Egg Salad is a classic dish for a reason. When made right, it's a perfect blend of creamy, tangy and herbaceous with plenty of crunch. Heap it into egg salad sandwiches (ideally on homemade brioche buns), pile it high onto tartines, scoop it over tender greens or spoon it onto crackers or inside avocado halves. It's as easy to make as it delicious!
There are a few simple keys to making the best egg salad: don't overcook your eggs or cut them too small, don't overdress with mayonnaise (no one wants goopy egg salad), and always embellish with tangy Dijon mustard and lemon juice, fresh herbs like chives and dill, and bits of raw celery for crunch. And, if you like a little kick, a dash or two of hot sauce.
How to boil eggs for egg salad
There are a lot of opinions about how to boil eggs and sometimes I feel like I've tried them all. But a few years ago, I came across this no-fail method from Serious Eats and have never looked back. The boiled eggs have perfect yolks every time and their shells always slide off beautifully. Here's the tried and true method:
- Lower eggs into enough boiling water to cover them by an inch and let them boil for 30 seconds.
- Cover pan and reduce heat to low; let simmer 11 minutes.
- Transfer eggs immediately to an ice bath and let cool 15 minutes.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- When you're ready to peel eggs: gently crack shells all over and peel under a thin stream of cold, running water.
Perfectly boiled eggs are so versatile. Enjoy them in this egg salad or in dishes like Spinach Salad and Nicoise Salad, or make my favorite Spicy Deviled Eggs.
Many sources say that egg salad will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days, but I like to eat it within 3 days. It takes just a few minutes to make egg salad if you already have boiled eggs in the refrigerator and you can boil your eggs up to 5 days in advance.
How to make egg salad
Step 1: Stir together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and fresh lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Coarsely chop hard boiled eggs and add to mayonnaise mixture along with celery, chives, and dill. Gently toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Egg Salad Recipe Video
Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 rib celery finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives plus more for garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup torn fresh dill fronds plus more for garnish (optional)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring enough water to boil to cover eggs by 1-inch. Carefully lower eggs into boiling water and allow to boil 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low and cover; simmer 11 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a bowl large enough to fit all of the eggs.
- When eggs have simmered 11 minutes, immediately transfer to ice bath and let cool 15 minutes. (see recipe note #1)
- While eggs cool, stir together mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
- When eggs are cool, gently tap one egg all over on a cutting board to crack the shell; peel egg under a thin stream of cold water. Repeat with remaining eggs.
- Cut eggs into coarse, ½-inch chunks and add to mayonnaise mixture in bowl. Add celery, chives, and dill; gently toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve. (see recipe note #2)
Notes
- You can boil eggs up to 5 days in advance. Remove from ice bath and refrigerate in shell until ready to use.
- Refrigerate prepared egg salad for up to 3 days.
It looks very healthy and yummy too, it's perfect for my diet plan.
Glad to hear it, Naveen! Thank you.
Sounds like the ultimate egg salad but yet its super simple too! The chunkier the better 🙂
Thanks and I'm with you, Kevin! Chunky egg salad for me, please. 😉
Love this recipe! I have started adding sour cream in a half and half ratio with mayonnaise. It lightens the mayo, even tho I love good mayonnaise! I mellows the flavor slightly, but you still have creaminess. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Mimi! I use a mix of mayo and sour cream in several recipes too (or plain yogurt as in this Curry Chicken Salad). For egg salad though, I typically just use mayo because I love how well it complements the other flavors.
This really is the yummiest egg salad I've ever seen! Love all the herbs and the sauce looks amazing! Great tips on boiling eggs. I still don't have the knack of it so they will be very useful!
aww, thank you, Kelly! You've got to try this egg boiling method - works every time!
We all love egg salad in this house, and this one looks perfect. Love the dill, and your eggs appear to be cooked exactly how I like them. 🙂
Thank you, Valentina! Yes, love that little bit of jamminess in the yolk...so good!
Chunky is definitely the best kind of egg salad - and its gotta have dill!! I went on an egg salad spree a few months ago and then we got sick of it, but I'm thinking we need to go on another spree with this recipe!
Thanks, Katherine! Definitely time for another spree! 😉
Hi Marissa! I have been craving egg salad for a while now, just haven't gotten around to making it. This looks delicious, I love the chunkiness and herbs! This would be a great appetizer on party rye or pumpernickel. I prefer to eat egg salad on an open faced sandwich,, the egg salad always seems to squish out if it's between two slices of bread. Or maybe it's just the way I eat it 🙂
Hi Dorothy! As always, love the way you think! Yes to the party rye or pumpernickel and I usually make egg salad sandwiches open faced for the same reason.
What a great egg salad recipe! Love that you were light handed on the dressing and used tons of herbs!
Yes!! Thanks so much, Sabrina!
Egg salad is a staple in our home and we always use dill! I happened to have one this one for lunch and now after seeing yours I'm craving again! I just HAVE to make sure all those shells are gone or this chicka is not happy, lol. Have a wonderful weekend ahead! XO
So true about the shells, Dawn! haha... Thank you! Hope you had a great Easter!
I always used to finely mash my eggs for egg salad, but nowadays chunky is definitely the way to go! Thanks for the tips on boiling and preparing these eggs. I never thought to boil them in advance and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Thanks for sharing Marissa!
My pleasure, Leanne! Thanks so much for the sweet comment!
You've been on an awesome salad kick lately, Marissa! And now you've landed on one of my all-time favorites! The funny thing is I don't make egg salad all that often around here. I have no idea why not. I should make a batch this weekend! An egg salad sandwich on toasted grain bread is a thing of beauty! 🙂
haha...it's true! I'm on a salad kick and I'm not done yet... 😉 Hope you'll give this one a try!
I make something very similar but with mashed hard boiled eggs 🥚 for sandwich fillings.
Egg salad definitely makes a great sandwich filling. Thanks, Sherry!
Totally agree with Liz that this is the BEST egg salad!
aww, thank you, Angie!
Definitely the best looking egg salad I've ever seen! Plus thanks for the hard boiled egg tutorial. I like using the Instant Pot because they peel so well, but it's a pain dragging that out every time 🙂
Wow, thanks so much, Liz! I'm excited for you to give the egg boiling method a try!
I always get a craving for egg salad as soon as the spring season arrives, not to mention it's a great way to use up all those Easter eggs!! Your photos and video have me drooling! I love that you kept your egg salad chunky too!! Absolute perfection!
Thank you so much, Cheyanne!
I just had egg salad yesterday! We had so many eggs and are headed overseas so I've been using them up as much as possible. This looks delicious Marissa! 😀
Great timing! Thanks, Lorraine!