This easy tuna vermicelli salad with tuna is a delicious kid-friendly meal that is perfect in a lunch box. I love that this noodle salad uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. If you want a fun new recipe, this canned tuna pasta recipe is a winner.

This easy recipe pleases both kids and grownups! You can take it in a lunchbox or make a lunch or dinner out of it at home. If you are looking for easier, kid-friendly Asian meal ideas, you will want to try this Honey Garlic Shrimp or this homemade Chicken Pho recipe.

This twist on a Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad will become one of your most popular kid-friendly recipes. Kids love noodles, and this tuna salad is gluten free, nut-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free, making it safe for children with food allergies.

If you love easy noodle recipes as much as we do, you will want to try this delicious kid-approved Stir Fry Gluten Free Beef and Broccoli recipe too!

Chilled Tuna Noodle Salad in a plastic container with a fork dipping in.

It took me a long time to develop an idea my kids would like in their lunch boxes. Tuna is high in protein, which is really important so our kids don’t crash in the middle of the school day.

What Asian noodles are gluten free?

There are many brands and types of Asian noodles. Most are made with rice or starch. I pictured the mung bean starch noodles I used in this recipe. Here are some others to try:

Squid brand fish sauce in a bottle.

What fish sauce brands are gluten free?

Several fish sauce brands are gluten free, including Squid (pictured above), Red Boat (available at most grocery stores and Trader Joe’s, and Thai Kitchen. Always double-check the labels to review the ingredients.

Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions:

Mung bean noodles in a bag.

Making this noodle salad is really easy. First, there are many Asian noodles made with different ingredients like rice, mung bean, and buckwheat.

I have been using this brand that I found in my Asian market. These mung bean noodles get soft when cooked but not mushy like some rice noodles can get. You can find a lot of Asian noodles on Amazon as well.

Cooked mung bean noodles in a colander.

Step 1: Cook your noodles. It is important to follow the cooking directions for the noodles you have.

Step 2: After they are done, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Rinsing your vermicelli noodles in cold water stops cooking and helps prevent your noodles from turning to mush.

The recipe's veggies in a bowl.

Step 3: Add grated carrot, greens, cucumber, and purple cabbage to a large bowl.

Feel free to use any vegetables you have on hand. This recipe would work with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and snow peas!

Tuna added to salad in the bowl.

Step 4: Add a drained can of tuna or two single-serve pouches packed in water to a large mixing bowl. Use tongs to toss the salad and the dressing until it is thoroughly mixed.

Step 5: Add the chilled noodles to the bowl and toss everything together. The flavor gets better as it sits. I like refrigerating the salad for 30-60 minutes before eating it.

Recipe FAQ:

Is canned tuna gluten free?

Most canned tuna is gluten free. That being said, always check the ingredients, just in case. You never know when a brand will change the ingredients in a product.

Can you use tuna packed in oil for this recipe?

Although you can use any tuna, I do not recommend tuna packed in oil because it can make this recipe somewhat oily.

How do you store this vermicelli salad with tuna?

Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chilled Tuna Noodle Salad in a school Lunch Box

Mix in the sauce and noodles for an instant lunch box hit. If you enjoy Vietnamese foods, try these Rice Paper Rolls too.

More recipes that use pantry staples:

Vietnamese Tuna Noodle Salad

Sandi Gaertner
Easy Asian tuna noodle salad that uses common pantry ingredients. This salad is perfect in a lunch box!
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Meal Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 184 kcal

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

For Salad

  • 1 5 ounce pouch of Bumble Bee Premium Albacore Tuna in Water you can also use a can
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
  • 2 cups greens. I used Trader Joe’s Microgreens
  • 1 in package vermicelli noodles cooked to instructions on label and cooled with cold water

For Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons gluten free fish sauce
  • ¼ cup warm water
  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned gluten free rice vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons of honey

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, combine the Bumble Bee Premium Albacore Tuna, vegetables, and chilled noodles.
  • In a smal bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well.
  • Pour the sauce into the large bowl and toss all ingredients to coat.
  • Serve with a lime wedge.

Notes

Note, you can use rice noodles, buckwheat, mung bean, sweet potato starch or any Asian noodle with this recipe.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 184kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 14gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 880mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12g
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @FearlessDining or tag #FearlessDining!

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

(This post was updated from an older July 2016 post.)

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18 Comments

  1. This is a great lunch! I love how healthy and easy to customize it is. My daughter loved the taste!

  2. That is a great way to use fresh vegetables. Tuna is healthy, as you mentioned, and I like having another way to eat it. I usually mix tuna with what I have on hand, wrapping it up in several large lettuce leaves or Swiss Card. I’m glad you were asked to make a recipe with Bumble Bee Albacore Tuna. Most people have some tuna in their cupboards. Thank you to you and Bumble Bee. Yum!

  3. This looks amazing! Such a light but protein packed salad with lots of veggies too! Pinned and on my to make list.

  4. What a great recipe – for kids or adults! I also didn’t know there were mung bean vermicelli noodles. Will have to try so I can make this wonderful dish!

    1. Thank you Kelly. I hope you can find the mung bean noodles. If not, regular vermicilli noodles will work well.