Cottage Cheese Egg Salad
Cottage Cheese Egg Salad – 🥚👏🏻 NO MAYO needed in this healthier twist on egg salad made with cottage cheese! Creamy, flavorful, and packed with two lean PROTEIN powerhouses to keep you full and satisfied for hours! If you like egg salad, you need to try this EASY twist on the classic!
Easy Cottage Cheese Egg Salad Recipe
This is going to be one of those recipes that you either love or hate. I find that cottage cheese is a very polarizing food. Kind of like mushrooms, Cool Whip, or mayonnaise. People have strong opinions.
If you’re a hater, kindly go check out one of my other 3000 recipes I have on my site. Go grab a chocolate chip cookie perhaps. Everyone loves those!
However, if you’re like me and you love cottage cheese, and you love classic egg salad, you’re going to really love this egg salad made with cottage cheese.
- That’s right, egg salad made with cottage cheese instead of mayo.
- The cottage cheese does a great job of keeping the egg salad creamy without the unnecessary fat and calories in mayo.
- Plus, cottage cheese is so trendy right now. For anyone trying to hit their protein goals, you’ve two protein powerhouses in one in this recipe!
- If you find yourself with extra hard-boiled eggs on hand, perhaps after Easter, this is a great viral recipe to help use them up!
Ingredients in Egg Salad with Cottage Cheese
- Large eggs – You’ll need to hard boil the eggs before using them in the recipe. If you’re a fan of buying eggs that have already been hard boiled, you can use those, but I personally recommend freshly hard-boiled eggs.
- Veggies – Celery and green onions. Celery provides a satisfying crunch while green onions add an extra layer of flavor. You can also use chives instead of green onions. Red onions are an option too but I find them a little too bite-ey for this recipe.
- Cottage cheese – Cottage cheese gives the salad a creamy texture without being as heavy as traditional mayonnaise. Wondering about full-fat vs low-fat and which brand is best? See the FAQs below.
- Mustard – A touch of Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard adds a mild tang and depth of flavor.
- Salt and pepper – Essential for adding flavor to this very simple egg salad.
- Fresh herbs – Dill is great but if you don’t have it on hand, parsley works too.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Egg Salad Without Mayo
- Eggs – Hard boil the eggs. When ready, peel them, and then dice them. Add them to a large bowl.
- Veggies – While the eggs are boiling is a good time to get ahead on chopping the celery and green onions. Add them to the mixing bowl.
- Add the cottage cheese, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley, and mix everything well. Taste and check for seasoning balance.
- You can serve it right away but I prefer to chill it for 30-60 minutes before serving.
what to serve with high protein egg salad
I could eat this egg salad right out of the bowl, no bread needed! But here are some other serving ideas.
- Whole Grain Bread or Wraps: Make an egg salad sandwich or wrap with this egg salad. For a lighter option, rather than use bread use lettuce for lettuce wraps.
- Fresh Veggies: Serve it alongside crunchy carrot sticks, cucumber slices, or bell pepper strips for a light easy lunch snack or meal.
- Leafy Greens: For a low-carb meal option, serve the egg salad over a bed of mixed greens or spinach.
- Crackers: Your favorite crackers work well if you’re looking for something to scoop, pile, and crunch into.
Storage
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, the salad is best enjoyed within the first day or two for optimal freshness. Do not freeze egg salad since the texture would be completely off!
Recipe FAQs
First, I want to make note that “full fat” cottage cheese in the US is generally 4% fat and “low fat” tends to be 2%. There are some even lighter than that, at 1% or even fat free cottage cheese.
You can use light cottage cheese if you’re looking for a lower-calorie and lower fat option, but know the brand. Some brands (such as Good Culture) even their 2% low-fat is quite creamy and rich whereas other brands are not at all creamy and can be downright watery.
It is really brand-dependent. If you’re unsure how creamy a brand is or not, I suggest using full-fat cottage cheese to be sure that the egg salad is creamy enough. Keep in mind that the texture of the egg salad will be slightly less creamy if you use low-fat cottage cheese compared to if you use full-fat cottage cheese, generally speaking.
