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 a great recipe but adding 1 heaping tablespoon of Sugar really brought out the taste.
Glad you enjoyed it, Howard!
Delicious. I added some cottage cheese to lesson the mayo component and add more protein and it is so delicious. Also added some chopped fresh parsley. Yum
Hi Joanne, I’ve never tried using cottage cheese in egg salad. What a great idea! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Create a egge salad using your recipe and enjoyed the taste. Thank You
Hands down best egg salad I’ve ever had!!! Thank you!!!
It is really good ??
So glad you liked it, Henry!
I like to add chopped Black Olives to mine. A tip from a friend.
Ooh fun addition, Aureline! I love that idea.
How long does it keep in the fridge?
Hi Matty, up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Great recipe. I didn’t have chives on hand so I omitted it. I did add the capers. I loved the taste and I am sure the chives would have really added to the taste. I had leftover dill from making your refrigerator dilly bean recipe that I wanted to use. I am so glad we tried this recipe.
Oops, It wasn’t your site that had the Dilly Bean recipe, but loved your egg salad
best egg salad ever.even though it is the first one I had but really flavorful really good love it five stares happy.
Hi Van, I’m so glad you loved it!
Good recipe. I did add bacon bits and a touch of sweet relish.
Huge fan! Great level of saltiness with the capers.
I’m so glad you loved it!
It would be really,., helpful if you printed nutrition info for your recipes.
I did make the egg salad, and although my husband & I are big fans of mustard, the mustard seemed to overwhelm the taste.
The boiled egg technique worked incredibly well.
I made this egg salad earlier today, and it was excellent. Even though I used dried chives and dill, it paired well with Ritz crackers. Thank you for sharing this recipe. ?
I’m so glad you loved it!
Chopped celery is a must in any egg salad recipe, maybe in a little more amount than chopped onion, because the onion has a stronger taste. The celery for crunch and saltiness. I’ve made it without, because celery spoils, but it’s not nearly as good.
Hi Jon, great suggestion! Feel free to add some celery to this recipe. It would be delicious here!
I always use celery. I’m surprised you saying celery spoils. I sometimes make 3 batches of egg salad in a 2 week time span and one package of celery is enough to make all 3 using 2 stalks at a tim. It keeps just fine in the fridge and is just as fresh after 2 weeks as the day I bought it.
Best egg salad EVER!!!
I LOVE THIS EGG SALAD! I have made egg salad for years and it never tasted this good! Is it listed in any of your cookbooks because I want to keep it forever!
Hi Denise, I’m so glad you love the recipe! Unfortunately, the egg salad isn’t in any of the cookbooks. We tend to publish separate recipes in the books and online.
This was awesome! I nixed the dill and capers but added sweet/hot jalapenos!! It barely made it into the fridge for lunch.
Hi Nicole, I’m so glad you loved the egg salad! The jalapeños would be so tasty here.
What a beautiful egg salad! Definitely different and very delicious!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Agree the dill and capers really make this recipe. Bright and elevated. Delicious – thank you!!
I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Like most people, I’ve made egg salad a hundred times. It’s one of my favorites.
I decided to hop online to see if I could find something “fresh and new” to add to my normal recipe.
This is exactly what I was looking for. It’s delicious & fresh!
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad you loved the egg salad!