This easy, high-protein Tuna White Bean Salad with navy beans is fresh, flavorful, and perfect for meal prep. A high-fiber, high-protein lunch that keeps you full and energized all afternoon.
Tuna White Bean Salad
Lately, besides focusing on protein, I’ve been trying to increase my fiber intake, and this high-protein Tuna White Bean Salad has become one of my new favorite lunches. I use navy beans, one of the highest-fiber beans, to add creaminess and make the salad more filling without adding a lot of calories. Tossed with flaky tuna, capers, dill and a tangy lemon-Dijon vinaigrette, every bite is flavor-packed and nourishing. Each serving packs 38 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber, so it keeps you full for hours. If you love simple, protein-packed salads, don’t miss these other healthy lunch staples I keep on repeat: Tuna Chickpea Salad, Lentil Salad, and White Bean Salad.
This 10-Minute Tuna Salad Packs Serious Protein + Fiber
I love a tuna melt or tuna sandwich, but when I need a quick, no-cook lunch that’s high in protein and fiber, this Tuna White Bean Salad is it. The only prep is grating a garlic clove and chopping a little red onion—the rest is just mix and enjoy. It comes together in minutes and keeps so well in the fridge, making it one of my go-to make-ahead meals.
- No cooking required — just chop, mix, and eat
- Cheap to make with pantry staples like tuna and navy beans
- Meal-prep friendly and stays fresh for days
- High protein + high fiber to keep you full for hours
- Mediterranean-inspired flavors: Bright lemon and fresh dill, combined with garlic and olive oil, add depth and freshness to each bite.
I have hundreds of high-fiber and high-protein recipes on my blog, and if you’re looking for more, I wrote a whole cookbook with 100 protein-rich recipes: Skinnytaste High Protein.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is everything you need to make this healthy tuna white bean salad recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Lemon Vinaigrette: A blend of lemon juice, grated garlic, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil creates a bright, tangy dressing. No. mayo needed!
- Navy Beans contain about 12 grams of fiber per cup. I used low-sodium to limit the salt, but if you can only find regular, no worries.
- Tuna: I like to buy tuna in water because it’s lower in calories than tuna in oil. Drain it before adding to the salad.
- Capers for a briny element
- Dill for freshness
- Red onion for sharpness and crunch
- Black Pepper for seasoning
- Leafy Greens, like spinach or arugula, provide more fiber without many extra calories.
How to Make Tuna White Bean Salad
This tuna salad only dirties one mixing bowl. Just whisk the vinaigrette, then add the remaining ingredients. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Make the tuna salad vinaigrette by whisking all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Make the tuna and bean salad: Add the remaining ingredients, except for the greens, to the vinaigrette bowl, and stir to coat.
- How to serve: Divide the greens evenly between two shallow bowls and top each with half of the tuna bean salad.
Variations
- No lemon? Substitute white or red wine vinegar.
- If you can’t find navy beans, use cannellini or Great Northern beans.
- Vegetarian: Omit the tuna and double the beans.
- Onion options: Swap red onion with shallot.
- Not a fan of capers? Replace them with kalamata olives.
- Switch up the greens: Substitute mixed greens or little gem lettuce.
Why More Fiber Matters
- Improved heart health. Soluble fiber — found in legumes, beans, oats and many vegetables — helps lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and may lower blood pressure and inflammation, all of which support healthier arteries. Mayo Clinic
- Better blood-sugar control. Because fiber slows digestion and the absorption of carbohydrates, it helps keep blood sugar more stable — which can reduce the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Nutrition Source
- Increased fullness & weight management. High-fiber meals tend to feel more satisfying and filling, which can help curb overeating and support healthy weight maintenance — a benefit that pairs well with high-protein, macro-focused eating goals. U-M School of Public Health
Serving Suggestions
I personally loved this over greens, but you can eat this so many ways, here’s some ideas:
- Wrap it in a wheat tortilla.
- Don’t want a salad? Omit the leafy greens and make lettuce wraps with large romaine leaves or endive.
- Eat it as a snack with your favorite crackers.
- Make a tuna sandwich with toasted sourdough bread.
- Add a cup of soup, like Minestrone or Cauliflower Soup.
How to Meal Prep Tuna Salad
- Double the recipe so you have leftovers for lunch.
- Store the greens and bean salad in separate containers until you’re ready to eat.
- Refrigerate the tuna salad for up to 4 days.
More Tuna Salad Recipes You’ll Love
For more easy lunch ideas that are meal prep-friendly, check out these five delicious tuna salad recipes to inspire your next meal!
