Give Classic Egg Salad A Creamy Protein Punch With One Simple Swap

For many home cooks, any version of egg salad hinges on some level of mayonnaise to pull the rest of the ingredients together. For most, mayonnaise is a creamy, delicious, and tangy condiment, but there are some reasons why you might want to avoid it. Perhaps you have an aversion to mayonnaise, ran out in the middle of making the dish, or just want a healthier alternative to the fatty condiment. Cottage cheese can be the solution to replace the mayonnaise and amp up the protein levels of egg salad.

Cottage cheese is actually one of the ways to make egg salad without mayonnaise, as strange as it might sound at first. It certainly isn't as creamy as mayonnaise is out of the jar, but there are workarounds. For comparison, a half cup of cottage cheese is loaded with 14 grams of protein whereas the same amount of mayonnaise virtually has none, with just 1.1 grams of the nutrient. And don't worry, because cottage cheese still exhibits the tangy flavor that mayonnaise provides, and a few other simple ingredients will transform it further to make protein-packed egg salad.

For every cup of egg salad, or every two hard-boiled eggs, start with around ¼ cup of cottage cheese. You might want to add more if you like a creamier version of the dish. If you don't mind the chunky texture of cottage cheese, you can mix it with the other ingredients directly in a bowl. However, if you want a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender or food processor before combining it with the rest of the ingredients. You might also want to consider a few other mix-ins to offset the taste of cottage cheese and make it taste similar to mayonnaise. Options include fresh lemon juice, a squirt of Dijon mustard, or a dash (or a few) of hot sauce like Tabasco.

Try these upgrades with our creamy egg salad recipe that uses freshly chopped chives and parsley for a herby touch. This za'atar egg salad sandwich recipe could also benefit from a protein boost with cottage cheese. Whatever recipe you opt for, a little mayonnaise combined with cottage cheese also works if you want more protein and some of the creamy condiment in the bowl. And if you don't like cottage cheese, another alternative ingredient that adds some protein to egg salad is Greek yogurt.