Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad
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This Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad is a high protein tuna salad made with blended cottage cheese, dill pickles, and simple seasonings. It’s easy to make, customizable with your favorite herbs and veggies, and perfect for a protein-packed lunch and meal prep!
About This Recipe
If you’re looking for a high protein lunch to add to your rotation, try this Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad!
It’s easy to make in just 10 minutes with simple ingredients like canned tuna, blended cottage cheese for an ultra-creamy texture, a touch of mayonnaise for richness, tart dill pickles for crunch and lemon juice for a hint of tang!
Everything gets mixed together in a bowl to make a tasty tuna salad that not only is incredibly creamy and rich tasting but high in protein and healthy too! Store in the fridge and use it for meal prep and make easy lunches like sandwiches, wraps, etc. during the week!
I intentionally left out veggies like celery and onion from this tuna salad because the celery can sometimes water it down, and the onion can get a bit too pungent for my liking after storing in the fridge for a few days.
This way the tuna salad stays fresher longer. I prefer to add fresh cut veggies when just about to eat for a fresher flavor. But you are most welcome to add them in from the get go if you like. Check out the ‘Cook’s Tips & Variations’ section below for more tips on customizing this tuna salad.
Why I Love Tuna Salad with Cottage Cheese
- Quick and easy. Just mix everything and we’re good to go!
- High protein. Using high protein cottage cheese and tuna together results in a tuna salad that has 32.6 grams of protein in each serving!
- Perfect texture. The sauce is creamy, not watery or overly greasy, and using firm white albacore tuna prevents the tuna salad from become mushy.
- Easy meal prep. Leftovers store well in the fridge for days and can be enjoyed in sandwiches, wraps, on salads, with crackers, etc. throughout the week!
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Canned Tuna in Water: I used 2 7-ounce cans of solid white albacore tuna in water with sea salt added. You could also use 3 5-ounce cans and add a bit more cottage cheese if you feel it’s needed. Using tuna in water is a great choice because it’s lower in fat compared to tuna in oil and also higher in protein. I like using solid white albacore tuna because it’s firm in texture and doesn’t become mushy. Although albacore tuna gets a bad rap for having higher mercury levels than other types like skipjack or other canned light tuna, moderation is key as I always say. That said, feel free to use your preferred type of tuna.
- Blended Whole Milk Cottage Cheese: Blended so that it’s smooth and creamy! This high protein cheese makes the tuna salad creamy without needing lots of mayonnaise. You can use 2%, whole milk, or fat-free cottage cheese. Use leftovers to make my Cottage Cheese Egg Salad or Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad.
- Mayonnaise: Just a tablespoon to add creaminess and richness. I like avocado oil mayonnaise here but Kewpie or Kraft Mayonnaise like in my Kebab Shop Garlic Sauce recipe would be so tasty too!
- Chopped Dill Pickles: Adds tartness, tangy flavors and crunch. Substitute with chopped gherkins or cornichons. You could also add capers instead or in addition to the dill pickles.
- Fine Sea Salt: Adjust to taste depending on if you are using tuna with salt added or without salt.
- Black Pepper: Fresh cracked or ground pepper always tastes better.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed for the best, bright and tangy citrus flavor! Substitute with pickle juice from the dill pickle jar.
Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad
This Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad is a high protein tuna salad made with blended cottage cheese, dill pickles, and simple seasonings. It’s easy to make, customizable with your favorite herbs and veggies, and perfect for a protein-packed lunch and meal prep!
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 7-ounce / 2 x 198 grams cans Tuna in Water (solid white albacore tuna) – drained
- ½ cup / 115 grams blended Whole Milk Cottage Cheese (4% fat) – blended (note 1)
- 1 tablespoon / 14 grams Mayonnaise (I like avocado oil mayonnaise)
- 2–3 tablespoons / 36 grams chopped Dill Pickles
- ½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Blend the cottage cheese: Using an immersion handheld blender, blend the cottage cheese directly in the carton until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, use a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Combine all the ingredients: Add the drained tuna, blended cottage cheese, mayonnaise, dill pickles, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice to a medium mixing bowl. Mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve: Serve in sandwiches, wraps, salads, with crackers, etc. Store in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Notes
- Blended cottage cheese: You can leave the cottage cheese unblended if you prefer a more textured tuna salad.
