Creamed Tuna on Toast
In this post I am sharing the old school recipe for Creamed Tuna on Toast.
This recipe came from the great depression era where times were tough and folks didn’t have a lot of money. Stretching those dollars as far as possible to feed your family was a necessity.
Just because the recipe is cheap doesn’t mean that it isn’t tasty. In fact, many folks still enjoy this meal and consider it a comfort food.
I decided to prepare and share this recipe with y’all because one of the comments that I see every time my Creamed Chipped Beef recipe is shared is about creamed tuna. This tuna, white sauce and peas combination is also called tuna gravy by some.
Have you ever had creamed tuna on toast?
Hard Times Creamed Tuna
Do you have to eat creamed tuna on toast? No. Creamed tuna can also be served over mashed potatoes, biscuits, cooked rice or pasta.
What type of canned tuna do you use for creamed tuna? I happen to be using StarKist but any canned tuna will work fine as long as it is packed in water (not oil).
Old Fashioned Tuna Gravy
Since we’re talking about tuna, have you tried my recipes for the Best tuna salad or tuna noodle salad? They’re delicious so check them out!
In the printable recipe card below you’ll get the step by step directions for how to prepare this creamed tuna.
Creamed Tuna on Toast
Ingredients
- 4 tbs Butter 1/2 stick
- 1/3 c All Purpose Flour
- 3 c Whole Milk
- 1 tsp Salt
- Cracked Black Pepper to taste
- 8 oz Canned Tuna drained
- 1/2 c Frozen Green Peas
- Toasted Bread for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Next, add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add the milk.
- Season the white sauce and simmer until thickened then add the tuna and frozen peas and gently stir to combine.
- Serve over toasted bread, potatoes, rice or noodles if desired.
Nutrition
More tips for making this recipe:
Use a quality canned tuna that you enjoy eating and be sure to drain it very well before adding it to the white sauce.
The combination of flour and melted butter is known as a roux. When milk is added and it thickens it becomes a white sauce, the base for many sauce recipes.
You might also enjoy my Creamy Salmon Pasta Salad Recipe!
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See this recipe shared at Meal Plan Monday & Weekend Potluck.
About Julia
Hey Y’all! I’m Julia, the cook and writer behind the recipes here at Julia’s Simply Southern. I began my website so that I could share easy to follow recipes that anyone can use to put a home cooked meal on the dinner table. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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My parents used to make something like this but I never tried it. It looks delicious!
It’s a tasty little meal.
I had this growing up on Fridays, Mom made it with Salmon .. It helped salmon go farther for 7 of us, was very good. I had to make the toast like a whole loaf if not more.
I’m gonna have to try it with salmon. This was a great budget stretcher meal. Thank you for stopping by to share your memory with me.
This was my mother’s go to staple. She was unusual in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a working Mom. She taught nursing at a local university, and often didn’t get home until after 5, so having something she could get on the table in 20 minutes flat was a blessing. She served it in a way I’ve not seen before or since. She served it on crunchy chow mein noodles that she heated on a sheet pan in the oven, and instead of frozen peas, she served it with Leseur brand tiny peas. She always served it with a lettuce cup, with pineapple slices or chunks, a dollop of mayo and a marichino cherry on top. Way before I could read, when I saw that silver can (that was distinctive to LeSeur brand peas…still is) I knew my favorite supper was coming. My husband didn’t like tuna, and I had two growing boys, so I switched to the large can of chicken, and doubled the White sauce, but my kids still grew up with the silver can. Now that I cook mostly for myself, I’m back to using tuna, and often use frozen peas, since i can adjust the amount, but it’s still the meal I turn to when I need something quick and comforting! Thanks for letting me meander down memory lane!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful family memories with us! Food is such a comfort and takes us back to wonderful times.
Ahh, grew up on this stuff. Still love it. Lots of butter on the toast, and we add a splash of Worcestershire and onion powder to the white sauce.
That sounds delicious, Heather! You can never go wrong with extra butter.
Loved this as a go to easy meal when we were kids..still do. Mom used to add chopped hard boiled eggs to the sauce and we had it over crumbled saltine crackers…
Creamed tuna on toast is comfort food.
If you really want to shake things up, swap out the peas with diced green chiles (7 oz can at a minimum) and add enough paprika to turn the gravy a faint “salmon” color (at least a teaspoon). It is delicious like this.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for the suggestion.
~Julia
World War II, food rationing and tight money. So my mother made a can of tuna feed the four of us and we ate it at least once a week. No peas in our creamed tuna, but chopped sweet onion on top and some shredded Cheddar. I don’t know if canned tuna is processed better now or not, but the dish tastes so much better to me when I make it. Still the same old recipe, though. I like the little additions some have mentioned here.
Those creamy sauces really made almost anything way more filling. Thank you for stopping by to share your memory with me.
Grew up in Erie, PA. Most northwestern part of the state. Mom made this dinner during Lent. (Catholic Family) On Fridays when eating meat was a no go. First time remembering probably age 8-9. Now age 76 and still love to make it a few times during the year and remember the the times growing up sharing dinner with my family. In fact, have two cans of tuna ready to open and stuff myself with health food.
Thanks for sharing your memories with us, Thomas. I find the “creamed” dishes that have been used as a budget friendly way to feed
a family are quite delicious.
~Julia
Thanks for your recipe. I didn’t even know until today that this wasn’t something my mother made up. I used to love it (my brother did NOT because of the peas). Today I used canned salmon and added celery salt and black garlic powder, I guess because I have it on hand, and why not? What a pleasant flashback to my youth, and wonderful comfort food on a day when leftovers just doesn’t cut it! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful food memories. The salmon sounds like a delicious variation. Happy Holidays!
~Julia
We ate this when I was growing up but we didn’t care for peas so Mom substituted drained corn and it was great! The corn added a little crunch. Still one of my favorites. I didn’t actually realize it was tuna until I was grown 🫣
My Mother always put a pinch of nutmeg in the sauce. White sauce, nutmeg is essential.
I remember eating this quite often as a kid. Love Tuna & Toast!
We used to eat this growing up, loved it! My mom substituted the peas with drained corn, we weren’t pea fans. Great memories!
Serve mine for me over crushed Ruffles potato chips. Salty yumminess
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My mother made this several times a month when I was young. Only the girls in the family liked it (other than my dad). To this day my sisters and nieces get together and have this for dinner dedicated to mom. I just made it tonight for my 41 year old niece’s birthday. This is what she picked out of anything in the world I would make for her.
Recipe tastes just like mom’s but we stick to canned peas like the 1960’s! They add a lot of flavor to the sauce.
Enjoy everyone!
Thank you, Sharon, for sharing your wonderful memories of this classic dish. I’m so glad that y’all are carrying on and enjoying it as a comforting memory.
I have made this with hard boiled eggs and it is delicious also. Could you make it with canned chicken?
Yes, it would work great with canned chicken also. Enjoy!
I have been following your creamed tuna on toast recipe for years. It is the best homemade recipe I have ever made. There are never leftovers…. I use home canned tuna….its the lightest fluffiest recipe…. 100% homemade taste! Thank you for sharing!
Sara,
Your kind comment has made my day! Thank you so much and it makes me so happy that you enjoy this recipe.
~Julia
How many servings does this make??
Four servings, depending on appetite.
Cream tuna fish on toast is a comfort food for me. We had this when I was growing up in the ’60s and ’70s. It’s so easy to make when you just need something warm and cozy to eat. I was delighted when I saw this recipe. We use cornstarch instead of flour and it works out just the same. However, we have never put peas in ours, but it sounds like a delicious addition. Thank you for bringing back the memories for me.