- Tuna Egg Salad
- Tuna Salad Endive Wraps
- Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Mayo-less Tuna Pasta Salad
- Chickpea “Tuna” Salad (Vegan)
Tuna White Bean Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad
- 1 15.5-ounce can Navy Beans, drained and rinsed (I used low sodium)
- 2 3-ounce packets tuna in water, drained
- 1 teaspoon capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red onion, sliced and chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups baby arugula, or baby spinach
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk until thoroughly combined and emulsified.
- Add the beans, tuna, capers, dill, onion, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Place 1 ½ cups greens in each shallow bowl or plate and top with half of the tuna-bean mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- To meal prep, keep greens and bean salad separate until ready to eat.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Very tasty. I love this easy and fast to make salad. Perfect for a summer day,
Excellent! Bright, fresh, flavorful, and delish! I only had shallots and cannellini beans, and it was fabulous!
Made this for lunch today – FABULOUS! Put some on bread with a little mayo for hubby and he said it was 10 out of 10 and I had to make it again!!! I didn’t have dill so I subbed for 1/2tsp dried tarragon and turned out great. This will be a weekly lunch!
Glad you both enjoyed it!
4 star!!! Love this recipe!
Easy and very healthy!
Love the Mediterranean Inspired Flavors!
This is such a fresh and delicious spin on tuna salad! Delicious!
This recipe is amazingly good!! I made it per the recipe, but amped up the fresh dill quantity to 1.5 Tbsp. And used a basil infused olive oil. I’m eating this on repeat for lunch everyday in different ways.
Delicious! New favorite lunch recipe!
Pretty good flavor, easy to make, and high protein. I made it as written. It will be my lunch for 4 days! My WW Freestyle knock-off app calculates as 3 points for each of the 4 servings. Thanks for a good recipe! I give it four stars because while it is very good, it isn’t the best of the skinnytaste.
Loved this! Easy and delicious 🙂 I used 3 oz of canned chicken instead of the tuna. It was great. thanks so much!
Would it matter if I switch out the beans for chick peas
The ingriedients were easy to find at the store(most I had at home) and the prep time was incredidiblye fast. Thank you for putting this out for all of us to try. Bon Ap a tiet!:)
I enjoyed this recipe! I made a little extra dressing for the greens too. I will make this again for a healthy and light lunch.
I was short on time and used a bottled dressing. It was great, I can hardly wait to try the whole recipe as written.
Delicious! I make it with 2 cans of tuna in water for a little extra protein.
As of this review, the WW button on this recipe is not working.
Thanks I will check it.
I only had one can of tuna so was short on protein, but still enjoyed the flavors. I followed the recipe as written, but found it very salty, so next time I will either reduce or eliminate the kosher salt when using capers.
Really enjoyed. I only had bib lettuce but still good.
Also used great northern beans.
Love this! Having trouble getting the WW points on this one.
A new favorite way to eat tuna for lunch. The homemade dressing and capers will pull it together.
Made this for lunches this week. I substituted red wine vinegar for the lemon juice and added a bit extra. The flavor of the salad mixed with arugula was great. I think the flavor was much better on the second day.
Not my fav but it’s good enough for being healthy and packed with protein. I added cilantro and lime juice to make it taste a bit better. i plan on putting it over lettuce. It did get better tasting after refrigerating. This will be a good work lunch.
I’d love to make this recipe however the only tuna I have is tuna packed in olive oil. Can I sub this in your recipe?
Sure
This was really easy to make and so good! I didn’t have capers, so I added celery for crunch instead and I cubed up 1/2 an Avocado to put on top. I’m glad this provides for another lunch as well.
Wonderful recipe! I had it for lunch twice this week — served over both arugula and a slice of whole grain bread. I had to substitute the navy beans for cannellini beans since that was all that was in my pantry, and I used pickled red onions instead of just raw. It was so delicious and kept me satisfied for hour! A keeper for sure!
This is a great lunch. We did it as a wrap!!
Quick, inexpensive, and yummy! I replaced the capers with chopped kalamata olives, packaged baby spinach & baby kale separately, as well as chopped cucumber in extra dressing, and tossed it together at work. It was delicious! Shared the recipe with coworkers, friends, and family. This is going in my monthly rotation.
I was skeptical of this recipe due to some of the ingredients. Oh My WOW! This recipe is FANTASTIC!! (made exactly as recipe directed)
Protein and fiber? Capers? Garlicy dijon dressing? My favorite things!
AND I have all of the ingredients already in my house!
YESSSS! Lunch is solved, and it’s going to be amazing! Thank you!
Sounds great… going to try this recipe 🥗🥰
Also looking for recipes with the combination of gluten-free, dairy free, salt free or very little salt, and sugar free.