Old school classics go vegan

Lunchbox with thermos, apple, potato chips, and vegan egg salad sandwich.

When I first went vegetarian, one of the struggles I had was figuring out what to eat when I was a hurry.

Sure, when time wasn’t an issue, I could leaf through cookbooks or pop a dish in the oven for a half an hour. But when I was late for an appointment and had to whip something together on the fly, I was at a bit of a loss.

After all, my habits had been built on throwing together a sandwich of deli slices, egg salad, tuna salad, or even picking up some fast food when I was in a hurry.

(While vegan fast food options do exist, the choices are fewer, especially outside of big cities.)

Obviously a person could keep vegan deli slices in the refrigerator door, and make a sandwich in the same style as the one that used to go in your school lunch box. That’s an easy option.

But what I didn’t realize when I first went vegetarian is that it’s also a cinch to recreate the tuna salad & egg salad of yore with a few simple substitutions.

I shared my vegan tuna salad with chickpeas a while back. And now I’m excited to share my vegan egg salad sandwiches.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Super firm tofu: Look for vacuum-packed, super firm tofu, as opposed to the variety that comes soaked in water. It makes a firmer sandwich, and it doesn’t have to be pressed before using. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s.

Onions: Green onions (scallions) add a nice pop of color and mild flavor. Finely minced yellow onion also works.

Vegan mayo: Vegenaise is my preferred choice, but use whatever eggless mayo you like best.

Stoneground mustard: Unlike Dijon mustard, stoneground mustard has bite without being overly harsh. It can be replaced with yellow mustard.

Kala namak: Also known as black salt, this sulfurous salt is essential for this vegan egg salad sandwich. It does the heavy lifting for the eggy flavor. Find kala namak online or at your local Indian grocery store.

Black pepper: Black pepper rounds out the flavor. If you like a little heat, add a pinch of cayenne too.

Turmeric: This is mostly for color, but it also is known for its antioxidants. You can omit it if you prefer.

Bread: Whole wheat sandwich bread is my preferred choice. But you can also use a bun or tortilla if you’d like.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Bowl with vegan egg salad and spoon. In background, spices, vegan mayo, and bread.

To make tofu egg salad, put the following into a mixing bowl:

Crumbled tofu
Sliced green onion or minced yellow onion
Eggless mayo
Stoneground mustard
Kala namak (Black salt)
Pepper
Turmeric

Combine with a spoon. And then add dollops to the bread of your choice.

Make it your own

Plate with tofu salad sandwich, chips, apple, and lunchbox.

Make this vegan egg salad your own by adding:

Fresh dill
Diced pickles
Chopped celery
Grated carrot
More mayo
Shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Fresh lettuce

Instead of enjoying it on a sandwich, try scooping vegan egg salad onto crackers, rolling it into a tortilla, spreading it on a bagel, or wedging it into romaine leaves.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for about 3 days.

To freshen the salad before serving, add more mayo if necessary. You may want to add another sprinkling of kala namak, as that flavor can fade with time.

I don’t recommend freezing leftover vegan egg salad, because freezing changes the texture of tofu and releases a lot of water.

Comments

5 from 7 votes (2 ratings without comment)