Grocery prices keep going up and with supply chain issues keeping us on our toes, eggs have once again become a staple in my diet. They’re inexpensive, versatile, and don’t go bad too quickly. And it just doesn’t get any easier than a simple egg salad. So if you’re short on time, want something filling, cheap, and quick, make some egg salad! This is my super easy and delish version, but I’ve got lots of ideas for variations below, too!
Keep it Simple
When I was looking around at different egg salad recipes on the internet, they all seemed to be a little too complicated for my busy life. Almost all of them included fresh herbs, one single rib of celery, or other things that I don’t usually keep on hand. So I made my egg salad as simple and delicious as possible. Just a few simple ingredients that you can keep in your fridge, and nothing fancy. But if you want something fancy, I’ve got ideas for that, too. ;)
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for egg salad:
- Hard boiled eggs
- Mayonnaise
- Relish
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
That’s it! Simple and delicious.
What Else Can You Add to Egg Salad?
Alright, here’s where you can have some fun, if you happen to have some of these ingredients on hand. Try adding some of these to your egg salad to take it up a notch:
- Hot sauce (sriracha, Tabasco, gochujang, chili garlic sauce, etc.)
- Green onion
- Crumbled bacon
- Kimchi (finely chopped)
- Avocado (in place of the mayo)
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Pickled red onions
- Capers
- Jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
- Fresh herbs (dill, parsley, scallions)
How to Serve Egg Salad
Everyone knows about the classic egg salad sandwich (on toast or a croissant with lettuce), but you can also serve egg salad with crackers for scooping, you can serve it in lettuce cups, or even in an avocado half! You could also serve it up wrap style in a tortilla with lettuce, or as a salad topper over a bed of greens.
How Long Does Egg Salad Last?
I purposely made this a small batch recipe so you don’t have to worry about leftovers, but if you choose to make a larger batch, the leftovers should stay good in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days.
The recipe below scales up very easily. Simply adjust the number of servings in the recipe box and the ingredients will auto adjust for you.
Easy Egg Salad
Servings 2 about ¾ cup eachIngredients
- 4 large eggs ($0.93)
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise ($0.22)
- 1 Tbsp dill relish ($0.08)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.06)
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp pepper ($0.01)
Instructions
- Add the eggs to a saucepot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat on to high. Bring the water up to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat off and let the eggs sit in the hot water (lid on) for 12 minutes.
- After 12 minutes in the hot water, transfer the eggs to an ice bath or run under cold water until cool. Peel the eggs then chop them into ½-inch pieces.
- Add the chopped egg to a bowl along with the mayonnaise, Dijon, relish, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, mashing some of the egg yolk into the dressing as you stir.
- Taste the egg salad and adjust the ingredients to your liking. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Video
How to Make Egg Salad – Step by Step Photos
Add four large eggs to a pot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat on to high. Allow the water to come up to a full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat off and let the eggs sit in the hot water (lid on) for 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes, transfer the eggs to an ice bath or run under cold water until cooled. Peel and chop the eggs into ½-inch pieces.
Add the chopped eggs to a bowl along with 3 Tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp dill relish, ¼ tsp lemon juice, and ⅛ tsp each of salt and pepper.
Stir all of the ingredients together until well combined, mashing some of the yolks into the dressing as you stir. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
Serve the egg salad immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat! (serving suggestion pictured: egg salad sandwich on toast with mixed greens)
is it ok to se miracle whip instead of mayo? i grew up in the midwest where miracle whip is popular.
That’s just going to be up to personal preference. :)
Yum. I cooked my eggs for 8 minutes by directly dumping into boiling water. Personally I like more mayo so I had a generous hand there. For chopping the eggs I use my pastry knife so I chop them in the same bowl as the rest of the mixture (saving dishes).
Prepped this for lunch this weekend, and very happy once I gave it a taste before popping in the fridge. Some small changes: added vinegar to the water for boiling (I don’t know if this actually helps with the shells…my mom did it so I do it? IDK), I used hot dog relish instead of separate relish & dijon mustard (since I had it from making your cheeseburger skillet!), and I am indeed that person who adds celery to the egg salad, so I did :) Thanks for a solid and flexible recipe!
There are probably endless personal variations of egg salad, but I like mine with far less mayo — approximately equal amounts with either dijon or yellow mustard, and closer to dry than soupy. Add finely diced celery, onion and grated carrot. Toss in a few sunflower seeds, and add a slice of cheese to the sandwich. A quick and easy way to chop them is to put them through the little manual egg slicer once, then turn the slices 90 degrees and put them in the slicer again.
I notice you have given directions the way I have always boiled eggs – put them in a saucepan and cover with cold water. However, we have a friend who occasionally provides me with fresh eggs from their show hens. Some of these eggs are no bigger than a robin egg. The boiling part was easy, but peeling them was really difficult. I read ‘somewhere’ the suggestion that we do it ‘my Mother’s way’ – to boil the water first and then add the eggs gently once the water has boiled. This truly has helped my frustration because this method realoy helps peeling these tiny eggs. Just a thought!
This was my lunch today and it was great. Thank you so much. It’s a total keeper and now I’m going to start trying the suggestions you and other readers are making.
Reminder that chickpeas make for an excellent, vegan-friendly, and even cheaper stand-in for eggs in egg salad recipes! The taste is astonishingly close to real eggs, too.
Love egg salad; my comfort food! Highly underrated. Thanks for posting this simple but delicious recipe.
Ahh. My go to lunch when I am running low on lunch supplies. I like mine with minced celery, chopped green olives and a dash of cayenne pepper. Sometimes if I have capers I add those to the mix instead of the olives. The possibilities are endless.
Yum! Can’t wait to try this simple egg salad!
When I am feeling fancy, I make egg salad with mayo/curry powder/ raisins. It’s ridiculously delicious!
Beth, isn’t it easier to boil the water first and then add eggs to the water? It’s much harder to peel the eggs when boiled using your method.
When I use the steaming method I let it come to a boil first, but when the eggs get fully submerged in boiling water it tends to make them more likely to crack compared to heating up with the water.
I like to sometimes add minced preserved lemon to my egg salad. Its a cheerful bite every time I bite into one. But this is a classic that derves a dedicated comeback. Even if just eaten with crackers as dip.
Where can I get the recipe and/or the product : preserved lemon?
I found it at World Market
Beth: One most important herb mixture that I love ❤️ with egg salad is pesto. It compliments eggs so well. Eggs + pesto=exceptional possibilities. The add in’s are endless.
Oooooh, I like the way you think!! Thanks for sharing that!
EGGceptional possibilities lol ;)
Wjen I was working in catering and had to make 80+ eggs into egg mayonnaise in a short amount of time, I learnt 2 things. Crack the eggs as soon as you’ve put them into cold water after cooking. It makes them much easier to peel once they’re cool. And instead of chopping them or mashing with a fork, use a hand grater as it’s much easier and quicker.
And now I want egg sarnies!
I have also seen people use a wire cooling rack that has square holes. Put the wire rack over a large bowl and just push the whole egg through to get uniform pieces :)
I learned that trick from America’s Test Kitchen! Drain the hot water, then semi-vigorously shake the eggs in the pot while covering with cold water. Works like a charm.
This is dumb but how do you cut your egg salad so that it doesn’t squirt out of the ends of the bread. I always ruin mine.
Ah, that’s a food photography trick. ;) Put the bread and greens together first, cut, then open it up and spoon the egg salad inside.