Classic egg salad is just 3 ingredients and comes out perfect creamy, well seasoned and delicious. Use for sandwiches, wraps or salads.

It’s beach week for us, so I’m going to keep this short.

We’ve been enjoying some beach time in the morning with the dog, pool time in the afternoon (both kids finally learned how to do a dive this week!) and even went parasailing yesterday. So fun!

We’re hoping to squeeze in some kayaking and paddle boarding and at least one more trip to the ice cream store. Possibly by bike. We like to keep moving! It’s also just been great to have some quality family time and to soak up the sunshine and feel just a little bit normal. (Don’t worry, we’ve got our masks at the ready and are definitely keeping our distance from everyone else. 👍)

But, let’s move on to today’s recipe.

I’ve previously shared my egg salad BLT sandwich, which is my husband’s favorite way to enjoy egg salad. (Because bacon. Duh.)

And of course I’ve shared my mom’s classic Southern deviled eggs, which are a reader favorite around here.

But I hadn’t shared my family’s classic egg salad – and today I just had to make that right!

It’s soft, perfectly creamy, well seasoned and seriously delicious.

Plus, it’s only 3 ingredients! (OK, plus salt and pepper but who really counts those?) And it’s ready in about 15 minutes, so you can whip this up anytime.

Plus, it’s gluten-free, low-carb, keto-friendly and vegetarian as is. (Just depends on how you want to serve it.) So it works for lots of dietary restrictions and choices.

This is the egg salad my mom made me growing up. I remember it as a kid, but remember it even more fondly from college.

First, it was one of the recipes she hand-wrote on a card for me as we made the 13-hour trip from North Carolina to Chicago. (I went to Northwestern University.)

I remember being desperate for her to give me all our family’s go-to recipes because I was just sure I would need them.

Ha! I hardly cooked at all during my four years there. They came in handy after college at least!

Even better though, I remember my mom making me egg salad on occasion when I’d be home from college on break. I’d sleep in until lunchtime – or later – and egg salad seemed like a good first thing to eat for the day.

She’d do half this recipe and we’d each have a sandwich together in the kitchen. 

Maybe that’s why it just tastes like home and comfort to me. 🥰

OK, moving on though, so YOU can make this to enjoy too!

I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make egg salad. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making the best egg salad:

• You can add more or less mayonnaise to get it to your creaminess liking. You can also use 1/2 plain Greek yogurt and 1/2 mayonnaise if you prefer.
• Dried dill weed is easy to keep on hand in the pantry, so that’s what I always have and use. However, you could certainly substitute some fresh dill if you have it.
• You can easily halve the recipe if you only want to make enough for 2 sandwiches.
• As is, it will make enough egg salad for about 4 sandwiches. Possibly just 3 sandwiches if your bread is large and/or you really pile it on like I do.

Here’s a little visual step-by-step of getting it prepped:

As for making the hard-boiled eggs, you can do it in a pot, as described in the recipe card below, or you can make baked hard boiled eggs. Or Instant Pot hard boiled eggs for an easy-peel version. Those are both especially great if you want to have a large batch.

Pro tip: Use a pastry cutter to chop your eggs for egg salad if you have one. It makes super fast work of the task and is much easier than using a knife.

While you can certainly eat this egg salad immediately, I think it gets better after it sits in the fridge for a bit. The flavors meld together, it sets up all the way and it gets chilled.

But that’s a personal preference thing, so you do you.

The classic way to serve this, of course, is as a sandwich.

But don’t let that hold you back!

You can also make wraps, lettuce wraps for a low-carb option or use the egg salad on top of a salad. Or just enjoy with some crackers for snacking!

And while this is the very basic, very classic version of what really is the best egg salad all on its own, you can definitely add some mix-ins to amp up the flavor a bit.

Here’s a few ideas to get you thinking…

Flavor add-ins for egg salad:

• Chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley, basil or chives
• Hot sauce
• Dijon mustard
• Paprika
• Pimientos
• Capers
• Cooked, crumbled bacon
• Sweet pickle cubes

Or check out my curried egg salad for a fun twist.

As for storing…

Leftover egg salad can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Need some other lunch inspiration?

More healthy lunch ideas:

• Smashed edamame salad
• Smashed chickpea salad
• Healthy chicken salad
• Southwest mason jar salad
• Easy healthy lunch wraps

I hope you come to love this family recipe for egg salad as much as we have.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 4 servings

Classic egg salad

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Classic egg salad is just 3 ingredients and comes out perfect creamy, well seasoned and delicious. Use for sandwiches, wraps or salads.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use low-fat, see notes)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh if you have it)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the eggs in an even layer in a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 10-12 minutes. Drain in a colander and run cool water over the eggs. This helps stop the cooking and also cools them down a bit for using in your sandwiches. (Alternatively, you can make or use baked hard boiled eggs.)
2. Peel the hard-boiled eggs and finely chop. (You can use a knife, but if you have a pastry cutter, that works even better and faster!)
3. Add the eggs to a medium-size bowl then add the mayonnaise, starting with 1/4 cup, dill weed, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add additional mayonnaise, if needed, to get it to your desired consistency and creaminess. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
4. Serve immediately as a sandwich, wrap or salad, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

You can add more or less mayonnaise to get it to your creaminess liking. You can also use 1/2 plain Greek yogurt and 1/2 mayonnaise if you like.

Dried dill weed is easy to keep on hand in the pantry, so that’s what I always have and use. However, you could certainly substitute some fresh dill if you have it.

You can easily halve the recipe if you only want to make enough for 2 sandwiches. As is, it will make enough egg salad for about 4 sandwiches. Possibly just 3 sandwiches if your bread is large and/or you really pile it on like I do.

Flavor add-ins for egg salad:

• Chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley, basil or chives
• Hot sauce
• Dijon mustard
• Paprika
• Pimientos
• Capers
• Cooked, crumbled bacon
• Sweet pickle cubes

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 281mgSodium: 400mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 10g