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    Tuna Potato Salad With Dill Buttermilk Dressing

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my affiliate disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Collage of photos with text overlay "Tuna Potato Salad With Dill Buttermilk Dressing".
    Bowl of salad with gold salad servers and text overlay that reads "Tuna Potato Salad".

    This tuna potato salad recipe is a complete meal that is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. A satisfying combination of baby potatoes, green beans, tuna, radishes and red onion all tossed together with a delicious dill buttermilk dressing.

    White bowl of tuna potato salad with gold salad servers next to it.

    This salad is one of my favorites when I am looking for a salad that is satisfying enough to serve as a main dish. It’s a healthy and delicious meal that can be enjoyed year round but is especially nice in the spring/summer when a lot of the ingredients are in season.

    The dill buttermilk dressing really transforms this tuna potato salad into something special. I could drink the stuff…it is so good! Sometimes I make double the dressing just so that I have extra to drizzle over my salad.

    Ready to make this quick and easy meal salad? Let’s do it…

    Close up photo of tuna potato salad in white bowl.

    Ingredients Needed

    You will need the following ingredients to make this salad…

    • Potatoes: Use small potatoes of some sort. Baby potatoes, fingerling potatoes, kipfler potatoes or warba potatoes are all great options.
    • Green Beans: Trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces.
    • Tuna: Two cans of solid tuna, drained and broken into chunks with a fork.
    • Radishes: Chopped radishes add some crunchy texture.
    • Onion: I like to use either red onion or sweet onion.
    • Dill Buttermilk Dressing: This delicious dressing is simply a mixture of buttermilk, greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice, onion powder, fresh dill and some salt and cayenne pepper.
    Overhead photo of ingredients needed to make tuna potato salad with dill buttermilk dressing.

    Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.

    What type of canned tuna to use?

    I highly recommend using “solid” or “chunked” tuna instead of flaked. It just makes the salad look nicer and more rustic when there are chunks of tuna distributed throughout instead of tons of tiny little flakes. Other than that, the type of tuna you use comes down to personal preference. My preference is to use solid skipjack tuna that has been packed in water.

    The reason why I tend to purchase skipjack tuna is because it is a smaller tuna and therefore has significantly lower levels of mercury versus albacore or yellowfin. Here are two sustainably sourced options: US | Canada.

    How To Make This Tuna Potato Salad

    Ready to make this delicious, hearty main dish salad? It’s so good! Simply…

    1. Cook the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, salt the water (tbsp of salt) and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until potatoes are just fork tender (approx. 10-12 min). Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Once cooled to room temperature, slice into halves or quarters.
    2. Blanch the green beans: Return the water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook until tender crisp (about 2-3 minutes). Remove beans with a slotted spoon and place into an ice bath or colander under cold running water for a minute to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
    3. Make the dressing: Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or shake together in a jar.
    4. Toss everything together: Place the potatoes, green beans, tuna, radishes and red onion in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss gently to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
    Collage of photos showing dill buttermilk dressing in a mason jar and overheard shot of tuna potato salad before it is mixed together.
    White bowl of tuna potato salad.

    A few tips…

    • To speed things up, prep your ingredients and make the dressing while the potatoes are cooking.
    • Make sure the potatoes are cooled down to room temperature before mixing the salad. I like to pop the potatoes into the fridge immediately after they are done cooking so that they cool down faster. However, you can also just let them come to room temperature on the counter if you have more time.

    Can You Make It Ahead?

    All of the components can be prepped ahead of time and stored separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. Boil the potatoes, blanch the green beans, chop up the radishes and onions and make the dressing ahead of time and store each individually. Once you are ready to eat the salad, simply take everything out of the fridge, grab your tuna and toss everything gently to combine.

    I don’t recommend mixing the dressing into the salad ahead of time though since it will completely absorb and the crunchier veggies will lose their texture. This salad is best served immediately once it has been mixed.

    Possible Variations

    This salad can easily be customized in a number of ways. Here are a few ideas…

    • Use different veggies: You could swap the green beans for asparagus. Or just use any veggies that you like or happen to have on hand – cucumber, celery, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, etc would all work nicely.
    • Add lots of fresh herbs: If your herb garden is flourishing then this is a great salad to add some to. Chopped parsley, chives and extra dill would all be nice.
    • Switch to salmon: You could swap the tuna for canned or grilled salmon.
    • Add hard boiled eggs: Turn it into more of a Nicoise-style salad by adding some quartered or halved hard boiled eggs.
    Close up overhead photo of tuna potato salad in a white bowl.

    More Meal Salads

    Here are a few more salads that can be served as a satisfying main dish for lunch or dinner…

    • Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad
    • Creamy Chicken Macaroni Salad
    • Roasted Asparagus with Egg and Parmesan Salad
    • Build Your Own Healthy Nourish Bowl
    • Burrata Caprese
    • Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad

    Did you try this tuna potato salad recipe? Let me know in the comments!

