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Jackfruit Tuna-Less Salad

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Jackfruit Tuna-Less Salad! It has the texture and the taste of tuna, without the actual fish. Delicious!

Jackfruit tuna-less salad piled on a lettuce leaf on a wood board with several other leaves next to it and a clear glass dish with the salad in it and a gold spoon
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A DELICIOUS VEGAN TUNA SALAD

One of the most charming and wonderful little wine and cheese shops you’ll ever visit just happens to be in my quaint little town. Might I be a bit biased? Yes, but I’m not playing favorites when I tell you how delicious their mayo-less tuna salad is.

Before I went vegan I craved those sandwiches, and ate at least two a month.

If I’m honest, which I always am, it’s the one food that I’ve missed over the past five years. I made a “tuna” salad that was close in taste, this one, but the texture wasn’t spot on.

Why it took me so long to use jackfruit to make my favorite sandwich salad, I’ll never know. But I finally got a clue, and believe me when I say, I thought I was eating the real deal.

If you’ve never tried jackfruit, you’re missing out. I’ll admit, it’s kind of odd on its own, but when it’s prepared like a pulled “pork” or a chikn’ chili, or, this delicious “tuna” salad, it’s incredibly, eerily, close to what I remember from my meat eating days.

A clear glass bowl with jackfruit tuna-less salad and a gold spoon sticking out of it with lettuce leaves surrounding the bowl.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN TUNA SALAD IN 3 EASY STEPS

  1. Rinse and drain the jackfruit, then shred it in a food processor or with your hands until it resembles canned tuna fish.
  2. Add finely chopped celery, red onion, and parsley leaves.
  3. Stir in some Dijon mustard, unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt (I used Kite Hill’s almond yogurt), paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.

That’s it, an easy to make, 7 ingredient, dairy-free and gluten-free tuna-less salad.

SUBSTITUTIONS

This recipe is mayonnaise free because my husband loathes it.

He literally breaks out in a sweat and turns as white as a ghost when he sees it.

He’d argue that with me, but it’s true. After we got married I stopped eating it too, because I could never go through a jar of it on my own. That’s when tuna salad and I parted ways for a while, until I discovered the amazing salad at my local wine and cheese shop.

Instead of using mayo to bind the ingredients together, they used Dijon mustard. Not only does it give the salad the creaminess that’s needed for this dish, it gives it a nice tanginess.

If you don’t like mustard, you can stir in your favorite vegan mayo instead.

Serve this vegetarian tuna salad as a sandwich, on a lettuce leaf, in a scooped out avocado or tomato, or just eat it straight out of the bowl.

A jackfruit tuna-less salad sandwich cut in half with whole grain bread, lettuce and tomato on a wood board

WHAT IS JACKFRUIT? 

Jackfruit is an exotic fruit that can grow up to 100 pounds. It grows in tropical locations.

When it’s young (not ripe) it has a neutral flavor that makes it great for savory dishes.

When it’s ripe it has a sweet flavor.

We buy canned jackfruit packed in water, not brine, to reduce the salt.

JACKFRUIT BENEFITS

Here are some of the benefits of jackfruit: 

  1. Low in calories
  2. Fat free
  3. Sodium free
  4. Good source of vitamins A, C, and potassium
  5. A great way to get fiber

WHERE CAN I BUY JACKFRUIT? 

Jackfruit isn’t easy find, so I order mine on Amazon by the case. You may be able to find it at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, or your local Asian supermarket.

WHAT CAN YOU MAKE WITH JACKFRUIT? 

Here are some of our favorite recipes made with jackfruit.

“chicken” chili

“crab” cakes,

pulled “pork.”

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4.2 from 5 votes
The texture of jackfruit is so much like tuna. This vegan "tuna" salad is healthy, dairy-free, meat-free, and delicious!
Print
JACKFRUIT TUNA-LESS SALAD
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
A plant-based "tuna" salad that tastes and feels like the real thing.
Course: Entree, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 52 kcal
Author: Linda Meyer
Ingredients
  • 1 14 oz [440 g] can of young jackfruit (we order it on Amazon.com)
  • 1 stalk of celery finely chopped
  • 1 small red onion ¼ cup 38 g, finely chopped
  • 1 heaping tbsp. 3 g fresh chopped parsley leaves
  • 3 tbsp 47 g Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp 30 g unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt (I used Kite Hill almond)
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • Ground sea salt and pepper to taste
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Drain and rinse the jackfruit and pulse in a food processor until it’s shredded and resembles canned tuna. If you don’t have a food processor you can chop it with a knife.
  2. Put the jackfruit in a medium mixing bowl and add the celery, onion, parsley mustard, yogurt, paprika, and salt and pepper and stir until it’s fully combined.
  3. Serve as is or as a sandwich.
Recipe Notes

