Egg Salad with Bacon

This egg salad recipe combines chopped hard-boiled eggs with a creamy dijon dressing and chopped crispy bacon and fresh chives. Delicious!

Somehow this week I found myself with a glut of fresh eggs. I had bought six at the grocery store, six from the Sunday marché, and then promptly forgot about those when I ordered six to be picked up from the local farmer's collective on Thursday. We go through eggs fairly quickly around here, especially with a vegetarian in the house, but my definitely-not-American-sized fridge does not have enough real estate to support 3 containers of eggs. Time to make an egg salad.

When making egg salad, I prefer to chop my eggs into small chunks rather than tiny pieces. And I prefer the dressing to coat the eggs but not drown them. In this recipe, I’ve replaced some of the traditional mayonnaise with greek yogurt—both because yogurt is healthier than mayo, and also because it adds a bit of tanginess that works very well in this recipe.

This recipe for egg salad also includes bacon, because bacon makes everything better. ? And, I’m currently obsessed with lardons—the ubiquitous bacon here in Paris. It’s difficult to find bacon in slices but lardons are available in any grocery store. They are basically thick strips of bacon that have been cut into thin slices crosswise. Lardons are perfect for topping a salad (best bacon bits ever), tossing in risotto or pasta, or cooking with potatoes. In fact, now that I am thinking about more delicious ways to use them, I can guarantee you will see them again in my recipes. Of course, should you prefer a vegetarian option, you can leave them out of this egg salad, and you will still enjoy it. 

How do I make Egg Salad with Bacon?

To start, you'll need to hard boil your eggs. See my instructions here, and then read further to find out why this is my favorite method for boiling eggs. First, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the eggs, and turn down the heat just slightly so that eggs do not bounce aggressively against each other and crack. Let cook in boiling water for 13 minutes. While the eggs are cooking, fill a medium-sized bowl with ice water. Then, stack bacon slices on a cutting board and cut into ½ inch slices (if you are using lardons, you can skip this step). Place bacon in small skillet, turn heat to medium-high, and cook until bacon pieces brown and fat renders, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

After the eggs have cooked for 13 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the hot water and place into the ice bath. Wait 5 minutes, then remove eggs from ice bath and peel.

Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, dijon mustard, 1 T. of chopped chives, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Chop cooled and peeled eggs into small chunks and place into a large bowl. Add ¾ of the mayonnaise-yogurt mixture and stir to combine. If your egg salad needs more dressing, add the remaining amount (size of eggs varies, so not adding all the dressing at once helps make sure you don't overdress your egg salad). Add bacon and mix gently again. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of chives, and serve as you'd like. 

Is this egg salad recipe keto?

Yes! For those unfamiliar with the keto (short for ketogenic) diet, some research suggests that this diet can help with weight loss and controlling blood sugar spikes. The keto diet is a low-carb/high fat diet that recommends foods like: seafood, meats, cheese, low-carb vegetables, eggs, avocados, coconut and olive oils, and nuts and seeds. If you’re following a similar diet, this is a great recipe for you. To serve, spoon the egg salad into lettuce cups or into avocado halves for a perfect meal. 

What are the best uses for egg salad?

As mentioned above, serving in lettuce cups or avocado halves is a great low-carb approach for a meal. But I won’t stop you from going the full decadence route of splitting a croissant and making an egg salad sandwich (add some arugula if you insist on a nod to health). Of course any other sandwich bread works too. Bringing a container of egg salad and your choice of edible delivery device makes for a delicious work lunch. And, consider egg salad for a brunch spread. Fill your table with a pile of bagels and fixings like this egg salad, cream cheese, lox, red onions, and capers, then feast! 

What’s the best method to hard boil eggs?

For this question, I turned to my favorite kitchen experts, Cooks Illustrated. The best method to hard boil an egg gives you a consistent egg yolk done the way you’d like, and an eggshell that is easy to peel. Cooks Illustrated tested many different methods of hard-boiling, with an eye to both of these factors. In the end, they came to the steam method as their preferred method. Bring a small amount of water to boil in a saucepan with a steamer basket, add eggs, steam for 13 minutes, then remove to a bowl of ice water to cool. This method has the advantage of being faster (as a small amount of water takes less time to boil), and producing consistent results every time (since putting the eggs in the steamer will not cause the boiling water to reduce in temperature). 

OK, so why boil instead?

Well to me, the straight up boiling method is just easier. You don’t have to guess how much water to put in the saucepan with the steamer (or worry that it’s boiled off before your eggs are done), and you don’t have to locate your steamer. Just fill the pot with water, bring it to a boil, and add your eggs. Yes, adding your cold eggs will cause the boiling water temperature to drop a bit but it comes back quickly. If you adjust the temperature on the water to make sure it is just boiling rather than vigorously boiling and bouncing the eggs around aggressively, the estimate of 13 minutes to cook should be just fine. 

As a note, what these two methods share is that the eggs hit the boiling liquid or steam abruptly, rather than when you start the hard boiling process in cold water. The advantage of proceeding this way is that your eggs will be much easier to peel. The shock of adding the eggs into hot water or steam reduces the tendency of the egg white to bond to the membrane between the egg and its shell—this is the reason that some eggs are difficult to peel. 

Are very fresh eggs harder to peel?

Yes, this is true. Very fresh eggs can have the same problem as boiling eggs starting from cold water, which is that the egg whites bond with the membrane, making them hard to peel. However, the boiling water/steam method works so well that even fresh eggs are easy to peel with this method.

How long does egg salad last in the refrigerator?

Stored properly in a 40-degree (or less) refrigerator, egg salad will keep for 3-5 days. Note that bacteria grows quickly at temperatures over 40 degrees, so if you use this egg salad as a buffet dish, you should keep it out for two hours maximum before putting in the refrigerator. 

Can I freeze egg salad?

Freezing egg salad is not recommended. Mayonnaise and greek yogurt, which are used in this recipe, do not freeze well. In addition, the texture of the egg salad will change once it is frozen and defrosted, so I would avoid doing so. 

If you're looking for other creative "salad" ideas, be sure to check out my Orzo Pasta Salad with Black Beans and Corn, my Classic Nicoise Salad, my Chickpea Tuna Salad, and my Spinach Beet Salad with Goat Cheese. If you're looking for more keto-friendly recipes, try my Spinach Frittata with Mushrooms and Feta or my Greek Chicken Kabobs with Yogurt Sauce.