This fresh, bright and herbaceous egg salad is proof that if you don’t think you like egg salad, you might have just been eating the wrong egg salads! I used to be a notorious egg salad hater (I know, I know SUE ME), but after trying this Greeny Tahini version (which is a recipe from my book! Which you can preorder here), I’m hooked.
This style of egg salad doesn’t use mayo, and in my opinion that preserves the fresh-tasting elements of the egg salad. Instead of a mashed, gloopy situation, you have an egg salad held together by a lemony, dilly dressing, which big pieces of soft boiled egg in between. It’s like eggs plus salad, which I think is what makes an egg salad perfect. And of course the orange yolks are from my friends over at Vital Farms, with the best eggs and the best hens around!
Read on for more on how to make this mayo-free egg salad, and I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.
Table of contents
The best way to prepare eggs for egg salad
A lot of people will tell you to hard boil your eggs for an egg salad, and while it’s completely personal preference, I always recommend leaving your eggs just a bit soft in the center. See the photo below to see what I’m talking about.
This way the eggs still taste rich instead of chalky, and the yolk can mingle with the dressing to create an even better flavor and texture. Traditional egg salads need a firm yolk so that the egg can hold up to the mayo, but with this egg salad you don’t have that problem. Of course, don’t go full-soft-boil, because then your yolk will run right out. I like to do a seven-minute boil, then straight into an ice bath. It keeps the yolks set but not firm, which is perfect for this recipe.
Ingredients you will need for the greeny tahini
You can absolutely blend these salad ingredients to get a true GREEN dressing (Green Eggs & Ham, anyone?), but I like to chop them up, just for keeping things easy. For twelve eggs, here is what you need to make the perfect amount of greeny-tahini:
- 1 cup fresh dill
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 lemon, for both zest and juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 large red onion
You’ll want to whisk the tahini dressing together in the bottom of a large bowl BEFORE adding in the eggs. If the dressing isn’t fully emulsified, once the eggs hit, you risk everything turning into a bit of a mess. Just….trust me.
The one thing you can add after the eggs are the sliced red onions, those will add a bit of crunch and texture, so feel free to add them in after giving the eggs a few big mixes with the dressing!
How to make the little focaccia muffins for this egg salad
In the video for this recipe, I adapt this focaccia recipe into twelve muffins.
To do this, follow the recipe right up until where you portion it into the pan. Instead, drizzle a muffin tin with olive oil, then portion the batter into twelve oiled muffin cups, with about 60 grams of dough per cup. Let the dough proof another hour while you preheat the oven to 375°F. When the dough has proofed and grown about 50% in size, drizzle each muffin with olive oil and dimple it the same way you would dimple focaccia. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until the muffins are very golden on top. Then use them as you would dinner rolls to serve the recipe!
This is a great thing to do if you are packing these sandwiches for a crowd. Once the mini focaccias are out of the oven, let them cool, then halve them and fill them with the egg salad, then put them back in their cups. And voila! You have an amazing way to transport these sandwiches all on one platter!
Looking for other sandwich ideas?
Here is one I love to whip up!
And that’s it for this mayo-less egg salad!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Greeny Tahini Egg Salad
Equipment
- 1 Small Pot
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 1 cup fresh dill
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 lemon for both zest and juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 large red onion
For serving
- 12 small dinner rolls, such as Hawaiian Rolls see Note
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently lower in the 12 eggs and boil for seven and a half minutes.
- While the eggs are boiling, prepare a large ice bath.
- When the eggs are finished, use a slotted spoon to immediately transfer them to the ice bath. Set this to the side.
- Finely chop the 1 cup of dill and 1/4 cup of parsley and add it to a large bowl. Grate in the two garlic cloves. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, the 1/4 cup of tahini, and zest in 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest. Halve the lemon and squeeze in its juice, about 3 tablespoons.
- Whisking constantly, stream in the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Then add in the 2 tablespoons of vinegar and continue to whisk into a homogenous dressing. Season with a teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Taste and add more salt or vinegar as preferred.
- Peel and halve the eggs. Add them directly into the bowl with the dressing. Gently mix so that the dressing coats the eggs.
- Thinly slice 1/4 of a large red onion and add it to the egg salad. Mix again. If a few egg halves break, that's totally fine (and expected!)
- Toast the 12 dinner rolls in a toaster until golden brown, then top each with an equal portion of egg salad. Serve right away.
Hi Justine! Love a good no-mayo egg salad recipe! If I don’t use focaccia, what other bread/rolls would you recommend? Thank you!!
Hello! Okay, if it’s just serving you as a meal, I love a heart whole wheat toasted up for this! If it’s for a party, this makes 12 Hawaiian rolls and they are easy to pack and serve!
Hi Justine. Been following you on insta for at least a year and a half – i think perhaps more!-, subscribed to email list and everything but never told you HOW MUCH I love your recipes and videos.
WHICH IS. A LOT.
Hope you can come to Argentina some time – would love to suggest all the best places for you to visit. Food here is great – there’s so much more than meat. Believe me. We are worth the ticket flight.
Saludos desde acá abajo!
Omg Emilia HELLO! This is the absolute sweetest comment. I can’t get over it. Thank you for loving my work, and I hope the recipes have brought some delicious things into your kitchen <3 And now I HAVE to add Argentina to my list! I'll be sure to hit you up for all the recommendations!
xxx
WOW! I have never felt this way about an egg sandwich but this was amazing!!! Those jammy eggs were Devine! I love mayo, but I did not miss it one bit here- this is a repeat all day!
So happy you liked it! Especially as a mayo lover!
Loved this recipe! I added a can of chickpeas to the recipe and we ate it three different ways this week (spread on a bagel, as a cracker dip, and with a spoon out of the bowl). Thanks Justine!
Omg I love the idea of adding chickpeas! Extra protein – sign me up.
Insanely delicious!!! Thank you so very much! I ate it with toasted organic sourdough. You are so talented!
I am so SO happy you liked it! And now I’m craving some crispy sourdough for my next batch!
How long does this last in the fridge?
For up to four days in the fridge 🙂