Easy Classic Egg Salad is deliciously creamy, made with perfectly hard-boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, a little relish and salt and pepper. Just the right recipe for a quick lunch - atop a bed of lettuce for a salad, on crusty bread to make a delightful sandwich or enjoy with crackers or just with a spoon.
I often start thinking about egg salad as Spring approaches. Not really sure why, I guess the whole boiling eggs for Easter marks the season for egg salad ...
Also, when I think of eggs and Easter, my mind goes back to when I was dating my husband and the first time I went to his house for Easter. In my family, our celebrations always included a big ole lunch (or dinner, as us southerners call it), with a big ham and all the casseroles.
Well, his family brought out the hard boiled colored eggs and a loaf of bread, They ate hard-boiled eggs or made some simple egg salad on a table outside while enjoying the beautiful weather and hiding Easter eggs with the kiddos. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this scene. But as year progressed and our families joined, we brought along our big dinner and enjoyed a side of Easter Egg Salad too!
However, you enjoy your egg salad, just remember it's delicious all year long!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EGG SALAD
- large eggs
- good quality mayonnaise
- dill relish
- yellow mustard
- salt & pepper
- a few dashes of hot sauce are optional, but so good!
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT HARD-BOILED EGGS
If you have an Instant Pot, I highly recommend making them in that. Once I started using my electric pressure cooker to make Hard Cooked Egg, I never looked back. Here is my go to RECIPE FOR INSTANT POT HARD BOILED EGGS!
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HOW TO BOIL EGGS ON THE STOVE TOP
Step 1. Place eggs in the bottom of a saucepan. Make sure to not crowd the pan. Those eggs should fit in there comfortably (like your favorite pair of jeans).
Step 2. Fill the pan with cold water to cover the eggs with 1 inch of water.
Step 3. Bring the water to boil on the stovetop over high heat.
Step 4. After the water comes to a boil, cover the pan with a lid. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Don't be tempted to remove that lid before the time is up. This lets the heat escape and your eggs won't get done.
Step 5. Fill a large bowl with water and ice to create and ice bath.
Step 6. Once your eggs are done, use tongs to remove them to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Cool eggs for 10 minutes, in the ice bath, so they are completely cooled for the salad.
Step 7. Remove eggs from the water bath and tap or crack the eggs on a hard surface and peel the shells away from the eggs. Rinse if necessary, under cold water and pat dry with a towel or paper towel.
MIXING UP THE PERFECT SOUTHERN EGG SALAD
First: Using a knife, dice up your eggs into bite sized pieces. You can chop as finely as you prefer them. We like them a little chunky at our house. But do what you like.
Second: Start mixing all the ingredients. I recommend adding about half or a little more than half of the mayo in at first and then add more in after you have added in the dill relish, mustard, and salt and pepper. This allows for the perfect consistency and you can’t take it out once it is mixed in. My family loves it just as the recipe states. However, egg sizes vary so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Third: If you want to change it up a little, these Mix-Ins are recommended.
- a few dashes of hot sauce
- slices of celery
- sliced black olive or green ones for that matter
- sub the dill relish with sweet if you like it sweet.
- sub in Dijon mustard for a slight twist on the classic.
This recipe is perfect for a picnic side, on your favorite bread for an egg salad sandwich, on a bed of lettuce and eaten as a salad or with crackers as a spread. And however you enjoy it, it’s just plain delicious! Don’t forget if you want to get extra fancy to try some of the mix-ins to change it up a little.
5 Recipes that are perfect for Spring
- Columbia Restaurant 1905 Salad
- Lemon Pudding Poke Cake
- Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Spaghetti Pasta Salad
- Skillet Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
Classic Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs, hard boiled and diced
- ⅓ to ½ cup mayonnaise, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon dill relish
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ white or black pepper
- a few dashes of hot sauce, optional
Instructions
Boil Eggs
- Use Instant Pot Hard Boil Egg Method or place eggs in a pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once water is boiling, cover with a lid. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove eggs with tongs and cool eggs in an ice bath and peel.
Making Egg Salad
- With a knife dice eggs into bite sized pieces.
- In a bowl add in diced eggs and half of mayonnaise, dill relish, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined. Add in additional mayonnaise until you have your desired consistency.
- Serve on a bed of lettuce, on bread as a sandwich or with crackers.
Julia says
Egg salad is one of my favorite lunches. Looks so delicious!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you Julia! I need to make it more often, because I love it too!