The Best Egg Salad Recipe
Tested, tried and tried again, this egg salad recipe is the very, very best. If you follow the recipe to a ‘T’ and don’t add any mix-ins (more on that later), you’ll end up with a big bowl of the best gosh darn egg salad you’ve ever had. It’s mayonnaise-y and mustard-y, but the egg is still the star. It has a hint of garlic, chives for color, and yes, a splash of pickle juice (if you want it—and we think you do). Mounded into squishy bread, an egg salad sandwich is pretty much the best lunch we can think of.
As perfect as I know this recipe is, it’s also a fabulous recipe for you to get creative with by adding your favorite mix-ins! You can make it spicy or slightly sweeter, or add more briny, pickle-y things (helloooo capers). But before I get too carried away, let’s master this basic, classic egg salad recipe.
Main Ingredients For Egg Salad
- Eggs: Egg salad is the best way to use up leftover hard Boiled Eggs (Easter, I’m looking at you!) but it’s also delicious enough that you might want to cook some eggs just to make egg salad. Eggs are easier to peel when they’re cool, so if you have time to cook the eggs a day or two ahead of time, that’s ideal.
- Mustard: Dijon, which is assertively spicy and a bit creamy, tastes just right in egg salad. With rich egg yolks and mayo, you really need some sharpness to make the egg salad taste balanced.
- Mayonnaise: Go for a classic, familiar brand so that the flavor is rich and creamy but not super noticeable. We’ve noticed that sometimes with specialty brands of mayo, there can be surprising flavors in the mix.
- Pickle juice or vinegar: Pickle juice is a magical secret ingredient (you may remember is also the secret ingredient in the TMP Potato Salad). It’s seasoned with pickling spices, it’s salty and tangy. So much flavor for no effort. Yay! If you don’t have pickles (omg go get some pickles!) it’s fine to use apple cider vinegar.
- Spices: A dash of paprika, garlic powder (I didn’t want the chunks of fresh garlic in this case) salt and pepper.
How To Make Egg Salad
- Hard-boil eggs. You can follow this guide for How To Make Hard-Boiled Eggs to ensure your eggs come out perfectly cooked. Or, if you’ve got them, use leftover hard-boiled eggs.
- Peel those eggs! TIP: Hard-cooked eggs are easier to peel if they've had a chance to sit in the fridge and cool. If they're still hard to peel, try peeling them under cool running water.
- Chop the eggs: You can do it with a knife, or if you'd like the eggs to be more fine, I recommend trying to grate them with a box grater!
- Make it into egg salad! Stir in mayo, mustard, chives, pickle juice (or vinegar), garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Add extra stuff if you want to! See my list of egg salad add-in ideas below!
- Eat the egg salad in a sandwich, or on its own! You can eat it as-is, with crackers, or piled high onto the bread of your choice as a perfect, classic egg salad sandwich.
What To Add To Egg Salad? Anything That’s Good in a Deviled Egg!
This is my best egg salad tip! When you’re wondering what to mix into your egg salad, just think about what tastes good on a Deviled Egg! The ingredients and flavor profiles are really similar (egg + mayo + tangy stuff) and so they both work well with the same mix-ins and toppings. Here are some of my go-to extra egg salad ingredients. One tip: When you’re mixing them in, start slow. Mix in just a small amount, maybe start with a few tablespoons at a time, and taste as you go until you’re happy with the flavor of the egg salad.
- Do you want your egg salad to have a little kick or spicy heat? Add some Calabrian chilies, or even sriracha.
- Want more freshness and crunch? Add celery or some raw red onion (diced super finely).
- How about herby brightness? Try some fresh chopped dill.
- More pickley goodness? Diced cornichones or capers are delicious additions.
- Want a richer egg salad? Crumble in some cooked bacon (our guide to cooking bacon in the oven might be handy).
More Simple, Classic Egg Recipes To Try
The Devil’s in the Details!
And what I mean by that is that this egg salad is only as good as you make it! When you’re making it, consider your own tastes. Do you like your eggs chopped roughly? Or are you someone who is going to go the box grater route and get the eggs super fine? Are you going to mix in capers and pickles and chilis and bacon? Or are you a purist?
I'm giving you a template—it’s your job to make it yours! Of course, there is no real “perfect”. There’s only the egg salad that you think is perfect. So all you have to do is make it perfect for you. And when you do, we want to hear all about what’s in your perfect egg salad!
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