Vegan tunacado

This vegan tunacado spread is one of my absolute favourite sandwich fillings! It’s rich, creamy, healthy, and bursting with flavour! It’s similar to a tuna guacamole in the sense that you can enjoy it as a vegan dip, but you could also call it a tuna and avocado salad, spread, mousse, or paté because it can be any of those things. I often make it for friends when they come around, and everyone loves it! Vegan tuna and avocado (or, more simply, tunacado) is delicious and incredibly versatile. In addition to the obvious sandwich spread, topping or dip, you can also use it to fill things like tomatoes or the delicious stuffed cucumbers in the photo below!

It’s super easy to make, you just mash the avocado, add the vegan tuna, spring onion, lemon juice and vegan tartare sauce, season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, and enjoy!

When I went vegan, I was really cut up about tuna being off the menu. Am I the only one who was addicted to tinned sweetcorn, tuna and mayonnaise? Surely not? Tunacado was another reason… as was tuna paté… Not to mention tuna pasta sauce, tuna onion and black olive pizza, tuna mayonnaise sandwiches… How can we live without those, without feeling deprived?

Then, one day, when I was on my rounds doing the shopping, I found a new vegan tuna brand called Vuna by Garden Gourmet and decided to give it a try. Well, Vuna passed all the tests, I’m happy to say! Try this vegan tunacado recipe and vegan tuna paté – you’ll love them! They’re every bit as tasty as their non-vegan counterparts, and no one will ever guess it’s not real tuna unless you decide to tell them!

How to make vegan tunacado

Ingredients

You’ll find the exact quantities of each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Avocado

Avocado provides creaminess, healthy fats, and important nutrients. You’ll need a ripe avocado that you can mash relatively easily with a fork.

How can you tell if an avocado is ripe?

The skin should look taught and shiny. Hold the avocado in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze without applying your fingertips (to avoid bruising). A ripe avocado will yield slightly to pressure. If it feels very soft or, even worse, empty under the skin, it’s very overripe. If it feels very hard, it is not ripe.

Try removing the pedicel – the little round bit on the top where the avocado was attached to the stem. If it won’t budge, it’s underripe. When you can remove it, and it’s greenish-brown to brown underneath, it’s ripe. If it comes away really easily or wasn’t there in the first place, it’ll be brown where the pedicel was, which usually means it’s fully ripe or even overripe.

After a couple of tries, you’ll be able to tell if an avocado is ripe or not.

Lemon juice

Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe. It has two roles. First, it keeps your tunacado green and prevents it from oxidising and turning brown. Secondly, it gives this tunacado its fresh, bright flavour.

Vegan tuna

I recommend using Vuna if you can find it. This is not a sponsored link and I’m not promoting the company. I’m based in Switzerland and we have Vuna here because it’s a Swiss company that makes it. I know you can find it in Italy but I’m not sure where else it’s available. Otherwise, you can use your own preferred vegan tuna brand.

Spring onion

Spring onion provides crunch, flavour and a splash of colour – from the white bulb to the dark green leaves.

Vegan tartare sauce

Tartare sauce adds creaminess and multidimensional flavour to this vegan tuna and avocado mousse. Onions, capers, and gherkins provide a pungent kick, adding depth and a bright, tangy flavour. Parsley contributes fresh, green, herbaceous notes to the flavour.

This vegan tartare sauce recipe takes just 5 minutes to make and uses ingredients you probably already have in the house. It’s basically a vegan mayonnaise that you can whip up in seconds (literally!) using oil, soya milk and an immersion blender, mixed together with chopped gherkins, capers, onion and parsley.

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making your own, you can opt for shop-bought vegan tartare sauce. Can’t find vegan tartare sauce? Use vegan mayonnaise, which is easier to come by, and add your own gherkins etc.

Want a lighter version of this vegan tunacado? Just add the chopped gherkin, capers, onion, and parsley to the tuna avocado mixture and omit the mayonnaise.

Salt

I use unrefined sea salt for all my recipes. Want to know why? Read about the health benefits of natural, unrefined Celtic sea salt here. This is not a sponsored link.

Pepper

A twist of freshly ground black pepper complements this unique avocado and tuna spread perfectly.

How to make vegan tunacado

Instructions

You’ll find step-by-step instructions with photos in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

• If using shop-bought tartare sauce, jump to the next step. Make the tartare sauce. Put the sunflower oil, soya milk, lemon juice, mustard, and salt into a tall, narrow container. Blend for a few seconds using an immersion blender until the mayonnaise is thick and creamy. Add the chopped gherkins, capers, onion and parsley and mix well. Correct the seasoning if necessary. Put your tartare sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
• Cut the avocado in half, remove the pith, scoop out the flesh with a spoon, and put it in a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork or chop It into small cubes. Add the lemon juice and stir it in. This will prevent it from oxidising.
• Add the vegan tuna, finely chopped spring onions, vegan tartare sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

How to serve vegan tunacado

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use (max. recommended storage time: a couple of hours).

Spread your vegan tunacado on sourdough bread, slather it in sandwiches and rolls or serve it as a dip for tortilla chips and/or raw vegetable sticks (for example, carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers and fennel). I really recommend adding a garnish of fresh dill, a few capers, and some chilled, crunchy cucumber slices. Cucumber is a great addition to tunacado sandwiches. The contrast between creamy tunacado and crunchy cucumber slices is delightful.

Vegan tunacado is also a great filling for stuffed cucumber and tomatoes.

How to store vegan tunacado

You’ll want to enjoy this delicious tunacado as soon as possible after making it while it’s still at its best. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge until the next day. After that, it will deteriorate quite quickly, becoming a bit discoloured and more watery.

Can I freeze vegan tunacado?

No. Unfortunately, tunacado isn’t a good candidate for the freezer because freezing and subsequent defrosting spoil the flavour and texture.

I’m sure you’ll love this vegan tunacado recipe! If you try it, I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below, or take a quick pic and share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook @vegan_hot_stuff – I love seeing your re-creations!

Frequently asked questions

What is tunacado from Joe & The Juice?

The Tunacado from Joe & The Juice is a popular sandwich that combines tuna and avocado. It’s known for its unique combination of ingredients and specific preparation method. The famous sandwich is made with Joe’s classic bread, avocado, tuna mousse, vegan pesto, tomato and various seasonings. The mousse is made by blending tuna with mayonnaise and seasonings until smooth. The mousse is then layered with slices of avocado, tomato and pesto. The bread used is grilled to add extra crispiness.

I hope you liked this recipe for vegan tunacado! If you did, it would be great if you could give it 5 stars and leave a comment below! It helps other readers to find my content and posts and ultimately makes my blog more successful! Thank you so much for your support! Deborah xx

Before you go, why don’t you check out some other delicious vegan dips and sauces…

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