Perfect Egg Salad is an easy lunch favorite! Creamy and delicious, it's made with just a handful of staple ingredients. Most importantly, it starts with perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs. In just 25 minutes, meal prep a batch for quick weekday lunches like sandwiches or deli wraps, or a healthy snack dip with crackers!
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Start with Perfectly Cooked Eggs
Perfect egg salad is as easy as perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs. Hard boiled eggs should be yellow and white....not grey, not green, not with a black ring around the yolk, yellow and white!
Sounds elementary enough, but I have to admit that at my first cooking job after culinary school at The Pump Room in Chicago, I was not so sure of myself.
My chef was running through quite a lengthy prep list, one being a dozen hard boiled eggs for quite an elegant chopped salad. Glaring down at me he says, "you do know how to hard boil an egg don't you?"
I squeaked out a yes and then escaped to the bathroom to call my mom to get her fool-proof method. Perfectly cooked eggs is what he got, here is my mom's secret.
- Place eggs in a pot covering them with cold water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Right when they reach a boil, turn off the heat and cover. Let them sit in the hot water for 17 minutes (time it!). Run under cold water, crack and peel.
Ingredients
Once you have the egg method down, the rest of the ingredients are very basic, but add so much flavor and creaminess to the eggs.
- Eggs - I am a full believer that a happy chicken lays a healthier egg. You are what you eat, even the chicken, so I like to get local, free range, organic eggs. I know they are more expensive, but organic eggs are rich in vitamins, omega 3's, and really make egg salad into a high protein, healthy meal!
- Celery and Onion - Add some crunch and a sharp boost of flavor! This can be pretty flexible, any type of onion, shallot or scallion will do. And if you don't have celery on hand, you can skip it.
- Salt and Pepper - Remember that hard boiled eggs are pretty bland and need to be seasoned. Salt and pepper brings out and brightens that egg taste!
- Paprika and Cayenne Pepper - Just a pinch, paprika and eggs are a perfect pair.
- Worcestershire Sauce - I have always made my egg salad with Worcestershire sauce, adds great flavor!
- Lemon Juice - A fresh squeeze of lemon juice really makes a difference. It adds a bit of acid to balance all the creaminess of the mayonnaise and eggs. If you don't have it, add a couple drops of red or white wine vinegar.
- Dijon Mustard - A sharp flavor, you can really use any mustard you have.
- Mayonnaise - Don't overdo it on the mayo, everybody has their own preference. I use ¼ cup, not too much! You can start with a little and add a spoonful more until it feels just right to you.
- Fresh Herbs such as parsley, chives, basil or dill. These are optional, but add a bright freshness. Basil and dill will give you quite a difference in flavor, where as parsley or chive are more subtle.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1 - This is the most important step, perfectly cooking the hard boiled eggs!
- Place eggs in a pot covering them with cold water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Right when they reach a boil, turn off the heat and cover. Let them sit in the hot water for 17 minutes (time it!). Run under cold water, crack and peel.
Step 2 - To peel eggs, lightly tap them on all sides on the counter so the shell is cracking everywhere. Then, on the bottom of the egg, there is a little air pocket. This is the easiest place to get your thumb in and start peeling the egg.
Under the shell is a thin membrane, slide your thumb under it to remove the cracked shell and the membrane together, leaving the white flesh intact.
Rinse the peeled eggs to make sure no pieces of shell remain.
Step 3 - While the eggs are cooking, add all other ingredients to a bowl and mix to make the dressing.
You can start with less mayo and add more when you get everything mixed together to determine the amount you like.
Step 4 - Add the roughly chopped eggs when they are done and mix until well combined.
Step 5 - Serve and enjoy, or refrigerate for later!
Tips for Perfect Egg Salad
- Storage and Meal Prep - Egg Salad meal prep can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. It is a great meal prep option for easy lunches.
- Stretch the Recipe - You can add 1 or 2 additional eggs to the recipe to stretch it a bit without changing your other ingredient amounts. If you are feeding a larger number of people, you can double or triple the recipe, and can add in a couple extra eggs as well.
- Take Care Not to Crack the Raw Eggs when you are first adding them to the pot to be boiled.
