One of my favorites as a kid was egg salad, made with the hard boiled eggs leftover from Easter. Nowadays, instead of going through an egg hunt, I skip right to the cooking so I can get to enjoying. This air fryer egg salad recipe helps me prepare the eggs so easily!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
No more boiling water on the stove, just make your hard boiled eggs in your air fryer! It’s something I was really skeptical about at first, but now it’s one of my favorite methods. If you don’t have a stove or don’t want to dirty a pot, it’s also ideal.
Simply cook, cool, and peel your eggs, and then toss them in your favorite dressing, herbs, and spices to make creamy and delicious egg salad. I’ll give you my recipe of course, but you can tweak it any way you like to make it your own!
Egg salad is perfect as a sandwich filling on your favorite bread. However, you can also put it on a green salad, or use it to fill my Air Fryer Salami Cups for some low-carb, gluten free snack or meal options.
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Ingredients For Air Fryer Egg Salad
- 4 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ tsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp minced sweet onion (fresh)
- ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp dill (or chives)
- ¼ tsp paprika
For the Sandwich
- 4 slices hearty bread of choice
- 2 large leaves green leaf lettuce
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
- Every serving is 2 eggs, so feel free to scale the recipe up or down depending how many servings you’d like to make
- If you use a different size egg or your eggs are not chilled, cooking times will vary (and it naturally varies between air fryers anyway). I highly recommend making an extra “test egg” that you can check and ensure that it is cooked correctly, at least until you get used to making hard boiled eggs this way. Don’t want to use air fryer eggs? You can hard boil them on the stove if preferred
- All dressings and seasonings are adjustable to taste. You can also swap in different kinds of mustard (Dijon mustard is another great choice), or mayo alternatives if preferred
- Other great additions to egg salad include: curry powder, cooked crumbled bacon, diced celery, sweet relish, scallions, chopped fresh herbs, everything bagel seasoning, or for some heat, use horseradish or sriracha
Step By Step Instructions
- Place eggs directly into your air fryer’s basket or rack (use the insert or a trivet if you have one to help prevent the eggs from rolling around). Make sure to leave space between the eggs to promote even cooking
- Cook on the air fry setting at 270°F (between 260°F and 280°F is fine depending on available settings) for 16 minutes. Note: if your air fryer doesn’t go that low, look at other setting options such as reheat or dehydrate. I have to set my air fryer to reheat to get this temperature option
- While the eggs are cooking, fill a medium bowl with ice and water to create an ice water bath. Then, remove the cooked eggs (use a tong or mitts as they are hot) and place them into the iced water bath to cool for 5-7 minutes (until cool to the touch)
- Peel the eggs. I tap the bigger end on the counter until it cracks, and then peel off the rest of the shell piece by piece using my fingers
- Roughly chop the eggs into chunks. I try for around ½” cubes as a very loose estimate (you can also mash them if you prefer that consistency)
- Combine the chopped eggs with the mayonnaise, mustard, and all the seasonings in a large bowl and stir to combine (you can test for seasoning levels here as well)
- To make an egg salad sandwich (optional) add a piece of lettuce to one slice of your bread. Add half of the egg salad mixture on top of the lettuce, then top with the other piece of bread. Enjoy!
What to Serve With Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Cucumber salad
- Pasta salad
- Potato salad
- Coleslaw
- Green salad
- Avocado salad
- Corn salad
- Grape salad
- Fruit salad
- Roasted potatoes
- Stuffed tomatoes
- Potato chips
- French fries
- Onion rings
- Pickles
- Tomato soup
There are lots of great sides to serve with your egg salad to complete your meal. If you aren’t enjoying a sandwich, you could also serve it with crudites or crackers for dipping!
I usually serve my air fryer egg salad with Vinegar Cucumber Onion Salad, Air Fryer Beer Batter Onion Rings, Air Fryer German Potato Salad, Air Fryer Stuffed Tomatoes, Air Fryer Roasted Tomato Soup, or some Frozen Fried Pickles in the Air Fryer.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Make Egg Salad in the Air Fryer?
Egg salad itself is typically served chilled, but you can use the air fryer to hard boil the eggs for egg salad.
Then simply peel, chop, and combine them into egg salad for an easy preparation method.
How Do I Hard Boil Eggs in the Air Fryer?
To hard boil eggs in the air fryer, place the eggs in the air fryer basket and cook them at 270°F (130°C) for 15-17 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the eggs to an ice bath to cool before peeling and chopping for the egg salad.
Note that times can vary between different air fryers, and based on the size and starting temperature of your eggs. Make an extra egg as a tester until you get used to the specifics of your particular appliance.
Can I Customize the Flavor of Egg Salad?
Absolutely! Air fryer egg salad is highly customizable. You can add ingredients like diced pickles, relish, chopped herbs, or even a splash of hot sauce to tailor the flavor to your preferences.
If you want to add some meat, cooked crumbled bacon, ham, or Spam are all good options.
Is Air Fryer Egg Salad a Healthy Option?
Air fryer egg salad can be a nutritious option, especially if you use light mayonnaise or Greek yogurt as a healthier alternative to traditional mayonnaise.
