Name: Classic Egg Mayo - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min 30 s
Total time: 30 min 30 s
Yield: 4
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: Large Saucepan with a Lid; Mixing Bowl; Fork; 4 Eggs, room temperature; 55g (4 tbsp) Mayonnaise; Salt; Pepper

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Trouble peeling eggs? Unsure about the mayo quantity? This classic egg mayonnaise recipe gives you all the answers and solves all the problems! From the perfect egg to mayonnaise ratio, to peeling your eggs with ease. Read on to learn more…

Egg mayo and cress sandwich stacked on a plate

Yummy egg mayonnaise

I’ve ALWAYS loved egg mayo! It’s been one of my favourite sandwich fillings ever since I was a kid. It’s creamy, it’s filling and it’s absolutely delicious. What’s not to like?!

I just love how versatile eggs can be. I mean, you can have scrambled eggs, air fryer boiled eggs, poached eggs, fried eggs, and even bake them in the oven. They’re brilliant!

There are, however, a few eggy drawbacks. Take trying to peel the little buggers for example. Sometimes it seems to take forever, and you end up with a hacked apart egg at best. This is a problem I’m proud to say I’ve solved for you!

Included in this recipe is a foolproof way to ensure you can peel your eggs easily. Making this egg mayo recipe a cinch!

A board with sliced bread and a small bowl of egg salad

What is egg mayo made of?

Egg mayonnaise is typically made of exactly that – egg and mayonnaise! Some choose to add a little salt and pepper (I am one of those people), others like to get inventive. Adding extra ingredients for different flavour twists.

But a traditional egg salad is made of simply eggs and mayonnaise.

What’s the best mayonnaise for egg mayo?

Homemade of course!! Homemade mayonnaise is always best. It tastes so much fresher than the stale flavoured shop bought alternatives.

You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make too! If you haven’t already, you really should give it a try!

If you don’t have the time to make your own mayonnaise, I recommend using this Polish Winiary Majonez (affiliate link) if you can get hold of it. It’s my favourite shop bought mayo! I’ve found it in both Tesco and Asda before, so it’s fairly common in UK supermarkets.

A small bowl of egg mayo on a plate with a napkin

How do you get hard boiled eggs to peel easily?

This is a problem that has annoyed me for years. Turns out, it’s actually really simple to do!

Cook your eggs in boiling water, then reduce to a simmer. Do NOT start cooking your eggs in cold water, then bring up to the boil.

Why? When you drop eggs into boiling water, the shock of the heat makes the cold egg white shrink away from the shell slightly. If you start with cold water and slowly bring it up to the boil, the egg white sticks more to the inside of the shell. Making it very difficult to peel. Once cooked, cracking the hot eggs then shocking them with cold water, also helps to reinforce this process.

Here’s a step by step:

Start by cooking your eggs for 30 seconds in boiling water. Then reduce to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Immediately drain the hot water, then gently shake the pan to crack the eggs a little.
Cover in very cold water and leave to cool for about 10 minutes. You may wish to change the water once or twice, if it warms up too much. Alternatively, you can add some ice cubes.
Starting at the wider end, peel the eggs under water. You’ll notice that the membrane (white skin) comes away from the egg easily, and takes the shell with it. Leaving you with a smooth, peeled egg.

Now you’re ready to make your egg mayo! Easy peasy.

Someone taking an egg mayonnaise sandwich off a plate

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s everything you need to know…

Eggs – This sounds counterintuitive, but don’t use really fresh eggs. They’re actually harder to peel than slightly older eggs. Despite my tips above. As for brand/type? I prefer to use free range organic for ethical reasons, but honestly – any will do.
Mayonnaise – Homemade mayonnaise is best if you have time to make it. Otherwise, use your favourite shop bought mayo. Mine is Winiary Majonez (affiliate link) A Polish mayo you can find in most UK supermarkets. Nothing wrong with a bit of Hellmans though!
Salt – I love to use Cornish sea salt. Table salt is absolutely fine though, just use a little less of it. As it can be a bit stronger.
Pepper – Freshly ground black pepper goes hand in hand with egg mayo. White pepper would also be quite nice, but I’d personally avoid regular ground pepper, as it can be a little overpowering.

