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If you’ve ever wondered how to make egg salad that’s creamy, flavorful, and not boring, this is it. This Simple Egg Salad Recipe uses fresh herbs, crunchy celery, and just the right amount of tang. I make it constantly for easy lunches – especially as an egg salad sandwich piled onto toasted bread!
Love a simple lunch style recipe? You need to try our Southwest Bean Salad as well as our Simple Vegetarian Sushi recipe and our viral Dense Bean Salad!
Why you’ll love this classic egg salad!
A good egg salad recipe is one of those things that just feels so nostalgic for me because my grandmother made it for lunches during the summer all the time when I was growing up. I’ve probably eaten my weight in egg salad and I never get sick of it!
I like to try different flavor variations and weird ingredients but I figured it was time that I share my Basic egg salad recipe with you!
Why This Is the Best Egg Salad Recipe:
- Classic, simple ingredients
- Creamy with just the right amount of crunch
- Easy to customize
- Perfect for sandwiches, toast, or meal prep (seriously the best make-ahead lunches!)
In this post…
Ingredients needed
The basic ingredients for this easy egg salad recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
- Hard-boiled eggs – The base of this classic egg salad recipe. Slightly jammy yolks = creamier texture.
- Mayonnaise – Makes the egg salad rich and smooth. I love using my homemade mayo in this recipe!
- Dijon mustard – Adds depth without overpowering the eggs.
- Lemon juice – Brightens everything and balances the mayo.
- Fresh dill – Gives this that classic, deli-style flavor that I love so much! In the winter or in a pinch, dried dill works just fine.
- Chives or green onions – Mild onion flavor that blends right in. I’ve made this with finely chopped green onion and it works well!
- Celery – Adds crunch and freshness. I often leave this out when I’m feeling a little lazy.
- Red onion – Just enough bite for balance! You can leave it out as desired. Soaking the red onion for 20 minutes takes away a little bit of the strong onion taste if you prefer that.
- Capers (optional but high recommended!) – A salty, briny upgrade.
- Toasted bread & greens – I love adding this to bread for egg salad sandwiches or to lettuce wraps for an even lighter option!
- Other ingredients I love – dill pickles or dill relish (because I love my egg salad a little pickle-y), greek yogurt in place of mayo, fresh parsley, dash of hot sauce for a hint of heat, and spicy brown mustard!
How to Make It
Just a reminder that you can find the full recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you :)
- Start by hard boiling your eggs – place a pot of water over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the eggs into the hot water with a slotted spoon and cook for 7 minutes. Remove the eggs and then place them in a bowl of ice water to cool. Once full cooled, peel the shells off of the eggs.
- Place the hard boiled eggs on a cutting board and roughly chop them up into small pieces (the whole egg including the egg yolks). You can make the pieces as big or small as you prefer. Place the chopped eggs into a mixing bowl.
- Combine all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl with the chopped eggs including the diced hard boiled eggs, dijon mustard, mayo, red onion, chives, celery, and fresh dill.
- Mix everything together so that it’s well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy! This makes a great sandwich/ easy lunch!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the eggs – slightly jammy yolks make the best egg salad in my opinion!
- Chill for 20–30 minutes before serving for best flavor. This gets better if you let it sit for a bit! I always love having leftover egg salad in the fridge.
- If using capers, start light on salt and adjust after mixing. Capers are VERY salt and I’ve made the mistake of adding too many + too much salt before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this egg salad recipe is great for meal prep!
Up to 3–4 days in an airtight container.
Yes – simply use about one-third the amount!
How to Make Egg Salad (Simple & Classic)
Video
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs
- 1.5 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup mayo
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1.5 teaspoon fresh dill, powdered variant – 3 to 1 ratio fresh to dry herbs
- ⅓ cup chives or green onion
- 1 cup diced celery, 2-3 ribs
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon capers, optional
- toasted bread and greens for serving
Instructions
- Start by hard boiling your eggs if you haven’t already done so. I do this by boiling a pot of water. Carefully lower the eggs into the pot and boil for 7 minutes. Remove from the water and place directly into an ice bath. Let rest until fully cooled and then peel.
- Place the hard boiled eggs on a cutting board and roughly chop them to your desired size. Place the chopped eggs into a medium bowl.
- Mix in the dijon, mayo, lemon juice, dill, chives, celery, and red onion. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve on toasted bread, or even on its own, and ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
