Vegan Egg Salad

This bright and briny vegan egg salad is just as good as the real thing! Made with turmeric, tofu, vegan mayo, and mustard, it's healthy and easy to make.

Vegan Egg Salad

I could eat this vegan egg salad for lunch every day in the spring. It’s bright and briny, creamy and tangy, and every bit as good as the real thing. Tofu steps in for the eggs, so it’s packed with enough plant-based protein to keep you full till dinner. And because you don’t need to have hard boiled eggs on hand to make it, it comes together in no time. Mix it up, pile it between slices of bread with your favorite fresh fixings, and dig in!

Vegan Egg Salad Recipe ingredients

Vegan Egg Salad Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy vegan egg salad recipe:

  • Extra-firm tofu perfectly mimics the texture of hard boiled eggs!
  • Vegan mayo and olive oil make up the rich, creamy base of the dressing.
  • Dijon mustard, capers, and lemon juice add bright, tangy, briny flavor.
  • Garlic, chives, and fresh dill make it feel really fresh, and they add sharp, savory depth of flavor.
  • Turmeric gives this vegan egg salad the classic yellow color that would normally come from egg yolks.
  • A pinch of celery seed is the perfect savory finishing touch!

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, garlic, turmeric, and capers. Stir in a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper, and add the tofu. Finally, stir in the herbs and celery seed, and chill until you’re ready to serve. Find the full recipe below!

Mayo, mustard, olive oil, capers, and turmeric in a bowl

Vegan Egg Salad Recipe Tips

  • Use extra-firm tofu. If you buy tofu often, you probably know that it ranges in texture from silken to extra-firm. Soft silken tofu has too high a water content to work well here – it will make your egg salad mushy! To mimic the texture of hard boiled eggs, seek out extra-firm tofu for this recipe. Before you dice it, lightly press it in kitchen or paper towels to release some of its moisture.
  • Dice, then crumble the tofu. We’re going for the texture of egg salad, not scrambled eggs, so we don’t want to crumble the tofu too much. I recommend dicing it into little 1/4-inch cubes before using your hands to lightly crumble it into the dressing, leaving some of the cubes intact.
  • Don’t skip the celery seed. Celery seed is the secret ingredient in Jack’s mom’s famous deviled eggs. Because this recipe has a similar tangy, bright, eggy flavor, I thought I’d try it here. The results were fantastic! Its savory flavor really takes this vegan egg salad over the top.

Vegan egg salad recipe Mixing tofu with vegan mayo in a bowl

Vegan Egg Salad Serving Suggestions

I like to pile this vegan egg salad onto a sandwich with watercress, radish slices, and a pop of pickled red onions. Enjoy the sandwich on its own, or serve it with a fresh salad or soup. Any of these recipes would be great choices:

For more ideas, check out my 37 Best Salad Recipes or 25 Best Soups!

Vegan egg salad sandwich with pickled onions

If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, feel free to serve the tofu egg salad with crackers or pita or over a bed of spring greens. It will keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, so it’s a great recipe to make ahead for quick lunches throughout the week. See this post for my best meal prep tips!

Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich

More Favorite Sandwich Recipes

If you love this vegan egg salad sandwich, try one of these sandwich recipes next:

Then, find more healthy lunch ideas here and more vegan recipes here!

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Vegan Egg Salad

rate this recipe:
4.97 from 27 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Serves 3
This bright & briny, tangy & creamy vegan egg salad recipe is just as good as the real thing!

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon capers
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 7.5 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into ¼-inch cubes
  • Pinches of celery seed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

for serving:

  • 6 slices of whole-grain sandwich bread
  • Watercress or spring greens, optional
  • Pickled red onion, optional
  • Radish slices, optional

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, capers, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
  • Mix in the tofu and then lightly crumble it with your hands, keeping some of the cubes intact. We're going for the texture of egg salad, not scrambled eggs.
  • Stir in the celery seed, dill, and chives. Chill until ready to serve.
  • Assemble the sandwiches with watercress or spring greens, a scoop of the egg salad, and pickled onions and radish slices, if desired.

This post is in partnership with the Grain Foods Foundation.

 

55 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Rose Berggren
    01.14.2024

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! Sometimes I add spicy pickles. Love the pickled onion. I top with homegrown sprouts. So good 🥰

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Rose, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this one!

  2. Karla
    09.21.2023

    5 stars
    I could eat this all day long too! Thank you so much for this. I added a little celery. Muah!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.21.2023

      Hi Karla, I’m so glad you loved it!

  3. Amy Soeldner
    06.02.2023

    5 stars
    So delicious and easy to make. I added about three fourths of a teaspoon of Kala Namak which really brought out the eggie flavor. My partner who is not a fan of tofu loved this sandwich. This recipe will be on permanent rotation in our house. Thank you!

  4. Anita
    11.14.2022

    5 stars
    This tasted just like egg salad ! I was pleasantly surprised.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.18.2022

      Hi Anita, So glad you loved it!

  5. Tamara
    08.02.2022

    5 stars
    Delicious! I made pretty much per the recipe but did add in some chopped chives and kala namak (black salt) because I love that sulfur taste. I will definitely repeat this one.

  6. Alicia Larsen
    05.01.2022

    4 stars
    Made it for the cooking club — yum! Next time I would use less mustard as I’m not a huge mustard fan, but it is still yummy and I’m excited for some easy lunches! I also doubled to use the full container of tofu.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.01.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

  7. Elaine Scanlon
    04.28.2022

    5 stars
    This is amazing! I double the recipe so I use the whole container of tofu and I have enough I get us through the week. Yum!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.30.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  8. Bridget Cassun
    04.28.2022

    5 stars
    Delicious. Quick, easy and tasty. Made the vegan mayo, that’s a keeper recipe, too. Pickled onions were a great addition as well.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.28.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it with the vegan mayo!

  9. Stevie Smith
    04.22.2022

    5 stars
    So good! The vegan mayonnaise recipe was also a hit! Next time, I might try adding in some curry powder.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.27.2022

      I”m so glad you loved it!

  10. Andrea Brady
    04.21.2022

    5 stars
    Delicious! Used chickpeas in place of tofu. I made the regular egg salad last week which was also a hit and an easy dinner.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.22.2022

      Oh yum! I’m glad you enjoyed!

  11. Susan Hammond
    04.18.2022

    Since I couldn’t decide, I made both the traditional egg salad and the vegan egg salad version of the recipe. Truly both versions are fabulous . Definite will make each again!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.20.2022

      Oh yay, I’m so glad you loved both!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.