Put food on the table in less than 30 minutes with these fast-and-easy tuna burgers. A Whole30-friendly recipe that’s healthy and delicious and one that everyone will love!
Canned tuna gets a facelift with these Easy Tuna Cakes that are high in protein and made with just a few ingredients that you may even have on hand.
I know I know, you’re probably wondering why on earth I’m sharing an ‘old school’ Tuna Cake recipe like it’s 1970. But…I promise you, these are not any ordinary Tuna Cake. Like our popular Salmon Burgers with Avocado Sauce, they’re flakey, delicious, full of flavor and made entirely with Whole30-compliant ingredients. In other words they are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and paleo-friendly, too!
In addition, we like to share our favorite go-to recipes on the blog and the ones we truly enjoy often; this happens to be one of mine. I often include these Easy Tuna Cakes in my weekend meal preps. They’re quick to make, reheat nicely and taste just as good on day 4 as they do on day 1. Canned tuna is one of my pantry staples and something I always have on hand. It’s an easy and budget-friendly source of quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Oh..and the the Roasted Red Pepper Mayo is totally optional but sure is delicious so I highly recommend you give it a try!
Easy Tuna Cakes - a fast and delicious @whole30 friendly recipe made with @safecatch tuna! Click To Tweet
Quality matters. Safe Catch is a canned tuna you can trust!
We’ve all heard that canned tuna contains mercury at some degree (generally the larger the fish the more mercury it contains) and can be harmful to our health. Mercury is indeed a natural element that’s found in plants and animal – that’s not the concern. The concern is when levels of mercury become too high due to the industrial activity in the world today. This is when eating tuna (and other marine life) can get a little questionable. The mercury that’s produced industrially makes its way to natural bodies of water and as a result increases the mercury levels of the fish that we eat.
BUT rest assured because Safe Catch is…safe to eat! Here’s why:
- Lowest mercury of any brand. Every single fish is tested and it’s the only brand that meets consumer reports ‘Low Mercury’ criteria for pregnant women and kids.
- 10x stricter mercury limit than FDA.
- Only canned tuna that is slow cooked which results in higher-levels of Omega 3’s.
- Sustainably caught.
- No fillers and additives and packed in BPA free cans.
Safe Catch is available to purchase on amazon or check the sites store locater to see if it’s available at your local grocery store.
Easy Tuna Cakes are made with Safe Catch Tuna.
Roasted Red Pepper Mayo is where it’s at!
Don’t forget the sauce! With just 3 simple ingredients, this sauce is a must! Roasted Red Pepper Mayo adds a delicious burst of flavor that pairs nicely with the flavors of the Easy Tuna Cakes. It’s a versatile condiment because you can also make a creamy tuna or chicken salad with it, dip raw veggie sticks into it or top it on really any burger. It’s made whole30-compliant by using Primal Kitchen Foods Mayo.
Let’s get cooking!
Pro tip: When making the Easy Tuna Cakes, make sure the tuna is well drained and patty the burgers in to 8 mini burgers. They smaller they are the easier they are to flip. I recommend cooking the burgers in ghee because I love the flavor and it makes the outsides of the burgers nice in crispy. Coconut oil or avocado oil are great options, too!
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Easy Tuna Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Mayo
Put food on the table in less than 30 minutes with these Whole30-friendly, Easy Tuna Cakes that are topped with a 3-ingredient Roasted Red Pepper Mayo. A recipe that’s fast, healthy and delicious and one that everyone will love!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 servings (8 small burgers)
- Category: Burger | Whole30
Ingredients
Tuna Cakes:
- 2 (5 oz.) cans Safe Catch Tuna, very well drained
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp. dried dill weed
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- Ghee, avocado oil, or coconut oil for frying (we recommend Pure Indian Foods Ghee)
Roasted Red Pepper Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup roasted red pepper (patted dry)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine and mix together the Tuna Cakes ingredients (except ghee/oil) in a bowl.
- Form into 8 small patties (squeeze out as much liquid as possible).
- In a large fry pan on medium high heat, add ghee – enough to cover the base of the pan. Once ghee is hot, add the patties to the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.
- For the Roasted Red Pepper Mayo, combine the ingredients in a small food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Serve Roasted Red Pepper Mayo on top of tuna cakes.
