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.

a closer look at the vegan egg salad recipe showing all the tasty and colorful ingredients.

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.

A bowl fun of vegan egg salad sits beside a stack of buns. Behind it is a bowl of cherry tomatoes and raw spinach.

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

Ingredients & Substitutions

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 are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • 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.

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.

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • 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

How to Make Vegan Egg Salad

  1. Lightly press extra-firm tofu and then crumble it into bite-sized pieces
  2. Make the mustard sauce by combining the ingredients and stirring it together
  3. Add the sauce to the tofu crumbles and stir to combine.
  4. 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.

A hand reaches in a bowl of tofu, crumbling it up.

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.

Ingredients like mustard, chopped green onions, vegan mayo, and other spices in a glass bowl.

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.

A bowl of yellow mustard sauce is being poured over a bowl of crumbled tofu.

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

A spoon with vegan egg salad hovers over a sandwich loaded with the topping. A bowl with more of the ingredients is behind it.

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 different Levels of Veganism. 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.

A bun has vegan egg salad along with greens. A bowl of frozen peas is in the background.
A bun has vegan egg salad along with greens. A bowl of frozen peas is in the background.

Vegan Egg Salad

Make yourself a tasty and easy vegan egg salad sandwich! It's ready in less than 10 minutes and has the same flavor and mouthfeel as the traditional version!
5 from 8 votes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 123kcal

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.

Recommended Equipment

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Video

Notes

* Use a gluten-free bun to make this sandwich gluten-free
Note: This recipe was adapted to read “egg-free” mayo. You can find several varieties of egg-free mayo, like Just Mayo, Earth Balance, and others in the health food section of your grocery store. Just Mayo is sold in Target and Walmart as well.
Some favorite add-ins include frozen peas, veggie bacon bits, and even vegan cheddar shreds.
Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 100mg | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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.

32 Responses to Vegan Egg Salad

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJamie Reply

    Hellman’s now has a Vegan Mayo – and it’s delicious! Going to use it to make this egg salad recipe later.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      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! 🙂

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyStacey Reply

    5 stars
    This is amazing. My favorite Eggless Egg Salad recipe to date! Thank you.

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyDonna Manierre Reply

    Could you add a little Kala Namak?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      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!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMichael Powers Reply

    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!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      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.

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySmol Egg Reply

    It’s not very eggless if it contains mayo….

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySmol Egg

      Also, all mayo is dairy-free. It’s made from oil, egg-yolks and vinegar.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      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!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      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!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyBethany Reply

    For a vegan sandwich it looks pretty delicious!

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAdam Bennett Reply

    Tofu and eggs, amazing combination 🙂 You gave me great new idea for lunch. Thank you

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMatea Reply

    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!

  9. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyStella Reply

    5 stars
    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…

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      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!

  10. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJeanne Reply

    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!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      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!

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