Vegan Egg Salad
This healthy vegan egg salad recipe is a delicious vegan sandwich spread that’s ready in 10 minutes! You’ll enjoy the color, flavor, and even the mouth feel of traditional egg salad without the eggs. Transform tofu into an amazing, tasty egg-free salad today.
Looking for more vegan sandwich spreads? Try this Vegan Tuna Salad or even this Vegan Ham Salad recipe.
Tofu Egg Salad Recipes
You know, being a vegan is really not as difficult as it sounds. It’s easy to get distracted by the idea of giving up meat, eggs, milk, and cheese. OK, when you say it like that it can sound a little over the top, especially for people who are used to eating these things.
But you eventually get past that hurdle. And you fill your pantry with all the vegan essentials. And you fall in love with your vegan diet. I’m speaking from experience. For example, today’s recipe for a Vegan Egg Sandwich. If you’re nervous about trying tofu, don’t be. Check out my Tofu Buying Guide for additional information.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Using extra-firm tofu creates a texture very similar to boiled eggs and because tofu has minimal taste, it takes on the flavor of things it’s made with
- Tofu makes it FAST — No boiling of eggs and waiting for them to cool, this eggless egg salad is ready in minutes
- A pinch of turmeric adds a burst of yellow color and just a bit of that earthy flavor
- Adding yellow mustard combined with spices makes this the best vegan egg salad ever
What You Need
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Extra-firm tofu — It’s easy to find tofu these days, and just about any 12 to 15-ounce package will do.
- Vegan Mayo — You can use Just Mayo, Hellman’s Vegan Mayo, or your favorite egg-free mayo.
- Parsley — If you don’t have fresh, substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley.
- Green onions — You can substitute chopped yellow onion.
- Garlic powder — For a more intense garlic flavor, use this Garlic Confit
- Salt
- Seasoning — We’ll add a pinch of ground turmeric (for color), paprika, and dried thyme.
- Yellow mustard — Or you can substitute brown mustard
- Optional add-ins: Frozen peas, veggie bacon bits, and vegan cheddar cheese shreds.
Marly’s Tips
You can substitute Cashew Cream for the vegan mayo and it works, although you might need to add a little more cashew cream to achieve the same consistency as the mayo.
How to Make Vegan Egg Salad
- Lightly press extra-firm tofu and then crumble it into bite-sized pieces
- Make the mustard sauce by combining the ingredients and stirring it together
- Add the sauce to the tofu crumbles and stir to combine.
- Serve it immediately or refrigerate until chilled.
Follow thees detailed step-by-step instructions.
Step One: Crumble the Tofu
To make this eggless egg salad, start with some extra firm tofu. Remove it from its package and wrap it in a kitchen towel and stand over the sink and lightly press some of the excess liquid. We’re not looking for removing all the liquid, just some of it.
Place the tofu in a bowl and use your fingers to crumble it up.
Step Two: Make the Mustard Sauce
In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the egg salad ingredients, including the vegan mayo, green onions, garlic powder, salt, turmeric, thyme, and yellow mustard.
Stir the sauce together.
Step Three: Add Sauce to Tofu
Finally, pour the sauce over the crumbled tofu and stir until the tofu is coated.
You can serve it right away, but it’s even better chilled. Cover and refrigerate the vegan eggless salad for 30 minutes up to an hour and you’re ready to make your sandwiches!
Frequently-Asked Questions
Is tofu healthy?
Tofu is loaded with calcium, protein, selenium, and even some Omega 3 fats! The other important question here is related to low carb or keto. If you’re serving this as a low carb egg salad, you might ask is tofu keto-friendly. The good news is, yes, it is!
What is in vegan egg salad?
The main ingredient in vegan egg salad is extra-firm tofu. Because of its firm texture it has a similar mouthfeel to the traditional recipe. In addition, you’ll find vegan mayo, mustard, a little turmeric (for color), and more seasonings.
Here’s a nutritional estimate per serving for this tofu sandwich spread:
Calories: 123 Carbs: 2g Protein: 3g Fat: 10g
Reader Reviews
I saw this and immediately whipped up a bowl, and OMG, out of this world!
Michael P
This is amazing. My favorite Eggless Egg Salad recipe to date!
Stacey
Marly’s Tips
Use these tips to make this recipe for easy vegan egg salad perfect every time:
- Use a gluten-free bun to make the sandwich gluten-free.
- To press tofu, remove it from its package and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Set it on a plate and top it with something heavy, like a small iron skillet. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes. We want to leave some moisture in the tofu, so this works.
- Store mock egg salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- I love adding fresh peas, bacon bits, and even some vegan cheddar cheese to my vegan egg salad.
- I do not recommend freezing this tofu salad sandwich recipe. Freezing changes the consistency of tofu.
Vegan Sandwiches
As you may already know by now, I have a thing for vegan sandwiches. Here’s some of the best to choose from:
There’s not only one way to eat a vegan diet. That’s why I wrote a post on 10 Ways to Be Vegan. If you’re intimidated by the idea of going whole-hog vegan (that just sounds terrible, I know), then you might find an alternative that works for you.
Subscribe and get a free Easy Vegan Recipes eBook
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Vegan Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 14 oz pkg extra firm tofu drained & mashed
- ½ cup egg-free mayo
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 ½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- Optional add-ins: Frozen peas, veggie bacon bits, and vegan cheddar cheese shreds
Instructions
- Drain the tofu by taking it out of the container and covering both the top and bottom of the tofu with a clean absorbent towel (a dish towel works fine or you can use paper towels too). Press on the top of the tofu or set something heavy to help speed up the process of removing the excess liquid. (This is a lot easier than boiling eggs if you ask me!)
