This Simple Egg Salad is made with hard-boiled eggs, crunchy celery, and fresh chives in a deliciously seasoned mayonnaise-based dressing with a little Dijon mustard. This easy recipe comes together in 35 minutes – even quicker if your eggs are already cooked!
I love egg salad because it’s so versatile and can be served in so many ways. This basic recipe can also easily be adapted to your personal taste. It’s delicious for breakfast, lunch, a snack or appetizer, or as a simple dinner.
Egg Salad Ingredients
- For the salad: Hard-boiled eggs, celery, and fresh chives.
- For the dressing: Mayonnaise, prepared Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and paprika.
How to Make Egg Salad
The following is a brief overview; please see the recipe card for full, detailed instructions and ingredient amounts.
- Peel the hard-boiled eggs and slice them in half.
- Remove the yolks from the eggs and place them in a large bowl. Mash with a fork until crumbly.
- Chop the egg whites.
- Add mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika to the bowl with the crumbled egg yolks and stir until combined.
- Fold in the chopped egg whites, celery, and chives.
My Favorite Way to Hard-Boil Eggs on the Stovetop
After testing different ways to hard-boil eggs on the stovetop, I have my personal favorite (that yields eggs that peel beautifully every time) and am sharing it with you. If you have a trusted method that works for you, please hard-boil your eggs your way (I promise I won’t be offended! 😊).
- Bring a medium to large saucepan of water to a rapid boil. Ensure there is enough water to cover the eggs by at least 1 inch. Using a set of tongs or a slotted spoon, very carefully place the eggs (straight from the fridge) in the boiling water. Reduce/adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle boil/rapid simmer. Boil for 10 minutes (for large eggs).
- Transfer the eggs to a large bowl of ice water and let them rest in the ice bath for 10 minutes.
Serving Ideas
Serve this egg salad with crackers, on a bed of lettuce, a bagel, croissant, or sandwich bread, or in a wrap.
Recipe Variations
Old Bay Seasoning: Swap the paprika for Old Bay Seasoning – it gives egg salad a hint of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors. Try it, it’s amazing!
Add-ins: Chopped green onion, fresh dill, diced bell pepper, diced jalapeño, or pickle relish (both sweet and dill are delicious in this salad!).
Lighten it up: Swap some of the mayo for Greek yogurt.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Stir before serving.
More Egg Recipes
Simple Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 8 large hard-boiled eggs Please see note at bottom for hard-boiling
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons prepared Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup diced celery
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Peel the eggs and slice in half. Remove the yolks and place in a large bowl.
- Mash the yolks with a fork until crumbly.
- Coarsely chop the egg whites.
- Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika to the crumbled egg yolks. Stir until creamy and combined.
- Fold in the chopped egg whites, celery, and chives. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Notes
- To hard-boil eggs on the stovetop:
- 1. Bring a medium to large saucepan of water to a rapid boil. Ensure there is enough water to cover the eggs by at least 1 inch. Using a set of tongs or a slotted spoon, very carefully place the eggs (straight from the fridge) in the boiling water. Reduce/adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle boil/rapid simmer. Boil for 10 minutes (for large eggs).
- 2. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the eggs to a large bowl of ice water and let them rest in the ice bath for 10 minutes.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Stir before serving.
- Yield: This recipe yields approximately 2 ¾ cups.
Nutrition
If provided, nutritional info is a courtesy, is not guaranteed and should only be considered as a guideline.
Originally published August 2013. Updated with new photos, new text, and recipe slightly revised March 2026.
Dorothy Pond
Tasty egg salad. I’ ve mad it twice and love it for lunch.
Thank you so much, Dorothy!
Sherry
Here I am from Maryland and I’ve never tried Old Bay in my egg salad!
What a great idea,thanks!
I just discovered your site and I’m off to poke around some!
Lol! It is really good in egg salad! Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