If you’re looking for a healthy egg salad that is anything but average, this recipe is the one for you! Prepared Mediterranean-style, this simple egg salad with avocados, fresh herbs, and crunchy garden veggies is loaded with texture and bright flavor. It will be your new favorite! Low carb and gluten free.
Be sure to read through for tips and ways to serve this healthy egg salad recipe.
Having spent my college years in the Midwest, I’ve had my share of cafeteria-style egg salad. You know the kind…mushed egg salad, drowned in mayonnaise.
When I moved out of the dorms into the grown-up apartments across the street, I experimented a little with a healthier version of that egg salad. I simply replaced the mayo with Greek yogurt. Added more celery for extra crunch. Plus some fresh herbs for better flavor.
But, I have finally arrived at a healthy egg salad I can totally stand behind. An egg salad with a bright Mediterranean twist. Loaded with texture, color, and flavor. No heavy mayonnaise to mask the eggs. And no, in this recipe, we don’t just use Greek yogurt to healthify it the egg salad.
Here, simply seasoned hard boiled eggs are combined with herbs and other fresh favorites including avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions.
A beautiful composed egg salad that is truly more than the sum of its parts!
And if you’ve ever wondered, “how to make egg salad healthy?” This fun Mediterranean twist on egg salad is your answer! And how beautiful does it look?!
What’s in this Healthy Egg Salad?
I’ll say right now that this egg salad is not only low-calorie and a low carb egg salad, but it’s also on my list of Mediterranean diet recipes, and for good reason!
Let’s dig into what’s in this healthy salad and the fun Mediterranean twist.
There are a couple of components to this somewhat “composed” salad:
1- Hard-boiled eggs (the base of the egg salad)
Here, the beautiful hard boiled eggs shine as the star ingredient–we don’t mush them up, and no heavy mayonnaise to drown them.
Instead, hard-boiled eggs are quartered and simply seasoned with a little sweet Aleppo pepper and sumac, adding wonderful depth, some tang, and a very little bit of heat, without overwhelming the eggs (you can find Aleppo pepper and sumac at our online shop.)
Then, we add a good handful of parsley, fresh mint, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil–a gentle mix to combine.
For all our tips and tricks to the best hard-boiled eggs, including the best way to peel and store them, check out our How to Boil Eggs essential guide.
2. Avocados, tomatoes, and cucumbers (the fresh toppings)
While the herbed egg mixture serves as the base of this healthy egg salad. The second component of this composed salad is a beautiful combination of fresh ingredients– avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a bit of chopped onions (you can use shallots, if you like.)
And again, I give these ingredients a mix with a bit of my Aleppo pepper and sumac, extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
I love to serve this layered salad on a beautiful platter, starting with the egg mixture at the bottom and my fresh avocado, tomato, and cucumber salad on top.
Now you see that this Mediterranean-style egg salad is not your average. Every bite does have the little bit of that creamy satisfaction from eggs and avocados, coupled with bright and fresh flavors from herbs, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Here’s How to Make This Egg Salad
Step 1: Prepare the Eggs and Season Them
Make hard boiled eggs the way you prefer. I typically boil them stove-top and let them sit, covered, for 10 minutes or so (more on this below.) Peel the eggs. (Be sure your hard boiled eggs are completely cooled before using in this recipe.)
Slice the eggs into quarters (or wedges). Add them to a mixing bowl. Season eggs with kosher salt, pepper, 1 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper and 1/2 tsp sumac. Add fresh herbs and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I used Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil).
Toss gently to combine, then transfer to a serving platter.
Step 2: Prepare Fresh Ingredients: Avocados, Tomatoes and Cucumbers
Clean the mixing bowl (or in a separate bowl), add tomatoes, cucumbers, and diced avocados. Add chopped onions. Season with kosher salt, pepper, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper and 1/2 tsp sumac. Add lemon juice and drizzle extra virgin olive oil. Toss to combine.
Step 3: Assemble Egg Salad
Add the dressed veggies on top of the eggs. Give everything a gentle toss. Set aside for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
How to Boil Eggs for Egg Salad?
Hard boiled eggs are the star of this salad. I know some cook their hard boiled eggs in an Instant Pot, but I have always used this stove-top method and it works every single time. Here is how:
1. Arrange eggs in one single layer in the bottom of a saucepan. Cover with water by about 2 inches or so.
2. Heat the pot over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil (add about 1/2 tsp of salt to water to help prevent eggs from cracking and to make them easier to peel.)
3. Turn heat off. Cover and let sit for about 10 to 12 minutes or so for hard boiled eggs. If you prefer your eggs softer and more creamy, remove them from the water at about 6 yo 7 minutes.
How to Peel the Eggs Perfectly?
I’ve heard that slightly older eggs are easier to boil and peel. So I guess, buy your eggs a few days before you are ready to make this recipe.
For the easiest way to peel your hard boiled eggs this is what I do. Once the eggs are ready, immediately pour off the hot water, leaving the eggs in the pot. Gently shake the eggs in the pot back and forth to lightly crack the shells. Add cold water and a few ice cubes and let sit until cool enough to handle (about 15 minutes.) Peel the eggs and proceed with the recipe.
Can you prepare this Egg Salad in advance?
Meal prep mavens are always looking for ways to get a head start. I don’t blame you! You can prepare parts of this low carb egg salad in advance, but assemble a few minutes before serving. Here is how:
- Boil eggs in advance. I usually do this one night in advance. Let eggs cool completely and store in the fridge.
- Prepare vegetables and herbs. Chop parsley and mint. Slice tomatoes and dice the cucumbers…etc. Wait on the avocado though, you don’t want it to change colors and turn brown. Store the veggies in the fridge in a tight-lid glass container and do not mix them. Do not add spices, olive oil or lemon juice until later.
