Subway Tuna Salad - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

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Subway Tuna Salad is great for a tasty lunch or dinner. Make a classic tuna salad sandwich, wrap, or salad with your favorite toppings. There is no need to go to the restaurant when homemade tuna salad with this copycat recipe is much better. You will find it is easy to make your own Subway Tuna Sandwiches at home.

Subway Tuna Salad - CopyKat Recipes (1)

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Best Tuna Salad

Just because a tuna salad sandwich is quick and easy to prepare doesn’t mean it must be bland. Take this copycatSubway Tuna Saladrecipe, for example.

You can whip it up in only a few minutes, but it’s a deliciously satisfying meal for lunch or dinner at home or perfect for anyone who is brown-bagging it.

Subway restaurants may be known for their sandwich artists, but there isn’t any reason why you can’t make an even better tuna salad hoagie!

Why is this the BestSubway Tuna SaladRecipe?

There are countless recipes for tuna salad online. Many are fancy, calling for expensive tuna or herbs and other seasonings. Who needs it?

Subway’s tuna salad recipe is barebones and allows the authentic taste of the fish to be front and center. The mild tuna salad flavor becomes the perfect base for adding your favorite toppings.

Whether you want to keep your Subway tuna salad sandwiches with shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes or spice things up with pickled jalapenos, red onions, and a few cheese slices, the choice is yours!

Subway Tuna Salad Ingredients

There are a few components to this tuna sub sandwich. There’s the basic sandwich with tuna salad, cheese, and bun. Then you have the various vegetable toppings and sub dressings if desired. Here’s a list of what you need:

Tuna Salad Sandwich

  • Water-packed tuna – I recommend yellowfin tuna
  • Mayonnaise
  • White American cheese slices
  • Sub sandwich buns

Vegetable Toppings

  • Shredded lettuce
  • Tomato Slices
  • Cucumbers
  • Bell peppers
  • Red onion slices
  • Black Olives
  • Dill pickle slices
  • Sliced jalapenos

Sub Sandwich Dressing

  • Oil – Canola or light olive oil is best.
  • Red wine vinegar
Subway Tuna Salad - CopyKat Recipes (2)

Ingredient Substitutions

One reason why Subway’s sandwiches are so famous is that they offer such a wide range of toppings. But, when you make aSubway Tuna Saladsandwich at home, you have even more options.

Here are just a few topping suggestions that Subway doesn’t offer, along with alternative must-have ingredients.

Consider adding some of these toppings to your sandwich:

  • Sundried tomatoes
  • Avocados
  • Sprouts
  • Tarragon
  • Apple slices
  • Chopped hardboiled eggs

Tuna Types

There are a lot of different choices when it comes to tuna. Although the recipe calls for canned tuna in water, there is no reason why you can’t use oil-packed tuna instead.

When choosing your tuna, remember that anything labeled as skipjack or light tuna comes from smaller tuna species that typically have lower mercury levels.

Mayonnaise Alternatives

Mayo provides the creaminess that is so essential for a good tuna sub. However, depending on diet philosophy, it is considered either healthy (low-carb/keto) or not the healthiest ingredient (low-fat/low-calorie).

  • Save calories and fat by using a light mayo instead.
  • If you want to eliminate mayo, many people like to substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt.
  • Another fantastic alternative is mashed avocado with a touch of white vinegar or lemon juice to add acidity.

Tuna Sandwich Bread Choices

You can change the entire tuna sandwich with your choice of bread. For the sake of your teeth, you should probably stay away from any crusty bread, but ciabatta or even focaccia bread are excellent choices.

If you are a bit daring, try something sweet, like raisin-nut bread, for a totally unique taste experience.

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How to Make Subway Tuna Salad

Here are the simple steps for making this Subway tuna recipe:

  1. Prepare tuna salad by first draining excess water from the tuna. Place drained tuna in a small bowl, and flake tuna with a fork.
  2. Add mayonnaise, and stir well to combine.
Subway Tuna Salad - CopyKat Recipes (4)
  1. Cut sub sandwich bread in half.
  2. Build the sandwich by first placing small scoops of tuna salad on the top portion of the bun.
  3. Place desired toppings on the bottom portion of the bun.
  4. Then cut the cheese squares into triangles and place 2 triangles on top of the vegetables.
  5. Dress the sandwich with a squirt of mayonnaise, oil, and vinegar if desired.
  6. Then close the bun and enjoy!
Subway Tuna Salad - CopyKat Recipes (5)

Recipe Variations

No need to just make a tuna salad sandwich. Here are some great ways to make it as a tuna melt, wrap, or salad instead.

Tuna Melt: Place the scoops of tuna on the bottom half of the bun and top with cheese. Put the tuna and cheese topped bottom bun and the top bun on a baking sheet. Broil until the cheese is melted. Add toppings if desired.

Tuna Salad Wrap: Place the tuna salad and toppings on a large flour tortilla and roll it up burrito-style.

Tuna Salad Salad: Place the shredded lettuce in a bowl. Top with vegetables, cheese, and scoops of tuna salad. Dress with oil and vinegar or a vinaigrette dressing.

What Goes Well with a Tuna Salad Sub?

Thistuna fish recipe from Subwaydeserves a salty side dish to help balance the flavors. Potato chips are great; the crunchier, the better.

Try crunchifying your sandwich by topping the tuna salad with a handful of your favorite thick-cut potato chips.

Are you more of a fries person? That’s great, too!

Of course, you’ll need something to wash everything down, and the best way to do that is with something bubbly. Soda, seltzer, or even beer go great with this copycatSubway tuna saladrecipe.

How to Store Tuna Salad

You can easily halve this tuna fish salad recipe by using only one can and a tablespoon of mayonnaise. But if you have any leftovers, keep them fresh in the fridge in an airtight container.

