Vegan Egg Salad

Vegan egg salad is a quick and easy recipe for those looking for a tasty, wholesome, and satisfying alternative to traditional egg salad.

This recipe bursts with a creamy eggy texture and rich yet fresh flavor. It’s packed with protein and is excellent for sandwiches, wraps, or as a dip with bread.

This vegan egg salad recipe, or tofu egg salad, is our take on traditional egg salad.

Like in our vegan butter chicken, vegan cream cheese, vegan chicken cacciatore, vegan scramble, and vegan fish, we use tofu as the main protein source; in this case, to replace the eggs.

The texture of tofu mimics that of boiled eggs perfectly. We’ll show you how to cut and crumble it to make it look and taste like a boiled egg!

Since tofu has a bland, neutral taste, we toss it in a delicious, creamy dressing to make the best vegan egg salad.

You can expect a rich, savory flavor from the garlic and mustard, with fresh and tangy notes from the fresh dill, chives, and vinegar.

Also, tofu is packed with healthy plant protein to keep you satiated, so this recipe is excellent for making a vegan egg salad sandwich and having it for lunch or as a snack.

You’ll love vegan egg salad because it’s simple yet provides a comforting and satisfying eating experience packed with flavor and nutrition.

With virtually no saturated fat and zero cholesterol, it’s an excellent alternative to try something different from your usual salad with eggs.

If you are interested in more egg alternatives, we have plenty of recipes for you.

From vegan frittata and chickpea frittata muffins to vegan tuna salad, vegan pancakes, and vegan French toast, most recipes on this website don’t contain eggs, including our delicious breakfast and dessert recipes.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Firm tofu

Tofu replaces the texture and nutrition of eggs in this vegan egg salad.

We use and recommend firm tofu.

Medium-firm tofu is good, too, and if you like a firmer texture, you can use extra firm tofu.

Avoid soft or silken tofu, as it won’t stay together when we cut and crumble it.

Vegan mayonnaise

You can find vegan mayo in most grocery stores or make your own in 5 minutes with simple ingredients.

Check out our reader’s favorite vegan mayo recipe to see how it’s done. It’s thick, creamy, and delicious.

Optionally, add a tablespoon of tahini for extra creaminess and umami.

Mustard

Mustard is essential because it adds a rich, savory, and almost eggy taste. You can use yellow mustard, American mustard, or Dijon mustard.

Celery

A rib of celery, cut into small pieces, adds a wonderful crunchy texture to the tofu egg salad.

It also adds freshness that cuts through the mayonnaise-based dressing.

Fresh dill and chives

Fresh chives and dill add those fresh, herby notes and aroma. We recommend using both if you can. You can substitute fresh parsley for fresh dill.

You can also substitute dried dill and chives for fresh, starting with 1/2 teaspoon each and adding more if necessary.

Garlic

A small fresh garlic clove adds a tangy and pungent flavor to the vegan egg salad dressing. Finely grated is best.

Substitute a tablespoon of finely chopped red onion or green onions for garlic.

Substitute garlic powder or onion powder for fresh garlic. Start with a teaspoon and add more if necessary.

Vinegar

We recommend apple cider vinegar.

It adds acidity, which is a flavor booster, opening up your taste buds to fully appreciate the other ingredients.

Substitute white vinegar or fresh lemon juice for apple cider vinegar.

Turmeric

We add turmeric powder to give the tofu egg salad a light yellow color and make it look more appealing.

You won’t taste the turmeric powder, but you’ll get a beautiful golden color and all its incredible health benefits as it’s packed with antioxidants.

Salt and black pepper

Use sea salt or kosher salt to add taste.

The black pepper is added for flavor and to increase the bioavailability of the antioxidants in turmeric.

Kala Namak (Optional)

Black Salt, or Kala Namak, is our secret ingredient and is optional. The salad will still taste delicious without it, but we recommend it if you like an eggy flavor.

Kala Namak, sold as Black Salt in most western supermarkets, is an Indian/Himalayan rock salt with a purple-blackish color, and it tastes like eggs thanks to its sulfur content.

