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This easy Egg Salad Recipe is creamy, flavorful and loaded with just the right amount of crunch. My secret to the best egg salad is mashing the egg yolks with mayonnaise and mustard first, then folding in the chopped whites, celery and scallions. It’s quick to make, perfect for sandwiches and one of my favorite ways to turn a few hard-boiled eggs into an easy lunch.
Table of Contents
- Kellie’s Note An Egg-cellent Salad
- Why You’ll Love My Egg Salad Recipe
- Egg Salad Ingredients
- How to Make Egg Salad
- How To Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Kellie’s Tips for the best Egg Salad
- Easy Egg Salad Variations
- What to Serve with Egg Salad
- Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- More Easy Lunch and Salad Recipes
- Egg Salad Recipe
Delicious and so easy to make! Thank you for this yummy recipe!
– Christine
Kellie’s Note
An Egg-cellent Salad
I’ve always had a love affair for a good egg salad sandwich. It takes me right back to school field trips and the lunches my mom used to pack. Nothing fancy, just a really good sandwich that somehow made lunchtime the best part of the day.
After years of making egg salad, I’ve found that the simplest ingredients really are the best. The trick is getting the texture just right. I like my egg salad creamy without being overloaded with mayonnaise, with a little crunch from celery and scallions to keep things interesting.
It’s one of those recipes I make year-round, but especially after Easter when we have more hard-boiled eggs than we know what to do with.
Why You’ll Love My Egg Salad Recipe
- Extra creamy without being too heavy. Mashing the yolks with the dressing first gives this egg salad the best texture.
- Simple ingredients. Just eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, celery, scallions and a little seasoning.
- A little crunch in every bite. The celery and scallions add freshness without overpowering the eggs.
- Perfect for meal prep. Make a batch for easy lunches during the week.
- So versatile. Serve it on sandwiches, crackers, lettuce wraps or straight from the bowl. No judgment here!
Egg Salad Ingredients
You don’t need anything fancy to make the best egg salad. Just a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs: Make sure they’re fully cooked and completely cooled before mixing. Chilled eggs are easier to chop and help keep the dressing creamy.
- Mayonnaise: Use your favorite mayonnaise for a rich, creamy dressing. You can substitute up to half with plain Greek yogurt if you prefer.
- Ground Mustard: Adds a subtle tangy flavor without extra moisture. Dijon mustard works in a pinch.
- Scallions: These have a milder flavor than regular onions and add a little freshness.
- Celery: Finely chopped celery gives the egg salad just the right amount of crunch.
- Salt and Pepper: Season to taste.
Optional additions: Fresh dill, paprika or a squeeze of lemon juice are delicious if you want to change up the flavor. I also love adding finely chopped dill pickles when I’m in the mood for a tangier egg salad.
How to Make Egg Salad
Homemade egg salad couldn’t be easier, and this little trick makes all the difference in the texture.
- Prepare the eggs. Peel the cooled hard-boiled eggs and cut them in half. Remove the yolks and finely chop the whites.
- Make the creamy dressing. Mash the egg yolks with the mayonnaise and ground mustard until smooth.
- Add the crunch. Fold in the chopped egg whites, celery and scallions.
- Season and chill. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes before serving, if time allows.
That’s it! Creamy, delicious egg salad with just enough texture to make every bite interesting.
How To Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
The best egg salad starts with perfectly cooked eggs. You want tender whites and yolks that are fully cooked without being dry or chalky.
Here’s an easy stovetop method:
- Place large eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about an inch.
- Bring the water to a full boil over high heat.
- Cover the saucepan, remove it from the heat and let the eggs sit for approximately 11–12 minutes.
- Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and cool completely before peeling.
My favorite shortcut: I love making my Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs because they’re consistently easy to peel.
Whatever method you use, make sure the eggs are completely cool before mixing your egg salad. Warm eggs can make the dressing watery.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, this Microwave Egg Cooker is amazing. I’ve been using it for over 10 years and it makes perfect eggs every time. Easy to peel, too!
Kellie’s Tips for the best Egg Salad
- Mash the yolks separately. This is my favorite trick for making egg salad extra creamy. The yolks blend right into the mayonnaise, making a smooth dressing.
