The Very Best Egg Salad Sandwiches

This recipe makes the best egg salad sandwiches that are perfect for a really easy lunch or dinner. Fast and delicious, this recipe is both easy to be flexible with and budget-friendly, plus it comes together in about 30 minutes.

 

Why We Love The Best Egg Salad Sandwiches

• Delicious Flavor – You don’t need a ton of ingredients to make this flavorful classic recipe. This recipe is also really flexible to adjust to your own family’s tastes, so don’t be afraid to experiment adding more or less of an ingredient.
• Fast, Inexpensive Meal – Made in about 30 minutes, egg salad sandwiches are a quick and budget friendly lunch or dinner. You can prep the hard boiled eggs ahead of time and make it even faster.
• Make Ahead Recipe – This is a great recipe to make to meal prep lunches or a quick dinner. You can enjoy it with your favorite sandwich bread, serve it on a bed of lettuce, or even use it as a dip with crackers. Egg salad can be a great sandwich to send in your kid’s lunchbox as long as it is kept in an insulated lunchbox with an ice pack.

Ingredients For Egg Salad Sandwiches

• eggs – It’s better to use older eggs since we will be hard boiling them
• mayonnaise
• celery finely chopped, 1/3 cup is about 1/3 of a stalk
• Dijon mustard – you could use yellow mustard, but our family really prefers the flavor of Dijon mustard
• lemon juice – jarred lemon juice is ok, but fresh squeezed from a lemon does taste a little nicer
• paprika – I like using smoked paprika, but you can use sweet paprika or spicy paprika
• salt
• pepper
• bread – not pictured, using this to assemble the sandwich but you can also serve it with crackers for dipping
• lettuce – optional, not pictured

How To Make An Egg Salad Sandwich

1. Place eggs in a medium size pan and cover with water. Water should be about an inch above the eggs. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then cover the pot with a lid and remove completely from the heat source. Leave the pot covered for 20 minutes while you make the ice bath in the next step.

2. In a medium sized bowl, add ice and water mix to make a cold ice bath. Use enough that the ice water is cold, and add more ice later if needed. Once the eggs have sat for 20 minutes drain and rinse the eggs with cold water, then add them to the ice bath. Let the eggs sit in the ice bath for 5 minutes.

3. Peel eggs, removing any shells. Add five of the peeled eggs to a medium bowl (including the yolks and egg whites) and mash them with a fork.

4. Add mayonnaise, celery, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper to the mashed eggs. Mix until just combined. Slice the remaining three eggs into larger chunks. Fold the egg chunks into the mashed eggs. Serve and enjoy!

How Do I Peel Hard Boiled Eggs Easily?

Running the eggs under cold water as you peel can help to make it easier to peel. Start at the large end can help you find the air bubble in the egg and make it a little easier to peel.

Using older eggs also makes it easier to peel then using newer fresh eggs. This doesn’t mean expired eggs, but eggs that are still good but may not be at the beginning of their freshness.

See more tips for how to make easy to peel hard boiled eggs here. Or us extra eggs to make these deviled eggs that use plain yogurt instead of mayo..

Flavor Variation Ideas For This Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe

Add Relish Or Pickles – A lot of people like to add relish or chopped pickles to egg salad. It gives it a pop of flavor from the dill that a lot of people enjoy. Make sure to drain any pickles or relish you add to the egg salad sandwich well so the egg salad doesn’t become soggy.

Make It Spicier – Using a hot paprika or cayenne pepper to give this egg salad a kick. Sriracha or a few dashes of hot sauce is also another great way to add a little spice. Start with a little at first of any spice, and taste as you go to get the right amount of heat. You can also add heat to just individual portions before plating up the sandwiches.

Add Cucumbers – Diced cucumbers are really delicious when added to agg salad, they can make it really refreshing, add crunch and just add extra nutrients too. Cucumbers can be used in place of celery or with it, and can be diced or shredded. Cucumbers can make the egg salad watery if they sit in the fridge, and I only typically add it to portions we are going to eat right away.

Try Green Onions – Green onions or chives mixed into the egg salad are pretty delicious. Both will give you nice light onion flavor without making the egg salad watery like white, yellow or purple onions can do.

Experiment – This recipe is pretty flexible, so don’t be afraid to use ingredients you have, leave out ingredients, or try something new. Looking at you celery, I leave it out when I don’t have it on hand… but I do enjoy the crunch celery gives the sandwiches.

How Do I Keep The Bread From Getting Soggy In My Egg Salad Sandwich?

Bread Choice – The bread you choose can make a big difference in how quickly the sandwich gets soggy. Choosing a sturdier sandwich bread, using a thicker wheat bread, or trying a roll to add your egg salad too will help keep the sandwich from being soggy.

Super soft breads tend to absorb the moisture from the egg salad which can make them feel a little soggier, especially if stored for longer periods of time in the refrigerator.

Toasting – Toasting the bread will remove more of the water from the bread. This can help to keep the bread delicious as some of the moisture from the egg salad sandwich transfers to the bread.

Use The Lettuce – Placing large slices of lettuce next to the bread can help provide a layer so that the moisture from the mayo doesn’t make the bread soggy.

Type of Mayonnaise – Light mayos can be used, but do have more water then full fat mayo does. If you consistently find the egg salad is too soggy, switching mayo types or doing only half light mayo and half full fart mayo may give you better results. You can also use a unflavored plain greek yogurt in place of mayo if you prefer. I have also seen recipes where people smash avocado or use guacamole with the egg instead of using mayonnaise.

Serve As A Wrap Or With Crackers – Egg salad can be rolled into a wrap or you can use crackers to dip. No more soggy bread! Pack crackers in a separate container or compartment from the egg salad so they stay crunchy.

How Do I Serve Egg Salad In A Lunchbox?

I like to serve egg salad when using an insulated lunchbox with an ice pack. According to the FDA egg salad shouldn’t sit out without refrigeration for more than two hours. The ice pack will keep the egg at a safe temperature to ensure it’s still fresh by lunch time.

An egg smell doesn’t necessarily mean that the egg salad has gone bad, it just means that it is releasing moisture. Packing the egg salad sandwich in it’s own zip-top bag, compartment in a bento box or small container can help.

Storebought egg salad tends to have more mayonnaise in it which means more moisture, which can give you more of the eggy smell in a lunchbox.

How Long Will Easy Egg Salad Sandwiches Last?

Store leftover egg salad in a airtight covered container in the refrigerator. Expect leftovers to last about four days when refrigerated.

Can I Make Egg Salad Sandwiches Ahead Of Time?

You can easily make these classic egg salad sandwiches ahead of time, just put them in an airtight container or a zip top bag when storing.

If it is going to be more then 24 hours until you eat the sandwich I recommend storing the bread and the egg salad separately. The egg salad can make the bread a soggy if stored too long.