So, it’s a miraculous ingredient if you cook egg-free recipes that require an eggy taste.

Black salt has a pungent smell when you cook with it, but don’t worry; its taste is mild and subtle.

You can find it in most Asian grocery stores and, of course, online.

If you buy a package, it’ll last you a long time. We buy ours once every two years or so. Please keep it in an airtight container (like a mason jar) to preserve its taste.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

To a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except the tofu: vegan mayo, finely chopped celery, finely chopped dill, chopped chives, apple cider vinegar, mustard, a finely grated garlic clove, salt, black pepper, turmeric powder, and black salt or Kala Namak for the eggy taste.

Mix and stir with a spoon until the ingredients are well combined. This is the dressing for your tofu egg salad.

Drain and pat dry the tofu with a paper towel.

Then, with another paper towel, apply some pressure on top of the tofu to remove some of its moisture. Do this a couple of times, turning the tofu upside down once or twice.

There’s no need to press it down for too long. You just have to squeeze out excess moisture.

Cut the tofu into small dice (¼ inch, 0.6 cm). It doesn’t have to be perfectly cut.

Transfer the tofu to the mixing bowl with the dressing.

While you do so, crumble some of it with the tip of your fingers to make it look like crumbled egg yolk.

Mix the tofu with the dressing until well combined. Taste and adjust for salt and acidity.

You can use vegan egg salad like you’d serve a classic egg salad.

It’s a meal-prep-friendly recipe, brilliant as a lunch box idea.

For example, have it as part of a quick and healthy breakfast or lunch with lettuce leaves, on toast, in a sandwich with some relish, or a wrap.

You can also have it as a starter on canapés, crackers, or cucumber slices.

Tofu Egg Salad No-Mayo

There are two ways to make a vegan egg salad without mayonnaise. One is to use dairy-free yogurt. This method is also low in fat.

The other is to use ripe mashed avocado. I would not add Kala Namak and Mustard to the dressing if you use avocado. Both ways are very healthy, nutritious, and creamy.

Curry Tofu Egg Salad

This one is our favorite variation of a tofu egg salad. Add 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder (add 1 tsp if you like the curry flavor) to the dressing, and you’ve got a delicious oriental-tasting vegan egg salad with curry.

Vegan Egg Salad with Chickpeas

To make a vegan chickpea egg salad, you can replace tofu with canned chickpeas. All you have to do is to drain and rinse a can of chickpeas.

Then, put them in a bowl and mash them with a fork until you have a chickpea mash. Not too fine. Mix in the vegan salad dressing, stir, and you are done.

Make ahead: This recipe is perfect for meal prep as it keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, so you can make a batch and use it as needed.

If you make this with the intention of keeping it for a few days, the one tip we’d give you is to press the tofu a little longer to remove more of its moisture. As the salad sits in the refrigerator, it can get soggy if the tofu has a lot of water.

Refrigerator: Store tofu egg salad in a bowl or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We don’t recommend freezing this as the salad can get watery as it thaws.

Tofu is our favorite plant-based protein source because it’s affordable and versatile. If you enjoyed this vegan egg salad, have a look at our other 30+ easy tofu recipes, including:

• Pan-fried mushroom tofu
• Fried tofu or air fryer tofu
• Creamy tofu curry
• Lemon tofu
• Scrambled tofu
• Tofu stir fry
• Orange tofu
• Tofu salad

Tofu

Fried Tofu

Tofu

Tofu Stir Fry

Tofu

Tofu Curry

Tofu

Orange Tofu

Get more creamy and lunch-friendly salad inspiration. You can make all with vegan mayo or regular mayo:

• Coleslaw
• Vegan chickpea tuna
• Broccoli salad
• Dill potato salad
• Creamy pasta salad

Sides

Coleslaw

30-Min Meals

Vegan Tuna

Salads

Broccoli Salad

Salads

Dill Potato Salad

For many more tofu ideas, check out our tofu category page.