• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Simple Vegan Blog
  • Christmas
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Christmas
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Christmas
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home > Recipes > How-Tos

    Vegan Tuna

    Published: Oct 13, 2020 · Modified: Apr 28, 2023 by Iosune · This post may contain affiliate links · 71 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Side shot of a bowl of vegan tuna with the words vegan tuna
    Photo of a bowl of vegan tuna with the words vegan tuna

    Vegan tuna, the perfect vegan substitute for regular tuna. It's fishy, healthy, and low in fat, and to make it you only need 5 ingredients and 10 minutes!

    Photo of a bowl of vegan tuna

    Sometimes I find it hard to find homemade plant-based fish recipes. If I try to look for one at the supermarket, it usually contains lots of additives and preservatives, and that's not really healthy. That's why I decided to try this vegan tuna recipe, and it's delicious!

    Although this recipe doesn't really have a tuna texture, it's actually very tasty and it really resembles the tuna flavor. The key to this dish is the nori flakes, which help give it its characteristic fishy touch.

    Besides, you can eat this vegan tuna as a dip or use it to make sandwiches, salads, or any recipe that calls for real tuna. It also contains good quality vegan protein because it's made with chickpeas.

    Vegan tuna, healthy, low in fat, and wonderfully good. It's a super simple recipe that requires 5 simple ingredients and just 10 minutes. I hope you like it!

    How to make vegan tuna - Step by step

    Step-by-step photos of how to make vegan tuna
    • Blend the nori sheet in a powerful blender until you get nori flakes (photo 1). Set aside.
    • Add the chickpeas to a bowl and mash them with a fork (photo 2).
    • Incorporate the remaining ingredients (photo 3), stir, and mash again until well combined (photo 4).
    • Serve immediately.

    Pro tips

    • The nori sheet isn't optional, as we need it to get a fishy flavor. You could maybe use another kind of seaweed, but I haven’t tried it myself.
    • You can replace the tahini with 1-2 tablespoons of oil (I’d use extra virgin olive oil).
    • Feel free to use lime juice instead of lemon juice.
    • If you don't like chickpeas, this recipe will also work with other legumes like beans.
    Side shot of a bowl of vegan tuna

    What is vegan tuna?

    Vegan tuna is a vegan meat substitute for tuna. Of course, it doesn't contain any real tuna at all, and although the texture of this recipe is not super close to regular tuna, it does have a similar flavor and it's actually delicious.

    Besides, it is low in fat and very healthy and nutritious, as well as high in protein because it's prepared with chickpeas.

    How long will this vegan tuna keep?

    If you have any leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge and they will keep for 4-5 days, and sometimes even for a week. If it smells and tastes good, you can eat it.

    How to serve vegan tuna

    There are a lot of dishes you can prepare with this vegan tuna. I love to add it to salads like this delicious vegan potato salad, although I also enjoy it in a vegan tuna sandwich.

    Another option is to mix it with some vegan mayo and use it as a topping for your baked or jacket potatoes.

    Looking for more vegan meat recipes?

    • Tempeh
    • Seitan
    • Tempeh Bacon
    • Vegan Bacon
    • Vegan Meatballs
    Close-up shot of a bowl of vegan tuna

    Did you make this vegan tuna recipe?

    Please leave a comment below, share it, or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!

    📖 Recipe

    Square photo of a bowl of vegan tuna

    Vegan Tuna

    Vegan tuna, the perfect vegan substitute for regular tuna. It's fishy, healthy, and low in fat, and to make it you only need 5 ingredients and 10 minutes!
    4.95 from 18 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Course: How to
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Iosune


    Ingredients 

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1 nori sheet
    • 2 and ½ cups canned or cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • 2 tablespoon tahini
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions 

    • Blend the nori sheet in a powerful blender until you get nori flakes. You can also finely chop the nori sheet with a knife. Set aside.
    • Add the chickpeas to a bowl and mash them with a fork.
    • Incorporate the remaining ingredients, stir, and mash again until well combined. If you want to save some time, use a food processor instead, but don’t over-blend.
    • Serve immediately or keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. If it smells and tastes good, it could also last for up to a week.

    Notes

    • The nori sheet isn't optional, as we need it to get a fishy flavor. You could maybe use another kind of seaweed, but I haven’t tried it myself.
    • You can replace the tahini with 1-2 tablespoons of oil (I’d use extra virgin olive oil).
    • Feel free to use lime juice instead of lemon juice.
    • If you don't like chickpeas, this recipe will also work with other legumes like beans.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.2g | Protein: 8.8g | Fat: 6.6g | Saturated Fat: 0.9g | Sodium: 341mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 0.6g
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Update Notes: This post was originally published in May of 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, and tips in October of 2020.

    More How-To Recipes

    • 4 measuring cups and a tablespoon with food.
      How Many Tablespoons in a Cup (tbsp to cup)
    • A glass measuring cup with milk.
      How Many Ounces in a Gallon (gal to oz)
    • 4 measuring cups with food.
      How Many Grams in an Ounce (oz to g)
    • Photo of a dish with French fries and a small bowl with vegan aioli and a hand dipping a fry into the sauce.
      Vegan Aioli
    1.1K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Montaigne says

      November 22, 2021 at 8:41 am

      I’m wondering if this recipe can be used for bakes/mornays? I’ve been wanting to make a tuna bake for a while now but since I don’t eat fish anymore I haven’t been able to.

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        November 23, 2021 at 1:05 pm

        Hi! I don't completely understand your question, sorry!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Iosune! Welcome to Simple Vegan Blog, your go-to source for tasty and hassle-free plant-based recipes that everyone can enjoy, whether you're vegan or not. Explore a variety of easy-to-make dishes perfect for everyday cooking.

    More about me →

    Vegan Christmas Recipes

    • Two mugs of vegan eggnog onto a wooden board with some cashews and cinnamon sticks around.
      The BEST Vegan Eggnog
    • Two jars of vegan hot chocolate topped with vegan whipped cream and chopped dark chocolate.
      The BEST Vegan Hot Chocolate (4 Ingredients)
    • Lots of vegan chocolate chip cookies on a marble slab.
      BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Lots of vegan peanut butter cookies on a marble slab.
      Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Photo of a pile of vegan snickerdoodles
      Vegan Snickerdoodles
    • Photo of a spoonful of vegan cookie dough
      Vegan Cookie Dough

    Most Popular

    • Square picture of a dish with marinated tofu garnished with chopped chives.
      Easy Marinated Tofu
    • A bowl with tofu stir fry garnished with some sesame seeds.
      Easy Tofu Stir Fry
    • Close-up photo of tofu scramble
      Tofu Scramble
    • A glass measuring cup with vegan mayonnaise and a spoon.
      The BEST Vegan Mayonnaise (4 Ingredients)
    • Overview of baked tofu cubes onto a lined baking sheet.
      Crispy Baked Tofu (5 Ingredients)
    • Square photo of a dish with crispy pan-fried tofu cubes.
      Crispy Pan-Fried Tofu (20 Minutes)
    • Overview of a plate with several folded vegan crepes topped with fresh blueberries and powdered sugar.
      Easy Vegan Crepes
    • Stalk of vegan French toast on a plate with some maple syrup and vegan butter on top.
      Easy Vegan French Toast

    As Seen In

    Logos of HuffPost, HealthLine, Delish, MSN, Parade, and NBC News.

    Footer

    ↑ Back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Copyright © 2023 Simple Vegan Blog