I know some people adore the Good Culture brand. For this recipe, it’s great. For eating every day because I am a cottage cheese fiend, it’s more pricey. Another good one that’s creamy, yet less expensive, but common and easy to find in the US is Daisy. Trader Joe’s is also fine if you use their full-fat cottage cheese, but do not use their lower fat versions because they’re more watery.
Definitely go with small curd cottage cheese here so that it blends and “mashes” better with the eggs to create a creamy texture for your egg salad. Remember, you’re trying to replace mayo.
If you’re curious if the cottage cheese is very forward and prominent, no it’s not in my opinion. It adds creaminess to the egg salad in a neutral way sort of how mayo adds creaminess in traditional egg salad. I don’t think anyone would say, oh I can taste the mayo in regular egg salad and I don’t think anyone would say oh I can specifically taste the cottage cheese in this version. But of course, everyone’s palates and tastes are different.
Technically, yes. However, for me it would not have enough classic egg salad flavor without the yolks and would lack creaminess and richness so I recommend keeping the yolks.
Avocado Egg Salad: For a creamy texture with healthy fats, mix in avocado slices from a sliced avocado. This will make the salad even richer and more satisfying.
Extra Creamy Egg Salad: Add a heaping tablespoon of sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mayo (if you’re not trying to avoid it).
Spicy Egg Salad: If you like a bit of heat, add a few dashes of hot sauce, chopped jalapeños, red pepper flakes, or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Curry Egg Salad: Add a teaspoon of curry powder to give the salad a more exotic touch. Pair with some raisins or chopped apple for a sweet touch.
- 6 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and diced finely
- ⅓ cup small-curd cottage cheese, or more if necessary (you can use low-fat cottage cheese, read the blog post FAQs for brand info and more important info)
- 2 tablespoons celery, finely diced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons green onions, finely diced (chives are a good substitute; red onions may be substituted but the flavor is more intense)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, (whole grain mustard may be used; I do not recommend basic yellow mustard)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- Fresh herbs, as desired for garnishing (I recommend finely minced fresh parsley or fresh dill)
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Eggs – Place the eggs in a medium saucepan. Cover them with water, making sure the eggs are submerged by about an inch. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat and let the eggs simmer for about 9-10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Tips – I like my eggs with a slightly softer center so for me 8-9 minutes is good, if you like a more firm center go for the full 10 minutes. If you go over 10 minutes, you risk the yolks developing a gray/green hue from being overcooked. While the eggs are boiling, make the ice water bath (large bowl with ice cubes + water)and chop the veggies to get ahead.After boiling 9-10 minutes, remove the eggs from the boiling water using a slotted spoon and place them in an ice water bath for about 10 minutes. This stops the cooking and makes them cool enough to handle. helps them peel easily. Once cool, peel the eggs. Tip – If you crack/bang the bigger end of the egg on your counter or sink it’s said to peel easier because you can get the membrane and therefore peel it off in bigger sections, but I’ve tried all the tricks (old eggs, new eggs, brown and white eggs, vinegar in the water, etc.) and some eggs just peel easier than others. Dice the peeled eggs quite small and place them in a large mixing bowl.
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Mix – To the mixing bowl with the diced eggs, add the cottage cheese, celery, green onions, mustard, salt, pepper, and stir to mix well. If the mixture isn’t as creamy as you’d like, add another spoonful of cottage cheese, or as desired.
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Flavor – Taste the egg salad and as if desired, make any necessary flavor adjustments. If it tastes at all flat or boring, it likely needs more salt (or pepper too). If you like a bit more tang, you can add a little extra mustard or even a squeeze of lemon juice for brightness. Garnish with fresh herbs, or mix them into the egg salad, as desired. See the FAQs in the blog post for other flavoring options.
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Serving – While you can serve the egg salad immediately, I like to serve it after it’s been chilled in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes. The one exception, if you’re serving it on a piece of toasted bread, the warmer freshly made egg salad is nice with warm toast. Otherwise, I like it chilled. Serve it on bread, crackers, toast, in wraps, over a bed of lettuce, with veggies spears, etc.
Storage: Egg salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days but I find it’s best the day it’s make and the second day because it just tastes fresher. It does not freeze well.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 110kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 246mg, Sodium: 478mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 399IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 1mg
