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 has a rich, creamy mayo dressing with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and (optional) capers for a tangy, briny kick. Fresh herbs like chives and dill take it over the top.
Stuffed into a sandwich with crisp veggies and greens, this egg salad is my ideal spring lunch. I hope you love it as much as I do!
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 mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a mixing 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 recipe 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
- 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
- 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.
“Well this sure isn’t my mom’s egg salad. Wow! It’s amazing!” – my husband
I think this has now become our go-to egg salad recipe!
Super GOOOD Thank you!
EPIC recipe. This is a family fave. They BEG me to make this. We only use tofu however. Perfect anytime of day. Thank you for sharing this!!!
I’m so glad you love it!
This is the best egg salad I’ve ever had. Delicious. I had to cut some corners using dried dill and garlic powder and it still turned out great. I made the eggs without shells in a pan in my instant pot (look up egg loaf) so it couldn’t be easier!
Best egg salad I’ve had and I’ve tried all sorts. Next day is best due to herbs.
I make my eggs in my instant pot. The rest as recipe.
Will be making this from now on…my husband. Loves it also.
Creamy yolks with chunky whites is texture perfect.
I’m gonna try this looks very tasty
Omg. This is the best egg salad I’ve ever had. Thank you for sharing
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it!
This egg salad is so tangy and delicious! We had it as a summer picnic with fresh baked sourdough bread and a green salad.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Yum! Recommend!! Good served over half an avocado
Oooh, love that idea!
I had never made my own egg salad before or LIKED egg salad… And then I dunno why but I decided it was time. I think the idea of capers and herbs warmed me to the idea.
So a weeks ago I made this for the first time (and LOVED IT), and today I’m back for more! Making this again later today for my next batch of work meal preps.
Haha, that’s how I used to feel about egg salad too :). I’m so glad you loved the flavor combo!
Thank you
I LOVE THIS EGG SALAD! it is so fresh and almost tangy, but in a good way! I will be making this on repeat, I made sandwiches on homemade birdseed bread ❤️ Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Lani, I’m so glad you’ve loved it so much!
Interesting take on a classic.
The only thing I’ll change next time is reducing the amount of dressing.
We all thought the final result to be a little too *wet*.
Hi Gil, I’m glad you enjoyed 🙂
I will try it at home it really yummy
Do you have a recommendation for a mayo substitute? 🙂 Thank you!
I love Sir Kensington’s Fabanaise, it’s made with chickpea brine.
This looks delicious!! Surely I will try this recipe.
This looks so perfect for Spring!
My family always has egg salad after a hard days work in the yard during spring/summer. I cannot wait to share your recipe with everyone! Perfect with lemonade to cool down during the hot days!
I hope you enjoy it!
Delicious recipe, Thank you! great way to used all the dyed Easter eggs. I served it on toasted brioche. I used thinly cut scallions instead of chives, because I just had that on hand. It was great !!!.
That sounds delicious, I’m so glad you loved it!
Made this for lunch today . . . IN-CRE-DI-BLE!! Seriously the most delicious egg salad I have ever tasted, THANK YOU! We didn’t have chives or dill, but opted for finely chopped green onion, but it worked perfectly with everything else. Dicing the boiled eggs instead of mashing added a nice texture too. Ate with sliced tomatoes and radishes, perfection!
Hi Jess, I’m so glad you loved it!!