Skip Mayo: Give Tuna Salad A Major Protein Boost With One Creamy Ingredient

In the world of sandwich condiments, mayonnaise can be divisive. Some people absolutely love it, slathering it on everything, trying (and ranking) every store brand they can find, and even going so far as to make their own. On the other hand, you have the mayo haters — those who can't stand the smell, the taste, the texture, any of it. Of course, the latter group is missing out on some singular culinary experiences, like classic tuna salad. If you happen to be part of the no-mayo group, you can actually still enjoy a tasty tuna salad sandwich or a scoop over greens — you'll just need a different binder. Luckily, labneh, a Middle Eastern staple, is a solid substitute, and it also happens to provide extra protein if you have daily nutritional goals you want to hit.

If you weren't aware, yogurt and labneh are closely related because the latter is actually derived from the former; it's simply extra-strained yogurt that's thicker and more spreadable (labneh is often considered a type of yogurt cheese). It's characterized by its tangy, savory flavor, which makes it the perfect match for your next tuna salad. Protein content varies by brand, but some varieties contain about 5 grams per ounce.

Because labneh is quite different from mayo, you might not want to use it exactly the same way when making tuna salad. For example, mayonnaise contains oil, so you can get away with using fish packed in water. Labneh, however, has no added oils, so to keep the salad from getting too dry, you might want to use tuna packed in oil instead. It will also help the texture, particularly the mouthfeel, if you break up the fish into small pieces rather than leaving it in big chunks before mixing in the labneh.

Labneh, which also provides a nice non-mayo upgrade to your sandwiches, also tastes particularly good when combined with other savory flavors, like chopped onion or pickles. A bit of fresh lemon juice or zest adds a welcome brightness, too.

Labneh is growing in popularity and may be found in a grocery store near you, but if you can't seem to locate it, you can actually make it (a similar practice became something of a TikTok trend in 2024). It's a straightforward, mostly hands-off process, but it does require patience because it's best to let the yogurt strain for at least 12 hours in your refrigerator. If this is your only option, though, it's a good one, and you can even add ingredients like garlic or fresh herbs that will not only flavor your homemade labneh but also the tuna salad you'll make with it when it's ready to go.