Classic Egg Salad Recipe (2024)

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Classic egg salad should be creamy, tangy, and perfect for sandwiches. This delicious homemade recipe is easy to make and the best you'll ever have!

Classic Egg Salad Recipe (1)

Classic Egg Salad

Creamy, tangy, and perfect for sandwiches classic egg salad is an American favorite. It's super easy to make, and makes a wonderful, simple lunch.

Apparently, egg salad is one of those foods that you kind of just eyeball the amount and throw all of the ingredients in together.

As a newlywed and new cook, I had no idea where to start, so I asked my mother-in-law (since that's who made the egg salad my hubby remembers and loves). I'm pretty sure she thought I was nuts.

Nonetheless, Ifinally figured out how to make a delightful and classicegg salad, and I wanted to share my recipe with measurements for any other egg salad newbies out there.

How Do You Keep Egg Salad From Getting Watery?

Sometimes after chilling for a day or so, you might find that your egg salad is a little more runny or watery than you'd like it. Here are a few ways to prevent watery egg salad:

  1. Make sure the eggs are not overcooked. Follow the instructions below to properly cook hard boiled eggs to perfection.
  2. Chill eggs before adding them to the salad. I chill mine after peeling for at least 3 hours to ensure that they're cool enough not to create extra moisture when the salad is put together.
  3. Chop celery and onion in advance, and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover and refrigerate while eggs are also chilling. This will allow them to also come to a similar temperature to prevent condensation, and the salt will help to pull excess moisture from them. Pat onions and celery dry before adding them to the salad mixture.
Classic Egg Salad Recipe (2)

If you've already made the salad, and now it's runny, you can try these easy fixes.

  1. Add a couple more eggs. The extra eggs and fresher yolks will help to thicken the mixture.
  2. Add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs to absorb some of the extra moisture.

What Else Can I Add to My Egg Salad?

Egg salad is such a great simple base to add in any extra flavors your heart desires. Try some of these ideas:

  • Horseradish will give a little extra kick. Start off with just a small amount, about a teaspoon, and add more to taste.
  • Bacon makes everything better, including egg salad.
  • Red pepper flakes will give it some spice. Also consider a few dashes of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce.
  • Avocado for some fresh creaminess and healthy fats.
  • Fresh herbs for some zesty crisp flavor. Try adding a little freshly chopped dill, chives, or parsley.

How to Prepare Eggs for Egg Salad

Place your eggs in the bottom of a large pot (make sure you use a pot with a lid!), and fill with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.

As soon as it comes to a hard boil, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. then turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Allow to sit, covered, off the heat for 11 minutes.

While the eggs are sitting and cooking, prepare a large bowl with ice water.

Classic Egg Salad Recipe (3)

As soon as your timer goes off, transfer your eggs to the ice water. This is called shocking the eggs, which helps stop the cooking process.

After a minute or 2, the eggs will be cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs, and place in a bowl to chill before assembling your egg salad.

How to Make Classic Egg Salad

After preparing your eggs, it's time to put it all together. Chop the eggs and place them in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Stir gently to combine everything. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving for the most delicious result.

Classic Egg Salad Recipe (4)

More Easy Salad Recipes You'll Love

  • Deviled Egg Potato Salad - creamy southern potato salad with all of the flavors you love about deviled eggs.
  • Southern Deviled Eggs - perfect classic deviled eggs with a creamy tangy filling.
  • Easy Homemade Fruit Salad - fresh and healthy and beautiful.
  • Southern Creamy Coleslaw - perfect combination of creamy, sweet, fresh, and tangy
  • Watergate Salad - quick and easy dessert made with whipped cream, pistachio pudding, pineapple, and marshmallows.

Classic Egg Salad Recipe (5)

Classic Egg Salad Recipe

This Classic Egg Salad Recipe is a classic that's great for sandwiches for lunch and dinner all year long.

4.91 from 22 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Classic Egg Salad, Easy Egg Salad, Egg Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 203kcal

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 12 hard boiled eggs
  • ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
  • ¼ finely chopped celery
  • ½ cup mayo
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place your eggs in the bottom of a large pot (make sure you use a pot with a lid!), and fill with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.

    As soon as it comes to a hard boil, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. then turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Allow to sit, covered, off the heat for11 minutes.

  • While the eggs are sitting and cooking, prepare a large bowl with ice water.

  • Place cooked eggs immediately in ice water to cool. Once cooled, crack and peel the eggs. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until cold.

  • When the eggs are cold, finely chop them with a knife or egg slicer and place in a large mixing bowl.

  • Add onion, celery, mayo, mustard, relish, and salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine.

  • Cover and chill for at least an hour or until ready to serve.

Notes

Nutrition facts include salad only, not bread for sandwiches or other serving suggestions.

  • This recipe is keto, dairy free, and gluten free.
  • Make sure eggs are cooled all the way before adding to the recipe. This will keep your egg salad from getting watery, and keep your onions and celery crisp.
  • Egg salad can be eaten right away, but is best after chilling for at least an hour.
  • Serving suggestions: Serve on toasted bread, as a wrap, with crackers, on a lettuce wrap, or with fresh veggie slices such as carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
  • Storage: Keep covered and refrigerated for up to 3-5 days.
  • I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.6g | Protein: 9.3g | Fat: 17.9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.4g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 283.3mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 125.1mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 0.06mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 0.87mg

Did you make this recipe?I love seeing your creations. Snap a quick photo and mention @TheGraciousWife or tag #thegraciouswife on Instagram! Leave a STAR rating below!

