This tuna salad sandwich is so good and easy to make, it will make its way into your lunch and busy weekday dinner rotation.
The secret here is a light, yet creamy tuna salad that takes just a little bit of prep work to make it special. It’s definitely worth the extra work because it turns plain, boring tuna into a delicious tuna salad. To make it extra special the tuna salad is served on a croissant with lettuce and thinly sliced apples.
Easy lunches that can be made the night before take the stress out of meal prep. This tuna salad is great to make ahead of time. Just don’t build the sandwich until ready to enjoy so the bread doesn’t get soggy. This garden pasta salad, Italian pasta salad, artichoke salad, chef salad and tortellini Italian salad are all fantastic make-ahead lunches.
Tuna Salad Ingredients
- 12 – 12½ ounces White Albacore Tuna in Water, drain if in a can – do not drain if in a pouch
- 2 tablespoons Finely Diced White Onion – about half of a very small onion
- 2 tablespoons Finely Diced Celery – about half of a celery rib, plus extra to serve on the side, if desired
- 2 ounces Cream Cheese, softened – leave it at room temperature while you prep the rest of the ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Yellow Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Croissants, for serving
- 1 – 1½ cup Shredded Lettuce, for serving
- 2 Apples, cored and sliced thin, for serving
Prep Work
If you’re using pouch tuna there is no need to drain it. If you’re using canned tuna, drain it but don’t leave it bone-dry. We’re not using a ton of mayonnaise in this recipe so we want the tuna to retain a little bit of moisture.
The secret to super creamy tuna salad is to break up the pieces of tuna really well. Stir the tuna with a fork, pressing down and breaking up any chunks. Continue this process until the tuna is completely separated.
Dice the onions and the celery as finely as possible. The trick is, to have a subtle flavor and just a little bit of crunch. Any large pieces of celery or onion will take over the tuna. The smaller the pieces, the more they will take a background role.
That’s it for the prep work!
Make the tuna salad
Add the tuna to a large bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough so you can really get in there and stir without spilling. Next, add the onion, celery, cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and black pepper to the tuna.
Stir well until all of the ingredients are combined. Taste the tuna salad and add salt, if needed. As a reference, we added a pinch of salt to ours.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the tuna salad is chilled.
Build the sandwiches
Add about ¼ of the tuna salad to a croissant. Top with shredded lettuce and serve with the apple slices in the sandwich or on the side. Top the croissant, serve and enjoy!
Cook’s notes
Apples turn brown very quickly, so don’t slice them until you’re ready to build the sandwiches. If you need to slice them ahead of time, add just a little bit of lemon-lime soda (like Sprite or 7-UP) to a bowl then toss the apples in the soda. If you don’t have lemon-lime soda, a little bit of lemon or lime juice, will also do the trick.
You may also like these recipes:
- Three Bean Salad
- Italian Sausage Sandwich
- Citrus Shrimp Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap
- Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Baked Potato
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 12–12½ ounces White Albacore Tuna in Water drain if in a can – do not drain if in a pouch
- 2 tablespoons Finely Diced White Onion about half of a very small onion
- 2 tablespoons Finely Diced Celery about half of a celery rib, plus extra to serve on the side if desired
- 2 ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Yellow Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Croissants for serving
- 1–1½ cup Shredded Lettuce for serving
- 2 Apples cored and sliced thin, for serving
Instructions
- If you’re using pouch tuna there is no need to drain it. If you’re using canned tuna, drain it but don’t leave it bone-dry.
- Stir the tuna with a fork, pressing down and breaking up any chunks.
- Dice the onions and the celery as finely as possible.
- Add the tuna, onion, celery, cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and black pepper to a large bowl. Stir the ingredients well until combined.
- Taste the tuna salad and add salt, if needed. As a reference, we added a pinch of salt to ours.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the tuna salad is chilled.
Build the sandwiches
- Add about ¼ of the tuna salad to a croissant. Top with shredded lettuce and serve with the apple slices in the sandwich or on the side.
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