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Egg Salad

This is a classic Egg Salad recipe with a twist that will take you from “Yum” to “I need another sandwich ASAP!” It is an easy, simple dish to make and perfect for taking to all your barbecues and picnics!

 

Main image for recipe of egg salad in sandwich form.

 

If you haven’t had egg salad with cream cheese. Prepare yourself. It’s incredible.

Cream cheese is what makes this the best egg salad recipe in the world. Even my picky kids would agree. This is amazing.

I love that easy egg salad is a cinch to make. The only cooking part is the eggs. Other than that, just mix and go.

I’ve put this egg salad on regular bread I’ve got lying around the house and on buttery croissants. It goes great with everything.

And it’s very customizable. Like paprika? Don’t like relish? How about bacon? You get to pick what goes into your recipe!

 

butter, cream cheese, celery, mayo, onion, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper all added to a bowl.

 

What Goes in Egg Salad?

  • Butter: Room temperature butter will make the egg salad easy to mix.
  • Cream Cheese: Also take your cream cheese out at the same time as the butter. Don’t skip this one or your egg salad will be droopy.
  • Celery: Mince finely.
  • Mayo: You can add as much or as little of this as needed for personal texture preference.
  • Onion: Grated is the best option though you could always mince finely too.
  • Sugar: For a hint of sweetness.
  • Lemon Juice: If you don’t have lemon juice you could use vinegar instead.
  • Salt: Very important to enhance the flavor of your egg salad.
  • Pepper: Go easy on the pepper so your egg salad isn’t spicy.
  • Eggs: Your hard boiled eggs can be finely chopped or squished with a fork.
  • Bread: Regular sandwich bread or fancy croissants. You pick.
  • Paprika: I love the color this gives to the egg salad. It is optional.
  • Relish: Use dill pickle relish for best flavor. Also optional.
  • Bacon: Optional but my favorite. Where would we be without bacon?

Pro Tip: It’s important to make sure the celery and onion are smaller than your egg pieces. I like using a food processor for ease of use and to make sure they are really small.

 

cut up hard boiled eggs added to cream cheese mixture.

 

How to Make Egg Salad?

  • Mix: Make sure everything is well blended. You don’t want to bite into a sandwich and find a big scoop of onion that hasn’t been mixed.
  • Layer: I like to put lettuce, cheese, or tomato on the egg salad sandwich if I’m being fancy. But you can also leave it plain too.
  • Eat: Sprinkling with paprika just before serving will really brighten up the dish.

 

egg salad mixed up and ready to be served with crackers or added to bread.

 

How to Boil Eggs for Egg Salad

If cooking hard boiled eggs is something you haven’t yet mastered, I’ve got a few tried and tested ways to get a perfect hard boiled egg.

My absolute favorite method for boiling eggs is Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs. It is the easiest to peel eggs I’ve ever had. Even a 5 year old can peel a perfect egg with the instant pot.

If you don’t have an instant pot, follow these simple directions for how to cook Hard Boiled Eggs on an Electric or Gas Stove.

 

single egg salad sandwich on a plate

 

How Long Does Egg Salad Last?

Eggs can go bad very quickly when left at room temperature. Two hours is the max and then the egg salad will need to be tossed. 

I highly recommend only pulling out the amount you are currently going to need and leaving the rest in the fridge.

This Deluxe Egg salad will stay good in the fridge for 3-5 days. Make sure it is properly covered.

At the end of 5 days, even if the salad looks fine and smells fine- toss it out. 

The bacteria that eggs can grow is not something you want to mess with. Remember, the mold that grows on food is only after it has already gone bad.

 

close up image of two sandwiches on a plate ready to eat.

 

Can You Freeze Egg Salad

Unfortunately, due to the dairy products in egg salad, it cannot be frozen. Frozen dairy separates in a way that makes it impossible to mix back together.

I’ve never needed to freeze anyway because this egg salad is so good it’s never lasted more than a couple of days in our fridge.

 

top view of two egg salad sandwiches on croissants. Image taken from the top view.

 

Is Egg Salad Healthy?

Eggs are actually really good for you. 

There has been debate on good cholesterol vs bad cholesterol and all sorts of things like that, but overall, eggs are always a healthy choice.

