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This Easy Southern Style Egg Salad Recipe is thick, chunky, and make with a few simple ingredients. A classic recipe that can be eaten on its own or used to make a deliciously filling sandwich.
If you’re craving another southern style salad recipe, then be sure to try making some Southern-Style Tuna Salad. For a meatless option try making a batch of Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad or some Warm Macaroni Salad.

My introduction to egg salad was at middle school lunch. If you didn’t want to have the regular hot lunch, there were various sandwiches available to purchase instead. The sandwiches ranged in price from $.50 to $2.00.
Can you guess which sandwich was $.50? It was the egg salad sandwiches. Two pieces of regular white bread, or light bread as we called it, filled with a hefty serving of egg salad.
This sandwich wasn’t popular with middle-school-age kids. It was known to be the sandwich of choice on the day you forgot your lunch money because it could be purchased easily with loose change and was filling enough to last you the rest of the day.
My mom made a similar no-frills version with just a few basic ingredients that were always available in our kitchen. Simple but filling and delicious!
Let’s get started!
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Ingredients You'll Need

- Eggs - The star and main ingredient in any classic egg salad recipe. You will need half a dozen eggs to make this recipe. You can boil fresh eggs yourself or purchase the hard-boiled eggs ready to go out of the pack from the grocery store. This ingredient helps to thicken the salad and provides protein. You may crumble, roughly chop, or grate the eggs depending on how chunky you prefer your egg salad.
- Mayonnaise - Any brand of mayonnaise that you prefer and have on hand will work. I love using Duke’s Real Mayonnaise. This will help to bind the egg salad together and give it a creamy and slightly tangy flavor. If you're a fan of Miracle Whip, then you can use that as well.
- Mustard - Use regular yellow mustard or Dijon mustard whichever you prefer. This will provide a nice tangy balance to the sweet and savory ingredients in the salad.
- Sweet Pickle Relish - Provides a tart and sweet flavor that is a classic touch to any egg salad recipe. May use dill relish or sweet salad cubes instead.
- Fresh Parsley - Chop some fresh parsley to add a bit of freshness to the salad.
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper - Seasons the egg salad, if you prefer to use more or less, then feel free to adjust the measurements to your desired taste.
See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and instructions.
Step By Step Instructions
Begin this easy recipe by hard boiling the 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 mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, fresh parsley, salt, and 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.

Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Try not to over-prepare the hard-boiled eggs. Use your hands to mash them into small pieces, roughly chop them with a knife, or use a box grater to grate them. But keep them a little bit big for chunky egg salad.
- Add in some chopped green onion, red onion, or celery for additional flavor and crunch.
- Use your favorite bread to make a sandwich. Make it fancy by cutting off the crust, perfect to serve at gatherings and baby showers. You may also lightly toast the bread if you prefer and add lettuce and sliced tomato to make a simple egg salad sandwich for a quick lunch.
- If you're boiling the eggs yourself, begin with a large pot of cold water over medium-high heat before adding in the eggs. Boiling the egg in an instant pot is also the best way to prepare the perfect hard boiled eggs.
- Save this recipe for Easter time for a great way to use leftover easter eggs!
Storage
Store this delicious egg salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container or sealed container for 2 to 3 days. Do not leave it at room temperature or out on the countertop for any length of time to prevent spoilage.
This particular recipe is meant to be enjoyed shortly after it is made and should not be frozen or stored in the freezer for later.
Recipe

Easy Southern Style Egg Salad Recipe
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 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 mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, fresh parsley, salt, and 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.
Notes
- Try not to over-prepare the hard-boiled eggs. Use your hands to mash them into small pieces, roughly chop them with a knife, or use a box grater to grate them. But keep them a little bit big for chunky egg salad.
- Add in some chopped green onion, red onion, or celery for additional flavor and crunch.
- Use your favorite bread to make a sandwich. Make it fancy by cutting off the crust, perfect to serve at gatherings and baby showers. You may also lightly toast the bread if you prefer and add lettuce and sliced tomato to make a simple egg salad sandwich for a quick lunch.
- If you're boiling the eggs yourself, begin with a large pot of cold water over medium-high heat before adding in the eggs. Boiling the egg in an instant pot is also the best way to prepare the perfect hard boiled eggs.
- Save this recipe for Easter time for a great way to use leftover easter eggs!
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.

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Have any comments, questions, or other delicious ideas and ways to enjoy this Southern Egg Salad Recipe? Please share them in the comments below!

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