Break out of a tuna recipe rut with this healthy and quick Paleo Tuna Salad with Avocado, Bacon, and Chipotle Aioli! Serve over your favorite salad greens for a healthy meal packed with savory flavor, spice, and the right amount of creaminess. Gluten free, dairy free, Paleo, high protein, low carb.
When I first started eating Paleo – especially after I figured out Paleo mayo – making Paleo tuna salad was a huge thing for me. Slowly but surely though, I gravitated away from tuna, simply because I was bored with it.
But, I think it’s like the saying “you’re not bored – you’re boring” (you know, the comeback we have when our kids complain they’re bored?) I needed to stop making boring tuna salad and finally give it a much needed makeover! A flavor makeover, really.
Here’s the thing with this tuna salad. Not only is it NOT boring at all, it also looks fancy but is actually super quick to make – even if you don’t make the bacon or aioli ahead of time. If you do, however, get those two done ahead of time, this tuna salad literally comes together in just 2 minutes!
Because let’s be real – most of us would probably choose to spend our time eating rather than cooking when it comes to everyday meals. As much as I love to cook and bake, often (uh, when I’m hungry) I just want to sit down with a delicious meal and EAT. Bonus if we’re talking about healthy, nourishing food!
When we’re talking about healthy, quality food, Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore comes out on top! The difference between premium Solid White Albacore and Chunk Light Tuna is apparent as soon as you open the can. The firm texture, light color and fresh taste – Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore is purely delicious and adds a variety of nutrients to your meal – including lean protein, healthy fat and important vitamins and minerals. *see their website for full nutritional facts .
Bumble Bee® also offers responsibly wild-caught Albacore! Visit their website to learn more plus check out many more mouth-watering recipes to discover for yourself why Only Bumble Bee Albacore Will Do™.
Paleo Tuna Salad with Avocado, Bacon, and Chipotle Aioli
Paleo Tuna Salad with Avocado, Bacon and Chipotle Aioli
Ingredients
For the Chipotle Aioli
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tbsp brown mustard
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 cup light flavored olive oil
- Immersion blender
For the Tuna Salad
- 2 5 oz cans Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore drained
- 4 slices nitrate free bacon sugar free for Whole30 cooked until crisp, drained, and crumbled
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 1/4 cup of the above recipe for Chipotle Aioli
- 1-2 tbsp fresh chives for garnish
- Extra squeeze of fresh lemon *
- Salad greens for serving
Instructions
First, make the Chipotle Aioli**: (You can make this ahead of time and store covered in the refrigerator)
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Add all ingredients to a tall container with the olive oil being the last ingredient you add. Put the immersion blender in the container before turning on. Turn on and blend on high for 30 seconds, slowly raising the blender and then lowering to fully emulsify.
Then, put together your tuna salad:
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In a large bowl, combine the albacore, chopped pepper, crumbled bacon, and avocado (cubed), Serve over salad greens and spoon desired amount of chipotle aioli over salad to serve, then top with fresh chives for garnish.
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Store leftover aioli covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Optional
**You'll need an immersion blender <--What I use and love!
Do you have a favorite tuna salad recipe?
What’s one food or meal you eat regularly that needs a makeover?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
So tuna salad is on my list of hate foods. I was such a picky eater growing up and although I have gotten better about not being so picky – I can’t get past my hate lol. My parents love tunafish and always had it in the house from the bagel store but omg don’t let it near me. funny right? sounds weird to me too now but it’s just one of those things. But your pictures look pretty! 🙂
My parents are also tuna lovers and I grew up on it! That’s like Adam with salmon though, he goes nuts and won’t touch it.
So funny that I have tuna salad already packed for lunch today. Mine is pretty much always the same : on a bed of kale and spinash, with creamy dill mayo, green apples, cranberries, pumpkin seeds. A little more on the sweet side I guess. But I do love avocadoes and chipotle so I will definitely try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Yum that sounds so good! Love the sweet twist 🙂
Yep! I eat Bumble Bee tuna everyday for lunch. My usual broccoli, tuna and mustard combo sometimes with some kale thrown in. It’s such an easy way to get more protein! I love this recipe. I’ll have to try it and break out of my boring rut.
Definitely an easy and versatile ingredient and keeps us full for hours!
I actually don’t like tuna or tuna salad, but this looks like something Rob would love! Now if only I could be nice enough of going through the trouble of making something for him that I won’t eat:)
Haha I suppose he could make it for himself? You and Meredith must have been tuna traumatized 🙂
Love tuna (but I buy the low sodium kind and then flavor myself). And who doesn’t like aioli! I can’t put much on, but that is why I like that you did it as a drizzle 😀
I actually prefer it as a dip or drizzle rather than mixed in!
