This vegan take on a deli classic uses soaked sunflower seeds two ways: both in place of the tuna and mayonnaise. With bright flavors of lemon and fresh herbs and a little crunch from fresh celery and shallots, you won’t miss the fish in this satisfying salad.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 day 15 min |
| Active: | 15 min |
| Yield: | about 4 heaping 1/3 cup servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Serving suggestions: whole wheat wraps, lettuce, tomato and avocado
Instructions
- Cover the sunflower seeds with at least 1/4 inch of water and soak, at room temperature in an air tight container, for at least 24 hours. The seeds are ready when they have nearly doubled in size.
- Drain the seeds and pulse half (about 1 cup) with the lemon juice, mustard and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until almost smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add the remaining seeds, along with the dill, parsley, paprika, celery, shallot, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles tuna salad. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fill a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, tomato, avocado and the vegan tuna salad.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 170 calorie |
| Total Fat | 11 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 2 grams |
| Cholesterol | 0 milligrams |
| Sodium | 210 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 9 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 grams |
| Protein | 6 grams |
Reviews
Told my hubby and son that this was tuna salad, to try and make them eat healthier. They totally believed me!! Thank you Food Network for getting some nutrients into my family! (Just don’t tell them it is sunflower seeds… lol)
Didn’t have raw so used roasted sunflower seeds. Didn’t seem to expand much. Substituted dry dill weed for fresh. Omitted parsley. Since I’m the only vegan I cut the recipe in half and I have enough for another sandwich. I had a stacked tuna with avocado tomato and lettuce. Will try with raw sunflower seeds next time. Actually I liked the flavor and didn’t miss smelly tuna
I made this recipe today. I’ll start with some confessions. I soaked my unsalted, unroasted raw seeds for about 40 hours mostly because I forgot about them. They doubled because I did the whole 1 cup in the processor first thing so I measured when I put the rest in. Second confession, I’m not a huge raw onion fan so I used onion powder which worked great. Third confession, I didn’t have Dijon mustard so I used German. Fourth confession, I didn’t add the celery in to the mix but used celery to eat this dish with instead. Natures crackers! Fifth and last confession, I added dill relish in place of dill and added after I processed the seeds because it’s what I do with my tuna salad and I like more texture. Now that that’s done and I’ve confessed my strays from the recipe, here are my thoughts: Alright the name, it must change to something like “vegan deli dip.” If you think of it that way it’s really yummy. I’m going to do this again when I get to have my vegan friends over to have something different than hummus for a dip for a crudités type situation.
Overall it’s a pretty good “deli dip.” I’ve had similar type dishes that have used drained canned chickpeas and I think that texture would work better. The seeds do have that seedy texture and toughness even after soaking and pulsing in the processor. It’s be easier time wise and people would typically have them more on hand than raw seeds. Smoked paprika adds more flavor than regular paprika and adding in diced onion or celery post processing keeps more of the texture. So I guess I did end with one more confession that I sneaked that smoked paprika in there too;) Happy vegan deli dipping!
Just like you don’t expect a pumpkin spice latte to have the squash-like flavor of pumpkin, you can’t expect this vegan tuna salad to have the fishy flavor of tuna. Instead, it’s about the seasonings – mainly dill and onion – that have a resemblance to deli-style tuna salad. I can confirm the other reviewer’s comment that the soaking water will turn dark green, which is gross – but this is a natural process and doesn’t mean the food has spoiled or is inedible. However, even after soaking 24+ hours, my seeds did not plump up nearly at all, and definitely not to twice their size. The biggest thing missing for me is the creaminess of mayonnaise. Most, if not all, major grocery stores now carry Vegenaise, which is a vegan version of mayo, usually in the refrigerated produce section. It is pricy ($5.99 for a small jar), but a big spoonful here makes a huge difference in taste and texture. Everyone has a different tolerance for onions, but I will say that a whole shallot was way, way too much for me, and overpowered the whole dish. I’d start with half a shallot and bump it up bit by bit if needed. Overall, this spread is fine, not great. I probably won’t make it again.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but plan to. I would suggest trying Aji Nori Furikake (Seasoned Mix), it might make the difference for that sea flavor. I’ll keep you posted!
I did not find this appealing at all!
Nothing in the recipe, either alone or mixed with other things looks like it would even remotely taste like tuna. Seriously?
First off, this is sunflower seed salad, not tuna salad. Why do vegans have to pretend what they’re eating is like something with meat, fish or dairy in it. I think people would respect the vegan lifestyle more if they quit trying to pretend they’re eating fauna and just celebrate what they have.
I tried the first step, which is soaking the sunflower seeds in water for 24 hrs. The water turned a dark green…gross! Didn’t continue after that. Lol
Love this recipe…it’s light, refreshing and delicious!