Best Egg Salad Recipe | Downshiftology (2025)

Home Recipes Courses Salads Egg Salad

by Lisa Bryan

149 Comments

Updated Dec 29, 2023

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Egg salad! It’s the classic egg salad recipe that can be eaten plain or turned into a delicious sandwich or wrap. All you need are hard-boiled eggs and a few other simple ingredients for this quick and easy recipe.

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Before I dive into this recipe I have to be honest with you. Until recently, I was not a fan of most egg salad recipes. I found them to be far too mushy with too much mayonnaise. But good news – my version is different! It has texture and it’s chunky so you can see all the ingredients. There’s no mushiness around these parts! And of course, my version tastes amazing (if I do say so myself).

This classic egg salad recipe is what you’ve likely come across at parties, picnics, and holidays (like Easter). Or what you’ve purchased at the deli counter or enjoyed for a healthy lunch layered in a sandwich. It’s a true delight for a light and fresh meal.

Once you’ve mastered this classic recipe, make sure to give my curried egg salad and avocado egg salad a try for tasty variations.

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Egg Salad Ingredients

I’m sticking to simple ingredients in this recipe with nothing funky to surprise you. But I do add more fresh herbs than other recipes, 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 to peel hard boiled eggs.
  • 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: I love red onion for a pop of red color and crunchy bite. But you could use thinly sliced green onion as well.
  • Lemon Juice: Just a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice keeps the salad fresh.
  • Fresh Parsley and Chives: These herbs pair well with the eggs and mustard. And of course add a pop of green!

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Making Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Given that this recipe is all about hard-boiled eggs, you’ve got to make sure you use perfectly hard-boiled eggs. You don’t want the eggs 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 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 to 14-minutes is fine.

How to Make Egg Salad

Cool hard-boiled eggs. Make sure you hard boil your eggs ahead of time (or the night before) and allow time for them to cool. Once the eggs are boiled and cooled you’re good to mix the salad together.

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Mix everything together. Slice your eggs into chunks (but don’t slice them too small) and add them to a mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, red onion, lemon juice, parsley, and chives. Give it all a stir until it’s well combined. And that’s it! Super easy.

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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!
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Storage Tips

Egg salad will stay good in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 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.

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Easy 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!

More Easy 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
  • Ultimate Breakfast Casserole
  • Cobb Salad (or Turkey Cobb Salad)
  • Baked Eggs in Avocado

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.

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Best Egg Salad

5 from 81 votes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

PrintPinReviewSave

Description

A classic egg salad recipe that's easy to make and tastes amazing. Perfect hard-boiled eggs and fresh ingredients make it the best egg salad recipe. Watch the video above to see how quickly it comes together!

Video

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs, room temperature
  • ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons chives, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black 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.

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  • Transfer the eggs to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and cool completely (at least 15 minutes).

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  • Peel the hard-boiled eggs, and slice them up to your preferred level of chunkiness. Add the chopped eggs to a mixing bowl along with the red onion, chives, parsley, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir all of the ingredients together, until well combined.

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  • Enjoy the egg salad straight from the bowl, or in a sandwich or wrap.

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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 placing the eggs in the pot.
  • I also use a skimmer to introduce the eggs to boiling water so they don’t slam into the bottom of the pan and crack.

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 251mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 116mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Egg Salad, Egg Salad Recipe, How to Make Egg Salad

©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted April 2019, but updated to include new information.

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

Read More About Me

Best Egg Salad Recipe | Downshiftology (2025)

FAQs

How long should egg salad keep in the refrigerator? ›

How Long You Can Keep Egg Salad. According to FoodSafety.gov, if it has been properly stored, it is safe to eat the salad within three to four days. 1 This rule also applies to similar mayonnaise-based salads like chicken, tuna, ham, and macaroni salads.

Why does my egg salad taste bland? ›

The simple reason may be that it's not seasoned enough. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste. Always use a good quality whole egg mayonnaise, as it can make or break your egg salad.

How do you keep egg salad from getting watery? ›

A few simple ideas to reduce watery egg salad are these ingredient swaps.
  1. Low-fat mayo has extra water: use less full fat mayo (as long as you're not worries about lightening things up).
  2. Onions add a wonderful flavor, but they also add water: green onions or chives are delicious and drier.
Mar 29, 2024

How to mash up eggs for egg salad? ›

You can also use a potato masher, or press the hard boiled eggs through the wires on a cooling rack to chop them up. If you don't mind getting messy, you can also tear the eggs by hand, a la Nancy Silverton. I find the cocktail muddler works best for me, but you do you.

What cuts salt in egg salad? ›

Squeeze some lemon juice or orange juice over your dish. The sour flavor provides a new layer of complexity to the meal and should mellow out the salt. Drizzle in a mild vinegar like all-purpose vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar to help mask the salt with acidity by distracting the taste buds.

Can you use old eggs for egg salad? ›

Older eggs really are easier to de-shell, and this is because the pH changes while they're sitting in your fridge waiting to be made into classic egg salad.

How long are boiled eggs good for? ›

How To Safely Store Hard-Boiled Eggs. According to the Food and Drug Administration, you can keep hard-cooked eggs in the refrigerator for up to seven days after they have been cooked. 1 And it doesn't matter whether the eggs are already peeled or still in the shell. Either way, they will last for a week.

Is egg salad better the next day? ›

Egg salad is always better fresh, but you can certainly store it for up to 4 days in the fridge for quick lunches or for potlucks and picnics.

Why do I get an upset stomach after eating egg salad? ›

People with an egg intolerance experience a negative reaction after eating eggs. This can result in various symptoms, such as bloating, cramps, nausea, and diarrhea. Although an egg intolerance is not typically dangerous, it can be uncomfortable and bothersome.

Why do I keep smelling egg salad? ›

The best way to prevent the eggy smell is to pack the egg salad sandwich or the egg salad in a container by itself and include an ice pack inside the lunch bag to keep the temperature cool since that eggy smell happens when the temperature of the egg salad gets warm.

How to make more flavorful eggs? ›

You can also create your own blend of seasonings by combining crushed red pepper, paprika, and chives. Hard-boiled: Sprinkling your hard-boiled eggs with some good old salt and pepper is a classic way to enjoy this egg dish. Or, liven up your hard-boiled eggs with the flavors of garlic, chili powder, or smoked paprika.

What's the best way to chop eggs for egg salad? ›

🔪 Try this cooking hack for your egg salad next time! 🥚💡 Instead of chopping your eggs, gently press them through a wire sieve or grate them using a cheese grater for a smoother and more consistent texture.

Is eating egg salad good for you? ›

Egg salad is a classic sandwich stuffer, but with gobs of mayo mixed in, it can be high in unhealthy fats, sodium and calories. An average deli egg salad sandwich can have more than 550 calories, 30 grams of fat and 600 milligrams of sodium.

Why did my egg salad turn to soup? ›

The reason is simply that instead of binding your eggs together with oil and egg yolks — the components of regular mayonnaise — you're instead doing so with a diluted version. Adding more water in the form of light or fat-free mayonnaise necessarily means that more water will seep out of your egg salad.

What's the best way to cut eggs for deviled eggs? ›

But you only use one hand! No safety issues of holding the egg with one hand and slicing with a knife in the other one. The cooked egg is placed on a cutting board and while placing gentle pressure on the knife, you roll the knife on the egg around the yolk.

How do you cut an egg perfectly? ›

Set the egg on a cutting board. Place a chef's knife into the egg, close to the bolster, and pull the knife back. Carefully allow the egg to roll down toward the tip of the knife. The egg white halves should split apart, leaving an intact egg yolk and almost a totally clean knife.

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