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This easy egg salad recipe features ripe avocados instead of mayo, paired with juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp red onion, and fresh herbs for a light, flavorful, and heart-healthy meal.
Instead of relying on heavy mayonnaise, this recipe uses firm ripe Hass avocados to bring that same silky richness, but with healthy fats, bright flavor, and a gorgeous natural green hue.
Avocado replaces saturated fats with monounsaturated fats, providing a dense, rich texture that binds the eggs beautifully while contributing significant heart-healthy benefits.
This avocado egg salad recipe is easy to make and perfect for a weekend brunch, cozy lunch, a light dinner, or even as a side dish at your next summer BBQ or picnic.
While the eggs require about twelve minutes of unattended cooking time, the active preparation, from peeling the eggs to assembling the components, takes less than fifteen minutes.
Furthermore, this avocado and egg salad is a high-protein dish that’s perfect for anyone looking to stay full, support muscle health, or follow a low carb diet or keto lifestyle.
✅ Take a moment to read through the whole post for the ingredient list, expert tips, and equipment suggestions. The full recipe is right below.
Key Ingredients for This Avocado Egg Salad Recipe
The key ingredients in this egg salad recipe are selected not just for flavor, but for their structural integrity, ensuring a vibrant, chunky, and visually stunning final salad:
1. Hard-Boiled Eggs
- In this avocado egg salad recipe, we firm large, cleanly halved eggs with rustic chunks that mingle throughout the salad.
- The perfect hard-boiled egg should have a firm white and a rich, fully set yellow yolk to provide texture.
2. Ripe Hass Avocados
- Avocado is rich in monounsaturated fat, providing a luxurious mouthfeel without needing heavy binders.
- Crucially, the avocados are sliced or cubed, not fully mashed, which retains their soft, buttery structure and vibrant green color, keeping the salad chunky and clean.
3. Fresh Lemon Juice
- Fresh lemon juice provides essential acidity that brightens the overall flavor and, more importantly, acts as a natural preservative, slowing the oxidation (browning) of the avocado slices.
- It cuts through the creaminess and also adds that perfect zesty lift, bringing balance and freshness to the salad.
4. Red Onion Slivers
- A small amount of thinly sliced red onion adds a sharp, crisp textural contrast that cuts through the richness of the avocado and egg yolk.
- The red onion slivers provide a necessary bite and visual pop, balancing the softer components of the avocado egg salad.
5. Cherry Tomatoes
- Halved cherry or grape tomatoes offer bursts of color and sweetness and add a fresh contrast to the creaminess of the eggs and avocado.
- They also bring a dose of vitamin C and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that promotes heart and skin health.
6. Fresh Parsley or Dill
- Fresh herbs make all the difference, transforming a simple egg salad into something truly special with their bright, herbaceous flavor.
- Parsley is slightly earthy, while dill lends a traditional, sharper zest often associated with great salad.
7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- A drizzle of olive oil ties everything together with its smooth, slightly peppery flavor.
- It enhances the natural richness of the avocado while adding a beautiful sheen and extra dose of healthy fats.
Essential Equipment for Making This Egg Salad Recipe
Having the right kitchen tools ensures efficiency and the desired clean, chunky texture.
- Medium Saucepan or Pot: A pot large enough for the eggs to sit in a single layer is essential to ensure they boil evenly and cook perfectly.
- Ice Bath (Bowl with Ice and Water): An ice bath made with ice and cold water is essential for the boiled eggs to cool instantly and make the shells easy to peel.
- Sharp Chef’s Knife and Cutting Board: Essential for the precise and clean slicing of the eggs, avocado, red onion, and tomatoes, necessary to maintain the chunky, composed nature of the salad.
- Large Mixing Bowl: The large size allows for gentle folding without crushing the delicate avocado and tomato pieces and without spilling.
- Small Whisk: Used to blend the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a simple dressing.
- Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon: To gently fold the ingredients, coating them in the dressing without mashing the avocado slices or breaking the egg chunks.
Why You’ll Love This Avocado and Egg Salad
This egg salad recipe is more than just a meal; it’s a strategic upgrade to your repertoire, designed for modern eating habits and vibrant flavor.
- It’s a High-Protein Powerhouse: With approximately 15 grams of complete protein per serving from the eggs, combined with the fiber and healthy fats from the avocado, this salad keeps you feeling full and satisfied for hours.
- It’s Fast and Effortless: Once the eggs are boiled and chilled, the total active prep time is less than 15 minutes, which is perfect for meal prepping lunch, a fast weeknight dinner, or quickly whipping up a stylish brunch.
- Brain-Boosting Choline: Egg yolks are one of the most effective sources of Choline, a vital micronutrient that supports fetal brain and memory development and helps maintain cognitive function in older adults.
- Rich in Heart-Healthy Fats: Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), known to support cardiovascular health.
- Rich in Dietary Fiber: Avocados and vegetables are rich in fiber, and even a single serving provides a substantial amount that supports healthy digestion and helps you feel full.
- Rich in Minerals: Avocados are rich in potassium to help regulate blood pressure and support heart health, while eggs add iron and phosphorus for healthy blood and strong bones.
- Rich in Vitamins: This avocado egg salad is packed with vitamins E, K, C, A, D, and B12, which support immunity, skin health, strong bones, clear vision, and lasting energy.
