The Best Egg Salad Recipe the Internet—Nay, The World—Has Ever Seen
Quite a claim, right? But really! This egg salad recipe is the very, very best. Why do we feel so confident about the inherent best-ness of our recipe? Well, it’s a classic egg salad recipe, first of all. 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 bowlful of the best gosh darn egg salad sandwich filling 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). It’s balanced, tangy, a bit creamy and, well, it’s the best! It just is.
But all that said, what really makes it terrific is that our egg salad recipe is really just a jumping off point for your egg salad recipe! It’s a blank slate, sort of! It’s delicious as-is, but it’s also a fabulous place for all of your favorite mix-ins! You can make it spicy or slightly sweeter, or you can really dig into the allium world, or the briny, pickle-y things (helloooo capers). But before we get too carried away, let’s focus on the basic, classic egg salad recipe.
How To Make Egg Salad
We hope you’re hungry. Because a big bowl of egg salad is just minutes away! Here’s how to make the great egg salad ever:
Peel those eggs! It'll be easier to peel them if they've had a chance to sit in the fridge and cool. If they're still hard to peel, try doing it under running water.
Chop the eggs! You can do it with a knife, or if you'd like the eggs to be more fine, try grating 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 our list of egg salad add-in ideas below! SO many ideas!
Eat the egg salad! 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 Can I Add to Egg Salad? Anything That’s Good in a Deviled Egg!
Yes, friends. This is our 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. If you’re like “but I’ve never made deviled eggs before, I have no idea what’s good in a deviled egg”, no worries! We’ve got a long list of egg salad mix-ins to get you cooking!
Think about what you want—do you want your egg salad to have a little kick? Add some chili paste—could be Calabrian chilies, could be sriracha! Or maybe you like it to have a hint of freshness and crunch? Add celery and / or some raw red onion (diced super finely). You can play around and make it yours. Like we said above, our egg salad recipe is really just a jumping off point for your egg salad recipe! Here are some of our go-to extra egg salad ingredients—think of this list as a starting place, though, not a rulebook, OK? And 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.
Minced red onion
Minced celery
Chopped fresh dill
Minced or grated radishes
Capers, drained
Cooked crumbled bacon
Minced pickles
Chopped Calabrian chilis
Hot sauce
Tools You’ll Need
More Simple, Classic Egg Recipes To Try
The Devil’s in the Details!
And what we 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? We’re 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! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
