Tuna Patties are one of my family’s favorite dinners. Crispy on the outside and tender the inside, it’s a healthy meal in less than 30 minutes!
When you’ve had a busy day and don’t know what to make for dinner, I highly recommend these Lemon Dill Tuna Patties. They’ve become a staple in our house, and with good reason. It’s a healthy dinner on auto-pilot.
And it’s my way of getting some healthy fish into my kids without complaint. They love tuna salad and we make it often. But let’s face it, it’s not the most exciting meal in the world.
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 flaky fish, just to shake things up a bit.
Enter these delicious tuna cakes. Or tuna burgers. Or tuna patties. Whatever you want to call them, they made our dinner more interesting and enjoyable.
Be sure to check out my recipe for Keto Crab Cakes too!
You will love this healthy recipe
We all need a few easy recipes in our repertoire that please the whole family. That’s no easy task for any of us with multiple children.
This tuna patties recipe checks all the boxes for my people. It’s ready in less than half an hour, it has wonderful flavor, and it’s incredibly healthy. With 23g of protein and only 2g of carbs per serving, I know I am getting good nutrition into all of us.
And it’s an incredibly versatile recipe too. Want to change up the flavors? Try adding some Tex Mex spices and cheddar cheese. You can cook them in a pan or in the air fryer. And you can make them a day or two in advance.
Ingredients you need
- Canned tuna: We get big packs of Wild Planet sustainable tuna at Costco, which we keep on hand at all times for easy meals.
- Almond flour: This acts gives the tuna patties some structure.
- Green onion: Fresh green onion adds flavor and color.
- Dill: I recommend fresh dill but if you only have dried, try 1 teaspoon.
- Lemon: This recipe uses both the zest of the lemon as well as some juice.
- Mayonnaise: Mayo adds moisture and a bit of tanginess.
- Eggs: Egg helps bind the tuna patties together.
- Pantry staples: Salt, pepper, cooking oil.
Step by Step Directions
1. Combine the ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the avocado oil until well combined.
2. Form patties: Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Form each into patties about ¾ inch thick.
3. Cook one side: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon 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.
4. Flip the patties: 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.
5. Add toppings: Top with mayo, lemon, and capers, if desired.
Expert Tips
Make sure to drain the tuna very well. If the tuna patties have too much liquid, they will be more prone to falling apart.
A little almond flour helps give them more structure. If you need to be nut-free, try using some sunflower seed flour.
Form them firmly by hand into nice even patties about ¾ inch thick. They shouldn’t be more than 3 to 4 inches in diameter. They are easier to flip when they aren’t too big.
I recommend a good non-stick skillet for this recipe. Flip the tuna patties carefully by wiggling your spatula underneath. Once they are cooked well on one side, they hold together nicely.
Don’t need 8 tuna cakes? You can easily make a half batch!
Frequently Asked Questions
Use both a little filler such as almond flour, as well as eggs, to bind the tuna patties together. Also be sure to keep them on the small side for easier flipping. You can wiggle a spatula underneath each patty and then carefully flip over.
These low carb Tuna Patties use almond flour and have only 2g carbs per serving.
Store the patties in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them for several months.
More healthy low carb fish recipes
Tuna Patties Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 5-ounce cans tuna drained
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 medium green onions, chopped white and light green parts only
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the avocado oil until well combined.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Form each into patties about ¾ inch thick and place on a waxed paper lined tray.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon 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.
- 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.
- Top with mayo, lemon, and capers, if desired.
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!
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!
Tara Saunders says
I halved the recipe and I must these are *thebomb.com*!!
Will definitely be making these again!!
Estelle says
Yum ! Love the zesty taste & mine held together perfectly even though I did not measure everything exactly.
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!
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!
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?
Sharon says
I substitute flour with pork rinds, ive used regular and bbq. Works great and is still keto friendly.
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!
Karen says
Made these with salmon tonight. Very good! Thanks!!
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!
Lynn v says
Outstanding! Excellent with homemade Remoulade sauce.
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.
Laura Reese says
We loved these patties. So many great flavors and such a great meal.
Toni says
This quickly became a favorite at my house! It was so good!
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.
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!
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!
Kathy says
I used to make Paula Dean’s Faux Crab Cakes but now these will do nicely.
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!