Tuna Salad With Dairy-Free Sour Cream

By
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams is a restaurant professional and workshop instructor with a specialty in dairy-free cooking and baking.
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Updated on 02/24/22
Tuna Salad

Debbi Smirnoff / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
114 Calories
6g Fat
3g Carbs
12g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 114
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 7%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 412mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 141mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Tuna salad typically is bound with mayonnaise which is a condiment made with eggs, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and often water, but no dairy. But some people swear by adding a dollop or two of sour cream for extra creaminess. This tuna salad recipe addresses that taste preference and still keeps it dairy free.

This simple recipe, requiring only a few ingredients, is delicious on its own or in a sandwich and can be fine-tuned to your preferences by varying the ingredients.

For this to be the best salad it can, make sure you use high-quality canned white tuna (or cook and flake your own): preferably Albacore, packed in spring water.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, dairy-free sour cream, and diced onion, stirring until well mixed.

  2. Add sweet pickle relish, dill pickle relish, garlic powder, and salt and pepper, stirring until well combined. Cover and store in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

  3. Serve with crackers, atop salad greens, or in a sandwich or wrap.

Recipe Variations

  • In place of the sweet and dill relishes, add 2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon (available at specialty stores and markets), 1/4 cup chopped olives and about 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
  • In place of the 2 tablespoons dill relish, add 2 tablespoons curry powder, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley and 1/4 cup finely chopped apple pieces.
  • Replace one of the cans of tuna with a 6-ounce can of drained crabmeat.
  • Add 3 chopped hard-cooked eggs, along with some chopped fresh cherry tomatoes.

Tips

  • Prepare dairy-free tuna melts on the stovetop (as you would with a toasted cheese sandwich) using the dairy-free cheese of your choice.
  • Create a tuna salad wrap with fresh veggies and a dairy-free cream cheese spread of your choice.
  • Serve with crackers, fresh celery stalks, and baby carrots as an appetizer or snack.
  • Prepare it as an open-faced sandwich on toasted bread with fresh greens, and then top it with a fried egg, salt, and freshly ground pepper.
  • Serve with chilled pasta as a cold pasta salad. Toss the pasta with olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, and tuna salad, and then chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
  • For a fun potluck dish with flair, stuff tomatoes or bell peppers with the tuna salad. For stuffed tomatoes, simply hollow out the tomatoes—the filling can be used for a tomato-based sauce for another dish or discarded—and fill with the tuna salad, topping it off with a touch of salt and freshly ground pepper and maybe a dash of olive oil. For stuffed peppers, simply remove the tops of the peppers and the seeds, cut the peppers in half and fill with the tuna salad.