Are you stuck in a lunch rut? Whip up a batch of this plant-based tuna salad! It’s every bit as satisfying as the “real” deal, and has none of the mercury…cholesterol…or unhealthy fat. You can use it to make a classic tuna salad sandwich, or eat it with crackers or atop a bed of greens. It’s chockful of fiber and phytonutrients, meaning you’ll come back from lunch feeling powered up and ready to take on the rest of your day. Best of all, you won’t have tuna breath!
The Trick to Making Vegan Tuna Salad
The trick to making delicious, flaky vegan tuna salad is using a base of soaked almonds. Soaking almonds also makes it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients they contain. To prepare this recipe, you will need…
- 1 cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 cup celery
- 2 green onions
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 date
- 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon mustard of choice
- 1 teaspoon capers
How to Prepare the Vegan Tuna Salad
- Begin by soaking the almonds and sunflower seeds for 3-9 hours. You want the almonds to be visibly plump.
- Drain and rinse the almonds and sunflower seeds, then place them in a food processor and process until finely chopped. The texture should visibly resemble flaked tuna.
- Place the almond and sunflower seed mixture in a medium bowl.
- Finely chop the celery and green onion, and stir into the almond and sunflower seed base.
- The next step is to prepare the creamy dressing. Rinse your food processor. Then, peel the garlic clove, pit the date, and de-stem the parsley, and add those ingredients plus the lemon juice, vegan mayo, tahini, mustard, and capers to the food processor. Process until smooth.
- Add the dressing to the bowl containing the almonds, sunflower seeds, celery, and green onions. Stir well to combine.
This faux tuna salad will keep well in the refrigerator, so you can make a batch on Sunday and have lunches all week long.
Serving Suggestions
We love to eat this faux tuna salad on a good, crusty baguette with lettuce and tomato. If you’re a pickle lover, try adding a teaspoon of relish! It also pairs nicely with seeded crackers. For a truly plant-based lunch, use it as a protein element for a salad – we recommend using hearty greens and crunchy fresh vegetables. However you choose to serve it, you’re sure to love this creamy, tangy faux tuna salad. Share it with the tuna lovers in your life, and see what they think!