Eggs are a good source of protein, and you can boost the nutritional value by adding vegetables and herbs.
Can I Make Egg Salad Without Mayo?
Yes, if you prefer not to use mayonnaise, you can substitute it with Greek yogurt or mashed avocado for a creamy texture in your air fryer egg salad.
Alternatively, you can simply season the chopped eggs with herbs and spices for a lighter option.
Recipe Pro Tips
- If you would like to toast the bread for your sandwich, air fry it for about 4 minutes at 390°F, flipping halfway. You can butter it as well if you’d like!
- It is normal for the egg shells to have brown dots when you remove them from the air fryer after cooking. It will wash off in the ice bath!
- I use an 8-qt Ninja Dual Zone air fryer and my eggs are perfectly hard boiled after 16 minutes at 270°F (without preheating). As I noted earlier, times can vary between air fryers, so use this as a reference point while you refine for your specific air fryer
Storage and Serving Tips
- Egg salad is best enjoyed fresh for flavor and texture. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days (or if you want to make it ahead for meal prep or easy lunch options)
- Alternative serving options (aside from a sandwich) include topping a salad, stuffing a hollowed out tomato, bell pepper, or avocado, eating with chips, crackers, or crudites like a dip, on crostini, or filling salami cups for a Keto-friendly option
- Air Fryer Soft Boiled Eggs (Ramen Eggs)
Final Thoughts
Making egg salad using eggs hard boiled in the air fryer is so easy that it’s now one of my favorite methods! They make the perfect blank canvas for creating your favorite egg salad blend.
Use it in a classic egg salad sandwich, or top a salad, tomato, avocado, salami cup, crackers, and more! As long as you keep watch over your ingredients, egg salad can be part of a gluten free, low carb, or Keto diet, and even vegetarian (as long as you eat eggs)!
This makes it an extremely versatile dish which can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner depending on the side dishes you pair it with!
Easy Air Fryer Egg Salad Recipe (Plus Sandwich Option)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ tsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp minced sweet onion
- ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp fresh dill (or chives)
- ¼ tsp paprika
For the Sandwich
- 4 slices hearty bread of choice (or 2 croissants, split)
- 2 large leaves green lettuce
Instructions
- Place eggs directly into your air fryer’s basket or rack (use the insert or a trivet if you have one to help prevent the eggs from rolling around). Make sure to leave space between the eggs to promote even cooking4 large eggs
- Cook on the air fry setting at 270°F (between 260°F and 280°F is fine depending on available settings) for 16 minutes. Note: if your air fryer doesn’t go that low, look at other setting options such as reheat or dehydrate. I have to set my air fryer to reheat to get this temperature option
- While the eggs are cooking, fill a bowl with ice and water to create an ice bath. Then, remove the cooked eggs (use a tong or mitts as they are hot) and place them into the ice bath to cool for 5-7 minutes (until cool to the touch)
- Peel the eggs. I tap the bigger end on the counter until it cracks, and then peel off the rest of the shell piece by piece using my fingers
- Roughly chop the eggs into chunks. I try for around ½” cubes as a very loose estimate (you can also mash them if you prefer that consistency)
- Combine the chopped eggs with the mayonnaise, mustard, and all the seasonings in a bowl and stir to combine (you can test for seasoning levels here as well)2 Tbsp mayonnaise, ½ tsp yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp minced sweet onion, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp fresh dill, ¼ tsp paprika
- To make an egg salad sandwich (optional) add a piece of lettuce to one slice of your bread. Add half of the egg salad mixture on top of the lettuce, then top with the other piece of bread. Enjoy!4 slices hearty bread of choice, 2 large leaves green lettuce
Notes
- Every serving is 2 eggs, so feel free to scale the recipe up or down for desired number of servings
- If you use a different size egg or your eggs are not chilled, cooking times will vary (it naturally varies between air fryers anyway). I highly recommend making an extra “test egg” that you can check and ensure that it is cooked correctly, at least until you get used to making hard boiled eggs this way
- All dressings and seasonings are adjustable to taste. You can swap in different kinds of mustard, or mayo alternatives if preferred
- Other great additions to egg salad include: curry powder, cooked crumbled bacon, diced celery, sweet relish, or for some heat, horseradish or sriracha
- If you would like to toast the bread for your sandwich, air fry it for about 4 minutes at 390°F, flipping halfway. You can butter it as well for a golden brown crust
- It is normal for the egg shells to have brown dots when you remove them from the air fryer after cooking. It will wash off in the ice bath!
- I use an 8-qt Ninja Dual Zone air fryer and my eggs are perfectly hard boiled after 16 minutes at 270°F (without preheating). As I noted earlier, times can vary between air fryers, so use this as a reference point while you refine for your specific air fryer
- Alternative serving options (aside from a sandwich) include topping a salad, stuffing a hollowed out tomato, bell pepper, or avocado, eating with chips, crackers, or crudités like a dip, or filling salami cups for a Keto-friendly option
- Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, any sauces or sides added, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only. Nutrition includes egg salad only and does not account for any bread or other sandwich toppings
Nutrition