    Print
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    Overhead photo of a bowl of tuna potato salad with gold coloured salad servers next to it.

    Tuna Potato Salad With Dill Buttermilk Dressing

    ★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews
    • Author: Vanessa | Maple + Mango
    • Prep Time: 10 min
    • Cook Time: 15 min
    • Total Time: 25 min
    • Yield: 4 1x
    • Category: Salad, Lunch, Dinner
    • Method: Boiled
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This tuna potato salad recipe is a complete meal that is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. A satisfying combination of baby potatoes, green beans, tuna, radishes and red onion all tossed together with the most delicious dill buttermilk dressing.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the salad:

    • 1 pound or 454 grams baby potatoes or any other small potatoes like fingerling, kipfler, warba, etc.
    • 1/2 pound or 227 grams green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
    • 2 5-oz / 142 g cans of tuna, drained
    • 4 radishes, chopped
    • 1/2 red onion or sweet onion, finely chopped

    For the dressing:

    • 1/2 cup buttermilk
    • 1/4 cup greek yogurt
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (usually from 1/2 lemon)
    • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt (or to taste)
    • pinch of cayenne pepper

    Instructions

    1. Cook the potatoes:  Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, salt the water and lower heat to maintain a simmer.  Cook until the potatoes are just fork tender (approx. 10-12 min).  Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.  Once cooled to room temperature, slice into halves or quarters.
    2. Blanch the green beans:  Return the water to a boil and add the green beans.  Cook until tender crisp (about 2-3 min).  Remove green beans with a slotted spoon and immediately place into an ice bath or colander under cold running water to stop the cooking process.  Once cold, drain and set aside.
    3. Make the dressing:  Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or shake together in a jar.
    4. Toss everything together:  Place the potatoes, green beans, tuna, radishes and onion in a large bowl.  Pour over the dressing and toss gently to combine.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

    Notes

    • I like to use solid skipjack tuna that has been packed in water in this recipe.  Skipjack is a smaller tuna and therefore has significantly lower levels of mercury vs. albacore or yellowfin.  Here are two sustainably sourced options: US | Canada
    • Save time by prepping the ingredients and making the dressing while the potatoes are cooking.
    • Cool down the potatoes faster by placing in the fridge or running under cold water once done cooking.
    • Making It Ahead:  Once dressed, this salad is best served immediately or all the dressing gets absorbed and the veggies lose their crunch.  However, you can still prep ahead by making each of the components and storing separately in the fridge for up to 3 days.  Once ready to eat, simply combine the ingredients, pour over the dressing and toss gently.

    Keywords: tuna potato salad, meal salad, main dish salad, dill buttermilk dressing

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @maple_and_mango on Instagram and hashtag it #mapleandmango

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Terri

      September 07, 2020 at 8:09 am

      I am always looking for tuna recipes, especially ones that are hearty enough for a meal! I cannot wait to make this one!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        September 08, 2020 at 2:25 pm

        Enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Kristen

      September 07, 2020 at 4:59 am

      Tuna salad sandwiches are a go to in our house, but this salad looks is it up a notch!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        September 08, 2020 at 2:28 pm

        It is a great salad for tuna lovers!

        Reply
    3. Sharon

      September 05, 2020 at 11:33 am

      Totally adding some eggs for that nicoise style! I never would have though to add potato with a tuna salad. Great idea!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        September 08, 2020 at 2:28 pm

        Yes! Eggs are delicious in this and the extra protein makes it extra filling.

        Reply
    4. Shailaja DESAI

      September 02, 2020 at 12:13 pm

      This recipe reads delicious Vanessa! Love the buttermilk dressing. we are huge fans of dill and would love to make this!

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        September 03, 2020 at 9:39 am

        Thanks for the kind comment! If you love dill then you will love this dressing!

        Reply
    5. Ayngelina

      September 02, 2020 at 6:23 am

      Perfect timing! I was planning to make potato salad this weekend was it’s been so long since I last made it I wondered what went in it! I know seems silly but I haven’t had it in so many years but I’m now craving it.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        September 03, 2020 at 9:40 am

        Don’t you just love when recipes appear just as you are craving something similar…it’s a sign!

        Reply
    6. Bernice Hill

      September 01, 2020 at 7:18 pm

      What a combination! I love all the flavours in this salad and I bet they are dynamite when served all together.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        September 03, 2020 at 9:41 am

        Thanks! This is definitely a flavourful salad – enjoy!

        Reply
    7. NANCY

      September 01, 2020 at 6:15 pm

      this looks great! love the added veggies!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        September 03, 2020 at 9:42 am

        Thanks for the comment! Enjoy!

        Reply
    8. Anecia

      August 29, 2020 at 12:42 pm

      This is great!!! Looks and sounds delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Vanessa | Maple + Mango

        August 29, 2020 at 1:23 pm

        Thanks Anecia!

        Reply

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