Quick Egg Salad Fix
I toss this egg salad together on busy mornings, so every shortcut matters. Steaming the eggs makes the shells slip off in seconds, and mashing the yolks with a spoonful of mayo first keeps the dressing silky. A tiny pinch of smoked paprika wakes up the flavor, while diced celery adds a nice crunch.
When I want extra protein, I swap half the mayo for cottage cheese in my Cottage Cheese Egg Salad. It follows the same quick routine and feels lighter, so try both and see which bowl disappears faster. If quick lunches are your thing, check out my Chicken Salad and Tuna Salad, too.
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Eggs: 8 large eggs will make enough egg salad to make 4 sandwiches. You can also use jumbo eggs or smaller eggs, you may just want to add a bit more or less mayo to the recipe.
- Mayonnaise: Choose full-fat mayo for the best texture and flavor.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a mild kick, yellow mustard is softer.
- Celery & green onion: Dice small for an even crunch.
- Fresh dill: Bright, herby note; parsley works in a pinch.
How To Make The Best Egg Salad
See the recipe card below for full amounts and timing.
- Cook & Chill Eggs: Hard-boil, then ice-bath. For easy peeling, use my Instant Pot Eggs or Steamed Eggs methods.
- Prep Eggs: Peel, halve, mash yolks, dice whites.
- Mix Filling: Stir yolks with mayo, Dijon, spices, celery, green onion, and dill.
- Finish: Fold in whites, then serve or chill.
Tip!
I like to chill the egg salad for about an hour before eating it. That time allows the flavors to meld together wonderfully!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Egg Salad
Equipment
- Steamer basket or saucepan
- Fork and rubber spatula
- Chef’s knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- ¾ cup (190 g) mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Cook the eggs using your preferred method (I like to steam the eggs followed by an ice water bath, as they peel very easily). Be careful not to overcook them.
- Gently peel the cooled eggs. Halve each egg; place the yolks in a medium bowl and chop the whites into ½‑inch (1 cm) pieces.
- With a fork, mash the yolks until smooth.
- Stir the mayonnaise, Dijon, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper into the mashed yolks.
- Fold in the green onion, celery, and dill until the mixture is creamy and well combined.
- Gently fold the chopped egg whites into the yolk mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with a pinch of smoked paprika, extra dill, and green onion. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.
Notes:
- Be sure not to overcook the eggs, as they can become hard and rubbery.
- Chill hard-boiled eggs in a bath of ice water directly after boiling or steaming them.
- To reduce the calories and/or fat, you can replace some of the mayo with plain Greek yogurt. Egg salad made with yogurt is delicious, but slightly less creamy than egg salad made with mayo.
- Season to taste. You may want to add a bit more salt, pepper, or paprika to the mixture once it’s made.
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Do not freeze.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
What To Serve With Egg Salad
The best way to serve this homemade egg salad is on soft sandwich bread.
Homemade bread machine wheat bread makes amazing sandwiches of all types, but store bought bread is just as good sometimes.
If you’d rather try something different, egg salad is also delicious on a bed of lettuce, or eaten with crackers for an easy lunch.
Recipe FAQs
You can safely freeze egg salad, but when it’s thawed it will not have the same creamy texture that it had when it was fresh. I don’t suggest making egg salad and freezing it for this reason.
I’m very partial to the ingredients in this egg salad recipe, but there are many variations on it that you may want to try. Experiment with minced red onion, chopped chives, dill pickle relish, fresh minced garlic, and lemon juice.
Connie says
When my kids were little they liked to make Big Bird nests with pretzel sticks and a round mound of egg salad on top with black olive eyes. The pretzel sticks served as mini chop sticks for eating the eggs and were a great taste combination.
April says
This was the best egg salad ever! Perfectly creamy and seasoned, it’s absolutely delicious.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so happy to hear that, April! Thank you for the great review!
Kristen says
This egg salad was so simple to make and tasted amazing.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you, Kristen! I’m so glad you liked it!
Shar says
This is one of my go-to breakfast recipes! This egg salad is perfectly seasoned that it is bursting with flavors. Yey!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so glad to hear that, Shar! Thank you for the kind review!