Best Egg Salad Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
A few little additions take this classic egg salad recipe from basic to really good, while keeping everything you love about the tried-and-true favorite.
Egg salad is a simple, familiar favorite, but it can be surprisingly easy to get wrong. For me, a good egg salad recipe begins with perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs, then it’s all about balance. Mayo adds richness, while lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and a touch of Worcestershire bring brightness, tang, and depth. I add celery, scallions, and fresh parsley for crunch and freshness, which keeps the salad from feeling too heavy.
Pile it onto toasted bread for an egg salad sandwich, spoon it over greens, or serve it with crackers for an easy lunch.
“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: Properly cooked eggs are the foundation of a good egg salad. I like the yolks fully set but still creamy, without that dry, chalky texture you sometimes get from overcooked eggs. The method below will get you there.
- Mayonnaise: Forms the rich, creamy base of the dressing. Use a good-quality brand, such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Dijon mustard: Adds a little tang and sharpness to cut through the richness of the eggs and mayo.
- Lemon juice: A small amount of fresh lemon juice brightens the salad and keeps it from tasting heavy.
- Worcestershire sauce: My little extra. You only need a touch, but it adds savory depth and makes the whole salad more flavorful without calling attention to itself.
- Celery, Scallions & Fresh Parsley: These add crunch and freshness and keep the salad from feeling too rich. I like scallions here because they give you mild onion flavor without overpowering the eggs, while the parsley adds a fresh, herbal note.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Egg Salad
Hard-boil and chop the eggs: Gently lower the eggs into boiling water and cook for exactly 11 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath to cool, then peel and chop.
Mix the egg salad: Whisk the dressing until smooth and well combined. Add the eggs, vegetables, and herbs and gently fold everything together. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Always give it a taste before serving—the seasoning can mellow as it sits, so it may need a little salt, pepper, or lemon juice to perk it back up.
Got Hard-Boiled Eggs? More Recipes You May Like
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
- Fill a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the cold eggs into the boiling water one at a time, taking care not to let them hit the bottom of the pan, which can crack the shells. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil and cook for 11 minutes; this gives you fully set but still tender, creamy yellow yolks.
- Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice and cold water. As soon as the eggs are done, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the ice bath. Let cool for 10 minutes. Gently crack the eggs all over, then peel under cool running water, starting at the wide end. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. 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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Made this because we needed to use up a lot of eggs. First time making egg salad and it was easy and delicious! My husband loved it.
Thanks for the recipe! I was looking for one that wasn’t so heavy on the mayo, and this was perfect.
The best egg salad I have ever tasted! Easy with basic ingredients but so well balanced and flavorful!
Egg-cellent! Great flavors!
This was so easy and so delicious. Love the creamy, flavorful dressing! Perfect summer lunch.
I forgot to add that I omitted the sugar and Worcestershire sauce–and it tasted great.
My better half and I are preparing dueling egg salads with the left over hard boiled eggs from Easter – I am making this one and my wife her family recipe. Controlled at the bread level – leftover homemade challah. The only modification I made was to use shallot finely minced instead of green onions since we didn’t have those. We both liked this recipe very much. We will find out tomorrow at lunch which we like better, but this is excellent as is written.
This was just okay for me — I think it’s a great recipe and well-balanced and flavorful. I think I just personally didn’t care for some of these flavors in my egg salad. It’s either the mustard or the worchestire sauce, or both, that is making it a little off for me. It’s also a little wetter than I like. I love egg salad and I think I prefer it salty and mayo-laden haha. Will try again but substitute with red onions for the scallions, leave out the worchestire and mustard, and use more eggs so it’s less wet. Didn’t want to rate below 4 stars because it’s still a good recipe and I enjoyed it.
I don’t have any parsely (fresh or dried), is there another herb you might recommend or will it be okay without? Thanks.
Hi Dee, it’s fine to omit it – it will still be delicious!
The egg salad is wonderfully classic and perfect. Thank you for your delicious recipes. It all started with your pumpkin bread which is to die for… Then I bought your cookbook. Made chocolate lover’s birthday cake that is definitely a 5 star + and now you beautiful egg salad- I have been looking for a recipe for years and now I found it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You give home cooks a whole new lovely confidence and you are truly appreciated.♥️ Thank you so kindly Pam
You’re so welcome, Pam! ❤️
5 stars! This is the best egg salad I have ever made. I used white wine vinegar. Won’t ever use another recipe. Thank you for sharing!!