For a quick lunch or a light dinner, it’s tough to beat this old fashioned egg salad sandwich recipe. It comes together in minutes with a handful of simple ingredients, keeps in the fridge for days, and never gets old.
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Before You Get Started
This classic American deli staple has been made at kitchen tables for generations, and it’s easy to see why: hard-boiled eggs, a creamy mayo dressing, sweet pickle relish, and a little celery for crunch. A few tips before you get mixing:
- Don’t over-chop the eggs. Use a fork or pastry blender and keep the mixture chunky rather than smooth. Overworking the eggs turns the salad dense and pasty instead of light and textured.
- Drain the pickle relish before adding it. A quick strain through a fine mesh strainer keeps the dressing from going watery. It’s an easy step to skip, and it noticeably changes the result.
- Chill before serving if you have time. Even 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge helps the flavors come together. This also makes the egg salad a great make-ahead option for busy weeks.
How to Make an Egg Salad Sandwich
This old fashioned egg salad keeps it simple: just a handful of pantry ingredients and no cooking beyond the eggs. You’ll find full measurements in the recipe card below, but here’s the step-by-step:
Step 1: Hard Boil the Eggs
Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with about 1 inch of cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain and run under cold water for a minute, then peel.
→ Store-bought option: If you’d rather skip this step entirely, store-bought peeled hard-boiled eggs are a perfectly good shortcut.
Step 2: Chop the Eggs
Add the peeled eggs to a bowl and roughly chop using a fork or pastry blender. You want some real texture here, not a smooth paste. A little chunkiness is exactly what makes this egg salad feel homemade.
Step 3: Mix the Dressing
Add the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, celery, drained pickle relish, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. A good-quality mayo makes a real difference in flavor here. I prefer Duke’s for its rich, creamy texture.
⇢ Make it your own. Swap yellow mustard for Dijon, add a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or stir in a dash of hot sauce, garlic powder, or paprika for a little extra depth.
Step 4: Combine
Add the eggs to the dressing and fold everything together gently until just combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
If you have a few minutes to spare, pop the bowl in the fridge before assembling the sandwiches.
⇢ Add fresh herbs. A tablespoon each of chopped fresh dill, flat leaf parsley, and chives makes for a brighter, herby version. Totally optional, but a nice touch when you have them on hand.
Step 5: Assemble and Serve
Layer the egg salad and a few leaves of butter or red leaf lettuce onto your bread of choice and serve immediately. Classic white or wheat sandwich bread is the traditional pick, but buttery croissants, toasted sourdough, and English muffin bread are all great options.
For parties or showers, my angel biscuits or soft dinner rolls make for easy individual servings everyone loves.
⇢ Mix up the toppings. Try strips of crispy bacon and sliced tomato for a BLT-style sandwich, spread a little of my pimento cheese on the bread before adding the egg salad, or top with my quick pickled red onions for a little brightness and bite.
What to Serve Alongside
Egg salad sandwiches are a natural fit for a relaxed lunch or light dinner spread. Crunchy potato chips and a dill pickle are the classic pairing. Simple and always right. For something more substantial, my easy potato salad or Southern macaroni salad work beautifully alongside, and a tall glass of sweet tea rounds the whole thing out perfectly.
You can also skip the sandwich altogether. Spoon the egg salad over a bed of greens, tuck it into lettuce wraps, or scoop it up with crackers. My Southern cornbread or 3-ingredient biscuits make great companions for a more Southern-style spread.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store egg salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. It actually gets better after a day as the flavors settle.
Make-Ahead: This is one of the best recipes to prep in advance. Keep the egg salad and bread separate until you’re ready to serve so the bread stays fresh.
Freezing: Skip it. Mayo-based salads don’t freeze well. The texture breaks down after thawing and the veggies go soft.
Food safety: Keep egg salad chilled at all times and don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dill pickle relish instead of sweet pickle relish?
Yes, and it’s a great swap if you prefer a tangier, less sweet egg salad. A small splash of dill pickle juice works too. Just use it sparingly so the dressing doesn’t thin out too much.
Can I substitute Greek yogurt for some of the mayo?
Yes. Replacing about half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt makes a lighter egg salad with a slightly tangier flavor. Full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt gives you the best texture.
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Old Fashioned Egg Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 6 large hard-boiled eggs
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (Duke's preferred)
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- ¼ cup finely diced celery
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, drained of excess juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For serving: croissants, bread or rolls of choice (toasted if desired); lettuce
Instructions
- Place the peeled hard-boiled eggs in a large bowl. Roughly chop using a fork or pastry blender, keeping the mixture chunky rather than smooth.
- In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, celery, pickle relish, salt, and pepper.
- Add the chopped egg and gently mix until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes for the best flavor, if time allows.
- Assemble sandwiches with egg salad and lettuce on bread, croissants, or rolls of choice. Serve immediately.
Notes
- How to hard boil eggs: Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with 1 inch of cold water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let stand 12 minutes. Drain, run under cold water for 1 minute, then peel.
- Keep it chunky. Rough chop with a fork or pastry blender rather than mashing finely. Texture is what makes this egg salad feel homemade.
- Drain the relish. Strain the pickle relish before adding it to keep the dressing from going watery.
- Shortcut: Store-bought peeled hard-boiled eggs save about 20 minutes and work perfectly here.
- Make-ahead: Keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Assemble sandwiches just before serving so the bread stays fresh.
- Lighter version: Replace up to half the mayo with plain Greek yogurt for a tangier, lighter result.
- Dill vs. sweet relish: Sweet pickle relish is the classic choice. For a tangier egg salad, substitute dill pickle relish or a small splash of dill pickle juice.
- Bread options: White or wheat sandwich bread is traditional. Croissants, toasted sourdough, English muffins, dinner rolls, and angel biscuits all work beautifully.
- Food safety: Do not leave egg salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Freezing is not recommended.
Nutrition
Originally published in February, 2021, this post was updated in April, 2026.
I don’t like sweet pickle relish (makes me shiver to think about it!) but I add just a bit of dill pickle juice. I don’t like chopped pickles in anything except my potato salad. I guess it’s all in what your whole family likes, more than what you yourself like, right?
Agreed! The great thing about egg salad is how versatile it can be.
A great recipe, yummy. I love the added pickle to the salad.
Thank you, Wayne!