Egg Salad Sandwich
The perfect egg salad sandwich is all about the little tweaks and a smart ratio of eggs to other ingredients. This is my favorite. Served on garlic-rubbed toasted bread with chopped celery, onion, and whole-grain mustard.
I have strong opinions about egg salad sandwiches. Usually I take a pass. Like, if I see one on a menu, or at a deli, I choose another sandwich. Egg salad tends to be so gloppy, or too much mayo, soggy bread (yuck), or the trifecta of all three. But it doesn’t have to be this way! When I make egg salad sandwiches at home it’s heart emojis all around. I like to use well-toasted bread rubbed with garlic. The egg mixture I make isn’t much of a departure from the classic, but the devil is in the details and ratios. There’s crunch from chopped celery and onions, a dollop of wholegrain mustard, and just the right amount of yogurt in place of mayo.
A Couple Egg Salad Sandwich Tricks
There are some tricks I like to deploy when constructing an egg salad sandwich. The eggs are a soft component, so I like to introduce crunch and structure wherever possible, for contrast. So, in this recipe you have crunch celery and onions. Good quality, extra toasty slices of bread bring more crunch and structure. And I like to add a few sturdy, fresh lettuce leaves between thread and the egg salad to keep the bread from going soft.
Invest in Good Eggs
You want to use really great eggs if you’re making egg salad. The ones where the yolks are rich and bright yellow. Eggs from pastured hens. Peeling really fresh eggs can be challenging, so I tend to use good eggs, but the ones that have been in my refrigerator longest are the ones to use here. For easy peeling.
Getting the Eggs Cooked Just Right
When you're aiming for the perfect egg salad sandwich, the challenge is properly boiling the egg. You need to boil them so the centers set yet stay moist. You also need to avoid the dreaded grey ring that surrounds the yolk in many hard boiled eggs. I use a strict technique that works flawlessly for me every time. Basically, you need to avoid over-cooking. To do that, simply move the eggs into a bowl of icy water after removing them from the water they were boiled in. 
Egg Salad Sandwich Variations
Once you get your sandwich the way you like it, it’s fun to play around with variations. Here are a few faves.
- Egg Salad with Broiled Gruyere: Broil some thinly sliced gruyere cheese onto your toast, top with the egg salad mixture, sprinkle with fried shallots, and serve open-faced. Inspired by a version I would eat on occasion at Il Cane Rosso in San Francisco.
- Curried Egg Salad Sandwich: This is so good! I think of it as a wintery version where you add curry powder, chopped apple, toasted pecans, and onion.
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich: You can use the same general idea for a vegan version. Pulse a couple of cups of cooked chickpeas in a food processor and proceed with the recipe, adding more yogurt if needed to bring the ingredients together.
- On Jalapeño Cheddar Oatmeal Bread: I just ate an egg salad sandwich on this super-toasted, homemade oatmeal bread and it is going to be hard to go back.
More Ideas and Tips from You
There are so many great ideas from you down in the comments. I wanted to highlight a few here!
Lirion says, “Don’t freak out, but my egg salad uses eggs and a mango relish. Yup, that’s it. After assembling and before adding the second piece of bread, a shot of fresh cracked pepper and all of 5 grains of salt.”
I love a secret ingredient, and Quinn says, “I keep my egg salad ingredients to a minimum, eggs, shallots, chopped pickle, mustard, a lil mayo, and salt and pepper. oh, and I add Old Bay too.”
Or listen to this variation from Shawn! “I just made some delicious Japanese flavored egg salad with homemade wasabi mayo. For the mayo I used two egg yolks, 500 mL of olive oil, and two tsp of rice wine vinegar. After the yolk had accepted all of the oil I added fresh dill, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and a sizable squirt of wasabi paste. For those of you who like a little crunch I suggest chopped water chestnuts drained and briefly pan fried. Eat it on bread as dark as pumpernickel or as white as wonder; it’s all about the mayonnaise.” Genius!
Kate lends some technical insight, “I’ve found the best tool for mashing up eggs for egg salad is a grid-style potato masher. Those square holes make the perfect sized bits of egg white. More consistent, yet chunkier than the results you get with a fork. “
More Egg Recipes
- Pickled Turmeric Eggs
- Skinny Omelette
- Deep Dish Quiche
- Shredded Egg Salad
- A Tasty Frittata
- Frittata Sandwich
- Sheet Pan Frittata
- Scrambled Eggs with Cream Cheese
- all egg recipes
Premium Ad-Free membership includes:
-Ad-free content
-Print-friendly recipes
-Spice / Herb / Flower / Zest recipe collection PDF
-Weeknight Express recipe collection PDF
-Surprise bonuses throughout the year
The Perfect Egg Salad Sandwich
Always use good quality eggs - but something to keep in mind, the fresher they are, the harder they are to peel after boiling.
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (or mayo)
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 1 stalk celery, washed and chopped
- 1/4 cup minced yellow onion
- A tiny squeeze of lemon juice
- 2 small handfuls of lettuce
- 8 slices of whole grain or sourdough bread, toasted
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
-
Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly eight minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl.
