Tuna Cakes
Our easy Tuna Cakes are healthy because they contain no flour or bread crumbs. The tuna cakes are bound with egg and sweet potato, which not only adds a delicious depth of flavor, but ensures that it is Paleo and Whole 30 compliant, as well as being gluten-free. Serve this Tuna Cake recipe as a main dish for a light dinner or appetizer.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Tuna Cakes not only benefit from their egg and sweet potato base for being healthy, but it provides its own unique flavor as well. Combine this with simple ingredients such as onion, garlic, chives, amongst others and you have a new favorite way to enjoy some plain old cans of tuna!
The perfect way to serve these Tuna Cakes are with a side of tartar sauce. We love to top these delicious Tuna Cakes with a fresh avocado and a drizzle of sriracha sauce to make them spicy Tuna Cakes! Serve Tuna Cakes on a bed of greens to have a balanced and fresh meal.
These healthy Tuna Cakes are made similarly to crab cakes, so if you have experience with those, this will be a piece of cake. All you have to do is mix the ingredients and then form tuna patties from the Tuna Cake mixture. After that, it’s a simple task of frying up the Tuna Cakes on a hot skillet! With a total time of 30 minutes, we are a big fan of whipping this up any night we need easy dinners!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Nutritious and filling: Packed with protein from tuna and fiber-rich sweet potatoes for a balanced, satisfying meal.
Great for meal prep: Make a batch ahead of time and enjoy throughout the week—perfect for lunchboxes or quick dinners.
Flavorful and fresh: Lemon juice, chives, and paprika brighten up the canned tuna and give each bite a pop of flavor.
Budget-friendly: Uses pantry staples and affordable ingredients with no sacrifice in taste.
Naturally gluten-free: No breadcrumbs or flour needed—just whole food ingredients that hold together beautifully.
Ingredients to Make Tuna Cakes:
- canned tuna. Use tuna packed in water, drained well. Flake it with a fork before mixing.
- sweet potato. Use peeled and cubed orange sweet potatoes; boiled and mashed to create a soft, starchy base that holds the cakes together.
- red bell pepper. Minced finely for mild sweetness, color, and a bit of crunch.
- onion. Adds savory flavor; mince it small so it cooks through during pan-frying.
- garlic. Just one clove, minced—adds subtle depth to the flavor without overpowering.
- fresh chives. Brings a mild oniony flavor and brightness—can sub with green onions if needed.
- lemon juice. Adds acidity to balance the richness of the tuna and sweet potato.
- egg. Binds the ingredients together and helps the cakes hold their shape.
- paprika. Smoked paprika can be used for deeper flavor.
How to Make Tuna Cakes:
- Place cubed sweet potatoes in a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10–12 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and mash until smooth. Let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed sweet potato, tuna, bell pepper, onion, garlic, egg, chives, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well until evenly combined.
- Scoop the mixture and shape into small cakes, about ½ inch thick.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the cakes in batches for 3–4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and heated through. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Cool the sweet potatoes slightly: Let the mashed sweet potatoes cool for a few minutes before mixing to prevent the egg from scrambling.
- Drain tuna well: Press out as much liquid as possible so the cakes hold together and sear properly.
- Chop vegetables finely: Finely mincing the bell pepper and onion ensures the cakes cook evenly and hold their shape.
- Use a scoop for even portions: A ¼ cup scoop helps form uniform-sized cakes for even cooking.
- Pan temperature matters: Make sure the skillet is hot enough before adding the cakes—this helps form a crisp crust and prevents sticking.
- Double the batch: These freeze well and are great to have on hand for quick meals.
Serving Suggestions:
How to Store:
Refrigerator: Store cooked tuna cakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Let them cool completely before refrigerating.
Freezer: Freeze cooked and cooled cakes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once solid, transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Store for up to 2 months.
To reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes per side, or bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. They can also be microwaved, but the texture is best when reheated on the stovetop.
FAQs:
Yes. Place the formed cakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375ºF for 15–18 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and heated through.
Yes, just make sure they’re plain (no added sugar or spices). Use about 1 cup of mashed sweet potato in place of the 2 cups cubed.
Green onions or finely chopped parsley work well as a substitute.
Grab your Free copy
Get a FREE Healthy Meal Planning Ebook
Tuna Cakes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place cubed sweet potatoes in a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10–12 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and mash until smooth. Let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed sweet potato, tuna, bell pepper, onion, garlic, egg, chives, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well until evenly combined.
- Scoop the mixture and shape into small cakes, about ½ inch thick.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the cakes in batches for 3–4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and heated through. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
Video
Nutrition
Notes
-
- Cool the sweet potatoes slightly: Let the mashed sweet potatoes cool for a few minutes before mixing to prevent the egg from scrambling.
- Drain tuna well: Press out as much liquid as possible so the cakes hold together and sear properly.