Notes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 small burgers
- Calories: 155
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 22 g
We’d love to hear if you’ll be adding Easy Tuna Cakes to your weekend meal prep menu! Comment below.
Pin now, make later!
Cooking to perfection in Pure Indian Foods Ghee.
This post was made possible by our friends at Safe Catch. Though we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are 100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we works with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.
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I’ve been scoping out tasty high-protein dinner options for Whole30 for awhile (I started today!), and these tuna cakes are definitely a recipe I need to try! Love the addition of the red pepper mayo 🙂
You’re gonna love these, Bethany! Good luck on your Whole30!
Is there a better way to cook these?! I followed instructions but they’re turning out crumbled and mushy.
You really have to squeeze out the liquid when making them into patties. You could also add more flour to absorb the liquid. When you’re cooking them, flip them very carefully. Hope that helps!
This is awesome. I’ve always enjoyed reading your blog.
★★★★★
Thanks, Madison!
Where have these been all my life? Delicious! Just finished having these for dinner and they’re perfect! Thanks for always providing perfect, healthy recipes!
Hi Aimee,
Hahaha! Glad you loved them! You’re so very welcome for the recipes – we love that you’re loving them.
what is roasted red pepper and what does it look like and where do you buy it at ….thank you ….this looks so good
Hi Linda,
Roasted Red Peppers are red bell peppers that have been charred over fire then peeled, leaving behind hearty slabs of intensely flavored roasted pepper flesh. They’re sold in jars in the grocery store (often by the canned vegetables or pickles). In addition to the sauce for this recipe, I often add them to egg bakes/quiches, casseroles and more.
Can’t use almond flour because of a nut allergy. Coconut flour might through the flavor off, yes? What can I use instead?
Hi Lori,
You wouldn’t need much coconut flour in this recipe since it soaks up a lot of moisture. Maybe just a few teaspoons (I’d say start with less and add more as you go). If you’re not grain-free you could also use some oat flour or gluten-free breadcrumbs. Hope that helps!
I followed the recipe but only used 1 egg and even then these were too watery and fell apart when I cooked them 🙁 Good flavor though. Will need to experiment how to make them hold up better.
Hi Denise,
Sorry to hear yours fell apart like that. It may have been the tuna, some brands are much drier than others – and albacore is often drier that chunk light tuna. I’d suggest draining the tuna really well, even using the lid and pressing it onto the surface of the tuna to get more liquid out.
Also, the weight of tuna can vary by brands. This recipe was tested using a 5 oz. can (so 5 oz. of tuna by weight).
Mine were a little watery too but I kind of squeezed the patty in my fist and only one of them ended up falling apart a little bit. It was delish! Thanks for the easy meal prep!
Yes, you do have to squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Glad they turned out for you!
Love this recipe!! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Awesome! You’re so welcome 🙂
These look yummy!!
My son is allergic to eggs too. I almost always use flax egg as a substitute. Lately my flax egg technique hasn’t met my texture expectations in meatballs, etc. is there another better alternative for this type of recipe.
Hi Sarah,
You could try a chia seed egg (ground chia seeds + water) though they tend to be slightly gummier. I’ve had a good results with the new Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (it doesn’t contain soy like the original formulation does).
Could you use fresh tuna instead of canned and dice it very small?
Yes, you could use fresh tuna.
Love, love, love this recipe! The roasted red pepper mayo is perfect with the tuna cakes. This makes an awesome lunch, served over spinach or with a side salad!
Awe thanks Jenny! So great to hear!
Made it a few days ago with fresh tuna and these are DELISH! i will definitely make them again! Thank you!
So great to hear! Thanks for the feedback!
Excited to try these!
Just wondering how you think they would hold up if baked?
Thanks!!
Hi Angela! We have yet to try baking them but I think they would hold up just fine. Just be sure to really squeeze out the liquid. That should help. Let us know if you try them baked.
So good! I added Parmesan and red bell peppers. Great recipe!
Family loved the tuna cakes. Would like to make extra for future meals, is it possible to freeze? If so, best to prepare to freeze? Thank you!
Yes you can certainly freeze them. I freeze them in an airtight container and if I stack them I put a little parchment paper between each row. I prefer to reheat them in a sauce pan with a little ghee or oil over medium heat.