Remember, oxygen is the enemy, so use the smallest container you can, and press plastic wrap directly on top of the tuna to prevent it from drying out.

How Long Does Tuna Salad Last?

Thetuna fish recipe from Subwaykeeps in the fridge for up to three days.

Subway Tuna Salad - CopyKat Recipes (6)

I hope you give this copycat recipe for Subway’s tuna sandwich a try soon. Food tastes better when you make it at home. You can make this with the tuna you like best, and you can modify this recipe any way you like.

Favorite Sandwich Recipes

  • Bell Beefer
  • Cheddars Monte Cristo
  • Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich
  • Chicken Salad Chick Egg Salad
  • Homemade Ham Salad
  • Patty Melt
  • Pizza Burgers
  • Sandwich Dressing
  • Subway Chicken Salad
  • Whataburger Chicken Sandwich

More Tuna Recipes

  • Creamy Tuna Casserole
  • Starkist Tuna Creations
  • Tuna Mushroom Casserole

Check out more of my easy sandwich recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat!

Subway Tuna Salad Sandwich

You can make Subway Tuna Salad Sandwich at home with this easy copycat recipe.

5 from 11 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Subway Tuna Salad Sandwich, Tuna Salad Sandwich

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 553kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

  • 2 5-ounce cans water-packed tuna
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 6-inch sub sandwich buns
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • 6 slices tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup sliced cucumbers
  • 1/4 cup sliced green bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup sliced red onions
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 10 slices dill pickles
  • 10 slices jalapeños
  • 2 slices white American cheese
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Instructions

  • To prepare the tuna salad, drain the excess water from the tuna. Place the drained tuna in a small bowl, and flake with a fork.

  • Add the mayonnaise and stir well to combine.

  • Cut each sandwich bun in half lengthwise.

  • Place two small scoops of tuna salad on the top portion of each bun.

  • On the bottom portion of each bun, add shredded lettuce and a few slices oftomato, green bell pepper, red onion, black olives, and pickled jalapeños.

  • Cut the cheese squares into triangles and add 2 triangles on top of the vegetables on each sandwich.

  • Add a squirt of mayonnaise if desired, close the buns, and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 7602mg | Potassium: 2198mg | Fiber: 24g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 7490IU | Vitamin C: 569mg | Calcium: 634mg | Iron: 5mg

Subway Tuna Salad - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do they make the tuna in Subway? ›

At the supplier facility, the tuna undergoes rigorous quality and safety control testing. After washing and precooking, the tuna is then cut and double cleaned before being cooked and packaged for distribution to Subway restaurants. The tuna is then thawed, washed, inspected and sorted based on quality.

What does Jersey Mike's put in their tuna? ›

Jersey Mike's tuna salad features chopped celery, mayo, and a dash of pepper. The sub is prepared “Mike's Way,” and features onions, lettuce, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil blend, oregano and salt.

What does Martha Stewart put in her tuna salad? ›

directions. Combine tuna, celery, apple, mayonnaise, basil, and lemon juice; mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Does Subway put mayo on there tuna? ›

Subway tuna salad has just two ingredients—tuna and mayonnaise. The cooked tuna comes from #10 cans. If there is fraud, it is with the canner, not with Subway.

What mayonnaise is closest to Subway? ›

This follows the same premise but switches some things up and adds lots of flavour enhancements to replicate the addicting flavour of Subway style mayonnaise. Through my research, everyone said that S&W mayonnaise is the closest retail option to Subway.

What is in Jimmy John's tuna sandwich? ›

Our delicious house-made tuna salad, on a sandwich. The Totally Tuna® comes topped with fresh lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Customize with any of your favorite Freebies or Add-ons.

What is on Jimmy John's Club tuna? ›

#15 CLUB TUNA®

Our delicious house-made tuna salad and provolone cheese, topped with fresh-sliced lettuce & tomato. Customize with any of your favorite Freebies or Add-ons.

Does Jersey Mike's put celery in their tuna? ›

Our protein-packed tuna salad is made right on site with freshly chopped celery, mayo, and a dash of pepper.

What to put in a Subway tuna sandwich? ›

To make the tuna salad, you'll need canned tuna, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. For the subs themselves, sub rolls, lettuce, a cucumber, tomatoes, a red onion, sliced black olives, and American cheese will be required.

Is McDonald's healthier than Subway? ›

According to Lesser, although Subway's nutrient profile was slightly healthier than those of its McDonalds counterpart, “the food still contained three times the amount of salt that the Institute of Medicine recommends.”

How do you make Paula Deen's tuna salad? ›

Directions. In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, celery, relish, and onion. Season the salad with a big pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Serve on a bed of salad greens or on toasted bread, if you like.

Why does restaurant tuna salad taste better? ›

The highest-quality tuna is bought fresh from the market or fishmonger, so some restaurants process and cook fresh tuna before incorporating it into the tuna salad. Although time-consuming and expensive, many chefs prefer this approach.

How do they catch tuna for canned tuna? ›

About 66% of the tuna catch globally is made by the purse seining fishing method, followed by longline (9%), pole-and-line (7%), gillnets (4%), and miscellaneous gears (14%).

How do they catch canned tuna? ›

Tuna Fishing: Tuna is caught through various fishing methods, including longline fishing and purse seine fishing. Longline Fishing: Longlines are set with multiple hooks along a line that can stretch for miles. This method targets larger tuna species like yellowfin and bigeye tuna.

What goes on tuna sub? ›

I got it with lettuce, tomato slices, onions, pickles and a slice of cheese. I stuck with the basic ingredients. But I added some potato chips to it. Chips always make a tuna sub better.

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