This Easy Egg Salad Recipe with Relish is thick, chunky, and made with just a few simple ingredients. A classic recipe for egg salad that can be eaten on its own or used to make a deliciously filling sandwich.
Updated July 25, 2026: I've refreshed this post with new tips, expanded FAQs, and helpful make-ahead instructions based on your questions and feedback. Same delicious recipe, even more helpful! Originally posted on March 15, 2023, photos updated March 6, 2024, and video added March 4, 2025.
Watch this quick video tutorial!
My introduction to egg salad happened in the middle school lunch line. If you didn't want the regular hot lunch, you could buy a sandwich instead, and they ranged from fifty cents to two dollars. Can you guess which one was fifty cents? The egg salad sandwich. Two slices of light bread filled with a hefty scoop of egg salad. It was the sandwich you bought on the day you forgot your lunch money, and honestly, it kept you full until dinner.
My mom made her own no-frills version at home with a few basic ingredients we always had in the kitchen, including sweet pickle relish. I've been making and testing this Southern-style egg salad in my own kitchen for years now, and after three rounds of updates based on your comments and questions, this is the version my family asks for every single time.
It's simple, it's filling, and that little bit of relish makes all the difference. Let's get started!
Why You'll Love This Egg Salad Recipe with Relish
- Just 7 simple ingredients - Eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, parsley, salt, and pepper. That's it, and you likely have every one of them in your kitchen right now.
- Ready in 15 minutes - Once your eggs are boiled, this comes together in one bowl with one spoon in just a few minutes.
- That sweet and tangy Southern flavor - The sweet pickle relish balances the rich eggs and mayo and adds a little crunch to every bite, which is exactly how egg salad tastes down South.
- Endlessly versatile - Pile it on a sandwich, scoop it over lettuce, spread it on crackers, or eat it straight from the bowl. It's perfect for Easter leftovers, lunchboxes, and church gatherings alike.
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe.
- Eggs - The star of the show. Boil fresh eggs yourself or pick up ready-to-go hard-boiled eggs from the grocery store. Crumble, roughly chop, or grate them depending on how chunky you like your egg salad.
- Mayonnaise - Any brand you love will work, but I reach for Duke's every time, it has that vinegary tang that Southern cooks swear by. Miracle Whip works if that's your family's tradition, and plain Greek yogurt is a lighter substitute.
- Mustard - Regular yellow mustard keeps it classic, or use Dijon for a little more sharpness. Either way, it balances the sweetness of the relish.
- Sweet Pickle Relish - This is what makes it Southern-style. The sweet pickles bring a tart-sweet flavor and a gentle crunch. Dill pickle relish, chopped dill pickles, or sweet salad cubes all work if that's what you have.
- Fresh Parsley - A little chopped fresh parsley brightens the whole bowl.
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper - Season to your taste, start with my measurements and adjust from there.
👉🏾 See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
How to Make Egg Salad with Relish
Here's a quick overview of the process. Full step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Hard Boil the Eggs
Place the eggs in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, and bring it to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Then cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the eggs sit for about 10 minutes. Starting with cold water is the secret to evenly cooked yolks without that gray-green ring.
Step 2: Ice Bath and Peel
Transfer the eggs straight into a bowl of ice water and let them chill for 10 to 15 minutes. Don't skip this! The ice bath shrinks the egg away from the shell, which is what makes peeling so much easier. Peel and discard the shells.
Step 3: Break Down the Eggs
Mash the eggs with clean hands, roughly chop them with a knife, or grate them on a box grater into a large mixing bowl. For that classic chunky Southern texture, leave the pieces a little bigger than you think you should.
Step 4: Mix It All Together
Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, parsley, salt, and pepper to the same bowl and stir gently with a large spoon until just combined. Gentle is the key word, overmixing turns chunky egg salad into paste.
Step 5: Chill and Serve
You can serve it right away, but a short chill in the refrigerator lets the flavors settle in together. Then enjoy it on its own, in lettuce wraps, or piled between two slices of your favorite bread.
LaKita's Expert Tips
Here are my best tips for making this recipe turn out perfectly every time.
- Use older eggs for boiling. Eggs that have been in your refrigerator a week or so peel much more easily than farm-fresh ones.
- Drain your relish. Press the relish against the side of the jar or blot it with a paper towel before adding it. Extra pickle juice is the number one cause of runny egg salad.
- Add ingredients gradually. Start with less mayo than you think you need and add more until it reaches your preferred creaminess. You can always add, but you can't take away.
- An Instant Pot makes foolproof boiled eggs. If you have one, pressure cooking gives you perfectly cooked, easy-peel eggs every single time.
- Chill before serving at gatherings. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator firms the salad up so it holds its shape on sandwiches and crackers.
- Cut the crusts for parties. Crustless egg salad sandwiches cut into quarters are perfect for baby showers, church functions, and tea-party-style spreads.
- Taste before you salt. Relish and mustard both carry sodium, so season at the end, not the beginning.