There are lots of other things in egg salad that are also really good for you. Onions, lemon juice, and celery are all really healthy foods.

On the other hand, mayo, sugar, and cream cheese, have been widely acknowledged as being DELICIOUS for your waistline.

So do what you will. Egg Salad will probably not be the thing that makes or breaks your health.

Is Egg Salad Keto?

Aside from the sugar, I believe this egg salad falls in line with a keto diet. You can certainly omit the sugar if you need to.

If you have any questions about a particular diet you are following, I recommend looking each ingredient up individually. 

 

egg salad on a croissant with lettuce

 

Can Dogs Eat Egg Salad?

No. Unfortunately dogs cannot eat egg salad.

Many ingredients, including the onion and salt are not safe for dogs.

Your dog could eat your plain hard boiled eggs though. 

So if you’d like to share, make some extra hard boiled eggs and you can both enjoy your eggs at the same time. Just be sure to leave your dog’s plain.

 

zoomed out image of two egg salad sandwiches on plates both with lettuce.

 

What to Eat with Egg Salad

Because we typically eat egg salad at barbecues, picnics, quick lunches, or potlucks, some easy side dishes you’ll love…

If you are looking for an egg salad that you can absolutely devour, then look no further. Quick, easy, and absolutely delicious, this egg salad is going to become a new favorite!

 

Yield: 8 small croissants or 4 large croissants

Deluxe Classic Egg Salad Recipe

zoomed out image of two egg salad sandwiches on plates both with lettuce.

This is an Egg Salad recipe with a twist that will take you from “Yum” to “I need another sandwich ASAP!” It is an easy, simple dish to make and perfect for taking to all your barbecues and picnics!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons celery, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Mayo (or more if desired)
  • 1 teaspoon yellow onion, grated
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped or squished with a fork.
  • Croissants or Bread
  • Paprika (optional)
  • Dill Pickle Relish (optional)
  • Bacon (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  2. Stir in celery, mayo, onion, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well blended.
  3. Add eggs and mix well.
  4. Serve on bread or croissants
  5. Sprinkle with paprika or add dill pickle relish or bacon if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 82Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 453mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g
Recipe originally posted: April 4, 2014

Recipe & photos updated: June 6, 2019

Recipe & Photos Updated: September 30, 2021

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Louise

Friday 5th of September 2025

Unless I missed something in the recipe, there was a section about how to boil the perfect hard boiled egg. You said in a hot pot I think? I don't have one of those so what is the standard procedure to boil an egg in water on the stove. My way is using cold water putting the eggs in and putting on stove bring to a boil and they are done? Is that correct?

Janelle

Wednesday 17th of September 2025

Hi Louise! I use an instant pot for my hard boiled eggs, but your method on the stove works great! Just remember if you peel a hard boiled egg while it's still warm, it should peel a lot easier than after it's been cooled when doing the stove method. Or at least that's what I've found works best for me. However you make your hard boiled eggs, then that's the best method for you! Great question!

Pamela

Tuesday 22nd of July 2025

Can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m having a tea party and most guests can’t eat gluten so I’m putting on lettuce cups. There’s NO soft white “gluten free”bread anywhere ( even my own home made ) so we can all enjoy this! Thanks Pamela

Janelle

Wednesday 17th of September 2025

Pamela what a great idea! Though I'm sure the event has already come and gone you can also do gluten free crackers with the egg salad. I love your creativity! Thank you for your comment.

Mila Mante

Thursday 29th of August 2024

I’m surely making this one. I love the cream cheese twist. Thanks for sharing.

Darla B

Sunday 26th of May 2024

It's even better with finely chopped jalapenos! I make several now for people at work. I make a BLT with maple bacon then add the egg salad to the sandwich.

dav

Tuesday 12th of December 2023

Here's a hard boiled egg hint. I tried it once, then forgot to do it the next time, then remembered the time after that. It works! It's quite simple: Boil the water first! However, don't put the eggs into a rolling boil, they may crack. Turn the heat down before putting the eggs in, then turn it back up after. It's all about that membrane between the egg and the shell. Anyone who's peeled an egg knows about that pesky thing. When cooked slowly it swells, and causes the shell to stick to the egg. Cooked fast however, it stays thin and voila!, the shell almost slides off.

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