- Serving size: This recipe makes 3 generous servings but can be stretched to 4 servings depending on your preference. Nutritional information provided in the recipe card is for 3 servings. If dividing into 4 servings, the macros are as follows:
– Calories: 151
– Protein: 24.4 grams
– Fat: 5.6 grams
– Carbohydrates: 2.1 grams - Check out the article for tips, storage information, ways to customize this salmon salad, serving ideas and more!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/3 of recipe
- Calories: 7.5g
- Sugar: 1.6g
- Sodium: 744.4mg
- Fat: 1.9g
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 2.8g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 32.6g
- Cholesterol: 58.5mg
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Looking for more cottage cheese recipes? Check out my Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats, Single Serving Cottage Cheese Tiramisu, and Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta with Shrimp.
Cook’s Tips and Variations
- Adjust salt to taste. Especially if using canned tuna with salt added. Cottage cheese typically has salt added too and different brands will have varying levels of saltiness.
- Drain the tuna well. To avoid having a watery tuna salad!
- Chill the tuna salad. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes in the fridge. It’ll give the flavors time to meld and result in a better texture and flavor.
- Add veggies. Chopped red onion, green onions, bell peppers and celery for crunch, flavor and fiber! Cucumber would also be tasty but use a Persian cucumber or a hot house/English cucumber. They have less water than American cucumbers.
- Add fresh herbs. Fresh chives, dill, basil, parsley, cilantro all would add their own unique flavor and freshness. You could also add dried herbs like freeze dried dill or dill powder, Italian seasoning, or Herbs de Provence.
- Make it spicy. A diced jalapeño (deseeded), crushed red pepper flakes, ground cayenne, or hot sauce like Sriracha, Cholula or Buffalo sauce for a kick of heat!
- Add mustard: Dijon mustard, honey mustard or wholegrain mustard (my personal favorite) would add a lovely flavor.
- Ditch the mayo. I personally prefer to add a small amount for a richer flavor and texture but if you want to make this cottage cheese tuna salad without mayo, simply leave it out!
- Double the recipe. If you need to make more for meal prep or feeding a crowd, click on the ‘2x’ button at the top of the recipe card to display double the amount of ingredients.
Dietary Modifications
- Dairy-free. Use lactose-free cottage cheese. Good Culture has a great 2% lactose free cottage cheese.
- Gluten-free. The cottage cheese tuna salad itself is gluten-free. Enjoy it with your favorite gluten-free bread, gluten-free certified crackers, rice cakes, or veggies for dipping.
How to Make High Protein Tuna Salad – Step-by-Step
Add all the ingredients to medium bowl (image 1). Give everything a good mix to combine (image 2). Serve in sandwiches, wraps, salads, with crackers, etc.
Storage
- Storing: Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. If any liquid is released from the dressing, simply give it a good stir and it’s ready to serve again!
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing it though as the texture would change once thawed. It’ll be watery and grainy and have an unpleasant mouthfeel.
Serving Suggestions
- Sandwiches. I personally love this cottage cheese tuna salad in a pan-toasted sourdough bread sandwich with melted cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeños. Essentially, it’s a healthier sourdough tuna melt but minus spreading the outside bread slices with butter or mayonnaise before searing the bread in melted butter.
- Tunacado Bagel. It also tastes great in an everything bagel with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and onion. Mashed or sliced avocado would also be a delicious addition and would add some healthy fats!
- Other ways to serve. Other ways to serve would be to add a few spoonfuls on top of a mixed green salad or pasta salad, in a tortilla wrap, lettuce cups or loaded baked potato. Or eat it as a dip with veggie sticks, whole grain wheat crackers like Triscuits or pita chips for scooping.
FAQs
Yes! Greek yogurt will work and is also high in protein. However, using blended cottage cheese will result in a thicker, more creamy texture. If using Greek yogurt, opt for whole milk plain Greek yogurt instead of low-fat or fat-free for a thicker texture that’s not so watery.
Once the cottage cheese gets blended, you’re left with a creamy, delightful thick mixture. The curd texture associated with cottage cheese is completely gone if you blend the cottage cheese well. As for flavor, different cottage cheese brands will have varying levels of tang and saltiness so use a brand you like the taste of. I love Daisy and Good Culture cottage cheese (made in the USA) and Bulla cottage cheese (made in Australia but widely available in Asia). They aren’t overly salty or tangy and are quite tasty in my opinion!
You can definitely make this tuna salad with oil-packed tuna if you prefer it. Drain well to avoid an overly greasy flavor and texture. You may want to skip the mayonnaise and use a little less cottage cheese too.
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