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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Best egg salad I have ever had! No changes, made it following the recipe! Do you have a great tuna salad recipe too😋? We love all your recipes, thank you Jen!
So glad you liked this! As of now, I don’t have a proven recipe of my own for tuna salad. I’ll have to add that to my list of recipes to potentially develop — thanks for the suggestion!
Hi Jenn,
I take tuna sandwiches with me when I spend the day outside skiing.
I don’t care for mayo. I use plain yogurt. I also add a diced avocado, scallions or green onions, celery, and a jalapeño. I put it in a flour tortilla, a perfect sandwich for me!
I have a tuna fan club who enjoys these sandwiches too!!
Made this yesterday and popped it in the fridge overnight for lunch today. WOW! Definitely the most flavorful egg salad I have had! I will admit, I was nervous about the Dijon and thought it might be too strong of a taste but the flavors do mellow out after sitting in the fridge. This is definitely my new go-to egg salad! Jenn, thank you AGAIN for another delicious recipe!
Made this today and it really IS lovely. I didn’t think you could improve on it but this takes an old favourite to a new level. Thanks!
I just made this recipe for a quick lunch to take to work on sourdough bread! Delicious! I’m thinking of adding some diced dill pickles next time though just to add a little more zing. Thanks so much for the recipe!
This is great!!!! The first time I made this EXACTLY as written and opted for the vinegar. The second time I added some fine chopped red onion and used the scallion for garnish and did 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 vinegar and I now have my new favorite egg salad! Worcestershire is brilliant.
Excellent!
I was so sick and tired of my own boring egg salad, I knew I had to find an actual really good recipe and this is it!
I did make a few changes: I finely chopped up half of a small onion because I didn’t have any scallions and I pressed the eggs through a large-hole potato ricer.
I think the unusual blend of ingredients is what makes this egg salad so good. It’s definitely a 5-Star recipe!
This is the best! Love your recipes
Spectacular! My Mom hates vinegar while my father and l love it. Surprise! Everyone loved this recipe. Bravo!
Delicious egg salad recipe. Preparing eggs for can be tricky and this recipe does a fantastic job of having the eggs end up perfect. This is a definite, “go to” recipe for egg salad. I plan on passing it along.
forgot to add the 5 stars:)
This was absolutely the most delicious egg salad ever!!!!! I only got a few tastes before making a huge sandwich for my husband and sharing the rest with a friend who loves egg salad. She just about fell over!! I know I will make this and only this egg salad from now on!! Those extra ingredients elevate the basic to the phenomenal.
I made it on the fly and didn’t have any scallions left so I used a small leek chopped small. And I already had a small bowl of chopped fresh parsley, sage and rosemary so I tossed those all in. Your recipes are always the best. Thank you!