The BEST egg salad recipe! Delicious on a sandwich or straight from the bowl, this easy egg salad is creamy, tangy, and bright. A perfect lunch!
I started making this egg salad recipe as a way to use up hard boiled eggs left over from Easter one spring. I thought it would be a one-and-done lunch—just an easy way to use up my leftovers—but to my surprise, I got hooked. Before long, I was boiling more eggs to make more egg salad. This stuff is seriously good!
This egg salad recipe is brighter and fresher than most. In my opinion, it’s what a classic egg salad recipe really wants to be. It’s still rich, creamy, and flavorful, but it uses far less mayo than is traditional. Lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and (optional) capers give it a tangy, briny kick, and lots of fresh herbs take it over the top.
Stuffed into a sandwich with crisp veggies and greens, this egg salad is my ideal spring lunch. I think you’ll love it too!
Egg Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy egg salad recipe:
- Eggs, of course! Prepare them according to this recipe for how to make hard boiled eggs. They’ll be easy to peel and have sunny yellow yolks!
- Mayonnaise – It makes the salad rich and creamy.
- Dijon mustard – For tangy, peppery flavor. Feel free to sub yellow mustard if you prefer!
- Fresh lemon juice – It adds brightness.
- Red onion – For crunch and oniony bite.
- Fresh herbs – Chives and dill add freshness to the salad and enhance its savory flavor.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
If you like, add some capers too. I love their salty, briny flavor in this recipe. Chopped dill pickles and a pinch of celery seed are also great add-ins.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Egg Salad
This egg salad recipe is simple! Cook the hard boiled eggs, then peel and chop them. Dice the red onion and chop the fresh herbs too.
Whisk together the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
Just chill and season to taste before serving. That’s it!
For the best results, follow these tips:
- Start with good hard boiled eggs. I make mine by adding the eggs to a pot of cold water and bringing the water to a boil over high heat. When it reaches a rolling boil, I remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 12 minutes. Then, I chill them in an ice water bath for 14 minutes before peeling. This method yields easy-to-peel eggs with yellow yolks. For more tips on making perfect hard boiled eggs, check out my hard boiled eggs recipe!
- Maintain some texture. The best egg salad is a little chunky, with a rich, creamy dressing surrounding it. It’s ok if the egg yolks crumble a little as you fold the chopped eggs into the dressing, but don’t mash them up too much.
- Go all in on the herbs. Fresh chives and dill add bright, oniony flavor to this recipe, and they make it feel really fresh. If you don’t have one of them, use more of the other, or add fresh parsley or green onions instead.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Ways to Serve
Enjoy this egg salad straight from the bowl, or
- scoop it up with crackers or crostini,
- serve it over lettuce or other greens,
- or fold it into pita or a tortilla to make a wrap.
Or make an egg salad sandwich! Pile on fixings like lettuce, sprouts, or microgreens; thinly sliced cucumber, radishes, or avocado; and/or pickled red onions.
What to Serve with an Egg Salad Sandwich
I often pair mine with a side salad for lunch. Try serving your sandwich with one of these recipes:
How long does egg salad last in the fridge?
Egg salad keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Storage Tips
For the freshest egg salad, follow these storage tips:
- Store it in an airtight container. If you’re making egg salad sandwiches, don’t assemble them more than a few hours before you eat. If you make them too far in advance, they’ll get soggy!
- Keep it in the fridge. It can spoil if it’s at room temperature for 2 hours or more.
- Season to taste after chilling. I often find that this salad needs an extra pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon after it’s been in the fridge. Don’t hesitate to taste yours after chilling and pep up the flavors as needed!
More Easy Egg Recipes
If you love this recipe, try one of these easy egg dishes next:
- Deviled Eggs
- Soft Boiled Eggs
- Poached Eggs
- Egg Bites
- Breakfast Casserole
- Or any of these 25 Best Egg Recipes!
Best Egg Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon capers, optional
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs according to this recipe. Peel and chop.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Mix in the onions, then fold in the eggs, chives, dill, and capers, if using.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Stir, then season to taste and serve.
This was great! The store was out of fresh dill so I had to settle for dried but it was still wonderful. Looking forward to trying it again with fresh.
Excellent egg salad…for me the capers add a beautiful zing. Love it! Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
I know everybody else is saying the same thing, but this is honestly one of the best egg salads I’ve ever had. I didn’t have any capers, but otherwise made it exactly as the recipe said. The acidity from the lemon juice… the dill, the red onion, And the chives really gave this an amazing complexity of flavor. I will definitely be making this again.
Hi Kevin, I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this recipe and it’s the best egg salad I have ever made. It definitely stands out with flavor, especially with the fresh dill and red onion. I will be making this for now on. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Five stars all the way
This is the BEST egg salad recipe I’ve ever made in 50 years! I grow my own herbs, and my chickens provide the eggs. Thanks!!
Hi Nancy, I’m so happy to hear!
Great egg salad! I prefer bold tastes and this falls into that bucket. I added some pickled sauerkraut to mine for extra crunch (and because I did’t have capers 😉
Great on sourdough too
Absolutely perfect
Great recipe. A pinch of curry powder adds a nice touch.
Ooh great suggestion, Greg!
Yummers! I love it with Ritz crackers.
Hi Audrey, so glad you loved it!
This has always been my go to egg salad recipe, but it’s been changed! It used to have turmeric and no onions! I’m sure it would still be great, but I was looking for the old recipe.
Hi, I’m sorry for the confusion, we’ve updated and simplified this recipe. For the previous recipe, use the same 6 hard boiled eggs and use the ingredients from this vegan egg salad recipe (minus the tofu): https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-egg-salad/
OMG I have tried so many egg salad recipes this is simply marvelous. Mahalo mahalo mahalo. I guess I need to purchase your recipe book now.
Hi Sharlene, I’m so glad you loved it!
All good but for a real kick, add jalapeño relish instead of pickle. (I use wife’s homemade). Can’t say how long it lasts. Always gone by 2d day.
Wow, just wow! So fresh and flavorful– like every recipe I’ve ever cooked from this site.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Best egg salad recipe ever!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
So delicious and easy!! Another great L&L recipe! Counting down the days until the new cookbook arrives!!
I hope you love the book!
Omgoodness!
This was quick, easy and delicious.
Thank you for sharing! I cannot wait for my cookbook from you!
So glad you loved the egg salad! Thanks for pre-ordering the cookbook too!
This is my go-to egg salad. It’s so delicious! I love everything about it. I usually add diced celery and onion, but it’s also good without these.
I’m so glad you’ve loved it!
Wow! All the flavors are really great together. Love this take on egg salad. I didn’t have turmeric, so I subbed ground ginger and paprika. Divided the called for quantity in half and it turned out amazing. Thanks you for sharing this recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This recipe is great! I have been using it on pumpernickel bread with butter lettuce and it is my absolute favorite sandwich now. Love it, thank you!
Hi Ana, I’m so glad you love it! That sandwich combo sounds fantastic.
I made this almost exactly as written (without the dill – didn’t have any. I’m sure it would’ve only improved the dish). It was more delicious than any I’ve ever had. All of the ingredients work great together. You do not need any more mayo than 1/4 C! Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Anne, I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi, real quick note. The egg salad recipe appeared in as a vegan recipe when I selected the filter. I will use tofu instead of the boiled eggs. Look forward to making this for breakfast
Hi Sherry, here’s our vegan egg salad recipe, it’s so good! https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-egg-salad/
I love the idea of using tofu. I’m not vegan but I really like tofu and I can imagine the flavor using it in this recipe. Great idea!