UPDATE INFO: This recipe was originally published in July 2015. It has been updated with new pictures, video, and detailed instructions and republished in March 2020.

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Classic Egg Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I use to thicken up egg salad? ›

To thicken egg salad, some cooks add mayonnaise or other thickeners, such as Greek yogurt or sour cream. Adding a few tablespoons of mayonnaise or other thickeners should do the trick. In addition to mayonnaise and other thickeners, some cooks like to add chopped vegetables and fresh herbs to their egg salad.

How many days is homemade egg salad good for? ›

Egg salad will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Of course, this is merely the foundation for a great egg salad. Change up the ingredients and seasonings, anything from paprika to cumin to celery salt, and there's no end to the ways that you can enjoy it.

Do you chop or mash eggs for egg salad? ›

Recipe developer and cookbook author Sheri Castle suggests that "for a salad with hearty texture that won't turn gummy or pasty, use your hands to crumble the eggs instead of chopping the whites and mashing the yolks with a fork." You will, of course, want to wait until the boiled eggs are cool enough to handle, but ...

What do you eat with egg salad? ›

The best side dishes to serve with egg salad sandwiches are onion rings, french fries, chicken tenders, bacon, crab cakes, kale, sausages and peppers, brats, pork chop suey, white beans, roasted tomatoes, spam fritters, creamy coleslaw, green salad, yogurt parfaits, cheese sticks, fruit salad, peanut coleslaw, potato ...

How to make egg salad that isn t watery? ›

Besides swapping regular onions for green onions or chives, there are other ways you can build up your egg salad's flavor and limit unsightly pooling water. Try adding spices, such as garlic powder or paprika; paprika is often dusted atop deviled eggs, so it would taste fantastic in egg salad.

Why is my egg salad runny the next day? ›

What Makes Egg Salad Watery? Every ingredient that goes into egg salad has water in it. Salt and sugar in the dressing draw the water out of the ingredients as they sit, and they make your egg salad watery regardless of whether it's in the fridge or in a sandwich.

Can I freeze homemade egg salad? ›

Can You Freeze Egg Salad? We don't recommend freezing egg salad, as it will change the texture and flavor. If you're OK with that, you can freeze it for up to one month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Can you use old eggs for egg salad? ›

So, save your freshest eggs for frying (one more reason: the yolks of more alkaline eggs are more prone to breaking as soon as they hit the pan) and put your older eggs towards egg salad, deviled eggs, and the like.

Can you freeze hard boiled eggs? ›

The American Egg Board, Egg Farmers of Canada, and USDA do not recommend freezing hard-boiled eggs because "hard-cooked whole eggs and whites become tough and watery when frozen." By the time you try to make the most of the rubbery, tough egg whites, it's probably easier to simply cook a whole new batch of hard-boiled ...

Why is my egg salad bland? ›

Stir through and adjust by adding more mayonnaise if you like your egg salad creamier. Why does my egg salad taste bland? The simple reason may be that it's not seasoned enough. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste.

Does egg salad last in the refrigerator? ›

How Long You Can Keep Egg Salad. According to FoodSafety.gov, if it has been properly stored, it is safe to eat the salad within three to four days. 1 This rule also applies to similar mayonnaise-based salads like chicken, tuna, ham, and macaroni salads.

How long to boil eggs? ›

Method
  1. 3 minutes for really soft boiled yolk and set white.
  2. 4 minutes for slightly set yolk and set white.
  3. 5 minutes for a medium cooked firmer yolk and white.
  4. 6 minutes for hard boiled with lightly soft yolk.
  5. 8 minutes for firmly hard boiled.

What is the benefit of eating egg salad? ›

Among its many benefits, the egg's nutrients build strong muscles, keep our brains, eyes, skin and immune systems healthy, and help prevent birth defects. Making this salad can be as simple as adding some lemon juice and salt and pepper to the avocado and eggs, or enhancing the flavor with onions, herbs and olives.

Can I eat 2 eggs a day? ›

Although few studies have been conducted on how many eggs are healthy to have on a daily basis, eating 1-2 eggs a day appears to be safe for healthy adults. If you have heart disease, high cholesterol, or diabetes, however, you should watch your overall cholesterol and saturated fat intake.

Is it healthy to eat egg salad every day? ›

It probably isn't healthy if you are making it with lots of mayonnaise, but if you eat it with other salad ingredients instead of as a sandwich, you'll probably be alright. But I wouldn't eat it for more than one meal a day, and make certain the other meals have ingredients that balance out the high intake of eggs.

How do you thicken runny egg mayo? ›

If this happens to you, don't throw the mixture out quite yet -- there is a simple solution: egg yolk. Adding another raw egg yolk and whisking the mixture once again may be all you need to fix your homemade mayonnaise.

How do you fix runny egg mayo? ›

One option is to use a classic thickener like cornstarch. To do this, combine a little bit of cornstarch with water until it forms a paste and then add it into your runny mayo. Then, whisk the cornstarch together with the mayonnaise to combine and thicken. You can also use arrowroot powder in the same way.

What if egg mayo is too runny? ›

On the contrary, if your mayonnaise is too runny or doesn't set because you've added cold ingredients, simply add another egg yolk, strictly at room temperature.

References

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