At the heart of a great egg sandwich is a creamy egg filling and essential to this are soft boiled, not hard boiled eggs! The creamy yolks practically makes its own mayonnaise sauce and the soft-set egg whites almost melt in your mouth.
Egg sandwich thoughts
You wouldn’t think that someone would have so many opinions about a simple egg sandwich, but as I sat down to write this recipe, it turns out I do! Here’s my egg sandwich thought-dump, roughly in care-factor order:
No rubbery bits of whites – I don’t like little firm bits of egg whites in what should be a creamy egg filling. So I use soft boiled eggs with soft just-set egg whites, rather than hard boiled eggs which is more common in standard egg sandwiches.
Semi homemade mayo – Soft boiled eggs = creamy yolk = practically makes its own semi-homemade mayonnaise. It’s so good! Better flavour and more luxurious with less mayonnaise required.
No celery. I know that might be an unpopular opinion but crunchy bits in a creamy egg filling, no matter how small or finely sliced, just don’t appeal to me. Goes in the same bucket as #1.
Soft bread is best. Too much filling oozes out when you bite the sandwich if you use chewy, crusty artisan bread like sourdough.
So, if all that sounds good to you, then let me introduce to the egg sandwich of your dreams!
Creamy egg sandwich filling
Here’s an up-close-and-personal look at the filling. The left photo is just soft boiled eggs mashed up. You can see that it’s already pretty creamy, even before adding the mayonnaise! Then the photo on the right is the finished filling after adding the mayonnaise and mustard.
What you need for my egg sandwich
As already emphasised a number of times (reeks of passion, right??!), the key ingredient here is soft boiled rather than hard boiled eggs! With creamy yolks, you only need a mere dab of mayonnaise and smidge of mustard for a creamy, luxurious filling.
If you don’t have chives, substitute with finely minced green onion.
Soft boiled eggs – The creamy yolk gives you a head start on the creamy sauce so we only need 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for 6 eggs (4 sandwiches). So we’re sort of making a semi-homemade mayonnaise here!
Mayonnaise – Whole egg mayo is creamier and less tangy than normal mayo. My favourite brand is S&W (Australia), followed by Hellman’s and Kewpie (equal second).
Dijon mustard – For flavour and a touch of tang.
Chives – For freshness and nice green bits in our filling.
Salt – Just 1/8 teaspoon! Trust me on this. Egg is weirdly salt adverse. The opposite of potatoes which can take loads of salt!
Best bread for egg sandwiches
As for the bread, you can really use anything you want though for traditional tea-type sandwiches (like pictured), soft white sandwich bread is the go. My only tip is to avoid crusty, chewy artisan bread (like sourdough). Filling ooze issues. Stick with soft bread!
How to make egg sandwiches
And the making part:
Cook soft boiled eggs and peel (8 minutes in boiling water). For full directions see my boiled eggs recipe, but I’ve included abbreviated directions in the recipe card below.
Mash the eggs using a fork to get it started, then a potato masher. The finer you mash, the creamier your filling! Once well mashed, you’ll see your filling is already semi-creamy.
Filling – Stir in the mayo, mustard, chives, salt and pepper.
Spread butter on the bread.
Spread filling on bread, from edge to edge!
Crusts – If you’re going for quaint English tea sandwiches, trim the crusts off then cut to your desired shape. The sandwiches pictured in post have been cut into 3 rectangles (4 sandwiches cut into a total of 12 finger sandwiches).
TIP: For extra neat edges, refrigerate the sandwiches for 1 hour before cutting. This will set the filling so you can cut more neatly. But be sure to serve at room temperature!
And there you have it! My egg sandwich. I know there are recipes out there with more bells and whistles, using fancier ingredients like creme fraiche, perhaps a smidge of curry powder, and other add-ins.
But to me, all that is unnecessary if you use soft boiled eggs. This is one of those recipes where the end result is so much more than the sum of its parts. I hope you give it a go! Let me know what you think if you do. And also, you know I always love hearing your thoughts on my thoughts on matters of food. Do you disagree with my position on soft boiled eggs? Do you think celery is mandatory? Fancier bread? Bring on the egg sandwich debate! 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Egg sandwich
Ingredients
Egg sandwich filling:
- 6 soft boiled eggs , at room temperature (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp whole egg mayonnaise (S&W brand best, Note 2)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp finely chopped chives (sub green onion)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt (yes really, that's all!)
Sandwich:
- 8 slices soft white sandwich bread (Note 3)
- Soft salted butter , for spreading on bread
Instructions
- Mash egg: Place the eggs in a bowl and crush with a fork. Once mostly broken up, use a potato masher to mash them up really well. Smaller egg white bits = creamier filling.
- Filling: Add remaining filling ingredients and gently stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if desired, but add with caution because it's bizarre how little salt eggs can take!
