Move over egg salad sandwiches. My healthy egg salad without mayo is a deliciously easy, high-protein lunch or dinner.
Satisfying textures & flavor with a mildly spicy kick from the vinaigrette make this one of the most craveable, easy recipes for Spring and Summer.
It will be a hit at Easter brunch or a Spring potluck. And, healthy egg salad without mayo is perfect to pack for a lunch that will get you through a busy work afternoon.
It also makes an excellent meat-free dinner and takes only minutes to prepare if you’ve pre-cooked the hard-boiled eggs.
The Ingredients
For the Salad
- Steamed Hard-Boiled Eggs (or any hard-boiled eggs prepared the way you prefer.)
- Cooked Brown Rice (I made ours into Sheet Pan Crispy Rice for this salad. I’ll tell you how in the NOTES section of the recipe card. But if you prefer traditionally cooked brown rice, it’s also delicious in this healthy egg salad.)
- Canned Butter Beans
- Persian (Mini) or English Cucumbers
- Grape Tomatoes
- Celery
- Red Onion
- Spicy Vinaigrette (or your favorite vinaigrette)
For the Vinaigrette
- Avocado or Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Honey
- Minced Garlic
- Cholula (or your favorite hot sauce)
For the Rice
- Chicken Broth
- Butter
- All Purpose Seasoning I use my homemade in this recipe. It’s lower salt content than some commercial brands. If you’re buying pre-made seasoning be sure to add a little at a time and taste before adding more to avoid the rice being too salty.
- Instant Brown Rice
The Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs are the foundation of my healthy egg salad without mayo. And you probably have your own favorite method for preparing them.
I have actually been on the struggle bus when it comes to making hard-boiled eggs. I’ve never been a huge fan because I don’t care for the texture of the whites. Plus …
After going to the trouble of prepping them, I tend to lose several eggs that get torn and messed up as I try to peel them.
It’s just been such a frustrating experience that I tend to avoid making them.
Recently, I discovered Alton Brown’s method for steaming hard-boiled eggs. And I will never go back. It was easy, all the eggs peeled beautifully, AND the whites are tender and palatable, instead of being rubbery and gristle-like.
It’s completely changed my opinion of hard-boiled eggs, and you’ll be seeing more easy recipes around here that utilize them.
You can buy hard-boiled eggs already peeled in the refrigerated section at many grocery stores, or you can boil yours the way you always do. But you can also click here to learn how to make steamed hard-boiled eggs like me.
The Magic of Combining Rice with Beans
Our moms and grandmothers had it right when they mixed beans and rice. It was a great way to make an inexpensive meal that was filling and tasty. Beans and rice definitely help to stretch the grocery budget.
But even more than that …
Mixing rice and beans packs in a LOT of nutrition. Combining rice and beans makes a complete protein source, offering all nine essential amino acids just the same as if you used meat in the meal.
So, not only is my unique and tasty egg salad with crispy brown rice a meal full of nutrition, fiber and flavor, it can also stand on its own as a main dish full of plant-based protein in addition to the eggs.
Add in the healthy fats that keep you satiated, and this delicious, easy egg salad recipe is perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
I can’t wait for you to try it!
Crispy Rice or Plain Rice?
This recipe is DEE-licious whether you use crispy brown rice or just a nicely seasoned, standard brown rice. I love the texture and crunch that crispy rice adds.
David is not as big a fan, so I make some crispy rice to add to mine and use regular, savory brown rice for his.
So choose the texture you prefer. I’ve included instruction for how to crisp your rice in the NOTES section of the recipe card.
The good news is the rice can crisp in the oven at the same time you are prepping all the other ingredients, so it honestly doesn’t add any extra time to getting this scrumptious egg salad on the table.
Possible Recipe Variations
- Quinoa, farro or another grain can definitely be substituted for the brown rice in this easy recipe.
- Use different vegetables. Radishes, chopped asparagus, shaved Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, green onions or any other fresh vegetable you love would be excellent in this salad recipe. It’s a great one for cleaning out what’s left in the fridge.
- Add chicken, salmon or ham. If your die-hard carnivores would still prefer some meat in their meal you can always dice up leftover chicken, salmon or ham and stir it into the healthy egg salad.
- Add avocado. Creamy avocado will take on the vinaigrette flavors perfectly and add to the satiety of this scrumptious dinner salad.
- Use different beans. I had butter beans in the pantry, but black beans, red beans, cannellini beans, navy beans or any other of your favorites would all be delicious.
- Add cheese. Cubed Cheddar, Colby Jack or Colby would all be excellent additions to this egg salad dish.