- Don’t overmix. Gently fold the chopped egg whites into the dressing so they keep their texture.
- Start with cooled eggs. Hot eggs can affect the consistency of your egg salad.
- Chop according to your preference. Smaller pieces make a smoother, deli-style egg salad. Larger chunks give it a little more texture.
- Taste before serving. Egg salad sometimes needs an extra pinch of salt or pepper after chilling.
- Don’t skip the crunch. Finely chopped celery and scallions keep the salad from feeling too rich.
Easy Egg Salad Variations
I love this egg salad just the way it is, but it’s also easy to change things up depending on what you have in the refrigerator.
- Dill Pickle Egg Salad: Add finely chopped dill pickles or a spoonful of relish for a tangy twist.
- Lighter Egg Salad: Replace up to half of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.
- Herbed Egg Salad: Stir in fresh dill, parsley or chives for extra flavor.
- Spicy Egg Salad: Add a little hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Avocado Egg Salad: Mash half a ripe avocado into the dressing and reduce the mayonnaise for a creamy variation.
My favorite is the classic version, but the dill pickle variation is pretty hard to resist.
What to Serve with Egg Salad
An egg salad sandwich is always a good idea, but there are so many other ways to enjoy this easy recipe.
- Egg Salad Sandwich: Pile it onto toasted sourdough, rye or whole-grain bread with crisp lettuce.
- Lettuce Wraps: Spoon it into butter lettuce or romaine leaves for a lighter lunch.
- Crackers: Serve with your favorite crackers for an easy snack or appetizer.
- Stuffed Avocados: Fill avocado halves with egg salad for a simple lunch.
- Green Salad: Add a scoop to a bed of mixed greens or chopped romaine.
- Cucumber Bites: Spoon a little onto thick cucumber slices for a quick appetizer.
My favorite egg salad sandwich tip: Toast the bread lightly and add a layer of lettuce before piling on the egg salad. It adds a little crunch and helps keep the bread from getting soggy.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- Refrigerator: Store leftover egg salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Keep refrigerated at 40°F or below.
- Make Ahead: You can hard-boil the eggs up to one week in advance and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the salad. I like to prepare the egg salad ahead of time so lunch is ready when I need it.
- Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing egg salad. The mayonnaise-based dressing can separate when thawed, leaving the salad watery.
- Reheating: Egg salad is best served cold, so there’s no need to reheat it.
Give the egg salad a gentle stir before serving and add a little salt or pepper if the flavors need a boost.
More Easy Lunch and Salad Recipes
If you love easy recipes that make lunchtime a little less boring, try some of my other favorites!
- The Very Best Tuna Salad Recipe: Another easy, creamy classic.
- The Very Best Ham Salad Recipe: Perfect for sandwiches and using up leftover ham.
- Lemon Tarragon Chicken Salad: Fresh, flavorful and perfect for meal prep.
- Chicken Waldorf Salad: A delicious combination of creamy, crunchy and sweet.
- Chickpea Tuna Salad: Pump up the protein with beans in your tuna salad.
These are some of my favorite recipes to make ahead for easy lunches throughout the week.
Did you make my Egg Salad Recipe? I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me whether you’re team classic egg salad sandwich or prefer something a little different.
Egg Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Fork
- chef's knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 7 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cooled
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cooled hard-boiled eggs in half. Remove the yolks and finely chop the egg whites.
- Place the yolks in a mixing bowl and mash with the mayonnaise and ground mustard until smooth and creamy.
- Add the chopped egg whites, scallions and celery. Fold gently until combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes before serving, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Creamy texture: Mash the egg yolks into the mayonnaise before adding the chopped egg whites.
- Mustard substitution: Substitute prepared Dijon or yellow mustard for ground mustard, starting with a smaller amount and adjusting to taste.
- Make ahead: Prepare the salad a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
- Freezing: Not recommended.
- Serving: Serve on toasted bread, lettuce wraps, crackers or over salad greens.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Warm eggs, watery add‑ins, or too much mayo. Let eggs cool fully, pat veggies dry, and mix yolks with the dressing first; fold whites in last.
I do not recommend freezing egg salad, mayonnaise separates and the texture becomes grainy. Plus, thawing can lead to a watery egg salad.
