Egg Salad
Egg salad! The classic egg salad recipe that can be eaten plain with a fork or turned into a delicious sandwich (or wrap). You just need hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, red onion and fresh herbs for a quick and easy recipe that’s nourishing and loaded with flavor.
My avocado egg salad recipe is such a reader favorite but I thought I’d simplify things even further today with my take on the classic egg salad recipe. It’s the version you’ve likely come across at parties, picnics and holidays or enjoyed for a healthy lunch layered in a sandwich.
To be honest, I was never a fan of most egg salad recipes. I found them to be far too mushy with too much mayonnaise. But my version is different! It has texture and it’s chunky so you can see all the ingredients. No mushiness around these parts. And of course, it tastes amazing.
What’s in Egg Salad?
I’m sticking to simple ingredients in this recipe with nothing funky to surprise you. But I do probably add more fresh herbs than most, because fresh herbs make everything taste better. Here’s what’s in it:
- Hard Boiled Eggs: The star ingredient of course. Just follow my tutorial for easy peel hard boiled eggs, which I’ll talk more about below.
- Mayonnaise: I’m using my quick homemade mayonnaise, but any store-bought version works.
- Dijon Mustard: I always opt for Dijon mustard over yellow mustard. It has a more robust, and zingy flavor. Yellow mustard falls a little flat with a muted flavor profile.
- Red Onion: For a pop of red, savory crunch with every bite.
- Lemon Juice: You know my motto, fresh is always best!
- Fresh Parsley and Chives: These herbs pair well with the eggs and mustard. And of course add a pop of green.
Side note… if you want an extra earthy and spicy version, give my curried egg salad recipe a try!
Using the Best Hard Boiled Eggs
Given that this recipe is all about hard boiled eggs, you’ve gotta make sure you use perfectly hard boiled eggs. You don’t want them too hard and rubbery, too soft and not mixable or overly cooked and green around the yolk.
I’ve shared with you how to make perfect hard boiled eggs previously (step-by-step), so make sure to check out that post and video. I use 12 minute hard boiled eggs in this recipe, but anything between 12-14 minutes is fine.
How to Make Egg Salad
Step 1: Hard Boil the Eggs and Let them Cool
Remember to plan ahead to hard boil your eggs and allow time for them to cool. Once the eggs are cooked and cooled you’re good to mix everything together.
Step 2: Mix Your Ingredients Together
Slice your eggs into pieces (but don’t slice them too small) and add them to a mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise (I love my homemade version), Dijon mustard, finely diced red onion, lemon juice, parsley and chives. Give it all a stir and you’re done.
Ways to Enjoy Egg Salad
- Straight from the bowl. I’ll often eat this straight out of the bowl with a fork because it’s that good!
- Top it on bread. You can enjoy egg salad as an open faced sandwich, on either gluten-free toast or my falafel flatbread, with a sprinkle of microgreens on top.
- Wrap it up. Layer slices of cucumber, bell pepper, and other veggies inside tortillas, butter leaf lettuce leaves, or collard greens. Then wrap it up!
How to Store Egg Salad
Egg salad will stay good in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Just make sure that you don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Otherwise, it may start to go bad.
More Easy and Healthy Egg Recipes
Eggs are truly one of the most versatile ingredients. Here’s a few fun and tasty egg recipes you’ll love!
- Deviled Eggs
- Poached Eggs
- Zucchini and Prosciutto Egg Muffins
- Spicy Pulled Pork Fried Eggs
- Baked Eggs in Avocado
Egg Salad Recipe Video
While this recipe is easy to whip up, it always helps to watch a quick tutorial video. Give it a watch below!
If you make this egg salad, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
BEST Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbs parsley, finely diced
- 2 tbs chives, finely diced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Then turn the heat to low so there's no bubbles. Use a skimmer to slowly and gently place the eggs in the pot. Turn the heat back to high and boil the eggs for 12 minutes.
- Transfer the eggs to an ice water bath for a few minutes to stop the cooking process and cool.
- Once your eggs are cool to touch, peel and discard the eggs shells. Cut the hard boiled eggs to your desired size (I prefer chunky). Then add the eggs, red onion, chives, parsley, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice to bowl and stir all ingredients together.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve in a bowl, in a sandwich, or in a wrap.
Lisa's Tips
- The eggs may crack if you introduce cold eggs straight to the boiling hot water. So I leave my eggs out prior to boiling, or run them under lukewarm water for a few seconds, as well as turn off the boil right before you introduce the eggs.
- I use a skimmer to introduce the eggs to boiling water so they don't slam into the bottom of the pan and crack. You can see more tips on how to make hard boiled eggs here.
- Definitely use Dijon mustard rather than yellow mustard. The spicier flavor makes all the difference.
- You can store egg salad for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
wow, just made this for my VERY picky husband. I forgot the lemon juice, even though I had it. He is now downstairs with TWO egg salad sandwiches. I normally do not eat it, or even try it to taste, but have to say when I did try it, wow, it was really full of flavor! He just came upstairs and said WOW. SO THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thrilled to hear both you and your husband enjoyed this egg salad recipe Bernadette!
Yum! We always seem to have eggs in the house. What an easy lunch idea.
You can’t beat an egg salad for a versatile recipe!
Hi there, your recipes sound lovely. As I am on a strict keto eating plan, and need to stay on 15 gr carbs a day, it would help to know how many carbs for a specific portion of your recipe. Is that something easy you can do for me? In particular looking at the egg salad recipe.
Hi Christina – This recipe is based off of 4 servings :)
I never thought I’d like egg salad!! I figured why not try it, and I love it! I used primal kitchens avocado mayo, and primal kitchens spicy mustard. I didn’t have parsley on hand so substituted 1/4 tsp of dill. Onions are too high in sugar, for myself, so I omitted them. This is a great quick dinner for those on keto, and those non-keto as well. The serving size is quite generous too, at 100g per serving. Im so glad you included to leave the egg a bit chunky, very helpful. Thank you!!!
Happy to hear this recipe changed your mind about egg salads! This is surely a summer must have :)
This was delicious! I had no fresh chives or tarragon (alas). I added capers & just about followed your recipe to a ‘t.’
Glad this still turned out perfectly without the chives and tarragon! Next time you’ll definitely have to try it.