I officially declare these the best tuna patties ever! These healthy keto tuna burgers are easy to make, delicious, and a very family friendly recipe. A great way to get a little more fish in your low carb diet. Less than 2g carbs per serving. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
Tuna salad is a staple in our house and I probably make it at least once every 2 weeks. It’s keto, it’s easy, my kids like it, and…it’s incredibly boring. I am so very much a tuna salad fan but it’s not the most exciting meal and I make it mostly because it’s a good way to get some fatty fish into my kids. So it’s what I make on the fly when I can’t think of much else and I need to get some healthy protein into them without too much struggle. I can easily serve it with lettuce wraps, keto crackers, or some instant keto english muffins and they will be happy.
But a few weeks ago, as I pulled out a few cans of tuna from the cupboard, I nearly put myself to sleep. The thought of just mashing up some tuna with some mayo and a sprinkle of salt and pepper bored me to tears. I needed to do something different with that fish, just to shake things up a bit.
Enter these delicious keto tuna cakes. Or tuna burgers. Or tuna patties. Whatever you want to call them.
I rummaged through my fridge and my cupboards, pulling out lemon, fresh dill, and some Bob’s Red Mill almond flour as a binder. More often than not, I am grabbing that almond flour to make something sweet, but it’s amazing in savory recipes too. I forget about that sometimes – it’s wonderful when you need to add a little bulk to meatballs and meatloaf and it worked perfectly in these tuna patties. You could probably sub in Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour too but you’d only want about 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Not a fan of tuna? Try these Chicken Cakes and sub the bread crumbs for almond flour!
How to Make Low Carb Tuna Patties
- Be sure to use sustainable tuna such as Wild Planet, which is pole and line caught and lower in mercury.
- Drain the tuna very well. Wild Planet says you don’t need to drain it and that’s true for tuna salad but it’s best to drain it for these tuna burgers.
- Use a low carb binder such as almond flour or coconut flour, to help the patties hold their shape.
- Good health mayonnaise, such as Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil mayo, helps make the tuna burgers moist and delicious.
- Form them firmly by hand into nice even patties about 3/4 inch thick. They shouldn’t be more than 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
- A non-stick skillet works best for easy flipping. Flip them carefully. Once they are cooked well on one side, they hold together nicely.
- Serve with tasty toppings like Garlic Aioli Mayo and capers.
I will be honest, I served these to my kids with trepidation. They are at that funny stage of not liking anything unfamiliar or different, and this was a very different way for me to serve tuna. But to my surprise and delight, they loved them and they all asked for a second helping. Now mind you, I left off the garlic aioli mayo and the capers on theirs, but still…this was rather adventurous for them. Just goes to show you that I don’t know anything when it comes to parenting.
I’ve made these several times since then and they come out so well. And I am so happy to have a tasty and not-so-boring alternative to tuna salad.
Many thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
I officially declare these the best tuna patties ever! These healthy keto tuna burgers are easy to make, delicious, and a very family friendly recipe. A great way to get a little more fish in your low carb diet. Less than 2g carbs per serving.
- 4 5-ounce cans tuna drained
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2 medium green onions, chopped white and light green parts only
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
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In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the avocado oil until well combined. Form into 8 patties about 3/4 inch thick.
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In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the avocado oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of tuna patties and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Carefully flip over and cook the other side another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining oil and patties.
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Top with mayo, lemon, and capers, if desired.
Pdxgirl says
Could this recipe be used for crab cakes, just subbing the tuna for real crab?
Carolyn says
I would think so, yes. Make sure it’s well drained!
Nancy says
How many ounces of tuna? I would like to use larger cans…
Carolyn says
I used the 5 ounce cans. Some of that is water weight but I think it comes to about 4 ounces actual tuna per can.
Emily Hill says
I bet my husband would love these tuna cakes!
Redsnapperuk says
Yeah these bad boys are so on my radar!!!! Lemon, dill and tuna….what’s not to love!
Alli says
These sound seriously so good, we cant get enough tuna around here. Must make!
Jessica Burgess says
Yaaay! I’m so glad I’ve found this recipe. I LOVE tuna patties!
Michele says
I made these twice this week – so good! Thanks!!
L says
Coukd these be made ahead and frozen?
Carolyn says
I would think so. Be sure to thaw fully before cooking.
Linda says
I made these last night for dinner. EASY and DELISH!!! Topped with garlic aoili, capers and lemon.
Brooke says
do you think we can use coconut flour? we just ran out of almond flour!
Carolyn says
Probably but only use about 1/3 the amount.
Robin Mermaid says
Made these tonight with the Wild Planet tuna, which we always purchase. Delicious! Thank you!
Sally says
Just made these. SO delicious! Definitely a keeper. One question, what should the texture be of the mix? I found mine sticky and a little challenging to hand form the patties although they still turned out delicious 🙂
Sally says
I think I figured out my mistake. It’s 4 cans of tuna not 1 right? Luckily still turned out good.
Carolyn says
Yes, it’s 4 cans.
Diane says
Just a quick question, so the 1/4 cup of Mayo goes into the mix or is it to put on the top of the patty after it’s cooked?
Thank you.
Carolyn says
It goes in the mix.
Muniza says
Just made these , they’re amazing!!! Thanks for the recipe
Jenna says
The taste is great..but mine keep falling apart should I add more flour 🙁
Carolyn says
No, flour is going to make it more likely to fall apart. Perhaps another egg white?
Mollybud says
Micro for 30 seconds defore browning.This will hold them together.
