Easy & Delicious Egg Salad Recipe Without Mayo (and a surprising substitute)
Listen. I’m not a mayo hater, but I’m also not a mayo lover, which you’ve probably noticed by now since I typically cut the mayonnaise with something else in nearly all of my recipes. This egg salad without mayo is a healthier twist on a classic egg salad recipe. That’s right. There’s zero mayonnaise in this one, and you won’t miss it at all – promise!
With a little multitasking, you can have this done in about 20 minutes. The salad is simple. Hard-boiled eggs plus capers and a sauce made from sour cream, Dijon, cumin, and paprika. Capers (aka little salt bombs of joy) bring a briny, acidic element to the party. It’s gluten-free, low-carb, and so delicious you won’t miss the mayonnaise, promise!
Packed with flavor, this rich and creamy egg salad is perfect for anyone seeking a healthier, low-calorie option. It’s one of my favorite summer salads and perfect for weekly meal prep. Egg salad is on regular rotation in our house, and this mayo-free version is one of our favs!
While I love classic egg salad, it’s fun to experiment with different flavors and textures. This one is for all the mayo haters out there, as well as anyone looking to lower their calorie intake. Did you know that for each tablespoon of mayonnaise you add, you’re adding 100 to 120 extra calories? It’s too easy to add hundreds of extra calories without even realizing it!
This easy egg salad, made without mayo, is lower in calories while still delivering flavor. It’s lighter, so I make it a lot in the summer. Egg salad lasts several days in the fridge, so it’s always part of my weekly ingredient prep. It’s also budget-friendly, coming in at approximately $3.83 for the entire recipe, which averages out to $1.92 per serving – and I buy “the bougie eggs” – according to my son – ha!
If you missed it, my dill pickle egg salad recipe is so good you’ll want to double the recipe!
Egg Salad Without Mayo
The surprising ingredient is sour cream. It works beautifully as a mayo substitute. Sour cream has a neutral flavor that complements the other ingredients well. In fact, I tested this with both sour cream and Greek yogurt, and my family preferred the sour cream, which has a richer, more savory, and buttery flavor than Greek yogurt, which can be quite tangy. We make a lot of egg salad in this house, and this one is one of our favorites!
Step By Step Instructions
Except for the capers, you probably have most of the ingredients.
- Make the sauce by adding the sour cream, seasonings, Dijon, scallions, and capers to a mixing bowl.
- Add the chopped eggs, and gently fold them with a small spatula to avoid breaking them.
- Stir well and add more caper juice to thin the sauce if needed. * see notes
- Taste the salad and adjust the salt. (The capers & juice provided enough salt for us.)
Caper juice thins the sauce, but it’s very salty. I added three teaspoons, but you may prefer one. Add a little at a time until it tastes the way you like.
Recommended In This Recipe
Simple recipes with minimal ingredients rely on big bold flavors, and capers bring a lot to the party in this egg salad. They’re briny, salty, and acidic and help cut through the richness of the eggs and sour cream. They’re delightful!
Tips For Success
- Sour cream does the heavy lifting in this recipe. Since mayonnaise provides the fat, I recommend using full-fat sour cream. I love Fage and Daisy 4% milkfat. If you’re concerned about calories, full-fat sour cream has significantly fewer calories than mayonnaise.
- I’ve tried every method imaginable for making hard-boiled eggs easier to peel. After trying them all, I’ve found one thing that’s consistently true. Fresh eggs do not peel as well as older eggs. Use the oldest eggs in your refrigerator to ensure easier peeling.
Ingredients Swaps
- Sour cream is the main ingredient in this egg salad without mayo, but if you don’t have it, you can use Greek yogurt or even whipped cottage cheese, which is my first choice.
- If you like mayonnaise in your egg salad, cut back on the sour cream and add a little mayo. Egg salad is versatile. Adjust the ingredients to your liking!
- If you don’t have capers, you can substitute Kalamata or green olives. If you don’t like capers or olives, a little lemon juice or vinegar works well too. My first choice would be red wine vinegar.
How Long Does Egg Salad Last?
- Once you peel hard-boiled eggs, their shelf life shortens. Egg salad is best enjoyed within three days for optimal flavor. It will start to separate as it sits, and the longer it sits, the more it will separate. You can technically eat it for up to five days, but the quality starts to decline after three.
⭐️ If you make this recipe or any recipe on my site, please leave a star rating and review. It means so much and helps the site reach others. Thank you in advance! ❤️
Easy Egg Salad Recipe Without Mayo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 – 3 teaspoons capers drained + juice
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Optional: extra scallion tops for garnish
Instructions
- Add the sour cream, seasonings, Dijon, scallions, and capers to a mixing bowl.
- Stir well, then add a teaspoon of caper juice to thin the sauce. * see notes
- Chop the eggs to your desired size and add them to the sauce.
- Using a flexible spatula, gently fold the eggs in until well combined.
- Taste the salad and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
As a mayonnaise hater, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this recipe. We have made it dozens of times. 100 stars! ⭐️
Very good!