The Bold And Spicy Condiment Upgrade That Banishes Bland Egg Salad

When egg salad is good, it's really good — creamy and rich and packed with flavor. When it's bad, however, it can taste a little like cold mayonnaise and not much else. So if your attempts have been falling into the latter category recently, try adding chili crisp for some spicy, crunchy depth that will totally change the whole personality of your sandwich.

Typically, egg salad is made by mixing boiled eggs with mayo and then flavoring it with other ingredients like mustard, lemon juice, paprika, or pickle relish. These traditional components are all compelling additions, but they don't hold a candle to something like chili crisp. Beyond just the flavor of the chili and garlic, it also transforms the texture by lending a welcome crunch, and the oil makes the dish that much richer. This may be a more international take on an egg salad, as traditionally, spicy heat isn't on the menu, but try it once, and you'll likely be converted. To really take it to the next level, the eggs matter too. How you boil your eggs for a really creamy egg salad is just as important as what you add to it; they should be soft rather than crumbly.

While it's almost always good, some brands of chili crisp are better than others, and some are better suited for egg salad. Crunchier versions will make for a lovely contrast against the soft eggs, and some may have more sweetness, smokiness, or even more chile heat, which you may prefer depending on your palate. And if you don't eat eggs, there is another high-protein but fully plant-based way to replicate this recipe — by cutting extra-firm tofu into little boiled-egg-size chunks. Then, to really lean into a broadly Asian flavor profile, you can also add splashes of soy sauce, sesame oil, some chopped scallions, plus fresh herbs like chives and cilantro, crispy shallots, and even pickled onions.

Once you have your chili crisp egg salad, it's ready to be eaten in a sandwich, in lettuce wraps, on hash browns, with crackers, or simply eaten straight from the bowl (yes, it is that good). Fans already know that chili crisp has a habit of improving basically everything it touches, and egg salad is one of the strongest (if unexpected) arguments for that yet.