Tuna Cakes are a fast, nutritious lunch that is perfect for every family member. Easy to make ahead and pack in lunches, or to serve to your babies, toddlers or kids at home!
When I put a poll up on instagram a few weeks ago, many people said they needed help with lunch and dinner…and these Tuna Cakes are perfect for either meal!
When making meals for my family (which includes an 8 month old and a 2 year old) I am always trying to include nutritious foods that also taste good (aren’t we all!?) and these Tuna Cakes are just that! Seafood is a nutritious option because it is filled with nutrients like Vitamins A, B6, B12, D, omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, iron, choline, folate, iodine, selenium, and protein. These tuna cakes come together so quickly and they can easily be prepped ahead and served for meals over a couple of days.
Ingredients in Tuna Cakes
No Salt Added Tuna: Tuna is filled with protein, very affordable and shelf stable, making it an accessible option for many people. For this recipe, I use not salt added tuna packed in water. Tuna also contains omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for brain health and development.
Almond Flour: Almond flour is rich in Vitamin E, and is a tree nut. Including almond flour in this recipe is an easy way to introduce tree nuts to your baby if you feed them these Tuna Cakes.
Egg: Eggs are incredibly nutritious and filled with many nutrients such as protein, choline, lutein and zeaxanthin making them great for brain and eye health. Eggs are a potential food allergen, so this is another great way to easily introduce eggs to your baby. If you have an egg allergy, you can substitute a flax egg here.
Cooked vegetables: I love using up leftover roasted or steamed vegetables in this recipe. Simply chop them up small and mix them into the recipe! Vegetables are rich in a wide variety of nutrients as well as fiber, making them important for the entire family to consume.
Garlic: Garlic adds a lot of flavor to recipes as well as a nutrition boost. Garlic contains sulfur compounds, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese.
Smoked Paprika: Smoked paprika is a seasoning that adds a delicious smoky flavor to these Tuna Cakes.
Plain Greek yogurt: I use whole fat Greek yogurt for this recipe, because fat is an important nutrient for babies and toddlers. It also contains calcium, which is a necessary nutrient for many people. This makes the sauce creamy and a little tangy, and adds a protein boost.
Lemon juice: Lemons are a good source of vitamin C, which helps our bodies absorb iron and helps boost our immune system. I prefer to use freshly squeezed lemon juice in this sauce.
How to Make Tuna Cakes
This is a very simple recipe to make. Simply dump all the ingredients for the tuna cake in a bowl. Mix it all together, then roll into little balls, flatten and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. My toddler loves to help dump and mix the ingredients.
Tuna Cakes Tips
This recipe is great for baby led weaning. Make sure to serve food in the appropriate size for your little one.
This recipe is naturally gluten free.
These Tuna Cakes are great for meal prep. I like to make a batch for lunch on Sunday, then serve them throughout the week.
You can easily sub a flax egg for the regular egg if you have an egg allergy.
Almond meal would also work in this recipe.
I use no salt added canned tuna for this recipe, but you could use another canned fish (such as salmon) if you prefer!
Tuna Cakes are a fast, nutritious lunch that is perfect for every family member. Easy to make ahead and pack in lunches, or to serve to your babies, toddlers or kids at home!
Ingredients
Scale
10 oz canned tuna (I use no salt added)
2/3 cup almond flour
1 egg
3/4 cup cooked vegetables, finely chopped (I use leftover roasted or steamed vegetables)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
For the sauce:
1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, almond flour, egg, veggies, garlic powder and smoked paprika.
Roll the tuna mixture into about 16 little balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten into little discs with your fingers, then place them in the oven and bake for a total of 15 minutes. Make sure to flip them after 10 minutes, then cook for 5 more minutes.
While the tuna cakes are baking, combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice and minced garlic in a small bowl.
Serve the tuna cakes with a little bit of the garlic yogurt sauce.
Notes
You can store these tuna cakes in the fridge for about 3 days.
These tuna cakes are great for baby led weaning.
For low FODMAP: omit the garlic and sub freeze dried chives. This recipe has not been tested for FODMAP content, but with the substitution of chives the ingredients are used in low FODMAP amounts according to the Monash University app.
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Category:lunch
Method:oven
Cuisine:american
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I tried this out for my 9 month old son and I had to substitute the almond flour for spelt and the egg for flax and the final product seemed like too much flour so I had to add more flax. I cooked as directed and flipped but it came out really dense and hard!
I still gave it to my son but as expected, he gave up after a while as he couldn’t break anything off! What could have possibly gone wrong?
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I tried this out for my 9 month old son and I had to substitute the almond flour for spelt and the egg for flax and the final product seemed like too much flour so I had to add more flax. I cooked as directed and flipped but it came out really dense and hard!
I still gave it to my son but as expected, he gave up after a while as he couldn’t break anything off! What could have possibly gone wrong?
They probably came out dense due tot the spelt and flax substitutions. Sorry!