Easy Smoked Tuna Dip (10 min or less)

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This cool and creamy smoked tuna dip is smokey and sweet. Great for an easy appetizer or tuna salad sandwich! It has a subtle warmth of smoke and spice with surprising bits of sweetness. This is an excellent dip that could easily be a pantry staple in your home for an easy party appetizer or snack.

This creamy smoked tuna dip recipe may not sound exciting to some. You will be pleasantly surprised with its smokey-sweet flavor. I grew up eating tuna salad with pickle relish mixed in. I decided to use sweet Gherkins to enhance the sweet flavor rather than relish. However, you can take down the sweetness to your liking and omit the sugar and/or the sweet pickle should you desire.

This recipe uses chopped sweet Gherkin or you could also use sweet pickles. You can try substituting the pickles for relish as well. If you use pickle relish you may find you don’t need to add the sugar as the relish itself will have sugar in it. I would start with 2 to 3 tablespoons of relish and add more from there to meet your sweetness level. While this is a dip, it works just as well as a delicious tuna salad sandwich!

Can I find actual smoked tuna in the grocery store?

You can find smoked tuna steaks and smoked tuna in a can at specialty stores for a heftier price. I normally shop at the average grocery store such as Walmart or Kroger where I could only find one or two cans/packets of tuna labeled “smoked tuna”. Even those cans/packets I found had a smoked flavoring of some kind added to the tuna. Liquid Smoke is more economical than actual smoked tuna and allows this to truly be an Easy Smoked Tuna Dip!

If you haven’t used Liquid Smoke before you should know that it is small but mighty. Liquid Smoke comes in several different flavors, Mesquite, Apple, Pecan and Hickory. These would all complement a tuna salad or dip, I went with Hickory.

Liquid Smoke can be used on steaks, chicken, hamburgers, or even hot dogs before cooking to give it an outdoorish smoked flavor. I intend on trying it on hot dogs and hamburgers soon. You can also add it to gravies, soups, sauces, baked beans, salads, eggs, fish and more!

What is the difference between a Sweet Gherkin and a Sweet Pickle?

I had a small pickle dilemma in the store. When deciding on ingredients for this delicious Smoked Tuna dip, I had sweet pickles in mind, until I spied the sweet Gherkins. I researched the differences below:

A Gherkin is a smaller variety of cucumber with bumpier skin. They are smaller, crispier, and more tender than your average pickle. Gherkins tend to be more sweet and tangy. Regular pickles (cucumbers) are more versatile and do well with a sweet, spicey, or dill flavoring.  Sweet pickles and gherkins are different types of cucumbers put in a brine solution with vinegar and salt and then left to ferment their way into life as … a pickle.

Another side note, in other parts of the world “pickle” can refer to any fruit, vegetable, or edible item that has been pickled. Here in North America, when we speak pickle, we think of mainly cucumbers. The Gherkins add more to the sweetness of the dip. I don’t enjoy sweet pickles or gherkins by themselves but I like them in this dip!

What is in Easy Smoked Tuna Dip?

• Canned Tuna
• Mayo
• Sour cream
• Sweet Gerhkins or sweet pickles
• Cayenne Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Liquid Smoke
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Sugar
• Crackers, pita chips, potato chips, or veggies for dipping (I would use celery sticks, sliced cucumber or red bell peppers)

Filled with simple ingredients found at your local grocery store, this delicious dip can be made for holiday parties, game day, or a yummy snack or tuna sandwhich.

Once the tuna is drained and the pickles are chopped, all ingredients are combined in a small mixing bowl with one stir for a quick and easy appetizer! Because of the dairy products included in the dip ingredients, this should only sit out at room temperature for no more than 4 hours. Any leftover smoked tuna dip should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Optional Add-Ins for Easy Smoked Tuna Dip

For optional add-ins you could add garlic powder, lemon juice, or small pieces of red onion or green onions. Take the spice level up even further with a few drops of hot sauce. I highly recommend the liquid smoke for that delicious smoky flavor but some other great options would be soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Slowly add in the above and taste as you go, you wouldn’t need much of any of these add-ins.

Check out my other tuna recipes below…..

Creamy Tuna Pasta (made in ONE pot)

The Best Smoked Tuna Dip (baked with cream cheese)

Share in the comments if you enjoyed this easy smoked tuna dip!