Calling all tuna lovers! Lunch is about to get kind of awesome with this recipe for sauerkraut salad. (Bonus: you'll get a helping of super healthy, natural probiotics in the sauerkraut.)

Tuna sauerkraut salad in a white serving bowl on a brown wood table.

You know that jar of sauerkraut in the back of your fridge that you’ve been wanting to use but forgot all about? Go ahead and grab that out. 🙂 And if you don’t have any sauerkraut currently, this is one probiotic staple I highly recommend having on hand. Or if you're the adventurous type, you can make your own homemade sauerkraut! (It's actually a lot easier than you might think.)

And if you love the tuna and sauerkraut combo, you can also try this satisfying tuna salad and sauerkraut sandwich.

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🌿 Ingredients
📝 Instructions
📋 Substitutions
🔪 Equipment
🍱 Storage
🎉 Top tip
🍳 Recipe

🌿 Ingredients

So, really, you could add a spoonful of sauerkraut to a bowl of greens and veggies and it would be delicious. Almost like a natural, crunchy, sour dressing full of probiotic fabulous-ness.

But it you want to take it up a notch and add some great protein and probiotics to make it a meal, this tuna sauerkraut salad is the ticket. It’s super easy to make, and super healthy.

I used the following ingredients:

yellow onion
celery
canned tuna
mayonnaise
sea salt and pepper
sauerkraut
salad greens

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

Pro tip: Most grocery stores readily stock fresh sauerkraut, but make sure it’s raw and says “live cultures” or similar. Real live sauerkraut will always be found in the refrigerated section. (You don’t want to buy sauerkraut that’s at room temperature and contains vinegar as a preservative. Shelf stable sauerkraut won’t contain any beneficial probiotic cultures.)

📝 Instructions

To make this sauerkraut salad recipe, you'll make the tuna first and then assemble everything in a serving bowl. Also, go ahead and wash the salad greens if they aren't already washed, and set them aside.

Dice the red onion and celery and set aside, and then drain the tuna and flake it with a fork in a mixing bowl. Add the veggies to the bowl along with some mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together, and your tuna salad is done!

Now, assemble you serving bowls. Place some salad greens in each bowl and simply top with the tuna salad mixture as well as a healthy spoonful of sauerkraut.

📋 Substitutions

Here are some ideas for ingredient substitutions:

Tuna salad - substitute chicken salad, egg salad (or tofu salad), or any kind of bean mixture; hummus works well too!
Sauerkraut - you could also use kimchi for a spicier salad, or any variety of sauerkraut or fermented veggies (like garlic kraut, beet kraut, or fermented carrots)
Salad greens - feel free to use any variety of greens; a pre-washed bag or container of green or red leaf lettuce or spring greens saves time, or chop fresh Romaine hearts or any other lettuce you have on hand

🔪 Equipment

I used the following equipment to make this recipe:

cutting board
chef's knife
mixing bowl

🍱 Storage

The tuna salad will stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The full salad with sauerkraut is best assembled just before eating, or on the morning of.

🎉 Top tip

While this salad could definitely be a light lunch on it's own, it's even more awesome alongside some crusty bread or a cup of soup. One of my favorite combos is a pairing of this salad with some creamy carrot soup; SO good. 🙂

Enjoy!

🍳 Recipe