Thanks to a few tricks and tips, this is the best Vegan Egg Salad ever! It makes the perfect sandwich on sourdough bread with butter lettuce, and is full of plant protein.
I can’t be the only one who has nostalgic memories of eating egg salad sandwiches as a kid. I LOVED egg salad. It’s one of the things I truly miss from before my vegan days. If you also miss egg salad sandwiches then you are going to love this recipe!
I played with this recipe to get it just right. Some recipes have you mash or crumble the tofu, but that didn’t work for me. The texture just wasn’t the same as what I remember. Then, I had an idea.
I discovered a special way of slicing and chopping the tofu to make it mimic hard-boiled eggs. PERFECTION. The flavorful, creamy sauce pairs perfectly with the tofu. Read on to learn how to make the best Vegan Egg Salad ever!
How to prepare the tofu:
First, press a block of firm tofu for about 20 minutes, to remove most of the water.
Next, slice the block as shown below, into thin slices. Then, slice the other way, thinly.
Finally, chop the pieces of tofu even more with a knife, in a rough fashion, until you have lots of little pieces and it looks something like the photo below. Some pieces can be bigger and some smaller, they don’t have to be uniform in size. This will mimic hard-boiled eggs.
What is the dressing for vegan egg salad?
For the dressing, start by making a batch of Vegan Mayo. OR you can use store bought vegan mayo, your choice.
The dressing includes vegan mayo, yellow mustard, dill pickle juice (SO GOOD), sweet relish, smoked paprika, tiny pinch of turmeric, salt and pepper. Use black salt for an even eggier, sulfur flavor. I don’t personally like the stuff, but a lot of people do!
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Put it all together:
Add the sliced tofu to the bowl with the dressing, along with a sliced green onion, and stir. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes at least, to let the flavors meld together before serving. Serve on bread (I love sourdough) with butter lettuce for best results.
You could also have it over a bunch of chopped lettuce, or in lettuce wraps. Serve alongside Vegan Potato Salad or Vegan Coleslaw.
Want more easy vegan sandwiches?
- The Best & Easiest Chickpea Tuna Sandwiches
- Vegan BLT Sandwich
- Best Vegan BBQ Soy Curl Sandwich
- BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches
Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 block firm tofu (16 oz)
- 1/4 cup Vegan Mayo | homemade or store bought
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- 2 teaspoons sweet relish
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- tiny pinch turmeric optional, for color
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste | use black salt for a more eggy, sulfur flavor
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced (2 tablespoons)
- loaf of bread, butter lettuce for serving
Instructions
- Press the tofu: Wrap the block of tofu in paper towels or a clean tea towel. Place something heavy on top of it, like a cast iron pan, and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- Make the dressing: While the tofu presses, whisk together the vegan mayo (1/4 c), yellow mustard (1 tsp), dill pickle juice (1 1/2 tbs), sweet relish (2 tsp), smoked paprika (1/8 tsp), turmeric (tiny pinch), salt (1/2 tsp) and black pepper (1/4 tsp).
- Slice the tofu: Once the tofu is pressed, slice the block into thin strips, then slice thinly the other way. Chop into even smaller pieces. (SEE PHOTOS ABOVE FOR REFERENCE)
- Add the tofu to the bowl with the creamy dressing, along with the sliced green onions. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes if possible before eating, to let the flavors meld together. Serve on sourdough, or other bread (gluten free if needed) with butter lettuce. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- I suggest using my Vegan Mayo, but you can use store bought vegan mayo such as Just brand or Veganaise.
- You can use black salt for an eggy, sulfur flavor. I personally don't like it so I use regular salt. Either is fine!
- Calories listed are for 1/6th of the egg salad, using my vegan mayo recipe.
- Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Great meal prep idea!
Christine
So easy, and delicious. Love this recipe 👌🏻
Nora
I’m so glad!
Rose
Hi, I’m in the UK and we don’t have sweet relish. What would be a good alternative? Thanks
Nora
Chopped up pickles work, sweet variety if you have them.
Danielle
Hi, what is yellow mustard? Is this the
mild yellow sauce that you might put on a hot dog?
Nora
Yes, that’s right.
Amanda
This was SO easy and SO good! Thank you for the recipe!
Nora
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed and that it was simple!
Alison W
This is SO GOOD. The dressing tastes just like deviled eggs, which I’ve definitely missed. I’ll have to check out more of your recipes if they’re all this good. Thank you!
Nora
Thank you Alison! I hope you find many more recipes here to enjoy!
Patricia
Did you use the black salt? I’m going to make this and am curious about the salt but don’t want to buy if it taste yuck
Hayley
I just made this and I love it! I never ate traditional egg salad, but thought this would be a good alternative to chickpea salads!
Nora
Thanks Hayley, so glad you loved it! It’s nice to have a few vegan sandwich fillings to make regularly. 🙂
Darla and Jimmy
Absolutely fabulous! Tastes like the egg salad we remember. We like the consistency of how you do the tofu – and the dressing – so much better than other recipes we’ve tried. Thank you for your recipes – they make life just a little bit better 🙂
Nora
I’m so happy you like the vegan egg salad, thank you so much for your kind words!!
Megster
After we switched to vegan, hubby really missed egg salad sandwiches – not any more! I was never a fan of egg salad but this version is so good that we both have it almost weekly for lunch. Thanks for another great recipe!
Paul
Just made this for sandwiches to bring to the beach tomorrow. This tastes great! My wife is very picky and she loves it! I added some diced red onion and celery. I’ve also made your vegan meatloaf a few times and it is fantastic!
Renee Thompson
What a good idea for the tofu prep! I’m going to make this tomorrow. Your recipes are always so good and require simple ingredients.
Nora
Thanks Renee! I hope you enjoy the vegan egg salad!
Alison
Oh my goodness!! I am so excited I found these! I have missed egg salad, and this recipe gives me all the goodness that I had missed! And it’s so simple to make. This will be a regular addition to my menu. Thank you!!