The best classic egg salad recipe with creamy dressing and a hint of dill. Serve this on warm bread or on its own for a delicious and hearty meal any time!
When I was younger I couldn't deal with the texture of eggs in any form. It was a sensory issue for me and I just couldn't seem to get past it! Then one day, my friend handed me a boiled egg with lots of salt and I loved it!
The firm texture of the hard-boiled egg helped me to really enjoy the taste and I was hooked! I must have eaten 30 dozen eggs on my own over the next few months... as long as they were hard-boiled. Ha!
And as you can imagine, it was just a small leap from enjoying hard-boiled eggs to finding that I loved deviled eggs too!
Now, egg salad is on the menu too and I can't wait to share this recipe for my favorite egg salad of all time!
The Best Classic Egg Salad Recipe
If you've ever made deviled eggs, you're in luck! This is way easier than making those special treats with all of the same flavors to enjoy. Over the years, I've developed a few best practices for making this recipe that I want to share with you now.
- Texture Matters - There are so many ways to prep the eggs for this recipe and it's important that you know which one you like the best. For us, I like to mash the whole eggs right in the bowl during the mixing process. However, if you want a finer texture (fewer chunks of egg whites), then chopping your eggs would be better.
- Temperature Matters - I love cold egg salad, the idea of a warm egg salad doesn't appeal to me (no offense meant!) so I chill my eggs before making this recipe. This means I need to plan on boiling, peeling, and chilling for several hours before pulling everything together. However, if you like warm egg salad, or just don't care either way, then you can boil, peel, and mix all at the same time!
- Day Old is Even Better - Finally, if you have a chance to make and CHILL this recipe before serving it, then do it! Resting, or chilling overnight, really enhances the balance of the flavors and makes this egg salad even better than ever!
So, what do you need on hand to make your own homemade egg salad? Here is a quick overview of the very simple ingredients that you will need for this recipe!
- Eggs - Hard-boiled eggs are the foundation of this recipe, of course! We use an even dozen when we make this egg salad, but you can reduce that number and all other ingredients if needed.
- Mayonnaise - While we like to use homemade mayo, you can also use store-bought. I'm partial to Helman's, but use what you like or have on hand. I will say that if you use mayonnaise with a very strong flavor, it might overpower the balance of flavors. So whatever you do, aim to use a mild flavor of mayo in this recipe.
- Mustard - There is great debate over whether mustard belongs in egg salad, but for us, it's a must! I love the tang that it adds to the dish and I've found that without a little touch of mustard, the egg salad is much more on the bland side. We use classic yellow mustard, but you can experiment with other kinds as you see fit.
- Salt & Pepper - Classic seasonings that you can increase or decrease to your liking. I'm including the measurements for each that we use and enjoy, but you may need to adjust them for your family and their taste preferences.
- Dill Weed - An optional ingredient, dill adds a nice pop of color and a fresh flavor to this dish. You can garnish with it only, or mix a larger amount into the body of the salad if you like more dill flavor!
How to Make Egg Salad
Once you have everything gathered together, the process of making this recipe only takes about 3-5 minutes. It's such a wonderful dish to keep on hand, I like to have some in the fridge each week for a fast breakfast item to pair with toast, or just bacon and strawberries!
- Prep - If you haven't already, peel your hard-boiled eggs. I like to boil the eggs, peel them, and chill them overnight before making this salad. However, many people like a warm egg salad, so that step is not required.
- Mash - Add your peeled eggs to a bowl and mash them with the back of a fork. You can also chop them before adding them to the bowl, if desired.
- Mix - Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix together well. Once mixed, take a fork and continue to mash/mix the eggs with the dressing. This creates that creamy texture that is the hallmark of a great egg salad!
- Serve - Transfer the finished egg salad to the serving dish of your choice. You can serve it right away, or chill the mixture overnight to let the flavors marinate. Either way, your egg salad is done!
- Store - Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you see it getting "watery" or if it smells "off" then toss it. But I've found that it's good for 5-7 days when stored properly.
Even More Classic Recipes to Try
Classic Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 12 hard-boiled eggs
- ½ cup mayonnaise we use homemade mayo
- 3 Tbsp mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- If you haven't already, peel your hard-boiled eggs. I like to boil the eggs, peel them, and chill them overnight before making this salad. However, many people like a warm egg salad, so that step is not required.
- Add your peeled eggs to a bowl and mash them with the back of a fork. You can also chop them before adding them to the bowl, if desired.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix together well. Once mixed, take a fork and continue to mash/mix the eggs with the dressing. This creates that creamy texture that is the hallmark of a great egg salad!
- Transfer the finished egg salad to the serving dish of your choice. You can serve it right away, or chill the mixture overnight to let the flavors marinate. Either way, your egg salad is done!
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you see it getting "watery" or if it smells "off" then toss it. But I've found that it's good for 5-7 days when stored properly.
Notes
- Texture Matters - There are so many ways to prep the eggs for this recipe and it's important that you know which one you like the best. For us, I like to mash the whole eggs right in the bowl during the mixing process. However, if you want a finer texture (fewer chunks of egg whites), then chopping your eggs would be better.
- Temperature Matters - I love cold egg salad, the idea of a warm egg salad doesn't appeal to me (no offense meant!) so I chill my eggs before making this recipe. This means I need to plan on boiling, peeling, and chilling for several hours before pulling everything together. However, if you like warm egg salad, or just don't care either way, then you can boil, peel, and mix all at the same time!
- Day Old is Even Better - Finally, if you have a chance to make and CHILL this recipe before serving it, then do it! Resting, or chilling overnight, really enhances the balance of the flavors and makes this egg salad even better than ever!
Julie says
I love Egg Salad! My mom always added a bit of Tabasco Sauce for a hint of spice to it, which I love. If you don’t have time to fork the eggs, a potato masher works pretty good too. Thanks for sharing. I know a lot of people like to add relish, or pickles, or celery, etc. But I am with you, a good straight-forward recipe is classic!
Victoria Pruett says
I totally agree! Can you believe that I, a Southerner, have never tried Tabasco sauce?? It’s crazy! haha, I bet it’s good on egg salad though!