- Make sandwich: Butter the bread. Divide filling between 4 pieces of bread, spread evenly edge to edge. Trim crusts (optional), then cut as you wish. (Note 4 tips)
- Serve: Always serve at room temperature, for best flavour!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life’s too short for bland sandwiches!
Life of Dozer
No egg sandwiches for Dozer! 💨💨
Eloise Witham says
We tried this recipe with fancy eggs from a friend with chickens, and we edited the ratio of mustard to mayonnaise a little, as the Dijon mustard we had was very powerful! But this was definitely the most wonderful egg sandwich I’ve ever tried; so flavoursome and tasty. Thank you, Nagi, for another super recipe 🙂
nratt says
Looking forward to giving this a try. It’s similar to my own, although I use ¼ tsp dry mustard (to 4-5 eggs) rather than Dijon. I also add 1 tblspn cream — if I have it, half-and-half if I don’t. And I agree, no celery. I don’t like clumps of other stuff in my egg salad; I’m also suspicious of the chives, but I’ll try. Thanks. Very much enjoy your site and your recipes. Awaiting arrival of your cookbook here in the USA.
Ernesta Sankauskaite says
I’m having right now for breakfast. Definitely best egg filling I made. Egg sandwich on another level.
Go the wrong link.... :) says
I bet the the first word you said when you worked that out wasn’t Dozer… 🙂
Nagi says
What I said would’ve made sailors blush 😂
Dean Hooley says
As a web designer myself, I totally understand. 😆😆
Ruth Koger says
I’m absolutely with you on no celery. An interesting add I love is pepper stuffed green olives. Just a few, sliced.
Love your posts, Nagi. And love Dozer of course!
Ruth Eileen in Maine, usa
Tracy says
Perfectamundo!
Trish says
Hard boiled eggs don’t live in my house, neither does celery. My filling is almost identical to this and I like to have some on hand for toast in the morning 💐
SNL says
I find mustard too assertive when making egg sandwiches so instead I add lemon juice for acidity. Sounds odd but really brings the egg alive without taking over. Love the addition of chives, have to try that next time. For a veg option – I either add a handful of sweetcorn or serve with lettuce and radish – team crunch! But I agree creamier egg filling without the grease from too much mayo is a beautiful thing! Oh and I love that egg filling works with all types of bread – white, oatmeal, wholemeal seeded, brown bread.
Trevor Hamilton says
There seems to something wrong I touch the heart to bring up my saved recipes but nothing happens
Henri says
Delicious! Who would have possibly come up with that brilliant idea of using soft boiled eggs but you! 🙂 Anxiously waiting for your book. Has been delayed in the US again! 🙁 In love with Dozer 😀
Maribeth says
I am trying this! It’s genius!
Oswald & sylvia Jimmo says
already make ours like this! picked up a few good notes though. From Van. Island, BC give pup a pet for us. We have 2 fat cats.
Ken says
We always keep some boiled eggs in the fridge for snacks. This is an easy recipie and makes a great sandwich quickly. The spread will keep for about a week but best to use it right away. My mother made this often and I still love it.
Doris Rudy says
Hallo Nagi! Deine Idee mit den weich gekochten Eiern finde ich toll, werde ich gleich ausprobieren. Meine Eier koche ich immer zusammen mit einem halben Ei aus Kunststoff, das sich von orange nach weiß verfärbt und so zuverlässig den genauen Garzustand des Eis anzeigt. Eier schälen sich relativ gut wenn man sie rundherum leicht anschlägt und dann einen Suppenlöffel zwischen Ei und Schale schiebt. Ein Teelöffel funktioniert nicht! Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland Doris
Dorothy Jenkins says
Fabulous. I add a tsp white vinegar but will try with mustard. Thanks Nagi and hugs to Dozer from Scotland
Shelly says
I went for 10 minutes because our eggs are huge. Also used ones about two weeks from the nest. Came out perfect!! I do love tiny bits of celery though!! Your cooking and peeling advice is spot on! Give Dozer a hug! 🐾🥰
Jan says
LOL!!! So a lightbulb just went on in my head! Your sandwich is an egg sandwich and the one I prefer is an egg SALAD sandwich with all kinds of add ins like chopped pickles, celery, spring onions, red pepper and the use of chunky pieces of egg all on top of crunchy lettuce & two slices of wholesome artisan bread! I can see the pros of your version.
Alvina Reimer says
I love egg salad sandwiches but I try to add fresh dill (even my garden dill I’ve frozen for use after season ). Just gives it a fresh magical flavour. Other than that, it’s simple mayo, touch of mustard, salt and pepper.
Suzanne says
If not celery… what about celery seed? Often used in colesalw
Amanda Marie says
Your comment about “soldiers” makes me laugh. I live in the U.S. and when I mention dipping soldiers in an egg, I get funny looks. Absolutely loved your live, and just got the best news – your cookbook will be delivered tomorrow. Oh joy!