- Diabetic Friendly: This avocado egg salad is naturally diabetic-friendly, thanks to its low carbohydrate content that helps stabilize blood sugar levels and promote steady energy without causing spikes.
What to Serve with This No Mayo Avocado Egg Salad
The chunky texture of this egg salad makes it incredibly versatile, working well as a main course, side dish, or appetizer.
- Classic Low-Carb Wraps: Spoon the salad into large, crisp lettuce cups (like butter or romaine) for a healthy low-carb burrito or gluten-free meal.
- On Toast or Crackers: Serve it open-faced on toasted artisan bread, a whole-grain bagel, or, for a keto option, alongside seed crackers or vegetable slices (carrots, bell peppers, celery) for dipping.
- A Bed of Greens: Serve this avocado egg salad over a bed of fresh mixed greens; the creamy, zesty mixture doubles as a built-in dressing, making it light, refreshing, and perfectly balanced without needing anything extra.
- Simple Side Dishes: Pair it with a cup of warm soup (like a vegetable broth or chilled gazpacho) or a simple, lightly seasoned cucumber salad to keep the meal feeling fresh.
- As a Crostini Topping: For an appetizer, serve small spoonfuls on toasted baguette slices (crostini), drizzled with a high-quality olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika for color.
Tips for Making the Best Egg Salad
These are the tried-and-true techniques that ensure your egg salad is vibrant, flavorful, and perfectly textured every time.
- Ice Bath is Non-Negotiable: Boil your eggs for about 8 to 9 minutes, then cool them immediately in ice water to prevent that unwanted grey ring around the yolk, and keep the centers tender and creamy.
- Choose the Right Avocado: Go for an avocado that’s ripe but still slightly firm to the touch, soft enough to mash gently, but not so ripe that it turns the salad mushy.
- Balance the Flavors: Taste as you go to find the perfect balance of salt, acidity, and pepper that brings the flavors together beautifully.
- Coat, Don’t Mash: Fold everything together lightly rather than mashing to maintain the texture of both the eggs and avocado, giving your salad a fresh, chunky feel instead of a paste-like one.
- Tame the Onion’s Bite: If you find raw red onion too sharp, soak the thin slices in a bit of lemon juice for about five minutes to mellow the flavor while keeping their fresh crunch.
- Season Right Before Serving: Season the salad just before serving, as adding salt too early can draw out moisture from the eggs and veggies, leaving it watery instead of creamy.
- Use Quality Olive Oil: Finish with a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil to enrich the avocado’s creaminess and give the avocado egg salad a smooth, satisfying depth.
Final Remarks
This avocado egg salad without mayo is proof that healthy eating doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor.
With ripe avocado chunks, perfectly cooked eggs, crisp red onion, and bright lemon, it’s the kind of dish that feels light yet deeply satisfying, the kind of meal that feels good from the first bite to the last.
Feel free to customize the recipe by mixing in diced celery or cucumber for extra crunch, or adding a touch of chili flakes if you like a little heat.
Pair it with toasted low-carb breakfast burritos, fresh greens, or crunchy lettuce wraps for a complete, wholesome meal that’s as nourishing as it is delicious.
If you try this egg salad recipe, we’d love to hear how it turned out for you. Share your version or drop your thoughts in the comments below.
You’ll find the full recipe and detailed cooking instructions just below.
Best Avocado Egg Salad Recipe (No Mayo)
This easy egg salad recipe without mayo serves four and features firm ripe avocado chunks as the binder, complemented by juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp red onion, and fresh herbs for a lighter, healthier, and flavorful meal.
Ingredients
How to Make Egg Salad with Avocado (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Boil the eggs
- Place all 8 large eggs in a medium saucepan.
- Add cold water until the eggs are submerged by about 1 inch.
- Bring the water to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for about 8 to 9 minutes.
- Once cooked, transfer the eggs immediately to a bowl of ice water.
- Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes before peeling.
Prep the Vegetables
- While the eggs are cooling, slice your avocado in half, remove the pit, and gently scoop the flesh into a bowl.
- Cut into bite-sized chunks, not too small, as you want them to hold their shape.
- Halve your cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion, and chop up your parsley.
Make the Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and black pepper.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- It should taste slightly tangy and balanced, not overly acidic.
Assemble and Toss Gently
- Peel and slice the eggs into halves or quarters.
- In a large bowl, gently toss the avocado, tomatoes, red onion, and eggs together.
- Drizzle the lemon dressing over the top.
- Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold everything gently.
- Avoid stirring too vigorously to keep the ingredients from mashing.
Season and Serve
- Sprinkle with more black pepper, a touch of sea salt, and chopped fresh parsley or dill.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
Serving Size Approximately 1 cup (200 grams)
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 330kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 23g36%
- Saturated Fat 5g25%
- Cholesterol 185mg62%
- Sodium 145mg7%
- Potassium 651mg19%
- Total Carbohydrate 8g3%
- Dietary Fiber 7.4g30%
- Sugars 1.5g
- Protein 15g30%
- Vitamin A 320 IU
- Vitamin C 25 mg
- Calcium 30 mg
- Iron 1.6 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Don’t overcook the eggs; slightly soft yolks make the salad extra creamy.
- Let the eggs cool completely before peeling for easier handling.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the brightest flavor.
- Toss gently to maintain the texture of both eggs and avocado.
- Serve right away for the freshest taste and best texture.
