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This cottage cheese egg salad is the best egg salad recipe I’ve ever tasted. It’s fresh, it’s flavorful and it has extra protein. It’s made with fresh, simple ingredients and it’s mayo-free. If you’re a fan of egg salad, you absolutely MUST give this one a try!
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Why you’ll love this
I love egg salad in general because it’s easy to prep ahead of time and super versatile. You can serve this as an easy sandwich in lettuce wraps, on a snack plate, or open-faced style on a piece of whole grain toast (this is my fave with some sliced avocado).
This protein-packed cottage cheese egg salad recipe is truly amazing and hands down my favorite egg salad recipe. I’ve even been told by family members that it’s “the best egg salad they’ve ever had!” and “it tastes better than mayo!”.
This recipe has all the classic flavors of traditional egg salad (even better, honestly!), but without the mayo. Plus, the addition of cottage cheese adds a few extra grams of protein compared with regular egg salad!
By replacing mayonnaise with protein packed cottage cheese and adding fresh herbs, you have a perfect pairing for a piece of sourdough toast or your favorite whole grain crackers. Yum!
It’s super flavorful with fresh dill and chives and has just the right amount of tanginess from lemon juice and dijon mustard. The cottage cheese is a great mayo-replacement for anyone who doesn’t love mayo!
Make a batch of this high protein egg salad to munch on for an easy lunch all week, or you can take egg salad sandwiches to your next potluck or picnic!
Ingredients
- Eggs: You’ll need eggs for egg salad, of course! I have instructions for how to make perfect hard boiled eggs, but you could also grab store-bought hard boiled eggs and use those too. Grab the large eggs for this one!
- Cottage cheese: Creamy cottage cheese takes this recipe to the next level. I like using full-fat cottage cheese best, but low-fat or fat-free will work too. Good Culture is my personal favorite brand for flavor and texture. A 1/2 cup cottage cheese packs 14 grams of protein! Even if you’re not a huge cottage cheese fan, I promise this swap works perfectly!
- Dijon mustard: You can sub regular mustard if you don’t have dijon. I prefer dijon mustard for the tang and flavor.
- Fresh dill: The fresh dill is a MUST here for the classic egg salad flavor. It truly takes your egg salad to the next level.
- Fresh chives: Like the fresh dill, adding fresh chives adds a pop of green and the perfect boost of fresh flavor.
- Red onion: Just a couple of tablespoons of finely diced red onion adds the perfect amount of onion flavor. Use this veggie chopper to make finely diced red onion a breeze.
- Lemon juice: Just a small amount of lemon juice adds the perfect amount of bright citrus flavor and pairs amazingly well with the dill and chives.
- Salt, garlic powder + black pepper
Step-by-step instructions
- First, prepare your hard boiled eggs. Place eggs in a pan with cold water covering the eggs to just an inch or two above the top of the eggs. Bring water to a full boil. When the water starts boiling, shut off the heat, cover, and allow to cook for 11-12 minutes.
- Next, transfer the eggs to an ice bath (a large bowl of water with ice). Leave them there for at least 5 minutes before peeling.
- Next, peel and dice your eggs. The egg whites and yolks will separate a bit (that’s okay!).
- In a blender or using an immersion blender in a small container, blend cottage cheese until smooth and creamy (you can leave the cottage cheese with curds but the texture will be different).
- In a medium sized bowl, combine blended cottage cheese, dijon mustard, dill, chives, red onion, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
- In a mixing bowl, mix chopped eggs and blended cottage cheese mixture.
- Serve with your favorite whole grain bread, crackers (like these) or even in lettuce wraps!
Recipe FAQ
How to store
Egg salad keeps well when it’s prepped ahead, so it’s perfect for meal prepping. You can store this egg salad in an airtight container inside the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How do I make perfect hard-boiled eggs?
Cooking eggs can be tricky, but this method is foolproof. My favorite way to make for egg salad is to start them in a pan with cold water that’s an inch or two above the eggs. Bring the water to a full boil, and then shut off the heat, cover and allow to cook for 11-12 minutes. Then transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes and peel (don’t skip the ice bath step)! They’re perfect every time.
Do I have to blend the cottage cheese?
For a creamy egg salad similar to traditional egg salad, yes, I recommend blending the cottage cheese. If you don’t mind the texture of the cottage cheese or don’t have a lot of time, you can definitely leave it as too. The flavor will still be amazing and it will still be creamy!
Can I use store bought hard boiled eggs?
Absolutely! Using store bought hard boiled eggs is a great shortcut to help reduce the time in the kitchen without compromising on nutrients or flavor.
How to serve this cottage cheese egg salad
- In a sandwich or wrap with lettuce and tomato.