I love tuna because my parents both hate it and the smell and didn’t have it in the house growing up. I hadn’t tried it until I went to college and then I was so mad I missed out on something so good! I’m not sure if I tried Bumble Bee, but I’ll look for it next time. This chipotle aioli sounds amazing!
That’s so funny! My parents used to live on tuna literally and I think they still both eat it at least once per day 🙂
so the husband is not a big tuna fan, so i buy canned tuna just for me. Which leads me to love this more! I can hog it all! and that aioli!!!
My husband can’t stand salmon – what’s it with men and fish lol?!
It may be weird, but canned tuna (or salmon or sardines) are one of my lazy comfort foods I always crave every week! I love just popping open (okay..not popping…my can opener is the worst….I need one that works! OMG!), and just throwing it in a bowl with LOADS of veggies and then spices, balsamic, nooch, or whatever else I have on hand…soooo good 🙂
I love canned tuna and sardines so that doesn’t seem weird to me at all! Balsamic sounds so good – I should try that 🙂
Do you think a food processor would work well for the aioli? This looks awesome!
Prior to using my immersion blender I used a food processor by putting everything in aside from the oil and then blending while slowly streaming the oil in to help it emulsify. That should work as long as you go slowly with the oil!
Yum! I love tuna and the chipotle aioli just sounds fantastic with this. I love my immersion blender also—it’s such a versatile tool!
Thanks! I use the immersion blender almost daily and love it!
Definitely a fan of classic tuna salad with celery and dill mayonnaise!
I love dill so much and always will 🙂
This does look good. I like my tuna fish because it’s super tasty and I feel good eating. I’ve never tried anything this fancy but I might have too.
Thanks! Agree – I always feel great after eating it 🙂
I love tuna with mango, pineapple and salsa on a bed of sauteed spinach or kale.
Ooh sounds fancy – love it!
this is one heck of a tuna salad! So much better than the original! I love the addition of chipotle aioli!
Thanks so much!
This salad looks INCREDIBLE. Like soooo INCREDIBLE. yum!
Thank you so much!
This salad looks amazing beautiful photos! Makes want to eat tuna right in the morning haha. I like the combo of tuna and avocado , it just works.
I thinking basically all my meals need a makeover…I make the same things over and over againwith only slight variations. One exam phase is over I want to tackle something completely different for a change!
Thank you! Totally agree with tuna and avocado, just seems oh so right 🙂 I think we all get in those ruts, so hard not to!
Back in my carnivorous days, I loved a good tuna sandwich or salad. This looks fantastic too, especially with the avocado, the spinach, the bacon and the aioli dressing. Hmm, maybe my taste buds are changing yet again. 🙂
I think I’ll always love tuna no matter what I serve it with, but the bacon and chipotle dressing don’t hurt at all!
Oh my gosh! YUM! This salad looks so fresh and delicious! I really love avocado on my salads… I’ve gotten super into that lately, but haven’t had tuna in so long! I must change that! Such a great way to get in your protein and nutrition! Thanks for the recipe!
Xoxo Cailee!
I love avocado so much but somehow always forget to buy them and then once I have, I eat them right away! Tuna is such a tasty way to get more protein, totally agree 🙂
Had this tonight for dinner. Really good. Thanks for sharing!
Is there any way to replace the egg in the aioli?
This sounded great until I saw the the egg in the aioli. I love eggs but are you taking about putting a raw egg in it and then just blending it and eating it? Sounds risky and unpalatable to me.
Actually, traditional homemade mayo and aioli is made with raw egg – this was news to me when I began eating Paleo as well. Using a fresh, pasture raised egg eliminates much risk, but, that said, it’s not for everyone. I will say that you don’t actually taste the egg, or rather the flavor you recognize as mayo or aioli includes the egg already.
Aside from mayo based dressings, you can also experiment with coconut cream based dressing and avoid the egg issue entirely – definitely something to try. Just buy full fat canned coconut milk and use the thick part of the milk as your base.
How many carbs per serving?
Not sure, but the only ingredients with any carbs would be the green veggies and avocado, so very minimal.
This reminds me of a dressed up cobb salad which I love! Love that it’s loaded with so much great stuff!
Thanks! I have a thing for chipotle anything 🙂
Is the egg raw?
Do you have nutrition facts for this recipe?
Are there nutrition facts for this recipe?
This is what I was searching, You gave the perfect recipe and I am Professional Cook your recipe helped a lot.
Thank You
Great, glad you liked it!
If I already have ready made mayo what amount of Mayo would I use and just add the spices?
I’d say 3/4 or possibly 1 cup 🙂