Dill Pickle Tuna Salad Recipe (3 Ingredients, 10 Minutes)

I love to add dill pickles where most folks think they don’t belong, like soft drinks and martinis. (I feel so validated that Pickle Dr. Pepper is having a moment right now.) I also love to amp up the amount of pickle flavor in recipes that already call for them. So, when I make tuna salad, I make sure every bite is loaded with pickle-y goodness. 

In place of the usual vegetables that most tuna salad recipes call for, like celery and onion, I only use pickles. Two cans of tuna, a generous 1/3 cup of chopped dill pickles, and a splash of pickle juice come together to create this tangy, creamy salad.  

Tips and Tricks for Making Dill Pickle Tuna Salad

This tuna salad is a go-to lunch or snack recipe for me because it’s so easy to make. Here are few tips to make the very best version:

• Use chunk light tuna in water: Chunk light tuna has a softer, more delicate texture than firmer white tuna, and it’s my favorite to use in this salad. Tuna packed in water instead of oil is also a must—the excess oil will overpower the texture and flavor of the tuna and pickles here.
• Use baby dill pickles: I love to use baby dills since the smaller pickles offer more crunch in each and every bite.  
• Chop ‘em small: My biggest tip is to chop the pickles up smaller than you think you need to. The smaller diced pickles combine better with the tuna and mayonnaise, which makes the salad easier to spread onto bread or crackers. 

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to eat dill pickle tuna salad is on wheat bread with tender butter lettuce. It’s also delicious on crackers or even as a topping for a big, leafy salad. And if I’m serving it for brunch, I love to add it to toasted bagels with a little honey mustard.

How to Make My Dill Pickle Tuna Salad

To make four to six servings (about 2 1/2 cups of tuna salad), you’ll need:

• 2 (5-ounce) cans chunk light tuna in water
• 1/3 cup finely chopped baby dill pickles (2 to 3 pickles)
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, optional

Drain the water from the canned tuna and add the tuna to a medium bowl. Add the chopped dill pickles, mayonnaise, dill pickle juice, pepper, and fresh dill, if using, and stir until it’s all well combined. 

Serve the tuna salad on bread, crackers, or on top of a leafy green salad.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. 

Easy Tweaks

I love the pickle-y simplicity of this salad, but here are some ways to make it your own:

• Add in extra veggies like chopped celery, matchstick-cut carrots, or finely chopped red onion. 
• Swap out the traditional dill pickles with a spicy variety like habañero dill pickles. 
• Make it a sweet-and-salty salad by using bread and butter pickles instead of the dills and adding grapes and walnuts. 
• Fresh herbs on top can be a nice addition, too. My favorite is dill to really double down on the dill pickle flavor, but parsley, cilantro, or basil would all work well here.