- In a snack plate with whole grain crackers, egg salad, & your favorite crunchy veggies.
- If you’re looking for a lower carb or gluten free option, serve in a lettuce wrap.
- For breakfast open-faced style on a piece of whole grain toast.
Need help choosing a healthy bread option? Check out my blog post on 15 High Fiber Bread Options!
This egg salad would go great with these easy recipes, too:
- 3-ingredient Crispy Lavash Crackers
- Sweet and Tangy Bell Pepper Slaw
- Cottage Cheese Bagel (2-Ingredient, High Protein!)
Shop this recipe
- Immersion Blender. I love using this to blend cottage cheese right in the container! It’s also perfect for soups and sauces.
- Veggie chopper: This chopper is SO amazing for this recipe because it chops everything the same size and saves you time (and your hands)
- Lemon juicer: This makes juicing fresh limes or lemons a breeze!
Variations
- Add celery or green onions for more crunch and more flavor!
- Add finely diced bell pepper to amp up the veggies.
- Add chopped avocado for a creamy and healthy fat addition.
- Add red pepper flakes or finely diced jalapeño for a spicy egg salad.
- Use plain Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese.
- Add a creamy tang with a scoop of sour cream.
- Add some pickle relish or finely diced pickles for a dill pickle twist!
More easy cottage cheese recipe ideas
Cottage Cheese Egg Salad
Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta
Easy Cottage Cheese Bagel (2-Ingredients!)
2-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip (High Protein)
Creamy High Protein Mac and Cheese
Cottage Cheese Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2-3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1.5 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- First, prepare your hard boiled eggs. Place eggs in a pan with cold water covering the eggs to just an inch or two above the top of the eggs. Bring water to a full boil. When the water starts boiling, shut off the heat, cover, and allow to cook for 11-12 minutes.
- Next, transfer the eggs to an ice bath (a large bowl of water with ice). Leave them there for at least 5 minutes before peeling.
- Next, peel and dice your eggs. The egg whites and yolks will separate a bit (that's okay!).
- In a blender or using an immersion blender in a small container, blend cottage cheese until smooth and creamy (you can leave the cottage cheese with curds if you want to!).
- In a medium sized bowl, combine blended cottage cheese, dijon mustard, dill, chives, red onion, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
So so so good!
I’m usually not an egg salad fan because I don’t like to eat mayo, and Greek yogurt versions are meh. But this one is SO good!
I also like the added protein.
I used a green onion instead of red onion and chives. Only a good pinch of kosher salt needed. Added about 2 tablespoons chopped celery.
So glad you enjoyed it! :))
Added a bit of everything bagel seasoning, tastes great
Yum!!
Could you use the cottage cheese to make deviled eggs?
I’m sure!!
I made smaller amount and added celery and capers. Recipe is wonderful as is but I love to play around when trying to use up what I have. Will add green olives instead of capers next round.. Love this on grain bread..
Yum, capers sound like such a yummy addition! Thank you for sharing Lydia 🙂
Where are the amounts for each ingredient listed? I don’t see them anywhere which isn’t the most helpful! Thanks!
The full recipe is right in the recipe card at the bottom on the blog post 🙂
I’m having trouble finding cottage cheese in Southeast Asia, I have been substituting the tradish mayonnaise, adding shallots. The worst with this recipe is low fat mayonnaise, the added sugar is terrible.
I think that I might have to find a recipe for cottage cheese now. I may have to try yogurt, there is very good yogurt available in the stores, better, simple, normal, yogurt, yogurt, than you can find in stores in the US anymore.
Plain Greek yogurt would also work in this recipe!
I don’t understand how calling something Greek makes it a delicacy and now it casts 6x the price of stawberry goo. It’s yogurt for Christ’s sake, I can make this at home in a warm jar. Vons makes me so furious at American consumers.
You can make cottage cheese at home easily. 1 tablespoon vinegar per 1 cup of milk. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and stir gently 2 minutes as curds form. Drain whey from curds using cheesecloth or similar. Add a dash of salt to taste. Easy peasy!
David, you’re an idiot. Greek yogurt is NOT the same as “the strawberry goo”.
Creamy and flavorful. I do still miss the flavor of mayo a little, but this recipe still satisfies when you are trying to cut out extra fat.
So glad you enjoyed this Danielle! Next time try adding just a couple of tablespoons of mayo! It will add back the flavor you’re missing without having to add a ton of mayo 🙂
What is considered a serving?
I haven’t measured it out but it makes 4 servings, so I would just divide the final recipe in 4 equal servings.
Can’t wait to try! I love how you blended the cottage cheese so smooth! I am going to try that with other recipes too!!
I’m excited for you to try! It makes for a really great base for any mayo based recipes like this!