This Cottage Cheese Egg Salad is a delicious, high protein recipe you can meal prep for easy lunches throughout the week.
What is Cottage Cheese Egg Salad
Egg salad gets a bad rep for being smelly and filled with gloopy mayo, but I don't think it has to be this way. This cottage cheese egg salad is made with NO mayo, it's packed with protein, and it's freshened up with fresh herbs and green onions.
It's about time that egg salad got a glow up, and I can confidently tell you that I've been eating this cottage cheese egg salad recipe ever since I developed it. This has all the goodness of my dill pickle egg salad, with extra protein from the cottage cheese. Even cottage cheese haters will like this recipe - there's no curds since we use smooth cottage cheese!
Can you Make Egg Salad With Cottage Cheese?
Taking a classic recipe like egg salad and elevating it with a few simple tweaks to make it more nutritious is the essence of Nourished By Nic (like my cottage cheese egg bites). This is really why I love making high protein recipes using cottage cheese- because it's so versatile! As a Registered Dietitian I am here to say you can absolutely make a traditional egg salad using cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise... and you won't even be able to taste the difference!
Here's why I love it:
- Higher protein. We combine two protein-rich foods, cottage cheese and eggs, for the ultimate high protein salad.
- Perfect for prep. This cottage cheese egg salad stores well and can be used in sandwiches, wraps or eaten with crackers.
- Easy to make. You can even prep your eggs ahead of time for a quick and easy throw together option.
How to Make Egg Salad With Cottage Cheese
Ingredients
Eggs. A key ingredient in any egg salad recipe. Eggs are a great source of protein, iron, choline and vitamin D, thanks to the nutrient-rich yolk
Cottage cheese. For a higher protein option, we replace the traditional mayo with blended cottage cheese.
Dijon mustard. For flavour and a tangy punch.
Fresh dill. For freshness and colour.
Lemon juice. This helps bring a bit of tartness, adding dimension in this creamy egg salad.
Spices. Garlic powder, salt and black pepper are the only spices you need.
Celery. For a little crunch! I truly think celery is needed in all egg salads.
Green onions. For a fresh, mild onion flavour, we use the whites and greens of green onions.
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- Step 1: Hard boil the eggs. Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover the pot with the lid and allow to simmer for 12 minutes. Place eggs in a bowl of cold ice water immediately after cooking to cool.
- Step 2: Once the eggs are cooled, peel and chop the eggs.
- Step 3: Add the cottage cheese to a mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend the cottage cheese until smooth.
- Step 4: To the bowl, mix in dijon mustard, fresh dill, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Mix until smooth.
- Step 5: Stir in the eggs, celery and green onions.
- Step 6: Garnish with fresh chives if you desire. Chill and serve with your favorite bread , crackers or lettuce wraps.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
To make dairy-free: unfortunately, I haven't found a good dairy-free cottage cheese sub yet.
To make nut-free: this recipe is naturally nut-free.
For added veggies, add in some shredded carrots or broccoli slaw.
Get creative with the spices you want to add. Any fresh herbs would be a great addition. You could even add some chili flakes for a little added spice.
For the pickle lovers, try my dill pickle egg salad!
Equipment
Storage
This recipe can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Top Tips for Success
Add the hard boiled eggs to a bowl of ice water as quickly as possible. This will help stop the cooking process and avoid that smelly sulfur smell and grey ring around the yolk from forming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can. If you prefer, you can use an equal amount of greek yogurt.
Cottage cheese is the perfect way to decrease the fat and increase the protein of a traditional egg salad. Mayonnaise typically contains 12g of saturated fat per ½ cup whereas a 2% standard cottage cheese will contain about 3g of saturated fat!
I recommend using the whole egg in this egg salad to get the full creamy taste!
More Easy Lunch Recipes
If you like this cottage cheese egg salad, try this next:
See you in the kitchen!
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this cottage cheese egg salad, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Cottage Cheese Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice ½ a lemon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 3 green onions chopped finely
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs. Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover the pot with the lid and allow to simmer for 12 minutes. Place eggs in a bowl of cold ice water immediately after cooking to cool.
- Once the eggs are cooled, peel and chop the eggs.
- Add the cottage cheese to a mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend the cottage cheese until smooth.
- To the bowl, mix in dijon mustard, fresh dill, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Mix until smooth.
- Stir in the eggs, celery and green onions. Chill and serve with your favorite bread, crackers or lettuce wraps.
Nicole Addison says
The PERFECT higher protein egg salad for meal prep! I hope you love this one!