If you prefer your salad with mayonnaise you can add 3 tbsp (45 g) of vegan mayo and 1 tbsp (15 g) of Dijon mustard.

The Nutrition Facts are an estimate only.

Nutrition Facts
JACKFRUIT TUNA-LESS SALAD
Amount Per Serving
Calories 52 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Sodium 276mg 12%
Potassium 163mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 3g
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin A 8.3%
Vitamin C 8.9%
Calcium 5.3%
Iron 3.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

A Pinterest pin with green background for vegan tuna with jackfruit and a picture of vegan tuna in a bowl and on a lettuce leaf.

 

The texture of jackfruit is so much like tuna. This vegan "tuna" salad is healthy, dairy-free, meat-free, and delicious!

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Comments

  2. Trish says

    March 1, 2017 at 11:17 am

    I've tried to find canned jackfruit locally but I've been unsuccessful. When I lived in Sri Lanka I had a cook who used to make the best jackfruit curry for me from fresh jackfruit. Good lord it was good. It was my favorite meal that she'd make. Wish I'd asked her how to make it but I didn't ... sigh. Anywho, what brand do you buy on Amazon because I want to get the brand that you use as I can trust your judgement. I look forward to making this soon!
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      March 1, 2017 at 12:42 pm

      Hi Trish, jackfruit curry sounds incredibly good. Maybe I need to work on a recipe? I buy Native Forest because I trust that their cans are BPA free. They go an extra step and use an independent testing firm to verify that the canning facilities they use are indeed using BPA free cans. I linked to Native Forest jackfruit at Amazon at the bottom of the post, just before the recipe. Thank you so much for the kind words. Knowing that you trust my judgement means a lot. :)
      Reply

  4. eathealthy75 says

    March 2, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    Holy jackfruit Linda, your tuna-less salad looks and sounds DELISH!! I would have never thought to use jackfruit this way. Your recipe is inspiring me to head over to Amazon and get a few cans immediately...my mom and I need this in our lives ASAP! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      March 2, 2017 at 9:47 pm

      Lol! Thanks, Gin! I just finished the bowl I made the other day. It's been my lunch for several days now, and I don't think I could get tired of it. :)
      Reply

  5. Nicole Dawson says

    March 3, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    I use to love tuna salads too! When I want my fix now, I use a smashed chickpeas but you are right, its just not the same texture. I'll have to give jackfruit a try.
    Reply

  9. Manju Mahadevan says

    March 6, 2017 at 9:28 am

    So glad to see such innovative recipes with the humble jackfruit. We had one in our backyard, back in India, while growing up and we used to make so many things with both raw and ripe jackfruit and even these seeds. This looks like a great recipe!
    Reply

  10. Howie Fox @ HurryTheFoodUp says

    March 6, 2017 at 2:19 pm

    Jackfruit is just getting started over here in Germany as well. Never tried it, but I've heard lot's of good things about it. Excited to see it more frequently in supermarkets. Will remember this salad for a jackfruit test run! :D
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      March 6, 2017 at 4:21 pm

      Hey Howie! It's not easily found here, that's why I have to order it from Amazon.com. I hope someday I'll be able to find it fresh, as I've heard that it's so much better than canned.
      Reply

  11. Sunshyne says

    September 3, 2017 at 3:25 am

    This recipe looks great! To help some people out, I thought I'd mention that trader Joe's carries jackfruit in a can now.
    Reply

  13. Suzy says

    October 8, 2018 at 6:42 pm

    I made this today and my jury is still out. I used vegan mayo because I love the mayo-y flavor in tuna salad. But something seemed flat. I put a sheet or nori in the coffee grinder and added that to give it some fishy flavor. It's better, but still just not right. I may stir in some garlic and/or onion powder for a little more kick. Or....suggestions? Thanks!
    Reply

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