Someone spooning egg mayonnaise from a bowl

Egg mayo recipe tips and troubleshooting

Here are tips I think you’ll find super duper helpful when making this egg mayonnaise recipe.

Don’t use ultra fresh eggs. This may sound odd, but really fresh eggs are actually harder to peel than slightly older ones.
Use eggs at room temperature if you can. This will prevent the water temperature dropping too much when you add them to the pan.
Cook your eggs in boiling water instead of starting from cold. This will make peeling your eggs much easier! (See the main recipe or How do you get hard boiled eggs to peel easily? for details.)
Peel your eggs under water. Trust me, it makes peeling more simple.
Use homemade mayonnaise for the ultimate egg mayo recipe!
Season sparingly with salt and pepper. Seasoning added at the end of cooking is much more overpowering that when added during cooking. Remember – you can always add more, but you can’t take it out.
Don’t need 4 servings of egg mayo? Use the ratio of 1 egg to 1 tbsp of mayonnaise per person.

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier.

Egg mayonnaise can be made up to a day in advance. For best results, keep refrigerated and consume within 2-3 days.
You can boil the eggs up to 1 day in advance before making your egg mayo. Just cool them completely and store covered in the fridge until needed.
If you’re making homemade mayonnaise, it will keep for about 2-3 days in the fridge.

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

Classic Egg Mayo – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make 4 servings *

4 Eggs, room temperature
55g (4 tbsp) Mayonnaise
Salt
Pepper

Essential equipment

Large Saucepan with a Lid
Mixing Bowl
Fork

*if you don’t need 4 servings, use the ratio of 1 egg to 1 tbsp (14g) of mayonnaise per person and season to taste

Instructions

How to boil the eggs for easy peeling

First thing’s first – bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil over a high heat.

Then carefully lower the eggs (x 4) into the pot and allow to boil for 30 seconds. (This is where using room temperature eggs works better. Cold eggs will lower the temperature of the water and it will stop boiling.)

4 eggs in a pan of boiling water on the stove

When the timer beeps, lower the heat and reduce to a gentle simmer. Then pop the lid on and cook for 10 minutes.

Immediately drain the hot water. (It’s important to act quickly here. You want to cool the eggs quickly so you don’t get that unappetising green colour around the yolks!)

Now gently shake the pan to crack the eggs all over a little. Trust me – this is part of the easy peel master plan.

4 eggs in a saucepan in the sink. The shells are broken.

Then quickly cover the eggs in very cold water, and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Sometimes the eggs can heat up the water, so you may want to change it once or twice in this time. Or you can add ice cubes for good measure.

Cracked eggs in a saucepan of cold water

Once the eggs are cooled, it’s time to get peeling! With the eggs still under water, and starting at the wide end, begin to peel off the shells.

If you can perforate the white membrane (the stretchy film between the white and the shell), and peel that off – you’ll find the whole shell comes off very easily.

Rinse and repeat until all your eggs are peeled.

4 peeled eggs and their shells in a pan of cold water

How to make egg mayo

Now you have your perfectly peeled boiled eggs, it’s time to make your egg mayonnaise.

Place the eggs into a mixing bowl, the roughly mash with a fork.

Next, add in the mayonnaise (55g | 4 tbsp) and mix it through. You want everything evenly coated. But try not to over mix, or you may turn your egg mayo mushy.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and you’re good to go!

Egg mayonnaise recipe variations

Mastered making egg mayo and want to mix things up a little? Here’s some alternatives for you to try…

Add in some chopped fresh chives for a fresh and vibrant flavour.
Egg and cress is a classic! Cress adds a lovely peppery hint.
Use salad cream instead of mayonnaise for a tasty twist.
Add a little dijon or American mustard for a delicious tang.
Like it hot? Throw in some chilli flakes for good measure!

An egg salad sandwich on a plate with a vase of flowers

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Egg mayo and cress sandwich stacked on a plate. A text overlay says 'classic egg mayo'