This Classic Egg Salad recipe makes the best egg salad sandwiches! It is simple, uncomplicated and always delicious.
Use my Perfect Easy to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs to make this Egg Salad, my sister’s amazing Old Fashioned Potato Salad recipe, and our favorite Bacon Horseradish Deviled Eggs.
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Egg Salad is one of the best examples of how sometimes keeping things simple is best. You can do all kinds of tweaking to this Classic Egg Salad recipe to make it your own but I really just love it as it is. Simple, nostalgic, and always delicious.
I know there are a lot of strong feelings out there on just what needs to go into a good egg salad. But, after making this delicious recipe for decades, I really believe that this is the BEST egg salad recipe.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Hard-boiled eggs: I always use my method for Easy to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs and make them a day in advance. This recipes calls for 8 large eggs.
- Mayonnaise: My favorite mayo of the moment is olive oil mayonnaise.
- Yellow mustard: You want simple prepared yellow mustard for that classic, old-fashioned egg salad flavor. You can substitute Dijon mustard, if you’d like, but it won’t give you that same familiar taste.
- Red onion and celery: Finely diced. Red onion adds a little color contrast and excellent flavor.
- Seasoning: Don’t be tempted to go overboard on the seasonings or they will overpower the dressing. I love this egg salad with a little dried dill weed, onion powder, paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. If I happen to have fresh dill on hand, I’ll double the amount called for in the recipe.
Pro Tip
Make your hard-boiled eggs a day in advance and peel them immediately after shocking them in the ice water bath. Place the peeled eggs between damp paper towels in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
How to Make Classic Egg Salad
- Peel and chop the eggs and transfer them to a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, celery, onion, dill, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Stir to combine the mixture.
Classic Egg Salad Variations
- Onion: If you are not a fan of red onion you can substitute thinly sliced green onion, finely diced shallots, or even fresh chives for a milder onion flavor.
- Mustard: For a slightly more sophisticated flavor give Dijon a try in place of the yellow mustard.
- Herbs: Add dried or fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or tarragon. Start with a very small amount, taste, and go from there.
- Bold flavor boosts: Add some sweet pickle relish, a little crumbled bacon, chopped olives, or a touch of curry powder.
- Lighten it up: Substitute some of the mayonnaise for non-fat Greek yogurt.
Storage Tips
Store Egg Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no longer than 4 days.
It’s important to remember that you should never allow dairy based recipes, like egg salad, sit out for more than two hours. If you are serving outside, place the bowl of egg salad in a bowl of ice water in a shaded area for no more than one hour. Promptly refrigerate leftovers to keep them fresh and tasty.
Serving Suggestions
- Sandwiches or Wraps: Pile it on sandwich bread or roll it in wraps with lettuce, sliced tomato and pickles. It’s always a happy day when I remember I’ve got a batch of this Egg Salad waiting in the fridge for an easy lunch.
- Egg Salad on Toast: Try toasting a slice of grainy sandwich bread and top it with egg salad. Delicious!
- Low-Carb Lunch: I love to spoon egg salad into endive leaves for a crunchy, satisfying, low-carb lunch.
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Classic Egg Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 8 hard boiled eggs
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely diced celery
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- sandwich bread, wraps, lettuce, tomato, pickles, optional for serving
Instructions
- Peel and chop the eggs and transfer them to a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, celery, onion, dill, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine the mixture.
- Serve on sandwich bread or in wraps with lettuce, tomato, and pickles.
Notes
- Onion – If you are not a fan of red onion you can substitute thinly sliced green onion, finely diced shallots, or even fresh chives for a milder onion flavor.
- Mustard – For a slightly more sophisticated flavor give Dijon a try in place of the yellow mustard.
- Herbs – Add dried or fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or tarragon. Start with a very small amount, taste, and go from there.
- Bold flavor boosts – Add some sweet pickle relish, a little crumbled bacon, chopped olives, or a touch of curry powder.
- Lighten it up – Substitute some of the mayonnaise for non-fat Greek yogurt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
Way too much salt in this recipe.
For our taste, 1/4 teaspoon salt for 8 eggs is not heavily salted. However, you can always season to taste. Sorry it didn’t work out for you, Sharon.
Funny that this showed up in my Facebook feed just as I was trying to figure out what to do with the 10 or so two-packs of Costco HBE’s in my fridge! Gonna knock this one out tomorrow fir lunch, oh yeah!
I hope it worked out well for you!
The Egg Salad recipe kooks delicious…I must make it. The bread also looks great…what type of bread is it?
Thanks!
Hi Cynthia. I believe that is Nature’s Own Thick-Sliced Multigrain. It’s great for sandwiches!
I chop up some dill pickle in my egg salad.
Great recipe! Even my picky eater liked it!
So happy to hear it, Cindy 🙂 We crave this on a regular basis!
I just made this & it’s so good! Thank you for perfect proportions!
I love your recipe for Egg salad. The major difference between yours and mine is that I always add sweet relish.
Outstanding Recipe ! Thanks Again Val for a really great Recipe. I would like to see your version of Tuna salad also sometime.
This is great! My husband and I like lite lunches and this is perfect for us. Thanks for the recipe!