Stir in 1–2 tsp mayo or Greek yogurt; brighten with lemon juice or pickle brine.
Whoops! Just scrolled to top of recipe and see the information I was looking for was listed above recipe! Thanks!
Great! Thank you!
I’ve made this a few times. Super yummy. I just noticed your nutritional information. Is that for the entire salad or a serving? And if it’s for a serving how many servings did you determine this salad to feed? Thank you so much 🙂
One serving.
Peeling the perfect egg every time! I came across a technique that is simply steaming the eggs for 20 min, cool, and peel. I’ve found this to works perfectly for fresh farm eggs too. I have a pot with a steamer basket. I add about 2 inches of water below the basket (not touching), put my eggs in the basket, place the lid on top, and turn the burner on high to start steaming. Once I can here the water is likely boiling I turn the timer on for 20 minutes, and then turn the burner off when the timer goes off. Sometimes I let them sit and cool in the pot with the lid on, other days when I’m impatient and want to eat them right away I put them in cool water for a few minutes and then peel away!! It was almost therapeutic to peel eggs the first time I did this method! So freeing not to have to fight with the egg shells! Good luck!
This is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your tips!
The pioneer woman has the best easy fool-proof egg boiling/peeling method. I will NEVER use another! She has it on Pinterest. Place eggs in already boiling water. Boil 13 minutes, remove to an ice bath for 5 minutes. The shells fall off! Thanks for the egg salad recipe!
I’m going to have to try this!!
Easy way to shell hardboiled eggs.
1.When done empty hot water.
2.Place one egg in empty pan.
3.Shake it vigorously cracking the shell.
4.Take out of pan and prise the shell off with a teaspoon, curved side against the egg.
I put vinegar in water before boiling them then cool them under cold running water. They peel perfectly.
I’ll try that this week. thanks for the tip!
I put vinegar in the water with the eggs before boiling them. They peel perfectly after cooking them in cold water.
Did you ever find the secret to a perfectly boied egg? Cover eggs with water, bring to full rollig boil. Put the lid on the pot and TURN THE HEAT OFF, after 15 minutes, pourout the hot water nd cover wilth cold water nd peel. Th methodp is from Rachel Ray and works every time. Good luck!
I’ve tried this method too and sometimes it works….sometimes it doesn’t. The only thing I found that’s fool-proof is the Microwave Egg Cooker! 🙂
You can make a bunch of hard boiled eggs in an electronic pressure cooker in 5 minutes and they peel PERFECT EVERY TIME! 1 cup of water, a steamer basket, as many eggs as you can fit in one layer, 5 minutes under pressure, 5 minutes natural release, and 5 minutes in ice water. PERFECT EVERY TIME!
I guess I’m going to have to buy a pressure cooker now. LOL!
The electric pressure cooker does it perfectly every time!.
If you place raw, cut potatoes under those eggs, you’ll have the perfect start to potato salad, done without boiling potatoes in a pot of water.
I added a step to that method and it Works! After pouring the hot water off, crack the shells and let the eggs sit in the cold water for a few minutes.
Oh! I bet that works really well!!! Going to try it out. Thanks!
I use this machine for my boiled eggs. They’re perfect every time.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LTIYN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_IT-2ybNT7FP85
Yes I found your recipe.
Thanks for sharing.
I’m afraid that I don’t see either a recipe or a link to it. I’ll check back again to try to find it. Not sure what I’m missing.
Sorry about that! I’m using a new recipe card and it didn’t show up…should be fixed now. Thanks!
Me either….
It’s at the bottom of the post.
I would love to make your egg salad but there is no recipe. Can you share your recipe?
I would appreciate it if you would.
Thanks for your time & consideration.
Larry
Thanks, Larry! Should be fixed now.
I dont have a egg sandwhich recipe to share.
That’s why I wanted yours.
How to peel the eggs easily? I know..Put the egg in the saucepan carefully. Then add the water. After the eggs are ready rinse in cold water then roll them back and forth in your hands. You will be surprised. They will peel easily!
Hi Kellie!
I see that you found the egg recipe.
Thanks for sending it.
I love egg salad sandwiches.
Larry