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No longer do you have to feel sad when spring comes along and you’re missing out on your beloved egg salad sandwich. Now you can enjoy the same flavors without the eggs with this delicious Vegan Egg Salad.
Be sure to bookmark this recipe in the Grow app so you can have it available whenever the craving hits! (look for the heart in the bottom right of your screen)
It’s that time of year. Everyone’s decorating and coloring their hard boiled eggs and you’re just left feeling sad about the chickens.
And then you realize you don’t get to eat egg salad sandwiches for an entire week after Easter like you used to. Cue all the sad tears and feelings of regret. Maybe you’re not cut out for this vegan thing after all.
No! I got you girlfriend!
This super simple and flavorful Tofu Egg Salad is all you need to dry those tears and to remind you that food – even plant based food – can be absolutely delicious just like you remembered from your childhood.
Ingredient Spotlight & Substitutions
One reason I love this recipe so much is because of how simple the ingredients are.
Items you’ve heard of. Items that can be found everywhere. Items that aren’t going to break the bank.
Extra Firm Tofu – You definitely want to make sure you go with an extra firm tofu here. Silken or soft just won’t cut it. You’ll end up with something mushy, and you will not win anyone over with a mushy egg salad. Using extra firm tofu resembles the texture of egg the most.
Check out my pro tips below for how I prepare tofu to give it the best texture.
Dill Pickles – Dill pickles give this egg salad a flavor of freshness and really just kicks it up a notch!
Pure Maple Syrup – The pickles are marinated for 30 minutes in a sweet vinegary mixture, starting with the maple syrup, enhancing the flavor of the dill pickle even more.
White Wine Vinegar – you could also sub in regular white vinegar here if that’s all you have.
Celery – I don’t know about you, but I LOVE a good crunch in my vegan egg salad. It just says FRESH to me!
Onion – Along with the celery, onion is a great way to add another layer of crunch and freshness to this eggless egg salad.
Vegan Mayo – Vegan mayo is one of those ingredients where you can choose to buy a version of it from the store or you could make it from scratch using this vegan mayo recipe.
If you’re really not into using vegan mayo or are wanting cut out some oil, try subbing with hummus!
Step by Step Instructions for Vegan Egg Salad
Time needed: 30 minutes.
In a way, I think vegan egg salad takes less time than a traditional egg salad. You don’t have to hard boil the eggs and wait for them to cool. You can literally go pick up a package of tofu, get yourself in the kitchen, and have a sandwich on the table in less than an hour.
Here’s how easy it is.
- Step 1
In a small bowl, combine minced pickles, maple syrup, and white wine vinegar. Stir well and set aside.
- Step 2
Put block of tofu in a medium bowl and crumble with a fork or with your hands until it’s all broken up into small pieces.
- Step 3
Place the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the tofu. Add the pickle mixture, without the liquid, to the tofu mixture and combine all ingredients until completely mixed.
- Step 4
Spoon mixture onto bread, lined with romaine lettuce or directly into romaine cups. Serve immediately.
This Vegan Egg Salad is everything you’ve ever needed when it comes to a quick lunch recipe:
- so simple you can’t mess it up
- budget-friendly ingredients
- completely plant-based
- delicious for the whole family
- easy to multiply for a crowd
Holly’s Insider Pro Tips
Freeze the Tofu
If you want to go one step farther and can plan ahead, throw your tofu in the freezer as soon as you bring it home from the store. Then a couple days before you’re ready to use it, thaw it in the refrigerator before squeezing all the liquid out. This will give you an even better texture!
Press the Tofu thoroughly
You must make sure you press the tofu thoroughly to get as much liquid out as possible. Otherwise all that moisture is going to run out into your salad, and you’ll end up with a soggy bread mess.
I like to place a clean towel on a plate or cutting board, and then place another towel and plate on top of that. Then I start stacking things like canned goods or big bags of flour on top to weight it all down.
Let it press for about 20-30 minutes or even longer if you have the time to get as much liquid out as you can.
Of course, you could go the easy route and get yourself a tofu press, but this way totally works too.
Vegan Egg Salad FAQs
You know what is a great sub for mayo? Hummus! I spread it on my sandwiches all the time and it would work great in your vegan egg salad. It will give the salad a bit of a different color, but it would work out still!
This vegan egg salad has a base of tofu, lots of seasonings and veggies such as marinated pickles, celery, and onions for some crunch.
Looking for more Vegan Lunch recipes?
Avocado & Tofu Lettuce Wraps
Vegan Lobster Roll
Smashed Chickpea Avocado Salad Sandwich
Sweet Potato Nacho Salad Bowl
Copycat Cafe Rio Veggie Salad
Smoky Chickpea Tomato Flatbread
Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwich
Chickpea and Zucchini Greek Flatbread
The Whole Bowl
Grilled Black Bean and Corn Salad
Now that you know how to easy it is to make this VEGAN EGG SALAD recipe, please give it a star rating below and comment letting me know how it turned out for you.
Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich
No longer do you have to feel sad when spring comes along and you're missing out on your beloved egg salad sandwich. Now you can enjoy the same flavors without the eggs with this delicious Vegan Egg Salad.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup minced dill pickles
- 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu, squeezed of all moisture (see notes)
- 3 chopped celery stalks
- 4 Tablespoons chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 8 pieces of sandwich bread
- romaine lettuce leaves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine minced pickles, maple syrup, and white wine vinegar. Stir well and set aside for about 15-30 minutes to marinate.
- Put block of drained tofu in a medium bowl and crumble with a fork or with your hands until it is all broken up into small pieces.
- Place the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the tofu.
- Drain the pickle mixture and add it into the tofu mixture. Combine all ingredients until completely mixed.
- Spoon mixture onto slices of bread lined with romaine lettuce or scoop into lettuce cups. Serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1: For the tofu, I like to freeze it before using it. Take it out of the freezer 24 hours before using it and then proceed to squeezing out the liquid. If you don't have time to freeze the tofu, it will be ok and still work just fine.
Nutritional Information listed below is for 4 servings. Please know that there is no shame in making this dish a 1-serving situation or a 20-serving situation. Nutritional information for the entire dish is as follows, and you are more than welcome to break it down as you see fit.
Entire dish - kcal: 1611 F: 82 C: 169 P: 61
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 403Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 669mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 15g
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Love this! Looks and sounds really great!
Holly Waterfall says
You’ve got to try it Patricia! SO tasty!
Catherine says
Dear Holly, You had me fooled! This looks fantastic and I bet it tastes delicious! xo, Catherine
Holly Waterfall says
It’s so dang good, even my meat-lovin family has been raving over it!
Rose Atwater says
I’ve never had the vegan version of this before! Maybe I can get my husband to try it! 😉 Thanks for linking up with Delicious Dishes Recipe Party!
Ashleigh says
Egg salad is one of my favorite non vegan sandwiches! I recently switched back to veganism full force so I will definitely be giving this recipe a try!
I would love for you to share this at my weekly link party!!
Holly Waterfall says
Yes! you’ll be shocked at how delicious this vegan version of the sammie is. So yum!
Suzie says
Ok wow I would of never thought of that! 🙂
Holly Waterfall says
Veganizing any and all things is one of my favorite things ever. I hope you try it out Suzie!