- A few minutes before you are ready to serve, mix the eggs with the fresh herbs, spices and extra virgin olive oil. Transfer to a beautiful serving platter. Then, mix the veggies, avocados, spices, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Add the veggies on top of the eggs. Serve (if you do this a few minutes before serving, this allows a bit of time for flavors to marry.)
How to Serve Mediterranean-Style Healthy Egg Salad?
This fun Mediterranean twist on egg salad may have you thinking, how do I serve this egg salad?
The answer is, there is really no right or wrong way to serve it. Here are a couple of ideas:
- For brunch, serve this egg salad as is on a beautiful platter next to things like falafel, tabouli salad, tzatziki sauce or hummus. Add homemade pita chips to go along!
- Serve it in lettuce wraps for an easy low-carb lunch.
- And yes, you can absolutely slap it on top of your favorite piece of whole wheat or whole grain toast.
More Salads to Try:
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Healthy Egg Salad, Mediterranean-Style
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
Description
If you’re looking for a healthy egg salad that is anything but average, this recipe is the one for you! Prepared Mediterranean-style, this simple egg salad with avocados, fresh herbs, crunchy garden veggies is loaded with texture and bright flavor. Low carb and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 8 eggs, hard boiled and peeled (see notes for cooking instructions)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper (sweet chili pepper, you can find it here), divided
- 1 tsp sumac, divided
- Fresh parsley, large handful, chopped
- Fresh mint, large handful, chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil (I used Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil)
- 4 Campari tomatoes or small Roma tomatoes (191 grams), quartered
- 1/2 English cucumber, cubed
- 1 to 2 avocados, pit removed, cubed
- 1/4 cup (26 grams) chopped red onions
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
Instructions
- Peel hard boiled eggs and slice them into quarters.
- Place sliced eggs in a mixing bowl. Season with a pinch of kosher salt, black pepper, and about 1 1/2 tsp of the Aleppo chili pepper. Throw in fresh parsley and mint, and add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss to combine. Transfer seasoned eggs to a serving platter. Clean the mixing bowl to use again.
- Place tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, chopped red onions in the mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper and 1/2 tsp sumac. Add lemon juice and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss to combine.
- Top the eggs with the chopped salad. Serve at room temperature or chill for a few minutes.
Notes
- Cook’s Tips: Hard boiled eggs need to be fully cooled before using in this recipe. You can boil the eggs ahead of time (1 night in advance).
- How to Boil Eggs on Stovetop: Arrange eggs in one layer in a saucepan. Cover with water by about 2 inches or so. Heat the pot over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil (add about 1/2 tsp of salt to water to help prevent eggs from cracking and to make them easier to peel.) Turn heat off Cover and let sit for about 10 to 12 minutes or so for hard boiled eggs. You can remove the eggs earlier (at 6 or 7 minutes) if you prefer them a bit soft and creamier in the center.
- Prepare Ahead Option. If you want to prepare parts of this salad ahead of time, you can. I don’t prefer to mix the eggs and veggies until a few minutes before serving though. You can certainly boil the eggs in advance. You can also prep the different veggies for the salad about 1 day or so in advance. Wait on the avocado and hold spices, olive oil and lemon juice. When you are ready to serve, dress the salad and follow recipe instructions for assembling.
- Leftovers. If you have leftovers of this healthy egg salad, already mixed with the veggies, you can store it in the fridge in a tight-lid container for 1 night. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.
- Visit Our Online Shop to browse our all-natural spices including Aleppo pepper and sumac and our extra virgin olive oils, including Early Harvest Greek EVOO!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
This was outstanding!!! I’ve never had an egg salad like this. It was so fresh and clean and full of flavor! I skipped the mint bc we’re not fans of it in general. So delicious!
Great flavor!! Loved the addition of the sumac to the veggies and that it has no mayo! I made a meal of it and added salad to mine. Thank you Suzy!
My husband and I enjoyed this for Easter breakfast.
I served it with freshly made naan and tzatiki and a strawberry grapefruit mimosa.
It was outstanding!
Made this egg salad for lunch today….loved it! Thanks for the recipe, I’m looking forward to leftovers tomorrow❤️
Thanks so much, Connie!
A single egg has an average of 6 g of protein, so you are selling this recipe short!
I just noticed that as well. The recipe calls for 8 eggs (large egg = 6.3 gm protein) and serves 6.
Thanks for the heads up on this. This is an older recipe using a different nutritional calculator than we currently use. Sounds like we need to take another look at this one and update.
Question?
The recipe calls for 1 tsp sumac, divided.
Instructions say to mix 1/2 tsp sumac with the tomatoes, cucumbers etc.
Where does the other 1/2 tsp sumac go? I assume it’s on the eggs?
You are correct :).
This sounds so good but I can’t eat cucumbers. Any suggestions for a different veggie?
Thnx!
Hi, Ruth. Chopped celery might work here as a substitute. Would love to hear your thoughts if you give it a try!
A little tip for hard boiled eggs: I have chickens and found this to be the best method for our fresh eggs. Using a saucepan and steamer basket, fill pot just enough that it sits below the basket. Add eggs in a single layer on the basket. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Steam for 20 minutes. Immediately place eggs in an ice bath and leave them for about 10-15 minutes. They will peel like a dream!
Thanks for the tips, Cheri!
I would give this recipe 10 stars if I could. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I have it at least once a week for lunch and now have a new fav seasoning – sumac! I like to add some kalamata olives and crumbled feta too!
Wow! Thank you so much, Shari!!
Cannot wait to make this!!!! One thing though, I am not a big fan of mint. Leave it out? Substitute? Thanks! Love so many of your recipes!!!!!
Cindy
You can leave it out or substitute it for another herb you enjoy.