This egg salad recipe is bound to become one of your favorite lunches! Thanks to lemon, mustard, and lots of herbs, it's bright, tangy, and fresh.
If you have hard boiled eggs leftover from celebrating Easter or Passover, make this egg salad recipe! If you don’t, make it anyway. In my opinion, it’s what a classic egg salad recipe really wants to be. It still has a rich, creamy texture and tangy flavor, but it’s fresher and more complex.
It uses far less mayo than a traditional egg salad, and it gets bright, briny flavor from capers, lemon juice, and plenty of Dijon mustard. A pinch of celery seed, a dash of turmeric, and a handful of fresh herbs tie it all together. Stuffed into a sandwich with crisp veggies and greens, it’s the perfect spring lunch.
How to Make the Best Egg Salad
- Start with good hard boiled eggs. Like with brownies and chocolate, your egg salad will only be as good as your hard boiled eggs. I make mine using this hard boiled eggs recipe, where I add the eggs to a pot of cold water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. When it reaches a boil, I remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10-12 minutes. Then, I transfer them to an ice water bath for 14 minutes before I peel them. Want more my tips and tricks for making perfect hard boiled eggs? Check out my hard boiled eggs recipe!
- Maintain some texture. The best egg salad is a little chunky, with a rich, creamy dressing surrounding it. It’s ok if the yolks crumble a little as you fold the chopped eggs into the dressing, but don’t mash them up too much.
- Go all in on the herbs. Fresh chives and dill add bright, oniony flavor to this recipe, and they make it feel really fresh. If you don’t have one of them, use more of the other, or add fresh parsley or green onions instead.
- Add a pinch of celery seed. Celery seed is the secret ingredient in Jack’s mom’s famous deviled eggs, and it really takes this recipe for egg salad over the top! Its distinctive savory flavor pairs perfectly with the fresh herbs, bright lemon, and tangy mustard.
Egg Salad Sandwich Serving Suggestions
Once you’ve made this egg salad recipe, pile it onto a sandwich with your favorite fresh fixings! I love it with radishes, greens like watercress or lettuce, and pickled red onion. Enjoy your egg salad sandwich on its own, or pair it with a fresh salad or soup. These recipes would all be great choices:
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Rainbow Kale Salad
- Simple Green Salad
- Carrot Salad
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Caesar Salad
For more ideas, check out my 37 Best Salad Recipes or my 35 Best Soup Recipes!
If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, feel free to serve the egg salad with crackers or pita or on a bed of spring greens. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, so it’s a great recipe to make ahead for quick lunches throughout the week. Find my best meal prep tips in this meal prep ideas blog post!
More Sandwich and Toast Recipes
If you love this recipe, try one of these sandwiches next:
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Caprese Sandwich
- Avocado Toast
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
- Seared Tofu Banh Mi
- Breakfast Sandwich
- Healthy Lunch Wraps
Then, for more lunch inspo, check out these 41 Healthy Lunch Ideas!
Best Egg Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 hard boiled eggs, diced
- Pinches of celery seed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, capers, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
- Mix in the eggs, then stir in the celery seed, dill, and chives. If desired, lightly mash the mixture if it's too chunky. Chill until ready to serve.
As an Alaskan I can’t help myself, though I LOVE this recipe. I dare you to try adding some smoked salmon to this dish. I used about 4oz and just broke it down into shreds with my hands, then folded it in with the eggs. I also added a teaspoon of pickled green peppercorns for a little extra spice kick! Thanks for this recipe!!! 😁
Amazing recipe! My partner is typically not a fan of mayonnaise, but he loved this sandwich!
I’m so happy to hear!
Your vegan egg salad recipe is another winner! I didn’t have capers, so used chopped green olives. Who knew tofu could taste so good?!! My husband & I are watching our cholesterol, so this was the perfect answer for our hankering for egg salad! Thank you! <3
I’m so glad you both loved the tofu version!
Kind of obsessed with this recipe. Love how versatile it is. I made it a few times with slight variations depending on what I had on hand. The batch I made yesterday was great with some thinly sliced celery folded into it.
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying it!
I cringed when I saw Egg Salad as this months recipe. But I trust Jeanine so gave it a go.
It was really tasty. Pickled Onions and greens added nice texture to the sandwich. This won’t be in heavy rotation but definitely a few times a year.
Thanks!
Hi Cainim, I’m glad you gave it a try 🙂
The egg salad was refreshing with the herbs, spices and capers. Yummy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Zesty and tangy! Love the hint of garlic and all the herbs. A delicious new egg salad recipe to add to my repertoire.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This egg salad was perfect! Thank you for the recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
This was delicious and made a great lunch! Loved the addition of turmeric and fresh herbs. Will be making this again soon!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I found this got more flavorful and delicious as it sat in the fridge for a couple of days. I drizzled a little balsamic glaze on top and it was🤩
I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this for lunch yesterday and loved it! The tangy, creamy combination is very tasty.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I will never make basic egg salad again after trying this recipe! I loved the addition of the capers, garlic, and turmeric. I get a bit tired of sandwiches, so I served the egg salad in a bowl alongside toast triangles and carrot slices.
Really super delicious! Very flavorful and simple. We nixed the capers and added extra dill (a truly sexy herb.) This was the perfect recipe to make after our Easter egg dye adventure. Thanks!
I’m so glad you loved it! I love dill so much too 🙂
I love the turmeric and abundance of fresh herbs in this recipe. I must admit that my entire adult life I’ve made egg salad only one way – the way my mother taught me. It was great to try something a little different. I’ll definitely make this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it a new way!
Loved this for the perfect April dish! Even added the spinach like in the picture, and adds even more freshness. Capers are a great bursts of saltiness to add even more flavor!
The bites with the capers are the best!
I love the capers too 🙂
I loved all the fresh herbs! The capers can make it a little salty though.
I’ve never had egg salad before, and I really liked this recipe. It was bright, creamy, and herbaceous. We had it as a sandwich with microgreens. I would make this again!
What a yummy recipe! I wouldn’t have thought to use capers and turmeric in an egg salad, but it turned out great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Any good substitutes for celery seed?
Hi Samantha, you can just skip it!