There is no better tuna salad than New York deli-style Tuna Salad. With a few simple ingredients, it’s so easy to make and is perfect for lunch or dinner. Whether you serve it on toast, scoop it on salads, or eat it plain, you can’t go wrong!

New York deli tuna salad on white toast with lettuce.

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There is nothing quite like a New York deli; from the vast array of sandwiches to the plethora of salads, the flavors found in the New York deli are unmistakable and hard to match.

Having worked in several delis I picked up a few tricks so this tuna salad tastes exactly like one you’d get at a New York deli.

For the full New York experience, serve this tuna salad on a round roll with a side of deli macaroni salad!

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

Ingredients shown: celery salt, soy sauce, relish, mayonnaise, onion, celery, and canned tuna.

Tuna. While many delis use a combo of chunk light and solid albacore, I prefer to use all solid because it’s better quality. I still get the same consistency because I use my hands to mix, as you’ll see below. Water-packed tuna should be used. Save the high-end olive oil-packed yellow fin tuna for recipes like pasta al tonno or Italian tuna and white bean salad.
Relish and soy sauce. Some delis will use these, some won’t, but I’ve found these two additions really boost the flavor and body of the tuna salad.
Mayonnaise. Delis in NY usually use a thicker Hellman’s mayo or thicker generic mayos sold at restaurant supply stores. Often referred to as decorator mayo, these thicker mayos are one of the keys to the deli flavor in many recipes, like deli-style egg salad and shrimp salad, however, you can definitely get away with using Hellman’s sold in the grocery store. Opt for Hellman’s over Duke’s or Miracle Whip if you want to replicate the NY flavor. If you’re looking for a lighter option, check out my healthy tuna salad recipe, which uses Greek yogurt and light mayo.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

Finely dice 1/2 cup worth of onion and 1/2 cup of celery. Drain very well four 5-ounce cans of water-packed solid white albacore tuna, then place the tuna in a large bowl along with the celery and onion. Add 1 teaspoon of celery salt, 2 tablespoons of sweet relish, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and mix thoroughly. Your hands make the best mixers for tuna salad. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. (Photo #1)

New York deli tuna salad process collage group one showing mixing of tuna, celery, and onion in a bowl and mixing in mayonnaise.

After 10 minutes, add 1 1/4 cups of mayonnaise and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Photo #2)
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Note: You can certainly eat it now, but it is way better after overnight! (Photo #3)

Recipe collage group two showing covering tuna salad and mixing on second day.

The next day, strain the tuna salad of all the accumulated water and add more mayo as needed. Serve on toast, rolls, crackers, salads, or enjoy by itself! (Photo #4)

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Top tips

Let it sit. While you can definitely eat the tuna salad right away, I recommend letting it sit overnight so you can drain it of excess water. The flavor will also be so much better the next day! I recommend doing this with many of my deli salads, including shrimp salad and tuna macaroni salad.
Use your hands. I highly recommend using your hands to mix the tuna and break up all the pieces. This will ensure a smooth deli-like consistency.
The mayo. Hellman’s mayo will give you the best authentic NY deli flavor.

Tuna salad on plate with butter lettuce.

More New York deli recipes

Here are a few more of my tried and true New York deli salad recipes. I hope you love them!

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