This vegan egg salad, in my opinion, has the exact odd,
creamy chunkiness and savoury flavour that egg salad needs to have.
Perfect for smushing between the softest, whitest bread for that ultimate nostalgia factor.
I’ve only been vegan for about 5 years, but I guess it’s been my whole world so publicly for a while now, so people forget that I used to eat animal products, quite fervently, before that. So many people struggle with certain things when going vegan: sometimes it’s butter, cheese, milk in tea, or eggs. I can’t say that the vegan cheese products out there completely fill the void that sits in my heart, but it does the trick. The last thing I struggled to give up when I went vegan was eggs. Not that eggs were my favourite food, but there was a nostalgia and simplicity to eggs that quite frankly, tofu scramble cannot completely replicate.
That’s not to say that I’d go back on my commitment to this lifestyle and eat eggs again (clearly, since here I’m sharing a vegan egg salad recipe), but I will admit that I miss being able to roll out of bed and crack some eggs for a simple and easy breakfast that takes very little thought or premeditation. No longer would I frequent a late night diner for one of those all-day breakfast specials, nor would I find brunch with friends quite as easily. It’s unfortunate that animal products are so accessible and normal in our world, because there are so many memories that involve the simple egg.
I used to take a lot of Greyhound trips from Ottawa to go home for the holidays or to visit a long distance high school sweetheart. The memories seem so fresh, yet when I think about it, it was really 10 years ago. I think memories from 10 years ago can be categorized as nostalgia, right? The bittersweet feeling of leaving all my friends in Ottawa for a couple weeks over Christmas break or leaving my family to be welcomed back into my dorm.
It’s funny, looking back at how much you can grow in a decade. The problems that ate away at me and broke my heart 10 years ago; they seem like light scars, instead of the ugly, painful gashes they once were. That long stretch of trees on the highway as you got closer to Ottawa gave me a sense of tranquility and silence I so desperately needed as I sorted through all of my issues.
I bring this up because much to my surprise, egg salad sandwiches don’t bring me back to my mom’s school lunches, but instead, they remind me of the plastic-wrapped, soft white triangles I used to buy on the one pit-stop between Toronto and Ottawa that the Greyhound would take. These egg salad sandwiches had been sitting in between those layers of bread for the day and were never so soft that they were soggy.
Instead, they all but melded into the bread in the most perfect way. When I sank my teeth into them, it was the perfect amount of creamy egginess that all of my problems were forgotten, just for a few moments. I’d wash it down with a bottle of sweet, iced tea and settle back into my cramped seat, hoping I didn’t disgust my seat-mate with my stinky egg salad sandwich.
Eddie has been trying to get me to veganize egg salad for him for a while, and I think I hesitated for a while because I knew I’d remember. So much has changed since then, and those scars have healed over. I finally perfected the vegan egg salad and when I smush it between two layers of ultra-soft white bread, I am brought back to watching trees glide by and biting down into creamy, eggy perfection. Some crunch from the onion and celery, eggy flavour from the black salt, and the secret ingredients: celery salt and pickle brine, to bring this comforting sandwich to veganized life.
It seems silly, to be so nostalgic about a sandwich I bet so many kids got made fun of for eating, but here I am.
Vegan Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 1 block firm tofu 454 g block
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp dill pickle brine any type of vinegar would work but pickle brine adds a certain je-ne-sais-quoi
- 1/4 tsp black salt also known as kala namak
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- 2 sprigs green onion finely siced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, crumble the tofu until you have a scramble-like mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine vegan mayonnaise, mustard, dill pickle juice, black salt, ground turmeric, black pepper, and celery salt and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Combine the mayo mixture with the crumbled tofu, diced celery and green onion. Stir to combine well. If you like it to have a little bit of a creamier texture, take about 1/2 cup of the mixture and blend with a hand blender or food processor. Stir that mixture back in.
- Let sit for at least 1 hour for all the flavours to mingle. It will taste a little bland at first but just be patient! :)
- Put on your favourite, soft white bread for that simple sandwich if your childhood, or use some whole grain bread and add some extra veggies like sliced cucumber, green lettuce, or some sliced garden tomato for something a little more nutritious.
Nutrition
Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade says
I love you; you are so hilarious. This looks bomb, I plan to make it this weekend! I had to order some more black salt because I am almost out, I hope it gets here in time. Fingers crossed. Say hello to Eddie!
Lisa Le says
Hahah thanks Katie :) Btw thanks for sharing on Instagram! Eddie says hi :)
Nancy says
Seriously the best fake egg salad sandwich!!
Cook With Nisha says
Wow Lisa… this egg salad is looking so delicious… It made me hungry
Yasmine says
Thank you for this recipe. I actually developed a serious allergy to eggs and have been craving this for so long.
Jessica says
Made this at 3am, super easy recipe to follow. Followed it exactly and it was great! Then your words echoed about Eddie not liking dill, so I added dill and also chopped pickles, still really great! Thank you for your awesome recipes and humor!
Sue says
I was inspired to make this last night so I could have it for breakfast this morning. Absolutely delicious,I can’t get over how much like egg salad this is. Thank you, genius recipe.
bellagoth says
this looks amazing! egg salad is one thing i dearly miss… tbh i miss all things egg…
also lisa i would love for you to do some instant pot recipes!
Srivani says
This was so super easy and absolutely delicious! Wow!