- Some Eggs are Just Hard to Peel! - If the peel doesn't come off easily, don't worry. Sometimes it's just the egg, maybe the age of the egg, who knows! You are going to chop them up for the egg salad anyway, so if you peel them less than beautifully, it's ok!
- Chop the Hard Boiled Eggs in Large Pieces - I like to keep this egg salad chunky and rustic looking, so just give them a rough chop.
- Not Too Much Mayo - You don't actually want to taste mayo, you want to taste creamy seasoned eggs! While the mayo brings it all together, I like to keep it light and in the background.
- Garnish - A sprinkle of paprika and a bit of fresh chopped herbs are the perfect egg salad garnish.
What to Serve with Egg Salad
Egg Salad is a great simple lunch option, but it is also a nice meal to anchor a baby shower or other day-time special occasion menu!
- Serve your Egg Salad on bread or toast, amazing on my Dutch Oven Homemade Bread, croissants, deli wraps, pitas, bagels, with crackers as a dip, or as small bite-sized tea sandwiches. We love to add these easy homemade Refrigerator Pickled Red Onions!
- To Make Egg Salad Healthier - Add lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, pickles or avocado to your sandwiches or wraps to boost the nutrition!
- Serve Egg Salad Sandwiches With:
- A Platter of Fruit, Veggies and Parmesan Herb Dip or Avocado Bean Dip, Broccoli Salad
- A simple soup like Creamy Asparagus, Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup, or Tomato Soup
- A salad like Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad or this Pear and Blue Cheese Salad
- Homemade Refrigerator Pickles and Potato Chips!
Recipe FAQs
No, it is not recommended to freeze egg salad. The texture of the eggs can be rubbery and pretty terrible after freezing!
Yes, egg salad is naturally gluten-free, as it contains no wheat. Make sure to serve egg salad on gluten-free bread, pitas, or crackers.
Yes, egg salad is dairy-free! Both the eggs and the mayonnaise do not contain milk products.
For perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs for egg salad, add eggs to a pot just covering them with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Right when they reach a boil, turn off the heat and cover. Let them sit in the hot water for 17 minutes (set a timer). Run under cold water, crack and peel.
More Favorite Lunches!
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Perfect Egg Salad
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 6 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons celery finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons onion (yellow, red, or scallions) finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 grinds fresh black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, or basil optional
Instructions
- Place eggs in a pot covering them with cold water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Right when they reach a boil, turn off the heat and cover. Let them sit in the hot water for 17 minutes, set a timer! Run under cold water, crack and peel.
- Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in a bowl, including the roughly chopped eggs when they are done. Mix well and serve.
Notes
- To peel eggs - Lightly tap them on all sides on the counter so the shell is cracking everywhere. On the bottom of the egg, there is a little air pocket. This is the easiest place to get your thumb in and start peeling the egg. Under the shell is a thin membrane, slide your thumb under it to remove the cracked shell and the membrane together, leaving the white flesh intact. Rinse the peeled eggs to make sure no pieces of shell remain.
- To Stretch the Recipe - You can add 1 or 2 additional eggs to the recipe to stretch it without changing your other ingredient amounts. Or double or triple the recipe.
- If you don't have lemon, you can substitute a few drops of red or white wine vinegar.
- Serve your Egg Salad on bread or toast, deli wraps, pitas, bagels with crackers as a dip, or as small bite sized tea sandwiches. Add lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, pickles or avocado.
Nancy says
I made the eggs exactly like you said, and they turned out beautifully! Also, the egg salad recipe was a real winner for lunch. We had it on sour dough with rye bread and loved it! We'll be making this again.
Meryl Downing says
So glad to hear that Nancy! Yes, the egg method is perfection, I thank my mom for teaching it to me!
Ann says
Just followed this recipe and immediately made two sandwiches for lunch. It was way better than my usual egg salad! All the proportions were good.
IF your eggs are quite large, the 17 minute cook time could be stretched to 18 minutes.
Thanks, Meryl
Meryl Downing says
Glad you liked it Ann, that is a good suggestion about the very large eggs!
Quinn says
A very good egg salad! Great for a quick weekday lunch and even weekend brunch get togethers!