Use this vegan tuna to substitute canned tuna in any recipe! Flaky, meaty, vegan protein seasoned to taste like real tuna with an unbeatable taste and texture! This mock tuna can be used in vegan tuna sandwiches, vegan tuna casserole, creamed tuna on toast, tuna pinwheels, or any other recipe that uses canned tuna.
Don't get me wrong, I love chickpea "tuna" salad sandwiches, but if you want to replace a can of tuna in a recipe, chickpeas just won't cut it. Unlike faux tuna made from chickpeas, this vegan tuna is made from texture vegetable protein or Butler Soy Curls, so it has a truly meaty texture and will hold its structure when cooking or baking.
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Read my article to learn more about TVP or check out my other vegan recipes that use Butler Soy Curls like vegan jerky, vegan buffalo chicken, and vegan popcorn chicken.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- TVP (textured vegetable protein) or Butler Soy Curls - this is a dehydrated soy protein that will absorb the flavor of any broth that you rehydrate it in. (If you use soy curls, you will have to break them into smaller pieces.) You can find TVP in the Bob's Red Mill section of large grocery stores or order TVP or Butler Soy Curls on Amazon.
- Water - to make the broth.
- Kelp Flakes - to give it the fishy flavor. I find these at Whole Foods or Amazon. You can also use crushed-up nori sheets. (Use the extra kelp flakes to replace anchovies to make an awesome vegan Caesar dressing and give vegan linguine with clam sauce its flavor.)
- Oil - to give it a little moisture and mouth feel of tuna. Any neutral-flavored oil will work or you can leave it out for an oil-free tuna. You can also use flaxseed oil for a more fishy flavor. You can also omit the oil for an oil-free mock tuna.
- Salt - to give it the saltiness of real tuna.
🥄 How to make vegan tuna
Step 1 - Add 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 teaspoon of kelp flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a small saucepan.
Step 2 - Heat until it boils, then turn off the heat and add 3/4 cup of TVP or soy curls. Stir, cover, and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it absorbs all of the water.
Step 3 - Use as you would a can of tuna. It's perfect for a vegan tuna melt or vegan tuna noodle casserole!
How to make vegan tuna salad
If you want to use this mock tuna to make a vegan tuna sandwich, simply add it to a bowl with vegan mayo, chopped celery, diced red onion, dill pickle relish, salt, and black pepper, then stir until combined.
Use this mock tuna to make a sandwich or wrap. Add a slice of vegan cheese and grill it for a plant-based tuna melt. You can also spread it on toast, lettuce leaves, or crackers.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Butler Soy Curls will give you larger flakier pieces of "tuna." However, you will have to break it into small pieces before adding it to the broth.
- You can omit the oil for oil-free vegan tuna.
- You can double the oil to simulate oil-packed tuna.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: The vegan tuna will keep well in the fridge for 3 - 5 days in a sealed container.
Freeze: This vegan tuna freezes well and can be stored in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
🌟 More vegan seafood recipes
I used to love seafood before I went vegan, so I make a lot of mock seafood recipes. Check out all of my vegan seafood recipes.
- Vegan Fish
- Vegan Scallops
- Buttery Vegan Linguine with Clam Sauce
- Vegan Clam Dip
- Vegan Shrimp
- Fried Vegan Shrimp
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan tuna recipe
Vegan Tuna
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or any neutral-flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon kelp flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup TVP crumbles (or Butler Soy Curls)
Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon kelp flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a small saucepan.
- Heat until it boils, then turn off heat and add 3/4 cup of TVP. Stir, cover, and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it absorbs all of the water.
- Use as you would a can of tuna.
Notes
- Butler Soy Curls will give you larger flakier pieces of "tuna." However, you will have to break it into small pieces before adding it to the broth.
- You can omit the oil for oil-free vegan tuna.
- You can double the oil to simulate oil-packed tuna.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
This is excellent. Thank you so much for the recipe. I used Soy Curls, the small pieces. It was so easy and came out terrific. I can just imagine making things I haven't been able to make in years.
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe. It's so exciting when you get to have an old familiar flavor that you haven't tasted in years! 🙂
same question I was going to ask! =)
I'm not sure which question you were referring to, but if you want to make it oil-free, then you can simply leave it out. Enjoy! 🙂
Could extra water be used instead of oil? I'm trying to be as fat free as possible :).
Yes, the oil is optional. Enjoy! 🙂
Would this work with jackfruit as I think the texture might be better.
Yes, you could use jackfruit, but you won't need as much water since the jackfruit won't absorb the broth that you make for this recipe.
ThankYou.
Where does the trans fat come from?
Good question, Mike. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I think it was a glitch in my nutrition calculation software. I fixed it now, no ingredient in the recipe has any trans fat. I hope that you enjoy the tuna recipe! 🙂
This was perfect. My husband is getting a little burned out on chickpeas . I added it to my version of Mac and cheese and wow. What a nice flavor it added. I will define making a sandwich with it next. Thanks Monica
I'm so happy that you like this version of vegan tuna, Sherri! Enjoy! 🙂
Had been using a similar recipe, but with linseed oil: it intensifies the fishy flavor. Should be added in the end of process as it’s not apt for high temperatures. Ih, and also cut nori sheet.. But I guess kelp will do the thing even better:)
Great point, Maria, linseed or flaxseed oil added at the end will give it a fishy flavor as well! Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Maria, where do you buy or find linseed oil? Thanks in advance:)