Mayo-Free Creamy Tuna Lettuce Wraps

These Mayo-free Creamy Tuna Lettuce Wraps make for such an easy, healthy and delicious lunch for busy days. Make up a batch of the tuna in advance and eat it throughout the week! Perfect to pack in your lunch bag as a lighter lower carb option. {Gluten-free, Dairy-free & Paleo}

I’ve always been a big fan of tuna as a quick and easy lunch. And that’s where these tuna lettuce wraps totally come in handy!

Usually, on an average day, my go-to lunch tends to be leftovers, but if those aren’t available, out comes the can of tuna. It’s one of those things that we always like to have stocked in the cupboard since it’s non-perishable and so easy!

Just open the can, mix with desired add-ins and throw it on a sandwich, wrap, or salad. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

With this tuna lettuce wrap recipe, you simply assemble the tuna mixture, which can be made in advance (bonus!) and then serve it up on crunchy lettuce leaves for the ultimate light and refreshing lower carb lunch or snack!

The simple sauce mixture consists of only four ingredients and is smooth, creamy and flavourful, yet no mayo is required!

If you’re looking for other healthy protein-rich lunches to have on hand, be sure to check out this Healthy Tuna Macaroni Salad or 5-Ingredient Avocado Egg Salad.

How to Make creamy mayo-free sauce

In a small bowl, measure out cashews and allow them to soak in water for at least two hours.

In a blender or Ninja (one of my favourite kitchen tools!) blend together all of the ingredients for the cream sauce until smooth.

How to Make Tuna Lettuce Wraps

In a bowl or container, break up the tuna with a fork. Add in diced celery, carrots, green onion and diced pickles, if desired.

Add the cream sauce to the tuna mixture and mix until well combined.

Evenly distribute mixture into lettuce leaves and serve immediately or store tuna salad mixture in fridge for later use.

What type of tuna should I use?

For the purpose of this recipe, you can use whichever type of tuna you prefer. Keep in mind that albacore tuna does tend to be higher in mercury than light tuna so it’s important to limit intake of albacore tuna especially in more vulnerable populations like young children and women who are pregnant and breastfeeding. You can read more about the guidelines here.

When in doubt, stick to canned light tuna, preferably packed in water to limit sodium and fat consumption.

What type of lettuce is best for making lettuce wraps?

Generally, I find that using Bibb or Boston lettuce works best since the leaves have just the right shape for holding the tuna mixture. I tend to prefer using the leaves closer to the inside of the head of lettuce since they’re a little more crunchy.

This type of lettuce is also quite flexible so it’s easy to fold around the mixture when shovelling it into your mouth, making for the perfect tuna lettuce cups!

If you can’t find Boston or Bibb lettuce, you can also use romaine lettuce for the tuna wraps.

Storage guidelines

The tuna salad can be stored in an air-tight container or in a bowl wrapped tightly with saran wrap for up to four days.

Can these lettuce wraps be made in advance?

Although the mayo-free tuna salad can be made ahead of time, I recommend placing the tuna mixture on the lettuce wraps just before serving to keep the lettuce nice and crispy and prevent it from getting soggy.

Recipe Tips:

• Make sure you soak the cashews in water for a couple of hours. I usually just measure out the cashews when I get up in the morning and let them sit in some water for the day so they’re good to go for when I’m ready to make the sauce.
• I recommend using a high power blender, or a Ninja or magic bullet to get the smoothest and creamiest sauce. I’ve tried using a food processor but I find it doesn’t make it super smooth and sometimes small chunks of cashews still remain, which is not the consistency we’re going for.
• You can also make double the amount of cream sauce and use it as a replacement for sauce in all of your favourite creamy-based dishes. The options for this sauce are endless, but I especially like to use it for this Mayo-free Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad or Creamy Dairy-Free Salmon Florentine!  It should keep in the fridge for up to two weeks so it’s perfect for meal prep or if you’d like to incorporate it into other recipes.

More healthy seafood recipes

• Tuna Avocado Salad
• Fish with Easy Lemon Garlic Sauce
• Chili Lime Shrimp
• Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
• Parmesan Crusted Cod
• Mini Salmon Dill Cakes
• Almond & Coconut Crusted Fish Sticks
• Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Salmon

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This recipe was originally posted in September 2018 but was updated in July 2020 with better tips and photos. 

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