Sarah King says
This is AMAZING.
arj says
This is good! Pretty authentic tasting. I might zhoosh it up a bit next time, but the texture is spot on (I used half firm tofu and half silken to really get the right mouthfeel). Thanks for the recipe and your great vid, too. And the suggestions to let it sit awhile was perfect. Ohmygawd I can’t wait till tomorrow when I can eat another tofu-salad sandwich!
arj says
No, I’m not having two tofu salad sandwiches for lunch—you are! *nom nom nom* You guys, make this the day BEFORE you want to eat it. It is good day one, but it’s next level on day 2. Only problem for me is that it makes a crapload of filling. Wondering how long this keeps in the fridge? Thanks for a great, inexpensive, and easy-to-follow recipe.
Lisa Le says
We generally have had it last about 5 days :) But we eat it up before then haha.
Lisa is Planted365 says
Well done on 5 years vegan! It goes by fast for sure! I’m on year 11 and it just gets better. These look SO good … now I’m craving a creamy egg salad on soft white bread. The black salt is scary accurate for real eggs! Thank you for sharing!
The other Lisa
Jessica says
Hi Lisa,
Some recipes make me feel nostalgic and if it happens sometimes I cry over breakfast or lunch or dinner ;)
This vegan egg salad is worth a try, perhaps tomorrow :)
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Jessica
Nicki says
This is a life changing sandwich, thank you!! Even as a life-long vegetarian I was never really comfortable eating eggs BUT when I could get over the ick-factor I did enjoy an egg salad sandwich. Now I get to enjoy it 100% ick-factor free?
Stephen says
Lisa I tried and enjoyed your egg salad mixture, thank you. On a personal note in 1975 way before you were born I participated in operation frequent wind, the evacuation of Vietnam I served onboard the USS Okinawa did your parents or grand parents get evacuated out of Vietnam during this time. I only ask because I would like to know the families that came back made it ok I to the American society and they were happy. Thank you again.
Dr. Stephen Cox DDhu
Terre says
Great flavor! I used medium firm tofu the second time and it had a good texture.
Ruby says
Hi, I live rurally and am unable to locate black salt anywhere. I’m anxious to make this for my recently converted partner (18 months ago). Would you post a link for the black salt you use. Thanks in advance. ?
Lisa Le says
Hi Ruby! I haven’t tried this brand before but it’s just salt so I’m sure this will have that eggy punch you’re looking for! https://amzn.to/2r8et0I (affiliate link)
Teodora says
Sei semplicemente fantastica!Sono appena rientrata dal Vietnam , cercavo la versione vegetariana e glutine Free per le mie esigenze , lo trovata nel tuo sito.Grazie di esistere .
Kathleen @ Produce On Parade says
This is the BEST egg salad evvvvaa. Thanks, Lisa. You seriously are amazing. The texture is so perfect; genius idea to use the hand blender. I make this regularly!
JJ says
Make this monthly. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Shannon says
Thank you for this recipe!! I made it yesterday afternoon and let it sitin the fridge for a few hours before i made a sandwich. Well i ended up making another one as soon as i ate the first one!!!! This will be made weekly!!! It is absolutely DELICIOUS!!
Julie says
Wow, wow, WOW!!! So much like the egg salad I remember! I just can’t get over it!!
Thank you for this!! ❤️❤️❤️
Lisa Le says
Yay I’m so happy to hear that!!
JACKIE CAREY says
This was even better than I thought it would be! It tastes like egg salad. I’m ridiculously pleased that I’m no longer going to be deprived of “egg” salad sandwiches :) Thanks !!
Lisa Le says
I’m so happy to hear that! It’s a favourite of Eddie’s :D
Kat says
Oooh man, this was a revelation. What a game changer. I kept licking the spoon so I need to pop in the fridge otherwise there will be nothing left for my sandwich.
Julia says
I feel you Kat, really difficult to not eat it all in one go.
Sue Galway says
This is DELICIOUS!
Lisa Le says
I’m so glad you think so :D
Laura says
I am responsible for at least one hit on this recipe a month. The best!
Lisa Le says
Hahah thanks Laura! <3
Julia says
This is soo much better that the old egg mayo spreads I used to make! Not even mentioning how much better I feel after eating this plant based version, thank you so much for sharing this! All time favourite <3
Molly says
This was so good and really reminded me of egg salad. I added a little bit of diced dill pickle since I was using the brine anyway. Just enjoyed this as a late afternoon snack on a Wasa cracker.
Angelita Guy says
I made this just now. It is really creamy and delicious! I didn’t have green onions so I subbed onion powder. Also added turmeric (for color), celery powder, and Ms.Dash original seasoning. I didn’t have the black salt so I just used himalayan pink salt. You’re right, the pickle brine gives it a zesty flavor. I added three teaspoons. I will be serving this on white mountain bread from the deli. Can’t wait to eat it this afternoon. Thanks for a great recipe!
Janelle Hall says
Yum! I added some curry powder and it tastes just like my Mum’s recipe. Thanks for the recipe 😁
Anna says
Made this today, it’s delicious! Great sandwich filling 😊
Lois says
Hi couldn’t find your recipe made this and is my go to egg salad.. tried another recipe it was yucky.. so glad I found yours again but I had medium to firm tofu did okay also ty
Janine says
For me, this recipe is a keeper, with tweaks. The black salt is amazing and fun — I had never used it before. It smells like hard boiled eggs. Stirring the salad together smells exactly like leaning over a bowl of actual egg salad. I don’t find that it adds much to the taste really; it’s more of a smell thing. And it does NOT replace ordinary salt; this recipe badly needs salt — easily remedied. And the color maybe not quite yellow enough, maybe I’d try more turmeric next time.