Easy Deviled Egg Salad

This Easy Deviled Egg Salad tastes just like your favorite deviled eggs, but so much quicker and easier to make! Serve as a sandwich, lettuce wraps, or on toast for a simple but delicious make-ahead friendly breakfast, lunch, or snack!

They say hard-boiled eggs only smell if they’re overcooked. Well, I think it’s a little more often than that. Sometimes, boiled eggs make my kitchen smell even when I pay perfect attention to them and they don’t have a green ring. Meaning: they are not overcooked, but they still smell like eggs. I dunno! It’s just a fact.

Smell or no smell, I think egg salad is underrated. Eggs themselves are versatile, packed with protein, and delicious. So, a whole salad of just this main ingredient? Yes please, I’ll take it.

This egg salad is inspired by a classic deviled egg. But since there’s no carefully separating the yolks from the whites, it’s a bit quicker. Not to mention, more travel friendly than deviled eggs themselves. I hope you enjoy this very Easy Deviled Egg Salad!

What are the ingredients in this Easy Deviled Egg Salad?

Just like the inspiration, this Easy Deviled Egg Salad has minimal ingredients, which lets the eggs and classic ‘deviled’ flavors shine. You can always choose to add ingredients when you serve for a more filling or well-rounded meal (ideas later on!).

Here’s a list of all the ingredients required to make this recipe, plus a little info about why each is necessary:

• large eggs – Eggs are gonna be necessary for egg salad! I’ve included 3 cooking method ideas in the recipe card below.
• mayonnaise – After all, mayonnaise is made with eggs and oil, so it’s like adding super smooth, emulsified eggs to your eggs to make them smooth too? Okay but really, mayo adds a wonderful creamy texture and helps build the base of the sauce for the salad.
• Greek yogurt – For a little more protein, nutrients and to cut the mayo factor in half, we’re using a bit of Greek yogurt. You can’t taste it in the final egg salad, but since the deviled egg salad itself is tangy, the Greek yogurt blends right in.
• Dijon mustard – Mustard is one of my favorite flavors. It adds a pungent, sharp, spicy flavor to the egg salad.
• Tabasco sauce – For another bold layer of spice, I love adding just a touch of hot sauce, particularly Tabasco sauce (chipotle flavor is my favorite!).
• apple cider vinegar – Some ACV helps give that signature deviled egg zing to this egg salad.
• paprika – It wouldn’t be deviled eggs without the signature dash of red from paprika! It also adds a nice red pepper flavor.
• chives – For a super mild onion flavor, chives work really well. They also add a nice bit of color and freshness.
• salt – Salt brings everything together, in this case the zing and spice of all the flavors listed above. Don’t forget to taste and season with more salt if it needs a bit of oomph!

How do you make this Easy Deviled Egg Salad?

This is truly one of those salads you can whip up in 30 minutes, whether it’s meal prep for tomorrow or for lunch right now. It’s even faster if your eggs are already hard-boiled! Here’s a detailed step-by-step explanation. Don’t forget – there’s a more concise and printable version below!

First, hard-boil the eggs in your favorite method. This can be on the boiled on the stovetop, steamed on the stovetop, pressure cooked in the Instant Pot… some people are even hard boiling eggs in the air fryer now! I’ve included stove top instructions down below in the recipe card.

Either way, cook five eggs and then transfer them to an ice bath once they’re done cooking. This stops the cooking process and cools down the eggs so you can handle them. Keep the eggs in the ice bath for at least five minutes while you make the saucy salad base.

In a small mixing bowl, first beat together the mayonnaise and the Greek yogurt. Once that’s smooth and mixed, add the mustard, Tabasco sauce, apple cider vinegar, and paprika to the bowl. Stir well, then finally add the chives and a touch of salt.

Go back to the eggs – peel them all and dice them up. I like a rough dice for a chunkier final texture of the egg salad. Fold them into the sauce mixture. If it’s too thick for you, add 1/2 tablespoon of milk. But try to leave it as thick as possible, as this is best for meal prep.

And that’s it! I recommend serving on bread with something crunchy like potato chips, or salt & vinegar chips. Crunchy lettuce would make a good wrap too.

Best tips for making egg salad:

Here are my best tips for making a delicious Deviled Egg Salad in your own kitchen:

• Keep it chunky – I personally think larger, more random chunks of hard-boiled eggs make a better texture for the salad overall. But that’s just my preference!
• Serve with something crunchy – This egg salad has a very soft texture overall (no veggies involved), so it’s best served with something crunchy to help provide a nice contrast. Think crisp lettuce, potato chips, or crackers!
• Use quality eggs – Since your egg salad is mostly eggs, their quality does come into play when making this recipe. The better the eggs, the better tasting the final dish will be. However, any eggs will work and still taste delicious.

How should you serve this Easy Deviled Egg Salad?

Here are a few serving ideas for this Easy Deviled Egg Salad:

• From the bowl – If you’re a fan of egg salad, you’ll love eating this with a spoon straight from the bowl!
• As a sandwich – Your favorite kind of bread or croissant works great! Add some crisp lettuce or chips for crunch. This is a thick egg salad that works well on bread overnight too!
• On toast – Toasting up some bread is a great way to pair some crunch and structure to the egg salad.
• As lettuce wraps – Find some super crisp green lettuce with large leaves (like iceberg or romaine) and fill these up with the egg salad for lettuce wraps.

Ways to customize this Easy Deviled Egg Salad:

This Easy Deviled Egg Salad is delicious as is, but there are tons of ways to jazz it up as well. Any way you like deviled eggs would probably be a delicious match for this egg salad as well. Here are some ideas:

• Add some chopped bacon bits – This will add a nice salty savory vibe, and a bit more protein. Plus, who doesn’t like bacon?!
• Make it spicy – You could add more Tabasco, or go a totally different route and try buffalo sauce for a buffalo deviled egg vibe!
• Add avocado – A mashed up avocado would work really well in this egg salad! I would also add a bit more salt and pepper with it.

What’s the difference between classic egg salad and this Deviled Egg Salad?

A classic egg salad usually contains finely diced vegetables like celery and red onion. Additionally, some people add bacon, like in my Egg Salad with Bacon recipe.

Deviled egg salad is similar to classic egg salad, but it stays true to the deviled egg ingredients and does not have any diced vegetables or bacon. We decided to add some Greek yogurt to make it a little more creamy with less mayo. But otherwise, it’s only deviled egg ingredients.

Why does my egg salad get watery and runny?

Many of the ingredients in egg salad contain water. As the egg salad sits in the fridge, salt draws the water out, resulting in the watery part you see when you open the container.

The mayonnaise and Greek yogurt also contain water. However, the more fat in these ingredients, the less water content. This means a oil-based mayo will have less water content than a light or fat-free mayo. The amount of liquid in your egg salad can depend on your ingredients!

How do you meal prep this recipe?

This recipe makes a delicious meal for now or later, especially when paired with some sliced bread or crisp lettuce. Here are a couple of detailed make-ahead options for you to consider:

1. Ingredient prep: For partial prep, you can hard-boil the eggs ahead of time. Peel and store in the fridge for up to 2 days before continuing with the recipe.
2. Complete meal prep: Make the recipe as written, then portion the ingredients evenly into three meal prep containers.
3. Enjoy now & later: Prepare all the ingredients and make the recipe as written. Enjoy some now, then save the leftovers in meal prep containers for later.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

I would not recommend freezing this recipe.

How to store Easy Deviled Egg Salad:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days for best quality. Egg salad sandwiches can be made and wrapped up to 2 days ahead of time (ensure your egg salad is thick!).

Recipe developed by Rachel Phipps.