- Use your hands to crumble the tofu into small bits into a lidded bowl.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Pour the mustard mixture in with the crumbled tofu. Stir to combine. Chill before serving to let the seasonings settle in.
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
This sounds so delicious! I am always amazed at how versatile tofu is. I don’t use it very often, but I really should start experimenting with it. Thanks for the inspiration!
I was a little nervous about it before I started using it too. But it really is fairly easy to work with. Let me know how it goes!
Hey Marly, I love egg salad, but I’m really trying to eat less and less animal product. This version sounds really great. I don’t normally recommend things unless one asks, b/c I think it’s obnoxious (smile). But have you tried your exact mix above but with partially mashed (still a bit chunky) chick peas as the protein-yummerz it is!
I going to try it your way when Cauldron Boy is back in town later this week…
I love the idea of trying chick peas! I have used chick peas in other recipes too. Believe it or not, I use it to make gravy. It is yummy! I’ll have to post that recipe too. We have a fresh batch of this eggless egg salad so I’ll have to try the chick peas next time. Thanks for the idea. Let me know what Cauldron Boy thinks!
It’s amazing how many different ways you can use tofu! I typically only use it for stir-fries, but now I see I’ve been underestimating it’s ability 🙂 Can’t wait to try this!
Tofu and eggs, amazing combination 🙂 You gave me great new idea for lunch. Thank you
For a vegan sandwich it looks pretty delicious!
It’s not very eggless if it contains mayo….
Also, all mayo is dairy-free. It’s made from oil, egg-yolks and vinegar.
You raise a great point, Smol. I’ve been in so many situations where they refer to dairy as both milk and eggs, but technically speaking, eggs are not in the dairy camp. The recipe has been edited to note this. Thanks for your comment!
Well, since we’re getting technical, the very first mayo wasn’t actually made with eggs, but I know most people today assume mayo has some form of eggs in it. However, now there are several varieties of eggless mayo on the market, including Just Mayo and others. I understand Hellman’s may even be working on an egg-free version of Mayo as well!
I live in knoxville, and have just recently become vegantarian, as we call it, and actually tried this stuff at 3 rivers market, and was blown away, so i saw this and immediately whipped up a bowl, and OMG, out of this world! Great job!
This is great, Michael! So glad you like this recipe. I’ve been to Knoxville. One year I took my daughter to space camp in Huntsville, AL and decided to drive around during the week. I stayed a night or two in Knoxville. It’s a great place. So scenic! Michael, I have a recipe coming up you’re gonna love. I’m making a vegan deviled ham spread. It’s SOOO good. We should have it up on the site soon.
Could you add a little Kala Namak?
Absolutely! In case others are curious, Kala Namak is also referred to as black salt. I find it has a very strong salty flavor so add only a little, but it does add a nice eggy flavor!
This is amazing. My favorite Eggless Egg Salad recipe to date! Thank you.
Hellman’s now has a Vegan Mayo – and it’s delicious! Going to use it to make this egg salad recipe later.
Yeah to Hellman’s! We tried it and it was pretty good. Between you and me, I still like Just Mayo better, but Hellman’s Vegan is pretty, pretty good! 🙂
This eggless egg is amazing. I make it all the time, and although it is hard for me not to eat it on two slices of bread, I have started putting it on salad because I am working on loosing weight. Yummy. Thanks so much.
Hi Marsha! So glad you like this recipe. It’s our go-to favorite as well! Sometimes I’ll put this (or my vegan tuna salad) on a small corn tortilla (usually around 60 calories), for a nice alternative to two slices of bread. Also, I love drizzling a little no-calorie-added spicy sriracha over the top to balance the flavors of the eggless egg salad and the corn tortilla.
Hi Marly!
Does this recipe save in the fridge? If so, how long would you say?
Hi Quinn! We keep this recipe in the fridge for about 5 days…if it lasts that long. I serve it on salads, sandwiches, and sometimes even over a corn tortilla…like a soft taco!
Really nice i added a touch of black lava salt to give it that extra eggy smell
Hi Bob! I used to use black lava salt a lot in this recipe, but it’s not always easy for people to find and the smell of it drove Shawn nuts so I stopped. Haha. The things we do for our spouses! Glad you liked this recipe!
Very nice recipe. I did not use a commercial mayonnaise, opting instead to make the Cashew mayo lookalike that was developed by Helyn’s Plant Based Kitchen. The results were smashing and really delicious and did, indeed, taste just like egg salad. Definitely a keeper
Hi Rebecca! I have not yet tried cashew mayo, but sounds so good and I can’t wait to try it. So glad you liked this recipe. It’s a go-to favorite here, especially in the summer months. ❤️
I use avacado instead of mayo in my salads and for sandwich spread.
Great idea, Carol!
Thanks.
Terrific tofu/egg salad recipe – pretty tasty. My mixture was a bit dry – I pressed the tofu too much, next time will do less
We loved it! So easy to fix in a jiffy! We have herbs on the patio and they always gives”fresh” taste since just picked!! Also I used a bit of fresh dill that was tasty too! Our sandwiches are wraps so lettuce and tomato went in!! Heaven!!
I know this is old but I just found this recipe last night and made it this morning. This came out so so very delicious! Thank you so much
Hi Auset. An oldie but a goodie! I’m so glad you liked this recipe. I still can’t get over how much easier it is to make than egg salad!