Serve these delicious keto cucumber bites with tuna as an easy appetizer or fun snack. It is a great finger food perfect for game day, New Year's Eve parties, or potlucks
I like to snack on cucumbers and these keto cucumber bites are great for the cucumber lover. They require no cook time at all and very little prep time.
These healthy snacks are made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. The best part is, no plates are needed for this quick snack, so cleanup is a breeze. They are also a great low carb appetizer with just 1 net carb per serving!
Carbs in Cucumber
Cucumbers are very healthy and nutritious and contain lots of water and vitamins. Because of this, they promote weight loss and aid in hydration.
Cucumbers are low in calories and contain just 3.6 grams of carbs per 100 grams. This makes them suitable for people on a keto diet. So not only do these cucumber tuna bites taste wonderful, they pack loads of health benefits too!Â
Ingredients Used
- Cucumber:Â I used a medium-sized English cucumber for this recipe, but you can use regular cucumbers or any type of cucumber. You can get your fresh cucumber from your favorite grocery store, Trader Joe, or your local farmer's market.
- Mayonnaise:Â For this recipe, I use my homemade keto mayonnaise. This way, I can be sure that I'm not mistakenly eating extra carbs or harmful additives. It tastes no different from regular mayo and takes only a few minutes to prepare. Also, you can use sour cream instead.
- Red bell pepper:Â I like to add one red bell pepper for the taste and color it adds.
- Tuna drained:Â Use your favorite canned tuna but make sure to drain the water/oil from it first.
- Spices:Â Smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. You can also use your favorite spices here.
- Garnish (optional):Â Parsely and red pepper flakes. You can substitute with your favorite herbs.
How To Make Keto Cucumber Bites
- Thoroughly wash the cucumber under running water. Then slice it into ½ inch or ¼ inch bite sizes.
- Mix all other ingredients and spices in a mixing bowl, except the garnish. Make sure the tuna is fully covered in the mix.
- Taste and adjust for salt.
- Scoop the tuna mix and place it on top of each cucumber slice.
- Garnish with herbs or pepper flakes and serve.
Storing and Reheating
These delicious keto cucumber bites with tuna are best served fresh. That is a great way to enjoy them because they are cold appetizers. Also, cucumbers lose water and shrivel up the longer they sit, so storing them for long is not a good idea.
If you absolutely must store them, put the cucumber tuna bites in the fridge in an airtight container for no longer than a day. Serve cold.
What Can I Eat This Recipe With?
These easy cucumber bites serve best as an entree or simple appetizer, but of course, you can serve them any way you like.
This healthy snack is a great addition to your light lunches and backyard bbq. They're also a great low-carb snack that is so versatile and you can be as creative as you like!
Tips when making this recipe
- Turn these keto cucumber bites into cucumber cups by slicing the cucumbers into 1-inch sizes. Then scoop part of the middle out with a melon baller or a small spoon, so they form little cups.Â
- Make a fun pattern in each cucumber piece by peeling green ribbons from the cucumber before slicing.
- You can mix all the ingredients and spices in a sealable bag instead of a small bowl. Then, make a hole at one end and squeeze the contents directly onto the cucumber slices; kinda like you would with a piping bag.
- For even more flavor, throw the tuna, the rest of the ingredients, and spices into the ziplock bag. Then allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for about two hours before placing on the cucumber discs and serving. Yum!
Recipe variations
- Entice your guests and family with a variety of tastes and flavors. Mix things up by adding some lemon or lime juice, soy sauce or hot sauce, sesame seeds, and avocado to the tuna mix.
- Add fresh veggies to your cucumber tuna rounds. Use some carrots, green onions, pickles, whatever you like!
- Use leftover shrimps, blackened shrimp, or air fryer shrimp to make delicious shrimp cucumber bites. You can also add some salmon to make salmon cucumber bites.
- Make bagel cucumber bites by adding bagel seasoning to cucumber slices. It's the perfect appetizer or keto-friendly snack!
Frequently asked questions
Are cucumbers keto-friendly?
Cucumbers are keto-friendly. Yes, you can have them if you're on a ketogenic diet. They contain loads of vitamins and nutrients and are wonderfully low in carbs. They also contain very few calories. Cucumbers are also 96% water, which makes them ideal for weight loss. Their high water content also makes them easy to eat. What's not to love about them?
What can you top cucumbers with?
You can top crunchy cucumbers with almost anything you choose to make healthy cucumber appetizers. If you don't feel like turning on the fire, any leftover meat or chicken will do nicely. Apart from tuna, you can use nuts, sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, cheese, the possibilities are endless!
Check out these other keto appetizers and sides!
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
📖 Recipe
Keto Cucumber Bites with Tuna
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 oz tuna drained
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- red pepper flakes garnish
- parsley chopped, garnish
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber into ½ or ¼ inch bite sizes.1 cucumber
- Mix all other ingredients and spices in a bowl, except the garnish.¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 red bell pepper, 4 oz tuna, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Taste and adjust for salt.¼ teaspoon salt
- Scoop the tuna mix and place on cucumber slices.
- Garnish with herbs or pepper flakes and serve.red pepper flakes, parsley
Notes
- Turn these keto cucumber bites into cucumber cups by slicing the cucumbers into 1-inch sizes. Then scoop part of the middle out with a melon baller or a small spoon, so they form little cups.
- Make a fun pattern in each cucumber piece by peeling green ribbons from the cucumber before slicing.
- You can mix all the ingredients and spices in a sealable bag instead of a small bowl. Then, make a hole at one end and squeeze the contents directly onto the cucumber slices; kinda like you would with a piping bag.
- For even more flavor, throw the tuna, the rest of the ingredients, and spices into the ziplock bag. Then allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for about two hours before placing on the cucumber discs and serving. Yum!
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
I made this twice, once following the recipe exactly. The next time I used less Bell Pepper and added a Jalapeno and switched the Can Tuna for Can Chicken. Both were a hit with those that tried them.
I'm glad the recipe turned out well for you, Rusty!
this was almost like soup with so much mayo in it. and had little flavor. Sorry, I'm not a fan.
Sorry to hear it didn't turn out as expected. Maybe try reducing the mayo next time.
Sounds wonderful! How much of each spice should I use?
Thank you, Kathi! I just updated the recipe card.