Danielle says
These were excellent. I added a little butter to the pan when frying to help them brown and i’m so happy I did. Delish! I’ll definitely make them again. Thanks for sharing!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Kay Lynn says
Do you think this would work with canned salmon? I miss salmon patties.
Carolyn says
sure it would!
Karen says
YIPPEE!!!
Crystal says
This recipe is amazing!! I used 2 cans of salmon instead of tuna…I squeezed it out by hand to get as much liquid out as possible. I did add 1/4 tsp of cayenne because we like a little kick. The 1/3 cup measuring cup makes a perfect scoop for the mixture and makes the perfect size patty. This one is a keeper!!
Carolyn says
Sounds wonderful!
Phillip Brunet says
Could this be made with Garbanzo bean flour instead?
Carolyn says
I have no idea, I’ve never used it.
Jeanette says
Thanks for another delicious recipe. I fried mine in bacon grease because I had some to use up. I served them on a bed of coleslaw. So good! I’m making them again for company this weekend!
Carolyn says
Bacon grease is always a good thing!
Kathy says
I used to make Paula Dean’s Faux Crab Cakes but now these will do nicely.
cdhayes says
I made these patties tonight. I made a couple of changes. I used flaxseed meal instead of almond flour and added about 3/4 cup of chopped organic spinach. I also added a tbs of chopped capers. Since I grilled them on my Geo Foreman grill, I didn’t use the avocado oil – very low fat. Thanks – my husband and I both love them!
Carol says
These are great! Had to sub dried dill because that’s what I had. I think I went a bit heavy with the salt- but it could’ve been a difference in mayo brands. The size was perfect. They were perfectly moist and I will definitely be putting this recipe in our weekly rotation! Thank you for sharing!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Gina says
Mind fell apart so I may have used too much coconut flour.
Carolyn says
This recipe doesn’t use coconut flour, it uses almond flour. These two things do not work in the same way at all. So yes… that is the problem.
Toni says
This quickly became a favorite at my house! It was so good!
Laura Reese says
We loved these patties. So many great flavors and such a great meal.
Paige & Whitney says
Thank you so much or sharing your recipe- we loooove tuna. One helpful hint for other cooks out there is that there didn’t seem to be enough filler in there to really bind the patties together. We followed the recipe faithfully and were dismayed when upon flipping them, our patties had no structural integrity! The taste was not impacted but beware, the 3-4 minutes per side might be more like 5-6 minutes per side- especially important if cooking for a hungry audience. Enjoy!
Carolyn says
I’ve made these multiple times and had no issues cooking or flipping. They do indeed have structural integrity so I think it’s likely the almond flour you are using. Or you may need to flip more carefully and gently.
Lynn v says
Outstanding! Excellent with homemade Remoulade sauce.
Jude DeWitt says
My husband was more than a little disappointed when he found out that the patties on his plate were not salmon. And then he tasted them. Before dinner was over he requested that they be put in the regular rotation of meals, and he doesn’t generally eat keto meals. These tuna patties were absolutely deliciou, and so easy to make! Thank you for the recipe. It’s pinned!
Karen says
Made these with salmon tonight. Very good! Thanks!!
Alex says
These were perfect! Unfortunately because of… the global pandemic… I wasn’t able to get to the store for lemon and dill. I substituted some parsley and a few drops of lemon oil. Also added a little red onion because I had it.
They were GREAT! I’m sure they would be even better as-written (dill seems like a better flavor for this than parsley), but an easy way to make a super affordable and delicious lunch.
I cooked them in a cast-iron, and then put them in the oven at 275 for a few minutes just to dry them out slightly, because they looked a tad soggy. The texture was awesome. Thanks again for the recipe!
Carolyn says
I think you did great with what you have. We are all making adjustments when we need to!
Sharon says
I substitute flour with pork rinds, ive used regular and bbq. Works great and is still keto friendly.
Neha says
Cooking with Tuna for the first time and never thought it would be so easy!!
Can’t thank you enough for sharing this amazingly quick
yet delicious recipe. I made a few changes, replaced almond flour with just 2 tsp of Breadcrumbs (because im not following a Keto diet) which I later realized can be completely left out. The patties were perfectly firm as I used 2 small eggs instead of 1 large egg. Also, had no dill, replaced it with fresh parsley and green onions with 1 small red onion.
Made these in preheated Airfryer in 15 mins with flipping them once midway. Result… absolutely delicious 🙂
This is going to be my go to quick recipe when I want to have Tuna.
I have a question though, I have some mix left, wondering if it will stay good in the fridge? If so, for how many days?
Vhm says
I made these tonight and they are easy and delish. Mine fell apart but I used the spatula to “smoosh” them together when plating. Love tuna and these will go on regular rotation. thanks so much!
Tracey says
My family loves these – so nice to have a recipe everyone will eat, just add different bits on the side according to taste/ diet. My picky 5 year old cried because they were all gone – he so rarely cleans his plate!
Estelle says
Yum ! Love the zesty taste & mine held together perfectly even though I did not measure everything exactly.
Tara Saunders says
I halved the recipe and I must these are *thebomb.com*!!
Will definitely be making these again!!
Suparna Gibbs says
Wow! Made these tonight, thought I might have to freeze the left overs ha! Decimated! Scarfed! Inhaled! Vanished! What a hit! Have been asked to make it again tomorrow night! Woohoo! Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Avneet B. says
Wow! I just made these for lunch, they were absolutely delicious and so easy. The flavour is amazing. I’m about 5 weeks into Keto and this blog is keeping me motivated!