This healthy tuna pâté with cream cheese is quick and easy, and ready to eat in 10 minutes. It's a great way to turn canned tuna into a healthy appetiser or lunch. You'll just need tuna, cream cheese, plus some seasonings. It's such a simple way to add more healthy fish to your diet.
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Why you'll love this healthy recipe
- An easy and delicious way to eat more fish (if you want an easy way to include more omega 3 oils in your diet, try this quick sardine pate, kipper pâté or mackerel pate recipe)
- Homemade healthy tuna pâté with cream cheese is ideal on toast, in sandwiches and as a dip with veggies
- A budget-friendly fish recipe which is ready to eat in 10 minutes
- Creamy tuna pate without mayonnaise is gluten free
- A high-protein, low-carb tuna spread which is a good source of B vitamins
As I make a point of including more protein at lunchtime, healthy tuna pate is an absolute staple on my menus!
Ingredients
Canned tuna. You need tuna in spring water or brine for this recipe, otherwise it will be too oily. The size of cans of tuna seems to vary a little from brand to brand, so don't worry if your can is a slightly different size.
You can use tuna chunks to make tuna pâté as they are cheaper than tuna steak, making the recipe more budget-friendly.
Cream cheese. You can use either full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese to make tuna pâté without mayonnaise. However, I'd avoid very low-fat or fat-free cream cheese as they can be quite watery and will spoil the texture of the pate. If you've only got very low fat cream cheese, drain away the watery liquid before you use it.
Spring onion. This is optional as raw onion can be polarising, especially for children! If you're not using spring onion then you could add a few fresh herbs such a parsley, chives or dill.
Lemon juice will brighten the taste of the tuna pâté. If you don't have lemon juice, you could use a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar. If you want a distinct lemon flavour, add a little of the grated rind of the lemon too.
Seasoning. Just add pepper when you mix the pâté, and taste to see if you need some salt at the end. You may not need more salt, especially if you use tuna in brine.
Variations
- To make a very low-fat healthy tuna pate, use fat-free Greek yogurt in place of cream cheese. It'll have a slightly tangier flavour, but it'll have more protein as well as being very low in fat
- If you want to add a little heat to your pâté, add a few drops of tabasco or a pinch of paprika
- For extra crunch, add a couple of chopped gherkins (cornichons)
How to make homemade healthy tuna pâté
It's very quick and easy to make tuna pate with cream cheese, and it'll be ready to serve in less than 10 minutes. You can either make it in a small food processor, or use a hand blender to blitz it in a small bowl. Alternatively just mash the tuna pate with a fork.
Start by draining the tuna very well. If you are draining it in the can, squeeze it down with a fork to make sure all the liquid is removed. You could also drain the tuna in a sieve if you find that easier (I prefer not to have the extra washing up!)
Finely chop the spring onion, or any herbs that you are using.
Add the tuna, cream cheese, lemon juice, onion/herbs and a pinch of pepper to a bowl and blitz until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. That's all there is to it!
Serving and storage
Serve healthy tuna pate cold. It goes perfectly with oatcakes, seed bread or these quick wholemeal flatbreads. Add a bowl of soup and you've got an easy, healthy midweek lunch with plenty of protein to keep you feeling full!
I also enjoy serving it as a creamy mayo-free tuna dip with crudités, or in lettuce cups for a low-carb lunch.
You could also use it as a homemade healthy tuna spread for sandwiches, which makes it perfect for kids' and adults' lunchboxes.
Or for a quick and easy dinner, use it as a filling for slow-cooker sweet potatoes
Frequently asked questions
Tuna pate with cream cheese will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Store it in an airtight jar or container.
Canned tuna is a good low low-fat source of protein. It's rich in B vitamins, minerals and has some vitamin D. Skipjack tuna is the healthiest choice as it is lower in mercury. Keep a few tins of tuna in the pantry, and you can whip up a healthy meal in no time.
Tuna in water is lower in calories and fat than tuna in oil. Tuna in oil also has less beneficial omega-3 fish oils, as the oil in which it is packed tends to leach the fatty acids from the fish. To make this healthy tuna pate, it's best to use tuna in water, which gives the finished recipe a better texture.
Other healthy canned fish recipes
Canned fish is a convenient and budget-friendly way to include more fish in your diet. You can use a can of tuna fish to make these tuna and sweetcorn fritters, or tuna quiche. You could also try a quick and healthy mackerel pate, or use a can of fish to make these gluten free fishcakes.
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Recipe
Tuna Pate
Equipment
- Blender or food processor or you can mash the pate with a fork
Ingredients
- 145 g can tuna in brine or spring water
- 80 g cream cheese
- ½ spring onion optional
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- seasoning to taste
Instructions
- Drain the can of tuna really well. Squish the tuna down hard with a fork to ensure that all of the liquid has been removed.145 g can tuna
- Chop the spring onion very finely if using.½ spring onion
- Add the tuna, spring onion, cream cheese, a pinch of pepper and lemon juice to a small bowl. Blitz with a hand blender. You can also use a small food processor, or mash the pate well with a fork.80 g cream cheese, 1 tsp lemon juice, seasoning
- Season to taste. You may not need extra salt as the tuna may already be sufficiently salty.
Notes
- You can use full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese to make healthy tuna pate. I wouldn't recommend very low-fat or fat-free cream cheese as it may be too watery.
- For a lower-fat, higher-protein healthy tuna pate, use fat-free Greek yogurt in place of cream cheese.
- If you'd prefer not to use spring onion, try adding some fresh herbs such as chives, parsley or dill.
- If you want to add a little heat to your pate, add a few drops of Tabasco or a pinch of paprika.
- For extra crunch, add a couple of chopped gherkins (cornichons)
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Nel says
Delicious and so easy, I added clarified butter on top, next time, I’m going to try either finely chopped red onion or cornechons
Wendy Faulkner says
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like the addition of cornichons as they add a little crunch as well as a tangy flavour.