Whether you're a fan of traditional egg salad or not, you'll love this bright & briny, tangy & creamy, healthy egg salad recipe!
I’ve never really loved egg salad. Nice way to start a post about egg salad, right? 🙂 But this isn’t just any egg salad sandwich: it’s bright from lemon, full of fresh herbs, and it gets a little briny kick from capers – it’s the best I’ve had! In fact, compared to traditional recipes, which I feel can be a bit on the heavy side, this is light, fresh, and what I think egg salad wants to be.
If you look at the picture below, you’ll see that I actually first made this as a vegan recipe, using tofu instead of hard boiled eggs. Since then, I’ve tested it regular eggs and I think both versions are equally good. Either way, the creamy filling really shines. Scoop it between slices of whole grain bread, and this is everything I want to eat for lunch every day in the spring.
How to Make Egg Salad
- Start by whisking together the mayo or vegan mayo, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, turmeric, and capers. Look at that pretty turmeric swirl!
- Next, add the diced hard boiled eggs or cubed tofu. If you’re scared of tofu – don’t be. It mimics the texture of eggs perfectly, and since it’s nearly flavorless, it takes on all of the bright & briny flavors of the sauce.
- If you’re making this with eggs, gently fold them into the sauce. If you’re using tofu, mix it in and then lightly crumble it with your hands, keeping some of the cubes intact. We’re going for the texture of egg salad, not scrambled eggs.
- Last, stir in the dill, chives, and celery seed. Celery seed isn’t something I usually keep on hand, but Jack’s mom uses it to make her famous deviled eggs, so I thought I’d give it a go in my egg salad. You could skip it, but if you happen to have it, go for it, because it really perfects this recipe.
To make my sandwiches extra springy, I assemble them with watercress and radish slices, and I top them with pretty pink pickled onions.
Assemble and enjoy! The sandwich filling will keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, which makes these a perfect brunch or lunch that’s quick to assemble.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these sandwiches on their own or serve with a fresh salad or soup:
- Caesar Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Greek Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Kale Salad
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
If you love this egg salad recipe…
Try this vegetarian club sandwich or these tofu banh mi sandwiches, chickpea salad sandwiches, or any of these fancy avocado toast recipes.
Healthy Egg Salad Sandwich
- ¼ cup traditional or vegan mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 hard boiled eggs, diced, or 7.5 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- Pinches of celery seed* (see note)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 6 slices of whole-grain sandwich bread
- Watercress or spring greens, optional
- Pickled red onion, optional
- Radish slices, optional
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, capers, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
- If you're making this with eggs, gently fold them into the sauce. If you're using tofu, mix it in and then lightly crumble it with your hands, keeping some of the cubes intact. We're going for the texture of egg salad, not scrambled eggs.
- Stir in the celery salt, dill, and chives. Chill until ready to serve.
- Assemble the sandwiches with watercress or spring greens, a scoop of the egg salad, and pickled onions and radish slices, if desired.
This post is in partnership with the Grain Foods Foundation.
It looks really deliscious:-)
Do you squeeze the liquid from the block of tofu or just cut it up from the block?
I gently pat the block dry before cutting it, but I don’t squeeze it too much.
If you want an eggy taste use black salt (actually it’s pink) . Can get at Indian food stores, etc.
I’ve never been a fan of egg salad, although I must say yours sounds quite interesting. It is good that you have realized that food fashion trends are not worth following. I’ve done a lot of low fat diets, and hated them. Life is much better when just eating a balanced diet, and it’s easy enough to be conscious of how much/what you eat, and maintain a good weight.
I think it’s so much better than regular egg salad – the dressing mix, in particular is so flavorful. Agreed – low fat diets had some pretty negative affects for me…
Looking forward to making this-and I can’t wait for your new book to arrive at my house! This Spring will be filled with great food! 🙂
Hi Anne, I hope you enjoy the new book!!
This recipe looks amazing. Just curious what kind of bread do you use?
Hi Hallie, apologies for my slow reply! I used Brownberry Organic 22 Grains & Seeds – my whole family is obsessed with this bread.
This looks so good! I love tofu and this looks like such a tasty take on good old egg salad. Pinned to make for work next week 🙂
totally agree with your approach to bread and eating in general 🙂 yes to bread!
This is delicious! If you make the vegan version, I highly, highly recommend swapping the sea salt for black salt (it’s not just black sea salt– it’s an ingredient you can find at South Asian/Middle Eastern stores. Or Amazon!). It adds just the slightest hint of eggy taste and makes the dish taste even better.
I’ve heard that! I just never happen to have it on hand 🙂
Amen to this! It’s called kala namak, or black salt. Super eggy in aroma and flavor.
Would love to hear more about how you’ve gotten to a healthier mindset about the food you eat and not listening to diet fads. It’s awesome you’ve been able to get there and I think it would be helpful for people who struggle with food and diet (myself included).
I’ve been craving a really good egg salad sandwich and this hit the spot. I was missing a few ingredients but it still turned out delicious.
Hi Katelin, I’m so glad you loved it!