You don't need an excuse like having an excess of leftover Easter eggs lying around to whip up a tasty batch of egg salad. It's so easy to make that, with the right ingredients on hand, you're only a few minutes away from a satisfying meal. 

This rich dish isn't a traditional lettuce-based salad. It's a salad with hard-boiled eggs, mashed and mixed with condiments in a perfect harmony of flavor. It combines contrasting textures like crispy celery and soft hard-boiled egg, and you can add some flair by sprinkling in different spices, too. Plus, you can pair egg salad in plenty of fun ways. It's a simple recipe, but it's versatile, too. Slather it between two slices of your favorite bread for a traditional sandwich, dollop it atop a plate of fresh mixed greens, or stuff a cored avocado with it for a fun, photogenic snack. 

One thing's for sure: No matter how you serve it, you're bound to impress all the taste buds at the table.

Think of this tutorial in two parts: “how to make egg salad” and “how to make it shine.” The latter refers to the different ways you can plate this dish and take a simple creation to the next level. 

Simply choosing exactly the right kind of bread or accompanying vegetables can be a brilliant culinary act. Some of the quickest meals become exponentially better with the right pairings. 

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus another 15-20 if you need to hard boil the eggs)

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 8 hard-boiled eggs (see instructions below on how to hard boil)

• ½ cup mayonnaise 

• 1 ½ teaspoons mustard, plus more to taste 

• 1 celery stalk, finely diced

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation instructions

1. You'll be using hard-boiled eggs in your salad, so the first step is to prepare them if you haven't done so already. Boiling eggs is effortless but works best if you follow a few tips and tricks. In a saucepan, cover the eggs in water and bring them to a boil. Then, turn off the heat and cover. Wait for 10-12 minutes, and voila. Your eggs should be completely cooked through. Drain the eggs and let them cool before attempting to peel. If you want to cool them down quickly, you can leave them in a bowl of ice-cold water or at least push the process along by running them under cold water while draining them. For more guidance, check out this tutorial. 

2. If you haven't yet done so, peel the eggs. Then, halve them with a knife and add them to a large mixing bowl. 

3. Add in the mayonnaise and mustard, and use a fork to mash the egg up, stirring all the while.

4. Stir in the celery and any other herbs or seasonings you'd like to use. If you're trying a different variation, such as one that includes chopped onion, scallions, or other ingredients, add them to your salad now.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste, and keep reading for some inspiration on how to serve the egg salad. 

Recipe adapted from Spend with Pennies

Nutritional values

• Calories: 320

• Carbohydrates: 1 gram

• Protein: 11 grams

• Fat: 29 grams

• Saturated Fat: 6 grams

• Cholesterol: 339 milligrams

• Sodium: 332 milligrams

• Potassium: 147 milligrams

• Sugar: 1 gram

• Vitamin A: 570 IU

• Vitamin C: 0.9 milligram

• Calcium: 53 milligrams

• Iron: 1.6 milligrams

Ideas for egg salad mix-ins

• Cubed avocado

• Chopped scallions

• Chopped red onion 

• Paprika (deviled egg salad, anyone?)

• Bacon bits 

• Chopped olives 

• Chopped dill 

Crunchy veggies like chopped carrot or cucumber

FomaA – stock.adobe.com

Egg Salad Serving Variations

A classic: Your mind may immediately jump to serving egg salad between two slices of bread, and that’s a great plan. Toast a soft piece of white bread or a crispy slab of sourdough and slather with a layer of Thousand Island dressing. Top with egg salad and finish it off with a thick slice of tomato, some romaine lettuce, and finely sliced red onion. 

Lettuce wraps: Think of a lettuce wrap as a “sandwich” without any bread. Place one large leaf of lettuce on a plate and, then, put down a dollop of egg salad close to the edge of one side of the leaf. Top it with sliced onion, tomato, and any other veggies, herbs, or dressings you like, and roll. 

Stuffed avocado: Earn yourself some Michelin-level plating points by slicing an avocado into two halves and filling them. Slice a line around the entire length of the avocado (unpeeled), and then use your hands to separate the two sides. Remove the core. Scoop out a bit of the avocado to make a bigger hole and fill it with egg salad. Garnish with herbs, or do as professional chefs do and sprinkle some finely sliced radish on top to add color and crunch. 

Healthy salad with egg: In this variety, you’re not only making egg salad but also a salad with eggs. That’s right: salad on salad. Prepare a chopped lettuce base and mix with red onion slices, halved cherry tomatoes, and avocado cubes. Toss it with the dressing of your choice, preferably something that pairs well with the flavors in egg salad like French, Ranch, or Thousand Island. Then, place a serving of egg salad on top as a flavor-packed, high-protein addition.

istetiana – stock.adobe.com

Mayonnaise substitutes: 

• Greek yogurt 

• Hummus

• Unsweetened nut butters like almond or cashew  

Egg Salad FAQs

How long does egg salad last? 

The answer to this question all depends on how it goes in the fridge. The correct way to store this perishable dish is in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. The egg salad should last for up to five days, though if you note anything “off,” use your best judgment. 

Why is my egg salad so watery?

You may not have let your eggs cool down entirely, and this caused the mayonnaise to "melt." If the eggs were cold when you started, you might need to add in more egg or chopped herbs and vegetables to restore balance in the dish's consistency. That is, you simply have too much liquid. Finally, if you used a substitute like yogurt or low-fat mayonnaise, the texture of this cream itself may be a bit runnier than regular mayo. Whatever the case, always be sure to stir condiments after opening, as they can separate and leave a watery layer at the top of the jar. 

How do you make egg salad from scratch?

We recommend starting with a recipe like the one given above, which only contains the basic ingredients. It’s very simple and a perfect jumping-off point from which you can make your own additions and tweaks.

If you’re missing an ingredient, you can have it at your door in a matter of minutes with Gopuff. And remember, cooking should be an enjoyable experience, not a stressful hassle. For more recipe inspiration, check out Gopuff’s Food & Drink blog. You may just learn to make something new or find an old favorite.