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The Best Egg Salad Sandwich

What makes our egg salad recipe the actual best ever? Well, it's really just an easy-to-follow template! A simple, basic recipe that serves as a jumping off point for your perfect egg salad recipe!

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an egg salad sandwich with romaine lettuce cut in half on a piece of parchment paper with small pickles on a toothpick on top

The Best Egg Salad Recipe the Internet—Nay, The World—Has Ever Seen

Quite a claim, right? But really! This egg salad recipe is the very, very best. Why do we feel so confident about the inherent best-ness of our recipe? Well, it’s a classic egg salad recipe, first of all. If you follow the recipe to a T and don’t add any mix-ins (more on that later), you’ll end up with a big bowlful of the best gosh darn egg salad sandwich filling you’ve ever had. It’s mayonnaise-y and mustard-y, but the egg is still the star. It has a hint of garlic, chives for color, and yes, a splash of pickle juice (if you want it—and we think you do). It’s balanced, tangy, a bit creamy and, well, it’s the best! It just is. But all that said, what really makes it terrific is that our egg salad recipe is really just a jumping off point for your egg salad recipe! It’s a blank slate, sort of! It’s delicious as-is, but it’s also a fabulous place for all of your favorite mix-ins! You can make it spicy or slightly sweeter, or you can really dig into the allium world, or the briny, pickle-y things (helloooo capers). But before we get too carried away, let’s focus on the basic, classic egg salad recipe.

eggs, mayo, dijon, chives, apple cider vinegar, spices, romaine lettuce and sandwich bread  to make an egg salad sandwich

How To Make Egg Salad

We hope you’re hungry. Because a big bowl of egg salad is just minutes away! Here’s how to make the great egg salad ever:

  1. Hard-boil some eggs.

  2. Peel those eggs! It'll be easier to peel them if they've had a chance to sit in the fridge and cool. If they're still hard to peel, try doing it under running water.

  3. Chop the eggs! You can do it with a knife, or if you'd like the eggs to be more fine, try grating them with a box grater!

  4. Make it into egg salad! Stir in mayo, mustard, chives, pickle juice (or vinegar), garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

  5. Add extra stuff if you want to! See our list of egg salad add-in ideas below! SO many ideas!

  6. Eat the egg salad! You can eat it as-is, with crackers, or piled high onto the bread of your choice as a perfect, classic egg salad sandwich.

chopped hard boiled eggs about pea size in a glass bowl to make a homemade egg salad sandwich
chopped boiled eggs, mayo, dijon, chives, apple cider vinegar and spices in a glass bowl to make an egg salad sandwich

What Can I Add to Egg Salad? Anything That’s Good in a Deviled Egg!

Yes, friends. This is our best egg salad tip—when you’re wondering what to mix into your egg salad, just think about what tastes good on a deviled egg! The ingredients and flavor profiles are really similar—egg + mayo + tangy stuff—and so they both work well with the same mix-ins and toppings. If you’re like “but I’ve never made deviled eggs before, I have no idea what’s good in a deviled egg”, no worries! We’ve got a long list of egg salad mix-ins to get you cooking! Think about what you want—do you want your egg salad to have a little kick? Add some chili paste—could be Calabrian chilies, could be sriracha! Or maybe you like it to have a hint of freshness and crunch? Add celery and / or some raw red onion (diced super finely). You can play around and make it yours. Like we said above, our egg salad recipe is really just a jumping off point for your egg salad recipe! Here are some of our go-to extra egg salad ingredients—think of this list as a starting place, though, not a rulebook, OK? And when you’re mixing them in, start slow. Mix in just a small amount—maybe start with a few tablespoons at a time—and taste as you go until you’re happy with the flavor of the egg salad.

  • Minced red onion

  • Minced celery

  • Chopped fresh dill

  • Minced or grated radishes

  • Capers, drained

  • Cooked crumbled bacon

  • Minced pickles

  • Chopped Calabrian chilis

  • Hot sauce

homemade egg salad in a glass bowl made with eggs, mayo, dijon, chives, apple cider vinegar and spices

Tools You’ll Need

More Simple, Classic Egg Recipes To Try

homemade egg salad in a glass bowl made with eggs, mayo, dijon, chives, apple cider vinegar and spices
an egg salad sandwich with romaine lettuce cut in half on a piece of parchment paper with small pickles on a toothpick on top

The Devil’s in the Details!

And what we mean by that is that this egg salad is only as good as you make it! When you’re making it, consider your own tastes. Do you like your eggs chopped roughly? Or are you someone who is going to go the box grater route and get the eggs super fine? Are you going to mix in capers and pickles and chilis and bacon? Or are you a purist? We’re giving you a template—it’s your job to make it yours! Of course, there is no real “perfect”. There’s only the egg salad that you think is perfect. So all you have to do is make it perfect for you. And when you do, we want to hear all about what’s in your perfect egg salad! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

The Best Egg Salad Sandwich

  • Serves: 4
  • Prep Time:  10 min
  • Cook Time:  13 min
  • Calories: 407

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs, hard-boiled
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons minced chives or green onions
  • 1 teaspoon unfiltered apple cider vinegar or pickle juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 slices of your favorite bread or 4 croissants, halved crosswise
  • 4 large pieces of romaine lettuce

Optional Mix-ins

  • Minced red onion
  • Minced celery
  • Chopped fresh dill
  • Minced or grated radishes
  • Capers, drained
  • Cooked crumbled bacon
  • Minced pickles
  • Chopped Calabrian chilis
  • Hot sauce

Method

  1. Working with one egg at a time, carefully tap around the rounded bottom end to crack it open. Peel the eggs. Place the eggs in a large bowl.

  2. Using 2 knives, a hard-boiled egg slicer, or a box grater, chop the eggs into pea-sized pieces. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, chives, vinegar, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Taste and adjust the flavors as needed. If desired, mix in some of the optional mix-ins as well.

  3. To make your egg salad into an egg salad sandwich, simply place a piece of lettuce on top of a slice of bread, dollop with ¼ of the egg salad, and top with another slice of bread.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories407
  • Protein21 g
  • Carbohydrates33 g
  • Total Fat22 g
  • Dietary Fiber5 g
  • Cholesterol377 mg
  • sodium757 mg
  • Total Sugars9 g

The Best Egg Salad Sandwich

Questions & Reviews

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  • Amy

    I was skeptical at the enthusiasm expressed in this post, but you've made me a believer. This was truly the best egg salad. The right blend of spices and MINCING were key to my enjoyment. I'm off bread right now but some butter leaf lettuce cups were fresh and lovely as a wrapper.

    Thanks Amy, I'm so glad you became a believer. We love this egg salad recipe, so happy you do now too!

  • Jenn

    SO DELICIOUS! My husband added bacon to his and we both devoured these!

    Thanks Jenn!