Tuna & White Bean Salad

Every now and again, I get a pretty strong craving for canned tuna, but there are two problems with that: 1) canned tuna has gotten quite expensive, and 2) I don’t always want tuna mayo. So, I came up with this easy little Tuna and White Bean Salad to solve both of those problems. It’s completely mayo-free, budget-friendly, extremely filling, and one of my favorite ways to boost my protein intake at lunchtime!

“I don’t know why, but I am obsessed with this. I added lemon pepper seasoning along with everything else and it was SO good. I’m so happy I found this because I want it for lunch a couple times a week. To make it even better, it took maybe five minutes to put everything together, which is amazing for someone like me who lacks motivation to cook. Amazing.” Emma

Easy Recipe for Tuna and White Bean Salad

If you’re in the mood for something light, fresh, and genuinely satisfying, this tuna white bean salad is a solid choice. It’s a quick and no-fuss meal built entirely from pantry staples but still manages to feel like a put-together meal. Instead of using mayo, I make a light and bright dressing from lemon juice and olive oil. Then, a little green onion, freshly cracked pepper, and salt are all you need to make the flavors pop. This bean salad is simple enough to serve on its own, but I also like it on crackers, in a pita, or scooped up with chips.

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Tuna & White Bean Salad

This Tuna and White Bean salad is mayo-free, but big on flavor. Whip up this salad in minutes to satisfy your hunger and tastebuds.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Lunch, Salad

Total Cost $2.41 recipe / $0.80 serving

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Calories 297kcal

Author Beth Moncel

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. can white beans $0.94
• 1 5 oz. can chunk light tuna in water $0.92
• 2 whole green onions $0.27
• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.22
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice $0.06
• salt and pepper to taste, $0.05

Instructions

• Pour the can of beans into a colander and rinse with cool water. Allow the excess water to drain off. Drain the can of tuna. Combine the drained beans and tuna in a bowl. Thinly slice the green onions and add to the bowl as well.
• Add the olive oil and lemon juice to the bowl, along with a light sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
• Taste the mixture and add salt, pepper, or lemon juice to your liking.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 34mg | Fiber: 9g

How to Make Tuna and White Bean Salad Step-By-Step Photos

Gather all of your ingredients.

Combine the ingredients: Drain and rinse one 15 oz. can white beans. Drain one 5 oz. can tuna and thinly slice 2 whole green onions. Add the drained white beans, canned tuna, sliced onions, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, a light sprinkle of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper to a bowl. I like pepper a lot, so I added probably about 20 cranks of the pepper mill.

Season to taste: Stir everything together and then adjust the seasoning to your liking. You can see how the tuna and beans were kind of falling apart, which makes it not so pretty. Higher-quality beans will stay intact, and higher-quality tuna will be more chunky than mushy. But it tasted great all the same.

Serving suggestions

If you happen to have lemon pepper seasoning on hand, I’d sprinkle that into the salad for a little extra pop (or use it in place of the lemon juice and freshly cracked pepper). It will give the same great flavor with one little shake of the bottle! A chopped up hard boiled egg would be an excellent way to bulk up this salad. I’d also add a side of crackers or air fried tortilla chips for dipping and call it lunch.