Best Egg Salad
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Craving the perfect homemade egg salad? Look no further—this is the one! Whether you’re making a classic sandwich, serving it with crackers, or enjoying it straight from the bowl, this is the only egg salad recipe you’ll ever need.
Egg salad is a simple, classic dish that’s undeniably delicious when done right—but it can fall a bit flat when it’s not. The key to making it perfect? Start with hard-boiled eggs that have tender whites and creamy yolks. Then, bring it to life with a blend of rich mayo, a squeeze of lemon for brightness, a touch of Dijon mustard, and a hint of Worcestershire sauce for depth. For crunch and a pop of freshness, I like to stir in crisp celery and fresh parsley, with scallions adding just the right amount of mild onion flavor. The result is an egg salad that’s creamy, tangy, and full of texture—perfect for lunch or anytime.
“Without a doubt THE best egg salad ever! It was so good I made a second batch.”
What You’ll Need To Make Egg Salad
- Eggs: Hard-boiled and chopped, they’re the protein component and base of the salad.
- Mayonnaise: Adds creaminess and binds the salad together. Use a good-quality brand, such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Dijon mustard: Introduces a tangy depth and sharpness.
- Fresh lemon juice (or white wine vinegar): Adds brightness and acidity, balancing the richness of the eggs and mayo.
- Worcestershire sauce: Offers a hint of umami and complexity to the salad, deepening the flavors.
- Celery: Provides a crunchy texture and a fresh, slightly bitter contrast to the creamy components.
- Scallions: Add a mild onion flavor and a touch of color, enhancing the freshness of the salad.
- Fresh parsley: Contributes a pop of color and a fresh, herbal note.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by hard boiling the eggs. Just place them in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by about an inch. Bring the water to a full rolling boil over high heat, then take the pan off the heat, cover it, and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes.
Carefully pour out the hot water, then place the pan in the sink and run cold water over the eggs for a minute or two until the pan feels lukewarm. This helps stop the cooking process so the eggs don’t overcook. Once the pan has cooled down, drain it and refill with fresh cold water. Let the eggs sit for about 10 minutes to cool completely—this makes them easier to peel.
Gently tap the eggs all over to crack the shells, then peel them under running water to make it easier. Once they’re peeled, pat them dry and chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
Meanwhile, finely chop the herbs, celery, and scallions, making sure to keep the pieces small and uniform—this adds a nice crunch and a pop of fresh flavor in every bite.
In a medium bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar.
Add the chopped eggs, celery, scallions, and parsley to the creamy dressing.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold everything together until well combined. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. You can serve it right away or refrigerate until you’re ready to enjoy. The salad will keep for 3 days in the fridge. If you do refrigerate it, be sure to taste it again before serving—the flavors tend to mellow over time, so a little extra seasoning might be needed.
Video Tutorial
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Best Egg Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup finely diced celery, from 1 stalk
- 3 tablespoons finely sliced scallions, from 2 to 3 scallions
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a saucepan in a single layer, and fill the pan with enough cold water so that it covers the eggs by about an inch. Over high heat, bring the water to a full rolling boil—big, vigorous bubbles should be breaking all over the surface—then remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the eggs immediately to a bowl of ice water and let stand until fully cooled, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, carefully drain the hot water, then place the pan in the sink and run cold water over the eggs for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, refill with fresh cold water, and let stand until the eggs are room temperature, about 10 minutes.) Gently crack the eggs all over and peel under running water (see peeling hack below). Dry the eggs, then chop into ¼-inch (6-mm) pieces.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add the chopped eggs, celery, scallions, and parsley. Using a rubber spatula, fold to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve or refrigerate until ready to use. (If you refrigerate the egg salad, be sure to taste it again before serving and adjust the seasoning; I find the flavors mellow out a bit after some time in the fridge.)
Notes
- Peeling Hack: Start peeling at the wide end of the egg, where there’s usually an air pocket. Peel off a small piece of shell at the bottom to expose the membrane, then slip the egg back into the water (ice water or room temperature water both work) for a minute or two. The water seeps under the shell and helps release it more easily.
- Make Ahead Instructions: The eggs can be cooked, peeled, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3 days ahead. If you keep the eggs in their shell, they can last for up to a week. The egg salad will keep well in a covered container in the fridge for about 3 days.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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For some reason every time I make this, it ends up watery after it goes in the fridge. I am careful to dry my hard boiled eggs. Any idea what it could be?
Hi Jacee, I’m sorry you’ve had a problem with this! What brand of mayo are you using? I really like Duke’s or Hellman’s.
Mine does too. I think that when I add the lemon juice to the mixture, I could be inadvertently adding too much juice. It’s still delicious! And if you look at Jenn’s photo, hers leans toward a “wetter” version of egg salad.
I’ve made this recipe about 5 times. I LOVE it! My kids love it. I do sub fresh dill for the parsley (we are dill lovers) and leave out the sugar (not big sugar fans and we love the acid without the sugar to neutralize it). But it’s a family favorite!! My daughter asks for it in her school lunches often.
While I was mixing up this recipe my husband walked into the kitchen and said he could smell the egg salad from his office and it smelled wonderful. Then he stood there and waited for me to finish chopping and mixing (he did assist by putting things away as I used them). Two bites into his first sandwich he told me to not bother putting the leftovers away-he was going back for more. Didn’t have green onions but had more chives in the herb garden than I knew what to do with, and they made a great substitute. Looks like this recipe is a keeper😄
This is delicious; however, I did substitute dill for parsley as I prefer the flavor of dill.
I haven’t made egg salad in years. Since I discovered this recipe, I have made it 3 times in the past month! Delicious! However, I still cannot peel hard boiled eggs worth a darn.
I recently heard of this trick, I need to try this! https://temeculablogs.com/no-peel-hard-boiled-eggs/
If you own an Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) the eggs I hard boil in mine peel like a dream. Depending on your altitude (longer cook time in a pressure cooker for higher elevation) they cook in about 5 min after coming to pressure then 5 min before releasing the pressure. I am at 4500 ft so do mine for 8 min & 5 min.
Karen, the secret is to steam the eggs. When the water comes to a boil, put in the steamer and eggs, cover and steam for 12 minutes. Follow with an ice water bath, crack the eggs, let sit for a minute and voila the shell comes right off. Always works for me and yolk is perfectly done
The absolute best ive ever eaten. I just dont see how you could improve on this. I threw away my other egg salad recipes when i found this one. Wow!
Delicious! I love eggs any way served, but this has to be the best egg salad recipe I have found! Will be making again and again. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, this is even better than my mom’s egg salad!
Excellent egg salad. My only change would be to let eggs sit in water for only 8 minutes after boil. Makes a creamier yolk.
Without a doubt THE best egg salad ever! It was so good I made a second batch. I also add a touch of truffle oil to make it really special