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Deviled egg salad is really just a best-in-class version of egg salad. Here’s how to make the basic recipe and how to amp it up with some optional additions.
Why we love this recipe
Everyone around here is a huge fan of deviled eggs. The more recipes I’ve shared over the years, the more I’ve observed that this seems to be a widely experienced phenomenon. As nostalgic American classics go, you can’t do much better than deviled egg salad — a slightly more relaxed version of the original appetizer. It’s:
- Crowd-pleasing
- Versatile
- Make-ahead friendly
- Vegetarian, low-carb, keto-friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free
- Great alone or in sandwiches
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- You’ll start with a batch of perfect hard-boiled eggs. This reliable method yields eggs that are cooked just the right amount and easy to peel. The recipe card below includes full instructions on how to make them.
- Regular, good-quality mayo from the supermarket works beautifully in this nostalgic recipe.
- A couple of nice big ribs of celery, diced very small, create great textural contrast.
- Use a medium-sized shallot and mince it as finely as you can.
- I love the delicate flavor of champagne vinegar, but if you don’t have any, regular white wine vinegar works great, too.
- A sprinkle of regular paprika adds color and flavor.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a great batch of deviled egg salad. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Mix the dressing in a large bowl.
- Peel, rinse, dry, and chop the eggs.
- Add the eggs to the bowl along with the celery, shallot, and any optional mix-ins. Give it all a good stir.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle on the paprika. That’s it!
Fun additional ingredients
Any of our whimsical gourmet deviled egg recipes can be easily adapted into salad. Try these additions and substitutions, and omit the paprika.
- BLT: Add 10 strips cooked, chopped bacon, two tablespoons minced sun dried tomatoes, and 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley.
- Bagel and Lox: Add 2 tablespoons crème fraîche to the dressing and 4 ounces chopped smoked salmon, 2 tablespoons capers, and 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives to the salad. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup panko toasted in butter.
- Giardiniera: Add 1/2 cup finely chopped giardiniera.
- Cobb salad: Add 10 strips cooked, chopped bacon, two tablespoons minced sun dried tomatoes, 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (such as gorgonzola dolce or Maytag), 1/4 cup canned black olive slices, and 1/4 cup chopped watercress, baby arugula or flat-leaf parsley.
- Niçoise with tuna: Add one 5-ounce can tuna, drained, 2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes, 24 pitted and minced Kalamata olives, and 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley.
- Herbed (pictured here): Add a total of 1/4 cup minced fresh soft spring herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, chives, dill, and chervil.
- Buffalo: Add 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (such as gorgonzola dolce or Maytag) and 1 tablespoon Frank’s Red Hot original, or more to taste.
- Caviar & crème fraîche: Add 2 tablespoons crème fraîche to the dressing and 1 ounce or more caviar or other fish roe to the salad. Learn more about buying caviar here.
- Ultimate miso: For the dressing, use 1/2 cup Japanese-style (Kewpie) mayo, 1 tablespoon white miso paste, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon mirin, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sriracha. Into the salad, add 1/4 cup chopped shiitake bacon and 2 tablespoons gomasio.
- Spinach dip: Replace the dressing with 1 cup prepared Knorr spinach dip.
Expert tips and FAQs
Absolutely. Salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Just hold off on sprinkling with the paprika until shortly before serving.
More favorite classic salads
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Deviled Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 3 large celery ribs
- 1 small shallot
- ½ cup (112 grams) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) champagne vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
Instructions
- Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. See note 1 below.
- Arrange eggs in steamer basket, if using. Lower basket into water. Or use a spider strainer or large spoon to gently submerge eggs a few at a time until you've added them all.
- Set a timer for 12 minutes.
- When the water begins to bubble vigorously again, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer so the eggs don't jostle around too much.
- While the eggs cook, fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
- When timer rings, pull eggs out of pot and plunge into ice water.
- Cool for 15 minutes.
- Peel carefully and give a quick rinse under running water to remove any remaining bits of shell. Dry well and chop.
- Finely dice the celery and finely mince the shallot.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Add the chopped eggs, celery, and shallot and stir gently but thoroughly until well combined.
- At this point, stir in any additional ingredients, if using. Refer to the post section above to learn more.
- Right before serving, place salad into a serving bowl and sprinkle with as much paprika as you like.
Notes
- If you have a collapsible steamer basket and would like to use it to lower the eggs into the pot, makes sure it fits snugly. A 7 ½ quart Dutch oven works well.
- Salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Sprinkle with paprika just before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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