- Make it spicier. Add more Cholula to the vinaigrette for extra kick in the salad. The amount in the recipe adds beautiful flavor and just a mild kick of heat which is scrumptious with eggs. But, if you want more spiciness, simply increase the amount of hot sauce you use. Conversely, leave it out entirely if you’ll be serving the salad to someone who is sensitive to spice.
FAQs About Egg Salad Without Mayo
You can definitely make this delicious egg salad up to 24 hours ahead of time. It honestly gets better and better as the dressing has the chance to meld with the other ingredients and bring them all together.
Sealed in an airtight container, egg salad with crispy rice will keep three or four days in the fridge. It cannot be frozen and thawed, however.
What to Serve with Healthy Egg Salad
Any of these scrumptious side dishes would be a perfect accompaniment to this hearty egg salad main dish.
- Quick and Easy Soda Bread, Homemade Crusty Bread in about 30 Minutes.
- Biscuits Quick & Easy Homemade Bread for Any Meal.
- Pumpkin Muffins Gluten-Free or Standard, easy and delicious.
- Bell Pepper Salad, Easy Delicious and Crunchy
- Easy Delicious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe
- Chicken Pastina Soup (Chicken and Stars)
How to Make Healthy Egg Salad with Crispy Rice
- Cook the brown rice and make the hard-boiled eggs. This can easily be done one or two days ahead of time, if you prefer. Just store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the salad.
- If you’re making everything the same day, prepare the Spicy Vinaigrette while the rice and eggs cook.
- Prep the cucumbers, grape tomatoes, celery and onions. Add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Drain the butter beans and add them to the bowl with the vegetables.
- Quarter the cooled hard-boiled eggs and add them to the salad bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Drizzle the Spicy Vinaigrette over everything and gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Chill until ready to serve.
The Recipe
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Healthy Egg Salad with Crispy Rice & Spicy Vinaigrette
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 –6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Healthy egg salad without mayo is a deliciously easy, high-protein lunch or dinner. Satisfying textures & flavor with a mildly spicy kick are the hallmarks of this easy recipe. Pack it for lunch, add it to the Easter brunch buffet, or have it for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons All Purpose Seasoning I use my homemade in this recipe. It has a lower salt content than some commercial brands. If you’re buying pre-made seasoning, be sure to add a little at a time and taste before adding more to avoid the rice being too salty.
- 2 cups Minute Brown Rice
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil (Only if making crispy rice instead of standard. SEE NOTES, below.)
For the Vinaigrette:
- 2/3 cup avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Cholula hot sauce, to taste (or your preferred hot sauce)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
To Assemble the Salad:
- 8 Hard-Boiled Eggs, quartered lengthwise (I make steamed hard-boiled eggs.)
- 2 cups precooked Brown Rice (crispy or standard)
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can Butter Beans, drained
- 2 or 3 Persian Cucumbers (mini cucumbers) or 1 English cucumber, sliced thinly
- 5 oz. (about 25) Grape Tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup Red Onion, cut into thin slivers
- 1 stalk Celery, small diced
Instructions
- Make your hard-boiled eggs. Cool and peel them up to a day before making the salad.
- Make the rice by adding the chicken broth, butter and all purpose seasoning into a pot and bringing to a boil. Pour in the instant brown rice, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a tight lid. Cook covered for ten minutes. All the liquid should be absorbed. Spread the rice into a thin layer on a baking sheet or platter to cool. (See NOTE, below for instructions on making this into crispy rice.)
- Make the Spicy Vinaigrette while the rice is cooking. You can whisk it together in a bowl. I like to add all the ingredients to my smoothie blender and quickly emulsify them. Taste your finished dressing and add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Chop the cucumbers, celery, onions and tomatoes and add them to a large salad bowl.
- Add the can of drained butter beans and the prepared brown rice along with the hard boiled eggs that have been quartered lengthwise.
- Pour over the spicy vinaigrette and then gently toss the whole salad so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed and coated with the dressing.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
To Make Crispy Rice
If you want to try crispy rice in your egg salad, toss the cooked rice with avocado oil and spread it in an even layer onto a baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 10 to 15 minutes until the rice begins to be crispy around the edges and a gorgeous golden brown. Cool slightly before adding to the salad.
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Salad Assembly: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad, Main Dish
- Method: Stove top and Oven
- Cuisine: American
About Glenda
I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...
Not only does this sound delicious it looks delicious! What a pretty salad!
Thank you! Hope you get a chance to try it, Debi.