5-Minute High-Protein Tuna Salad (No Cooking)

Name: 5-Minute High-Protein Tuna Salad (No Cooking)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 1 can (5 oz) tuna in water, drained; 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt (or light mayo); 1 tbsp cottage cheese (optional, adds protein and creaminess); 1 tsp mustard or a squeeze of lemon; 2 tbsp diced celery or cucumber, for crunch; Salt and pepper to taste; To serve: cucumber slices, whole-grain crackers, or a lettuce cup

By Max · Updated July 25, 2026

5 min

Total time

Servings

28g

Protein

260

Calories

Lunch is where a lot of GLP-1 days quietly fall short on protein — you’re not that hungry, and cooking feels like too much. A no-cook tuna salad with 28g of protein in five minutes is exactly the kind of easy, protein-first lunch that keeps you on track.

Why this works on a GLP-1

It takes zero cooking and almost no energy, it’s easy to eat in small amounts, and swapping Greek yogurt for most of the mayo turns a middling lunch into a genuine protein hit. Canned fish is one of the most protein-dense, convenient foods there is — perfect for a shrunken appetite.

Make it your own

Higher protein: add the cottage cheese, or use two cans of tuna and make two portions.
More flavor: stir in everything-bagel seasoning, dill, or a little hot sauce.
Different base: salmon, chicken, or even mashed chickpeas work with the same formula.

Keep a couple cans of tuna in the pantry and you’ve always got a fast, high-protein lunch on the days nothing else sounds good — see more high-protein snack and lunch ideas.

Ingredients

1 can (5 oz) tuna in water, drained
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt (or light mayo)
1 tbsp cottage cheese (optional, adds protein and creaminess)
1 tsp mustard or a squeeze of lemon
2 tbsp diced celery or cucumber, for crunch
Salt and pepper to taste
To serve: cucumber slices, whole-grain crackers, or a lettuce cup

Instructions

1
Drain the tuna well and flake it into a bowl with a fork.
2
Stir in the Greek yogurt (and cottage cheese, if using), mustard or lemon, and the celery or cucumber.
3
Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust.
4
Eat on cucumber slices, with a few crackers, or in a lettuce cup — or straight from the bowl.

Tips

Greek yogurt in place of most of the mayo bumps the protein and cuts the fat — you get ~28g protein per serving.
Small appetite? This is easy to eat in small bites and keeps well, so make it and graze.
Swap tuna for canned salmon or shredded rotisserie chicken for variety — same fast, high-protein idea.

Nutrition figures are estimates and will vary with brands and portions. This is educational content, not medical or dietary advice — talk to your prescriber or a dietitian about your individual protein and nutrition needs, especially if you have kidney disease.