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Variations & Substitutions
This recipe is flexible, here are some easy ways to make it your own.
- Dill instead of sweet - Swap in dill relish or chopped dill pickles for a tangier, less sweet salad.
- Add crunch - Chopped celery, green onion, or Quick Pickled Red Onions bring extra texture and flavor.
- Make it spicy - A dash of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne gives it a little Southern kick.
- Lighter version - Substitute plain Greek yogurt for half or all of the mayonnaise.
- Deviled egg style - Add a sprinkle of paprika on top for that classic deviled egg look and flavor. And if deviled eggs are what you're really craving, my Easy Deviled Eggs with Miracle Whip has you covered.
- Miracle Whip swap - If your family is a Miracle Whip family, use it one-for-one in place of the mayo for a sweeter, tangier salad.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make-Ahead
You can boil and peel the eggs up to a full day ahead. Store them whole in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also mix the entire egg salad the night before serving. The flavor actually improves as it chills. Give it a quick stir before serving.
Storage & Reheating
Store egg salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Never leave it sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. With eggs and mayo, food safety comes first, especially at picnics and potlucks. This recipe is served cold, so there's no reheating needed. Skip the freezer entirely: mayonnaise separates when frozen, and the texture won't recover.
What to Serve with Egg Salad
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this dish.
- On a classic sandwich - Soft white bread or lightly toasted slices with lettuce and tomato. Add a side of Baked Potato Wedges to make it a full lunch.
- On a Southern salad plate - Serve a scoop alongside my Southern-Style Tuna Salad and Potato Salad with crackers for a classic luncheon spread.
- In lettuce wraps - A lighter, low-carb way to enjoy it that still delivers all the flavor.
- With soup - Half an egg salad sandwich next to a warm bowl of soup is a lunch that never fails.
- On an Easter table - It's the very best way to use up leftover dyed Easter eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions
You certainly can, and in the South, many of us always do! Relish isn't in every traditional egg salad recipe, but it adds a sweet-tangy flavor that balances the rich eggs and mayonnaise, keeps the salad moist, and gives every bite a gentle crunch. Once you try it, plain egg salad will taste like it's missing something.
It comes down to taste. Sweet relish is the classic Southern choice and gives the salad that signature sweet-and-savory balance. Dill relish makes a tangier, more pickle-forward salad. Both work beautifully in this recipe. I use sweet, but plenty of readers swap in dill and love it.
Place the eggs in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 10 minutes. Then move them to an ice bath for 10 to 15 minutes before peeling. Starting cold and finishing in ice water gives you tender whites, fully set yolks, and easy peeling.
Stored in an airtight container, this egg salad keeps for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Always keep it chilled and never let it sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
No, I don't recommend it. Mayonnaise breaks and separates when frozen, and the eggs turn rubbery and watery when thawed. This is a make-and-enjoy-fresh kind of recipe.
A classic Southern egg salad keeps it simple: hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise (Duke's if you're doing it right), yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, salt, and pepper. I add fresh parsley for brightness. Some families also stir in chopped celery, green onion, or a sprinkle of paprika.
That's entirely up to you! Mash the eggs finely for a smooth, spreadable salad, or roughly chop them for the chunky, hearty texture I grew up with. A box grater lands you somewhere in the middle. Just don't overmix once the mayo goes in, or even chunky eggs will turn to paste.
The usual culprit is undrained relish, pickle juice adds liquid fast. Blot the relish with a paper towel before mixing it in. Eggs that weren't fully cooled before mixing can also release moisture, so make sure they're chilled through.
Yes! You can boil and peel the eggs a day in advance, or mix the entire salad the night before. Chilling overnight actually improves the flavor as the relish and mustard settle into the eggs. Store it airtight and give it a stir before serving.
Egg salad delivers a good amount of protein. About 10 grams per serving in this recipe, along with vitamins from the eggs. To lighten it up, swap plain Greek yogurt for some or all of the mayonnaise, or serve it in lettuce wraps instead of on bread.
📖 Recipe
Egg Salad Recipe with Relish
Video
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 large spoon
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, hard-boiled
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Begin this easy recipe by hard boiling the 6 large eggs and mashing the eggs with clean hands, roughly chopping them with a knife, or using a box grater to grate each egg into a large bowl.
- To the same bowl add the remaining ingredients of ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon mustard, 2 tablespoons sweet relish, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Use a large spoon to gently stir all of the ingredients together until combined.
- Serve your southern-style egg salad immediately or place it into the refrigerator and allow it time to chill. Enjoy it on its own, on a bed of lettuce, or use it to make the perfect sandwich.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you give this egg salad recipe a try, I'd love to know what you think! Leave a comment below, share a photo on Instagram and tag @SimplyLaKita, or save it on Pinterest for later. And if you have your own family twist on Southern egg salad, dill instead of sweet, a dash of hot sauce, Grandma's secret ingredient. Tell me all about it in the comments. Y'all's ideas make these recipes even better.
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