-
Add the yogurt or mayonnaise, the mustard, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, celery, onion, and lemon juice. Mash with a fork. Don't completely overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more yogurt to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time. Taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed.
-
To assemble each egg salad sandwich: rub the toasts with garlic, place a bit of lettuce on a piece of toast, top with the egg salad mixture, and finish by creating a sandwich with a second piece of toast. Repeat with remaining slices.
Makes 4 sandwiches
Related Recipes
Shredded Egg Salad
Made by shredding hard-boiled eggs on a box grater. This shredded egg salad is light, fluffy, and bright. I must say, a nice alternative to chopped, heavily dressed versions of the classic.
Curried Egg Salad
A variation on my favorite egg salad recipe, this version uses plain yogurt in place of mayo and incorporates curry powder, chopped apples, toasted pecans, and minced chives.
Frittata Sandwich
A robust frittata sandwich made with a spicy garlic spread, roasted cherry tomatoes, and avocado on slabs of homemade bread.
Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread
This oatmeal bread wins the award for best toast. It’s a hearty oat-flecked loaf with a buttermilk base studded generously with melty cubes of cheddar cheese and punctuated with thin slices of jalapeño pepper. Where the cheese touches the pan it turns to golden-crispy perfection.
Scrambled Eggs with Cream Cheese
A scrambled egg recipe taught to me by Lynn Russell from Satsuma Press. Herb-flecked cream cheese is the last-second finish that make these eggs simple but special.
Post Your Comment
Comments
I'm with you on the granary bread. My little one is a white bread fiend who has to be bribed to eat brown, but when it comes to egg salad even for her only granary, nutty seeds and all, will do. We use either chives or finely sliced spring onions and shredded little gem lettuces. Although we go just a little heavier on the mayo! From a relatively new non-meat eating fan.
that looks absolutely divine! i have always been an egg salad sandwich fan...but this one...looks like the kind that can turn a "hater" into an instant "lover."
Capers, what a brilliant idea! But it didn't make its way into your recipe. I use mayo, mustard, dill, paprika, and green onions to good ole hard-boiled eggs. Yum yum.
I used celery seed to season my egg salad--a tip passed on to me by a good friend. No I won't make egg salad without celery seed on hand.
This sounds good - I'll have to try it though I must admit it tends to be the smell rather than the appearance that puts me off egg butties! Celery salt is great with quails egg so the celery idea makes a lot of sense to me.
I love egg salad sandwiches. Ate a lot of them growing up. We added dill pickle, celery, spicy mustard and mayonnaise. I also like to put a slice of pepper jack cheese. Donna A.
Yeah, sandwiches really need to get smaller and more defined. My friend used to order this egg salad/tunasalad/bacon/cheddar sandwich bomb from Eisenberg's lunch counter in NY. The thing was maybe 8 inches tall. But I bet if it got the 101 cookbooks treatment, it might stand a chance.
Question re: eggs. Should they be room temp or right from fridge when boiling for your luscious-sounding recipe?
Straight from the fridge is fine!
CHEESE on an egg salad sandwich?! sacrilege! (i may try the capers, tho...)
I've found the key to the egg salad texture is to first separate the hardboiled white and yolk, mash the yolk with the mayo and other ingredients, and then fold in the chopped egg whites. I always add some spicy mustard for some tang.
I'm one of those egg salad haters too, but this looks delicious. The short boiling time for the eggs is a big part of that, as the texture of over-cooked eggs is part of my aversion to most egg salad sandwiches. I plan on trying this recipe soon!
I make my egg salad in a similar, but less healthy way. I toast Pepperidge Farm white bread and use more mayo and sometimes add a slice of tomato. Chives and celery are very key. Happy Easter, Heidi!
I usually add finely chopped pickles to my egg salad, with celery of course...gives the crunch and the tang :)
OMG! I just finished mixing up the typical egg salad sandwich for my 2 young boys. While mixing I was thinking there has to be something better than this. Eggs are great food, why am I drowning them in Mayo and sweet relish? I sat down at the computer and BAM, you have answered my telepathic request. You are the good angel sitting on my right shoulder telling me I can do more with food. Thank you. My lunch will be infinitely better than my children's.
you should try the curry egg salad sandwich at Samovar -- it's amazing.
I grew up with my grandmother's egg salad which had celery, bacon, grated carrot and scallion in it on whole wheat bread. My grandmother would pack as many sandwiches as necessary and send us off with hearty oatmeal breakfast with all of the garnishes.All of my friends looked forward to stopping at Nana's! I still make this egg salad and will be celebrating "Egg Salad week" with my egg salad lover friends!
Hi Heidi, I found that adding a pinch of curry powder to egg salad does wonders.
You will never guess what I was doing?? Making egg salad and decided to take a coffee break. Now I'm off to the kitchen to finish it your way..how timely....Thanks Heidi, you did it again.
I love an egg salad sandwich, especially with some chopped green olive added. I may make your recipe and add a bit of olive. Or capers. Yum.
I once worked at a "bakery" that made egg salad sandwiches. We did not hard-boil the eggs ourselves. The eggs we used were already hard-boiled and preserved in a smelly, sulfuric brine in a big, plastic bucket. Moreover, the eggs were tinted grey. Ew.