Best Egg Salad Recipe | Downshiftology

The classic egg salad recipe I come back to time and again! It’s perfectly creamy, slightly chunky, and flavored just right with Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and plenty of fresh herbs.

A bowl of egg salad. — *Photo: Gayle McLeod*

Why You’ll Love This Egg Salad

Even though egg salad is such a simple dish, it’s all about nailing the right proportions and texture for that perfect deli-style salad. My version is a nod to that classic egg salad we all know and love—the kind that makes regular appearances layered into lunchtime sandwiches or served up for summer picnics, and holiday parties like Easter. It’s straightforward with no unexpected ingredients and tastes just like home. Here are a few more reasons why it’s the best:

The texture is perfect. There’s no mushiness here! It’s delightfully chunky, with all the ingredients still visible—just as it should be.
The flavor is just right. With a touch of Dijon mustard, crisp red onion, and loads of fresh herbs, it’s flavorful enough to enhance the eggs without overpowering them.
It’s customizable. Want to jazz it up? I’ll share a few delicious variations below. I love treating this egg salad recipe as a blank canvas to add spices and flavors, similar to my chicken salad, tuna salad, or shrimp salad recipes.

Egg Salad Ingredients

Hard-Boiled Eggs: Since the eggs are the star ingredient, make sure to follow my hard-boiled egg recipe for a perfectly cooked batch. You don’t want the eggs too hard and rubbery, too soft and not mixable, or overly cooked with a green yolk. I think 12-minute eggs are the best!
Mayonnaise: Fresh homemade mayonnaise is always my go-to, but you can use store-bought or mix in some yogurt if you’d like a creamier texture with less mayo.
Dijon Mustard: I prefer Dijon mustard over yellow mustard for its robust and tangy flavor. Yellow mustard tends to have a more muted taste.
Red Onion: Red onion adds a vibrant pop of color and a satisfying crunch. Alternatively, you can use thinly sliced green onions.
Lemon Juice: Just a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice brightens the salad and keeps the flavors fresh.
Fresh Herbs: I’m using plenty of parsley and chives, but feel free to swap in other herbs like dill. In my opinion, the more herbs, the better!

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

How To Make Egg Salad

Make the hard-boiled eggs. Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot, reduce the heat to low, and use a skimmer to gently add the eggs to the water. Then, turn the heat back up to a boil and set a timer for 12 minutes.

Chill the boiled eggs. While the eggs are boiling, prepare an ice-water bath. Once the eggs are done, use the skimmer to remove the eggs, and immediately submerge them in the ice water bath to stop them from cooking. Then, peel the eggs once they’re cool to the touch.

Mix the salad 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.

Egg Salad Variations

There are so many ways to keep a salad like this fresh and exciting. Here are a few tasty ideas, though I’d love to hear any other ideas you may have in the comments below!

Avocado Egg Salad: Swap some of the mayonnaise for one avocado. This will give a deliciously creamy avocado base for the salad.
Curried Egg Salad: This version has sliced green onion, grated carrots, and a pinch of curry powder for that beautiful golden color.
Pickle Egg Salad: Add chopped dill pickles, sweet pickle relish or some of my pickle de gallo for a tangy twist. A splash of pickle juice instead of lemon juice can enhance the flavor further as well!
Spicy Egg Salad: Stir in a dash of hot sauce, Sriracha, or chopped jalapeños for a spicy kick. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for extra heat.

Ways To Enjoy Egg Salad

Egg salad sandwich. You can enjoy egg salad as an open-faced sandwich with a sprinkle of microgreens on top, or a classic egg salad sandwich with butter lettuce leaves topped on bread. For an extra-green spin, top it on my falafel flatbread!
Egg salad wrap. Wrap the egg salad in a tortilla or romaine lettuce leaves with sliced cucumber, bell pepper, and other simple veggies you love.
Egg salad bowl. Make a salad bowl with leafy greens, diced avocado, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and dollops of egg salad on top.

More High-Protein Salads

If you make this egg salad recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.

Description

This is the classic deli-style egg salad we all know and love—perfectly creamy, delightfully chunky, and filled with fresh flavors. Watch how I make this in my kitchen in the video below!

Boil the eggs. 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.
Chill the eggs. Transfer the eggs to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and cool completely (at least 15 minutes).
Mix the salad. 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.
Enjoy the egg salad straight from the bowl, or in a sandwich or wrap. I have more ideas in the post!

Make-ahead tip: You can prep the hard-boiled eggs a day in advance and store them in the fridge.
Storage tip: Egg salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Never leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s particularly warm outside). Otherwise, it may start to go bad.
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 gently, so they don’t hit the bottom of the pot and crack.

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This recipe was originally posted April 2019, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!