must-try!

Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad

Why You Will Love Apple Tuna Salad

  • The apple and cranberries add flavor and sweetness.
  • It has the perfect balance of textures and flavors.
  • This tuna salad is lightened up and high in protein.
  • There is no mayonnaise or oil in this recipe.
  • It is the perfect salad to meal prep and have on hand!
  • It comes together quickly and easily in one bowl.

What Is Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad?

This tuna salad features the vibrant flavors of dried cranberries, diced apples, chopped celery, and green onions. It all comes together with a creamy and tangy sauce. We were inspired by the Whole Foods apple tuna salad recipe, which features similar ingredients. To lighten it up, we made the sauce with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

Ingredients Needed For Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad

Ingredients for cranberry apple tuna salad
  • Tuna: Use two cans of tuna in water, not oil. We used albacore tuna.
  • Apple: Use one large apple for this recipe. We love the flavor of pink lady apples. Core the apple and evenly dice it.
  • Cranberries: Roughly chop the dried cranberries to disperse them throughout the tuna salad.
  • Celery: Chop the celery into small even pieces.
  • Green Onions: Slice the green onions.
  • Parsley: As an option, finely chop fresh flat-leaf parsley to add to this tuna salad.
  • Greek Yogurt: The base of the sauce is 0-fat Greek yogurt.
  • Lemon: Freshly squeeze the lemon juice.
  • Mustard: A small amount of mustard adds flavor and dimension to the sauce. Use stone-ground mustard or Dijon.
  • Garlic Powder: Adds flavor to the sauce.
  • Salt and Pepper: Salt and pepper to season the sauce and bring out the flavors of this tuna salad.

The Best Apples For Tuna Salad

This tuna salad with apples is incredible! The apples add a crispy, crunchy, and slightly sweet flavor profile that complements this tuna salad. We used a pink lady apple because it has a delicious sweet and tart flavor. Some other options are Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Gala. Or, use a Granny Smith apple for a more tart flavor.

How To Make Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad

Step 1: Wash, dry, core, and dice the apple. After that, roughly chop the dried cranberries, chop the celery, and slice the green onions.

Step 2: Drain the canned tuna and flake it with a fork. Then, add it to a large bowl.

Step 3: Add the chopped apple, dried cranberries, chopped celery, sliced green onions, and optional chopped flat-leaf parsley to the bowl.

Apple tuna salad ingredients in a bowl

Step 4: In a separate bowl, add the 0-fat Greek yogurt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. After that, mix the sauce.

Sauce for tuna salad in bowl

Step 5: Add the sauce to the tuna salad.

Apple tuna salad with sauce in bowl

Then, thoroughly mix and enjoy!

Mixed cranberry apple tuna salad in bowl

How To Serve

There are so many ways you can serve this tuna salad. Enjoy it right out of the bowl, with crackers, over a greens salad, or in a sandwich! Or, make lettuce wraps with it or serve it inside of an avocado.

Serve Tuna Salad On Apple Slices

You can serve this tuna salad on apple slices! To do this, core an apple and slice it into rings. Then, scoop the tuna salad on the apple rings. We used a large ice cream scoop to easily scoop the tuna salad on the apple slices.

Apple slices for tuna salad

Then, serve and enjoy!

Tuna salad served on apple slices

Expert Tips

  • Evenly Chop: To evenly distribute the flavors throughout this tuna salad, evenly chop the celery and apple. You can use this chopper to make it easy. It ensures everything is the same size and makes it easy to chop the ingredients.
  • Roughly Chop The Cranberries: Roughly chop the dried cranberries before adding them to the bowl. It helps distribute cranberry flavor throughout and reduces the amount of cranberries you need while still getting the delicious flavor.
  • Thoroughly Mix: Ensure that the sauce is combined before adding it to the tuna salad. Then, thoroughly mix the tuna salad to ensure it is evenly coated with the sauce.
  • Flake The Tuna: Use a fork to flake the tuna so you don’t have chunks of tuna in this salad.

Storage Instructions

Store leftover apple tuna salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Variations

  • Green Onions Substitution: If you don’t want to add scallions, you can replace them with two tablespoons of diced red onion or sweet onion. Keep in mind that red onion will have a stronger onion flavor.
  • Add Mayonnaise: You can add some mayonnaise to the Greek yogurt sauce for flavor and creaminess. Or, replace half or all of the Greek yogurt with mayonnaise if you prefer. The Greek yogurt makes this sauce creamy and it is delicious even without any mayonnaise.
  • Make More Tuna Salad: Double this recipe to make more tuna salad to have on hand for meal prep!
  • Tuna Substitution: If you don’t have canned tuna, you can use rinsed and drained fully cooked canned chicken, fully cooked shredded chicken, or fully cooked chopped chicken breast in this recipe instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is This Apple Tuna Salad Healthy?

This tuna salad with apples and cranberries is a lighter and healthier option. We have put our spin on the Whole Foods version and made the sauce with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. Also, there is no oil in this recipe. It is made with fresh and simple ingredients.

Do I Need To Peel The Apple?

No, you don’t need to peel the apple for this recipe. Just core the apple and dice it. If you prefer, you can peel the apple, but it is not necessary.

How Long Does Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad Last?

This cranberry apple tuna salad is best enjoyed within three days of making it. Keep it stored in the refrigerator. You can make it ahead of time for meal prep.

More Recipes To Try Next!

If you try this recipe please be sure to leave us a comment and star rating ★★★★★ letting us know how it turns out for you.

5 from 3 votes

CRANBERRY APPLE TUNA SALAD

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This cranberry apple tuna salad is a delicious blend of tuna, crisp apples, and sweet cranberries. It all comes together with a creamy sauce.
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Ingredients 

For The Tuna Salad

  • 2, 5 ounce cans of albacore tuna in water, drained
  • 1 cup chopped apple, about one large apple, we used a Pink Lady apple
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 1 teaspoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, optional

For The Sauce

  • 1/2 cup 0-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard or stone-ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions 

  • Wash and dry the apple. Then, core the apple and evenly dice it. Also, roughly chop the dried cranberries, chop the celery, and slice the green onions.
  • Drain the canned tuna. Then, flake it with a fork and add it to a large bowl.
  • Add the chopped apple, dried cranberries, chopped celery, sliced green onions, and optional chopped flat-leaf parsley to the bowl with the tuna.
  • In a separate bowl, add the 0-fat Greek yogurt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Thoroughly mix the sauce.
  • Add the sauce to the tuna salad and thoroughly mix. Then, serve and enjoy!

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Onion: If you don’t want to add scallions, replace them with two tablespoons of diced red onion or sweet onion.
  • Mayonnaise: Also, you can add some mayonnaise to the Greek yogurt sauce for flavor and creaminess if you prefer.
  • Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
 
WW Points: 1 point per serving
To see your WW Points in the WW app for this recipe click here! Or, please manually add the ingredients to the recipe builder.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 15.1g, Protein: 22.3g, Fat: 0.8g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 211mg, Fiber: 2.2g, Sugar: 11.8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 3 votes

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. Gail says:

    5 stars
    Just had to try this. Delicious. The mustard as a nice flavor.

    1. Shawna says:

      I am so happy you gave it a try and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for letting us know!

  2. Tracy Hicks says:

    5 stars
    Finally remembered to get the cranberries to make this! We weren’t disappointed but I wasn’t expecting to be your recipes are all so delicious!! Keep up the great work! This is so delicious!

  3. HFG says:

    5 stars
    This cranberry tuna salad is delicious bursting with flavors all tossed in a Greek yogurt dressing. NO mayo needed. We hope you love it as much as we do. Perfect for lunch or meal prep.