Tofu Eggless "Egg" Salad is one of our favorite vegan food transformations. Made with firm tofu and vegan mayonnaise instead of hard-boiled eggs and eggy mayo, this a treat on fresh bread or stuffed into pita. You can also dollop it onto a green salad for extra protein. Photos by Evan Atlas.
Recipe
Tofu Eggless “Egg" Salad
tofu slad is one of our favorite vegan food transformations.
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Servings: to 6
Ingredients
- 14- to 16- ounce tub firm tofu well drained
- 1 large stalk celery finely diced
- 1 scallion finely chopped
- ⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise or as desired
- 1 to 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard to taste
- 1 teaspoon good-quality curry powder or more, to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional (but highly recommended)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste see Note
Instructions
- Slice the tofu into 6 slabs crosswise and blot well on paper towels or clean tea towels (or use a handy tofu pressing device). Place it in a mixing bowl, and mash well with a large fork or potato masher. Or, just crumble with clean hands.
- Add the diced celery and scallion to the tofu
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, curry powder, and optional nutritional yeast and mix well. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the tofu mixture, and stir well to combine.
- Add more vegan mayonnaise if you'd like a creamier consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more curry, if you'd like. Serve as suggested, below.
Nutrition (Estimate per Serving)
Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 11gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 133mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 81IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 133mgIron: 2mg
Vegan-ize any recipe!Grab our free vegan cheat sheet, packed with my favorite easy substitutions to make any recipe vegan.
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Note: If you can find it, use Indian black salt (kala namak, which is actually pink) in place of regular salt. It adds a distinctive, egg-like flavor and aroma.
Serving suggestions:
- This is delicious served in warmed pita breads with sprouts or shredded lettuce.
- Serve on fresh bread with tender lettuce leaves like Boston or Bibb, or baby spinach or baby arugula, accompanied by dill pickle spears.
- Or, omit bread altogether and serve in individual lettuce leaves (once again, Boston or Bibb are best for this), or just dolloped onto any kind of green salad.
Here are more:
Ian says
This was delicious! Last night I was hemming and hawing as to what I wanted for lunch tomorrow. I knew it had to be something quick and easy. This fir the bill.
I never really liked egg-salad when I wasn't vegan. This, however, was just amazing. Even if you never liked it, you'll probably like this. If you don't like tofu, you'll probably like this as well. It tastes nothing like tofu.
I most certainly wouldn't eat this all the time though. It's something good to eat once in a blue moon, perhaps once or twice a month or every few months.
Nava says
Ian, I'm glad you enjoyed this. And you're right, even something you find amazing isn't meant to be eaten all the time. The key is variety, and moderation. If you liked this you might like the "tuna"-style tofu salad, which is even easier, as it's made with baked tofu. Baked tofu is comes already more flavored than regular tofu. Here it is: http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/tofu-tempeh-and-seitan/versatile-tofu/“tofuna”-salad-sandwich-spread/
Jennifer says
Made my 2nd batch of this today & added cornichons from Trader Joe's for a pickle taste. (I added capers to my 1st batch). I didn't have a lot of celery left so I added celery seed, very finely chopped red pepper for more crunch & extra scallions. Soooo good! I'm in love with this recipe thank you!!!!
Nava says
Glad you enjoyed this, Jennifer! And I love hearing readers tweak recipes to make them to their own personal taste.
Ali says
Thank you for sharing. Everybody enjoyed this delicious dish and I will make it tomorrow again ...
Nava says
Thanks so much Ali! Making it again the day after is high praise, indeed. Glad you all enjoyed this.
Guy says
My eggless salad is similar to the recipe here but calls for no curry, nutritional yeast or mustard. I substitute Kala Namak (did I spell it right?) salt for regular salt. It gives it the "egg" flavor. Sweet relish (1 tbsp) is also a good option if you like it a little sweet. Try it!
Kris Talbot says
I'm new to using tofu but don't I need to cook it first? Is it really alright to just marinate it and then use it without frying/steaming it etc? Or are you using a certain type of tofu? Many thanks for any guidance.
Nava says
Kris, tofu can be marinated and cooked, as in certain hot recipes, but doesn't need to be. This recipe uses firm tofu; simply blot or press out excess water and use as directed in this recipe. Here's VegKitchen's wide array of tofu recipes, using the various types of tofu: http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/versatile-tofu/
Denise says
The dark secret in eggless egg salad is "black salt" which has a smell which is uncannily similar to eggs. You can get it at indian grocery stores
Nava says
You're right about that, Denise. I do have that in the note following the recipe. Black salt is amazing in its ability to add an egg-like flavor and aroma to tofu dishes.
Mary Higgins says
This is delicious!!!!
Nava says
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Fiona says
I used a block of Dry Tofu (which is not Dried Tofu) and mixed some curry powder and some fresh dill and ate with fresh tomato and avocado on fluffy white bread - and ate the whole lot which unfortunately was a whole lot!!! Agree the Black Salt is the key!
Nava says
Glad you enjoyed this, Fiona — it is rather addictive!
Maite says
Looks delicious!
I try to avoid soy. Could you recommend a substitute for tofu?
Thanks!
Maite
Nava says
Maite, if you're looking for something similar, but not made of tofu, you may enjoy Sharon's Chickpea Salad or Sandwich Spread — also really delicious and a very popular recipe on VegKitchen: http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/sharons-chickpea-salad-or-sandwich-spread/
Selenia says
Why can't I eat this often?
Kathleen Dunford says
I love vegan recipes
Kathleen Dunford says
I would love to make a egg salad sandwich.
Susan Jenkins says
This was really good!! We vegans miss our egg salad! I used Wildwood sprouted tofu, which doesn't really require draining, so mine was a bit dry. I ended up adding extra Vegenaise and Grey Poupon to get the right moisture. The nutritional yeast flakes and Indian Black Kala Namak salt give it just the right unami and eggy sulphurous-ness (alas, that's not a word, but you know what I mean). It was delicious, thanks for posting such a great recipe!!
Nava says
Hi Susan, I'm glad you enjoyed this. I also tried using Wildwood once and found it dry even though I combined it with silken tofu as well (thinking I'd kind of replicate the yolk/white textures). But I stick with regular extra-firm or firm tofu most of the time. And I do know what you mean about the sulphurous-ness. I do miss it when I'm out of it!
Elisha says
This was so delicious! I used the recommended nooch and kala namak, and added a touch more curry powder until it smelled exactly like my mum's egg sandwiches from childhood 🙂 Then I made a toasted sandwich with baby cos lettuce. Do you have an Instagram hashtag for people who make your recipes?
Luke says
Impressively easy and tasty, for those of you in the PNW this is just like Toby's dip and I'd highly recommend it! Plenty of leeway to adjust mustard, spiciness, etc. making it at home. Thank you for this!
Nava says
Hi Elisha, VegKitchen doesn't have a hashtag (and sorry for the super delayed response!) but that would be a great idea!
Nava says
Thanks so much, Luke — glad you enjoyed it!