This easy egg salad recipe is the perfect make-ahead dish for breakfast or lunch! Serve it in a wrap, lettuce wrap, over salad or a slice of toast. Sometimes I just eat it with a spoon right out of the fridge!
Best Egg Salad Recipe
I have quite a few egg salad recipes, but this classic egg salad (or my chicken salad) are on rotation practically every week. I love making it ahead so there’s always a high-protein breakfast or lunch option ready when there’s no time to cook. Use it to make an egg salad sandwich on sourdough toast, a bagel, in lettuce wraps or eat it with a spoon!
Why This Works
- Budget Friendly: Making it from scratch saves even more money!
- Easy: Just boil the eggs, peel and mix with the remaining ingredients.
- Make Ahead: Make it once for meals to eat throughout the week.
- Fast: Takes less than 30 minutes to make.
- Fits many dietary restrictions: gluten-free, low-carb, high protein, keto friendly
Ingredients You Will Need
This simple salad recipe has only 7 ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need (see recipe card below for exact measurements).
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Use large eggs, preferably Organic and humanely raised if your budget allows. The egg whites and egg yolks are both used here. You can cook them in the instant pot using this Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs recipe (the shells come off so easy) or try these Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs or just stick with this stove top Hard Boiled Eggs method.
- Mayo: I use regular or light mayo depending on what I have in my fridge. If you are following Whole30 use this mayo by Primal Kitchen.
- Scallions or Chives finely chopped
- Spices: Sweet paprika, salt, black pepper
How To Make Egg Salad
Here’s the easy step-by-step process. See recipe card below for the printable recipe.
- Start by boiling the eggs. You can do this on the stove, instant pot or even try my air fryer hard boiled eggs!
- Once cooked, run them under cold water and peel the eggs.
- Use an egg slice or a knife and chop the cooked eggs.
- Combine the cooked eggs in a bowl with mayonnaise, red or green onion, salt, pepper and stir, and garnish with paprika.
- Eat right away or refrigerate until ready to eat.
Flavor Variations and Substitutions:
I keep my egg salad recipe pretty simple, a little mayonnaise, red onion, salt, pepper, paprika and some chives, for garnish. If you want to keep it to just three ingredients, all you really need is eggs, mayo and salt, the rest just adds to the flavor. Here’s some variations:
- Make this lower in calories by using half the yolk, like my Low Yolk Egg Salad
- Add pickle juice, diced pickles or capers for extra flavor
- Swap half the mayo for Greek yogurt to make it lighter
- Include some veggies like chopped celery or carrots for texture
- Add some Dijon mustard for flavor. Dry mustard can also be added instead.
- A commenter here mentioned they add a little mustard powder!
- Add some extra protein such as diced cooked shrimp, it’s delish!
- Add some tuna for protein like I did in my Tuna Egg Salad recipe
- Substitute red onion for scallions
- Use other fresh herbs like fresh dill or fresh parsley
- Swap mayo for cottage cheese for extra protein
A Note in Salt
A common mistake to avoid when seasoning your egg salad is over-salting. Taste the egg salad before adding salt. Mayonnaise and Dijon already have sodium, and you may not need any salt at all.
Serving Suggestions
- Make a sandwich on your favorite sourdough bread or bagel
- Serve it in a lettuce wrap or tortilla
- Serve it over lettuce and garden vegetables
- Eat it with a spoon!
Storage
This egg salad recipe is great for meal prep! It will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container 4 to 5 days. I prefer to use glass meal prep containers to avoid plastic from leaching into my food. I don’t suggest freezing egg salad.
More Egg Salad Recipes
For more egg salad ideas, try these variations:
Egg Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped red onion
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh black pepper, to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika, for garnish
- chopped chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Video
Notes
Nutrition
Photo Credit: Jess Larson
