- Chefs agree: The secret to the best egg salad begins with perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs.
- Going easy on the mayo and refraining from overmixing the salad is key.
- Elevate the flavor with lemon juice, hot sauce, fresh herbs, chopped celery and more.
Creamy, tangy and chock-full of protein, a good egg salad can make for the perfect lunch, if you know how to prepare it correctly. When done right, egg salad is delicious. Done wrong, though, and you’ve got a stodgy, chalky mix you’ll forget about at the back of your fridge. While the backbone of the recipe is simple: some hard-boiled eggs, mayo and seasonings, they need to be combined in just the right way in order to achieve tasty results. That’s why we asked three chefs how they perfected their egg salad—surprisingly, they all said the same thing: First, they mastered hard-boiled eggs.
Making the Best Egg Salad
It’s All in the Eggs
When a recipe relies on a single ingredient to be the star, as is the case with egg salad, you need to make sure that one ingredient is prepared perfectly. To the chefs we spoke with, that meant not overcooking the hard-boiled eggs, which is pretty easy to do. “The yolks should be firm but not dry, and the whites tender, with no rubbery texture,” chef Gen La Roca of Two Cloves Kitchen says. “When the yolks turn greenish, or the whites become rubbery, the texture and flavor suffer.” To achieve the right texture, La Roca places eggs in a pot, covers them with cold water, then brings the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, she lowers the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. After that, she immediately drops the eggs into an ice bath to cool before peeling.
Chef Rena Awada of Healthy Fitness Meals cooks her eggs similarly but usually takes them fully off the heat for the 10-minute cooking time. The ice bath, however, is nonnegotiable, she says: “Peeling them is so much easier when I do this, and the eggs end up with that perfect texture for egg salad.”
Ten minutes is also the magic number for former fine-dining chef Dennis Littley of Ask Chef Dennis Productions—who also recommends using eggs that have been in your fridge for a bit. “Fresh eggs are harder to peel, so if you’ve got eggs that have been in the fridge for a week or so, those work best,” he says.
Don’t Overdo It
Beyond avoiding drying out the eggs with overcooking, egg salad should be handled with a light touch. Too much mayo can not only overpower the eggs but also make the salad feel heavy and greasy. “To avoid, add just enough to make it creamy, without drowning out the eggs,” Awada says. “My tip is to add the mayo a spoonful at a time—mixing it in as you go. This way you can keep track of how much you’re adding and not overdo it.” Littley agrees: “Too much dressing, and the eggs get lost; too little, and the salad feels dry. The trick is to add a little at a time and mix as you go until it’s just right.’’ Overmixing your salad will also make it clumpy and stodgy. “You want texture! Instead of mashing everything into a paste, chop the eggs into chunks and gently fold in the dressing so it coats the eggs without turning them into mush,” Littley adds.
Punch Up the Flavor
Egg salad is a mild dish that can easily become bland if it’s not properly seasoned. Our chefs recommend a healthy pinch of salt and pepper, plus a splash of acidity—such as lemon juice or Dijon mustard—for a traditional egg salad. For more flavor, a dollop of sour cream or plain strained (Greek-style) yogurt adds not only extra tang but also a smoother texture. “The dressing is where you can add personality to your egg salad,” Littley says. “A little sprinkle of paprika or a dash of hot sauce can add subtle warmth. Fresh herbs like chives, dill or parsley bring brightness, while finely chopped celery or shallots add a satisfying crunch.” Capers or pickles can add brine to the dish and serve as small pops of flavor. For a truly indulgent take that elevates an egg salad from a brown-bag lunch to a Champagne brunch, smoked salmon is the way to go.
No matter what you add, be sure to refrigerate your salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. The chill time will ensure the flavors meld. Then, serve it on toasted hearty bread, such as sourdough or rye, pile it into a croissant or toss it on top of greens. “No matter how you serve it, egg salad is proof that the simplest dishes can be the most satisfying when done right,” Littley says.
The Bottom Line
According to the three chefs we interviewed, mastering the art of cooking a hard-boiled egg without overcooking it is essential for making a delicious egg salad. The process is simple: Start by placing the eggs in a pot and covering them with cold water. Then, bring the water to a boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat and let the eggs simmer for 10 minutes. After that, transfer the eggs to a quick ice bath to cool, then peel them. When preparing the egg salad, remember to go easy on the mayonnaise and be careful not to overmix the ingredients. You can also customize your salad with fresh herbs, lemon juice, or hot sauce—whatever suits your taste.