- Chop vegetables finely: Finely mincing the bell pepper and onion ensures the cakes cook evenly and hold their shape.
- Use a scoop for even portions: A ¼ cup scoop helps form uniform-sized cakes for even cooking.
- Pan temperature matters: Make sure the skillet is hot enough before adding the cakes, this helps form a crisp crust and prevents sticking.
- Double the batch: These freeze well and are great to have on hand for quick meals.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Please leave a comment and star rating on this post!More Dinner Recipes:
Did You Make This Tuna Cakes Recipe?
If you’ve made this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating. We love hearing your feedback and it greatly helps us improve our recipes!
You can also give us a follow on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook – we love staying in touch!
Fun paleo recipe but I don’t know how anyone got these to stay together on the pan… The moisture wouldn’t really cook out of these enough to keep the patties in shape so they all turned to mush. I even tried to add almond flour as a binder on the second half of the batch but still no luck. Flavor was great though
These were absolutely delicious! I drizzled them with spicy mayo and served with a side of Asian-inspired sweet potato noodles. Has anyone made them without the egg though? My daughter’s allergic and I’m thinking I may try my vegan mayo as a binder. I tried an egg replacement previously and didn’t bind at all.
What other herbs could you use instead of dill?
These were quick easy and turned out delicious! I used a Néw Jersey sweet potato and only one but still turned out fabulous! My second batch I cooked longer for a darker crust and it was definitely worth it
Can this be fried in the air fryer?
I’m an awful cook but these came out great, they’re so easy and addicting. No issues with them falling apart. Thank you!
This recipe was a life saver! I didn’t have red peppers or chives. But I did have left over sweet potatoes which was great because they were already cold, so my patties didn’t fall apart. So good, quick and easy to make. Thank you!
Just made them and had no trouble with them sticking together. This is what I did:
Instead of mashing the mixture with a fork, I used a potato masher and mashed everything together like I would potatoes. I used a quarter cup measuring cup, filled it to the brim with mixture, and packed it in. Then, turned the measuring cup upside down on a plate, gave it a good tap, and out the mixture came in a solid piece. I pushed it down slightly with the palm of my hand and it worked perfectly!
Made it exactly as the recipe and it turned out delicious. Thank you!
On the upside, the flavor of this mixture is excellent! I would not have thought of combining sweet potato with tuna. On the downside, there was no way this mixture could be formed into balls. They completely fell apart. We cooked it as tuna hash. I went back to look at the recipe, and nowhere does it say that I needed to mash the potato (or most of it anyway). Mashing is kind of mentioned in the blog, but not in the recipe, where it needs to be. I am making notes on my recipe so that next time I know to do that. So 3 stars for flavor; 2 stars subtracted for lack of clarity in the recipe.
Hi Summer, I am so sorry that the recipe card wasn’t clear enough. It is a definite problem with our older recipes and we’ve been hard at work updating our recipe cards and blog posts with very clear steps, step by step photos and FAQs. We’re working down a list of most to least popular content, and this recipe‘s revision is coming up soon. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Thank you! Looking forward to the revised recipe.
How many patties are in a serving?
Hello Tyrone, I have it at 3 patties per serving.
They came out a little soft, but it didn’t matter- they tasted delicious!!
We made these tonight with a pint of home canned, water packed tuna drained. They were very tasty and we will make them again. The only problem we had was the were very soft and difficult to flip in the pan. Next time we will try adding a bit of panko to stiffen them up a bit. Thanks!
Hi David – glad you enjoyed the flavor of these tuna cakes. When we make them, they are definitely on the softer side as well, but we usually do not have issues with flipping them. If you are ok with panko in your diet, it will definitely help stiffen them up:)
Hi, I loved these!!! So delicious and healthy! Mine did crumble a bit so next time I’d add another egg. The mixture was also quite watery before i made the cakes – I think it was maybe my potato – i might mash it next time or use the rind of the lime instead of the juice. I didn’t have paprika so I used 1/2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper. I really appreciated you sharing this recipe. It was very pantry friendly, healthy and tasty!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Kiera! 😀
I followed your recipe to a tee. They fell apart. I didn’t like this recipe. Ended up adding almond flour to get it to bind.
Hello Therese. I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work for you! Since I wasn’t in the kitchen with you, it’s impossible to know what went wrong. This recipe is part of our personal lunch menu rotation, and they’ve never failed. I will add them to our menu for this week and recheck the quantities on my recipe card to be sure. Thanks for the feedback.
What size cans? Oil or water packed? Drained or undrained?
I used 6oz cans, water packed and I drained it. It’s not an exact science though – I’ve used 5oz oil packed cans as well. Also, I’ve never NOT drained tuna cans, but I’ll be sure to add this information to the recipe card.
Thanks.