Classic Egg Salad
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Searching for the best homemade egg salad? Look no further — this is the only egg salad recipe you’ll ever need!
Egg salad is a simple dish that’s undeniably delicious when done right (and, let’s be honest, falls a bit flat when it’s not). The trick is to begin with perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs, aiming for tender whites and creamy yolks. From there, it’s all about amping up the seasoning with a good-quality mayo, a squeeze of lemon, a spoonful of Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. For a little crunch and color, I like to stir in some celery and fresh parsley, and finish it off with scallions for a subtle onion flavor. The result? An egg salad that’s rich and creamy yet also vibrant and fresh — perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or simply on its own.
“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
Begin by hard boiling the eggs. 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. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Carefully pour out the hot water; place the pan in the sink and run cold water over the eggs until the pan is lukewarm, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and refill with cold water; let stand until the eggs are room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Gently crack the eggs all over and peel under running water. Then dry the eggs and chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
Meanwhile, finely chop the herbs, celery, and scallions.
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, then 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.
Video Tutorial
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Classic Egg Salad
Searching for the best homemade egg salad? Look no further — this is the only egg salad recipe you’ll ever need!
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 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. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Carefully pour out the hot water; place the pan in the sink and run cold water over the eggs until the pan is lukewarm, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and refill with cold water; let stand until the eggs are room temperature, about 10 minutes. Gently crack the eggs all over and peel under running water. Dry the eggs, then chop into ¼-inch 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.)
- Make Ahead: 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.
- Tip: When peeling an egg, start at the wider end -- there's usually a small air pocket in there, which makes the egg shell easier to remove.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 214
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 248 mg
- Cholesterol: 285 mg
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