I Tried 9 Popular Celebrity Tuna Salad Recipes—This Is the One I’ll Be Making Again and Again

I’ve always been fascinated by what celebrities eat. With access to private chefs, Michelin-starred menus, and the finest ingredients, they can munch on just about anything. So naturally, I wondered: What do they reach for on a day-to-day basis?

To my surprise, one humble dish kept coming up—tuna salad. Apparently, even the most famous folks can’t resist this canned fish staple. And it made me curious about how celebrities put their own spin on such a simple meal. Do they stick to the classic style or go full experimental with it?

That curiosity sparked a quest. I tracked down nine celebrity-created tuna salad recipes, put them to the test, and compared them to find out which one truly deserves all the accolades.

How I Chose the Celebrity Tuna Salad Recipes

For this test, I hunted down tuna salad recipes from celebrity chefs, award-winning actors, reality TV stars, and even musicians. Some were easy to find; others required digging through Reddit threads and old magazine interviews. I included any recipe that combined tuna, a condiment, and some assortment of mix-ins. While a few celebrities, like Ina Garten, stuck to the classics, others—like Matthew McConaughey—took a more inventive route, topping his with crumbled jalapeño chips.

How I Tested the Celebrity Tuna Salad Recipes

Certain tuna salad recipes turned up easily online; others required more digging. When I couldn’t find a step-by-step guide, I scoured old interviews and social media posts to piece together how each celebrity made theirs.

For every recipe, I bought the specific type of tuna each celebrity recommended. Ina Garten, for example, prefers tuna packed in olive oil, while Stanley Tucci goes for the kind marinated in briny water. I followed each set of directions as closely as possible. I tasted each one on its own, then again with crackers. To avoid tuna salad overload, I never tried more than two batches in a single sitting.

While testing, I focused first on flavor. A good tuna salad should strike a balance: salty, creamy, savory, and maybe a touch sweet. I also paid close attention to texture; some recipes came off basic, while others delivered bold, satisfying bites. Lastly, I evaluated moisture. Mayo shows up in most recipes, but it shouldn’t overwhelm the other ingredients. And when a celebrity skipped the mayo, I asked myself: did the salad still hold up?

Read on to find out which celebrity takes the chip for best tuna salad.

The Best Celebrity Tuna Salad Recipes, Ranked

9th Place: Chrissy Teigen

Striking a balance between enough mayo and too much is tricky. Unfortunately, Chrissy Teigen’s tuna salad leans heavily toward the latter. Every bite delivered thick globs of mayo that overpowered the tuna and other ingredients.

8th Place: Stanley Tucci

Like Garten’s recipe, Stanley Tucci’s tuna salad lacks bold flavor. If you’re using a high-quality canned tuna, you might overlook its simplicity, but the recipe includes only mayo, celery, red onion, salt, and pepper. In the end, it didn’t taste terrible, but it is pretty underwhelming.

7th Place: Ina Garten

This recipe from Ina Garten combines tuna, mayo, celery, scallions, dill, fresh lemon juice, anchovy paste, salt, and pepper. The bright, aromatic notes from the herbs and subtle savory bites from the anchovy paste stood out, but the overall flavor felt a bit flat. Adding something crunchy, like chips (a page out of McConaughey’s book!), or a hint of spice from a drizzle of chili crisp, would definitely elevate it.

6th Place: Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart’s tuna salad blends olive oil-marinated tuna with celery, apple, mayonnaise, basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The mayo overpowers the other ingredients, so next time, I’d use less of it or swap it out entirely for EVOO to let the mix-ins stand out. I appreciated the crunch from the apple; it added crisp, refreshing bites to the tuna salad.

5th Place: Giada Laurentia

I had high hopes for Giada’s Tuna Saladespecially since it takes a similar approach to Rachael Ray’s: using an olive oil base and loading up on mix-ins. Unfortunately, the combination didn’t quite land. This version includes lemon juice, capers, Dijon mustard, olive oil, cannellini beans, arugula, treviso, endive, and fennel. While each ingredient brings great flavor, the textures and tastes clash rather than blend together. I’d revisit this De Laurentiis recipe, but next time I’d stick to just one or two standout additions instead of trying to make everything work at once.

4th Place: Kardea Brown

Among all the traditional tuna salad recipes I tested from celebrities, Kardea Brown’s delivered the most classic flavor. This version skips experimentation and sticks to a solid base: tuna, mayo, Dijon mustard, celery, dill pickles, dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. What stood out most was the balance; nothing felt overly mayo-heavy or cluttered with mix-ins. This is the kind of recipe I’d pair with a high-quality tin of fish, one I want to elevate, while still letting the tuna shine.

3rd Place: Matthew McConaughey

I’ve tested Matthew McConaughey’s chicken salad, and his tuna version takes a similar approach: toss in whatever’s hanging out in the fridge, freezer, or pantry to upgrade your canned fish.

In this recipe, McConaughey mixes in peas, corn, pickles, and crunchy jalapeño chips, along with bold condiments like mayo, white wine vinegar, and wasabi paste. Easily the spiciest tuna salad I tried, this one delivers nicely balanced bites: sweet, savory, tangy, and packed with heat.

2nd Place: multiple

Several of the tuna Saladmuch like Rachael Ray’s, stands out because of all the flavorful add-ins. She starts with the basics—red onion, scallion, celery, mayonnaise, and mustard—but breaks from the norm by folding in sweet elements like dried cranberries or apple, along with crunchy nuts like hazelnuts or pistachios. While the briny notes still come through, I appreciated the occasional burst of sweetness from the dried fruit and subtle spice from the red onions. Each spoonful delivered something new—whether a pop of flavor or a shift in texture—making it hard to grow tired of this one.

1st Place Winner: Rachael Ray

Like most of the tuna salad recipes I tested, Rachael Ray’s version comes together in under 10 minutes. The ingredient list, though, breaks from the usual. This one includes classic staples like red onion, parsley, and a spritz of lemon juice, but it veers off course with the addition of capers, artichoke hearts, and black olives. Controversially, she skips the mayonnaise entirely, opting instead to coat the salad in extra virgin olive oil.

The result? A briny, zesty, aromatic tuna salad bursting with bright flavors. I was shocked by how well everything meshed, from the tender, salty tuna to the earthy chunks of artichoke hearts. The bold bites of olives and capers added just the right amount of punch. While it stands on its own, I can’t wait to enjoy it again tucked between two slices of a buttered, toasted baguette.