This bright and briny vegan egg salad is just as good as the real thing! Made with turmeric, tofu, vegan mayo, and mustard, it's healthy and easy to make.
I could eat this vegan egg salad for lunch every day in the spring. It’s bright and briny, creamy and tangy, and every bit as good as the real thing. Tofu steps in for the eggs, so it’s packed with enough plant-based protein to keep you full till dinner. And because you don’t need to have hard boiled eggs on hand to make it, it comes together in no time. Mix it up, pile it between slices of bread with your favorite fresh fixings, and dig in!
Vegan Egg Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy vegan egg salad recipe:
- Extra-firm tofu perfectly mimics the texture of hard boiled eggs!
- Vegan mayo and olive oil make up the rich, creamy base of the dressing.
- Dijon mustard, capers, and lemon juice add bright, tangy, briny flavor.
- Garlic, chives, and fresh dill make it feel really fresh, and they add sharp, savory depth of flavor.
- Turmeric gives this vegan egg salad the classic yellow color that would normally come from egg yolks.
- A pinch of celery seed is the perfect savory finishing touch!
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, garlic, turmeric, and capers. Stir in a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper, and add the tofu. Finally, stir in the herbs and celery seed, and chill until you’re ready to serve. Find the full recipe below!
Vegan Egg Salad Recipe Tips
- Use extra-firm tofu. If you buy tofu often, you probably know that it ranges in texture from silken to extra-firm. Soft silken tofu has too high a water content to work well here – it will make your egg salad mushy! To mimic the texture of hard boiled eggs, seek out extra-firm tofu for this recipe. Before you dice it, lightly press it in kitchen or paper towels to release some of its moisture.
- Dice, then crumble the tofu. We’re going for the texture of egg salad, not scrambled eggs, so we don’t want to crumble the tofu too much. I recommend dicing it into little 1/4-inch cubes before using your hands to lightly crumble it into the dressing, leaving some of the cubes intact.
- Don’t skip the celery seed. Celery seed is the secret ingredient in Jack’s mom’s famous deviled eggs. Because this recipe has a similar tangy, bright, eggy flavor, I thought I’d try it here. The results were fantastic! Its savory flavor really takes this vegan egg salad over the top.
Vegan Egg Salad Serving Suggestions
I like to pile this vegan egg salad onto a sandwich with watercress, radish slices, and a pop of pickled red onions. Enjoy the sandwich on its own, or serve it with a fresh salad or soup. Any of these recipes would be great choices:
- Caesar Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Greek Salad
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Rainbow Kale Salad
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
For more ideas, check out my 37 Best Salad Recipes or 25 Best Soups!
If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, feel free to serve the tofu egg salad with crackers or pita or over a bed of spring greens. It will keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, so it’s a great recipe to make ahead for quick lunches throughout the week. See this post for my best meal prep tips!
More Favorite Sandwich Recipes
If you love this vegan egg salad sandwich, try one of these sandwich recipes next:
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
- Seared Tofu Banh Mi
- Avocado Toast (5 ways!)
- Lemon Edamame Avocado Sandwich
Then, find more healthy lunch ideas here and more vegan recipes here!
Vegan Egg Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup 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
- 7.5 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- Pinches of celery seed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
for serving:
- 6 slices of whole-grain sandwich bread
- Watercress or spring greens, optional
- Pickled red onion, optional
- Radish slices, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, capers, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
- Mix in the tofu 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 seed, 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.
I’ve been vegan for a while now and I thought I had made every possible sandwich I could; but this recipe showed me that there are more possibilities than I thought. I never would have thought of this on my own. Great job. 10 out of 10, I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
trying to incorporate more vegan food into my diet so i tried this. absolutly AMAZING- you cant tell its not eggs. i also added a bit of relish to it.
This is just delicious! I also added a tsp of black salt (although it’s actually pink), for the authentic smell/flavour. A new favourite.
Raw tofu?
yes
I want to scoop the “egg” salad into egg sized red potatoes to make faux hard boiled eggs. Looking for a creamier texture, though. Any thoughts?
Soooooooo good! We made this for meal prep for lunches this week and have been eating it on toasted sourdough, topped with arugula. I never thought a vegan egg salad would be possible! Will definitely be incorporating this into our meal prep go-to’s. 🙂
I have to say this recipe is delicious! It is perfect, the only thing I did was add celery. I also think it tastes even better after letting it sit over night so the tofu can absorb all the yumminess.
Hi is there a non-vegan recipe (with eggs) I can use? If it’s as simple as swapping out the tofu then how many eggs? Will I have to adjust the other ingredients? Thank you in advance!
Hi Candace, yep! It’s in this post: https://www.loveandlemons.com/egg-salad/
Thank you for getting back to me so timely seeing how old this post is. I’m doing a fancy fish & grits brunch for my mom’s 70th bday next week. We’re going to have salmon, Parmesan grits and this egg salad on the side. Thanks again!
It’s one of my favorite recipes!
That sounds lovely, I hope everyone enjoys 🙂
So so good!
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!
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).
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.
I got it just for this recipe! Super excited to try it! Should I just swap out the exact amount of salt called for in this recipe?
Hi Erin, I haven’t tried, but I’d say you could swap the same amount, or start with less and add more to taste.
totally agree with your approach to bread and eating in general 🙂 yes to 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 🙂
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.
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!!
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…
If you want an eggy taste use black salt (actually it’s pink) . Can get at Indian food stores, etc.
Yes, agree! Takes this great recipe up a notch.
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.
It looks really deliscious:-)