Vegan egg salad sandwich: Ready in minutes!

Vegan egg salad sandwiches are a great meal-on-the-go option. They are ready in just 5 minutes. Perfect for a packed lunch!

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

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.)

Old school classics go vegan

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.

Two of the first things that I learned to cook as a child were egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches.

No recipes were needed.

It was easy to spoon in the ingredients myself.

And they didn’t require too much in the way of adult supervision.

I shared my vegan tuna salad a while back. And today I’m sharing my vegan egg salad sandwiches.

Vegan egg salad

Vegan egg salad sandwiches are what I make when I was supposed to be out the door 10 minutes ago.

The ingredient list is small.

No stove is required.

And it’s easy to adapt the recipe to fit your own preferences.

Which tofu to use for vegan egg salad?

I like vacuum-packed, super firm tofu, as opposed to the variety that comes soaked in water. It makes a firmer sandwich.

Since I can use it in anything and not have to worry about pressing it first, it’s my all-purpose tofu of choice. You can find vacuum-packed tofu made by Wildwood and Trader Joe’s.

(It’s one of my favorite Trader Joe’s vegan products!)

How to make vegan egg salad

Start by cutting off a 3-ounce slab of super firm tofu from a block.

A food scale is handy for measuring portions of tofu. But once you get accustomed to knowing what the general size is, eyeballing works too.

Crumble tofu into a bowl with:

• Sliced spring onion or minced yellow onion
• A dollop of eggless mayo
• A smidge of stone-ground mustard
• Shelled pumpkin seeds (plain or spicy for a kick)
• Kala namak (Black salt)

Then combine them with a spoon. Give all of it a good stir and add it to the bread of your choice.

Don’t forget the kala namak

While most of the other ingredients are negotiable, don’t skip the kala namak. (It’s also known as black salt.) This sulfurous salt is what really makes this taste like an egg salad sandwich.

Just 1/8 teaspoon of kala namak is enough. 

You can find kala namak online. But it’s way cheaper if you buy it at your local Indian grocery store. Packages at an Indian grocery store average around two dollars.

(I also like to use kala namak in my eggy tofu vegan eggs, vegan breakfast sandwich, and vegan tofu scramble.)

Make it your own

Make this vegan egg salad your own by adding:

• Fresh dill
• Diced pickles
• Chopped celery
• Grated carrot
• More mayo
• No seeds
• A dash of pepper

It’s a terrific sandwich for a packed lunch with an apple, easy spinach salad, and a few potato chips.

I also like this vegan egg salad scooped onto crackers, rolled into a tortilla, or wedged into romaine leaves.

Vegan egg salad sandwich

This vegan egg salad sandwich is a great option for a bagged lunch or anytime you need food in a flash. The key to its eggy flavor is black salt, also known as kala namak.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: kid friendly, lunch, tofu

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1 people

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• 3 ounces super firm tofu in vacuum packaging*
• 1 Tablespoon sliced green onion or minced yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons shelled pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
• 1 Tablespoon vegan mayonnaise + extra for slathering (Vegenaise is my favorite.)
• 1/4 teaspoon stoneground mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon black salt kala namak
• Grind black pepper to taste
• Tiniest pinch turmeric for color (optional)
• 2 slices sandwich bread

Instructions

• Crumble the tofu into a medium sized bowl with your fingers. Add the sliced green or minced onion, pumpkin seeds, vegan mayonnaise, stoneground mustard, kala namak, a grind of black pepper, and turmeric (if using).
• Combine all of the ingredients with a fork, mashing some of the tofu. You want it to still have some texture. So don't make a puree, but smooth it enough that it won't fall out of the sandwich.
• Taste for any adjustments and add more mayo, stoneground mustard, black salt, or pepper that you might like.
• Slather mayonnaise on two slices of sandwich bread, and fill with the tofu mixture.

Video

Notes

*This sandwich can also be made with water-packed tofu. It will just be a softer sandwich. Drain it before using and then continue with the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 730mg | Potassium: 312mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 3.9mg

Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Vegan egg salad sandwich reader feedback:

“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This recipe is delicious! The crunch of the pumpkin seeds really compliments the texture of the tofu. And yes, it really does only take five minutes to make!”

Originally posted January 2017. Content updated May 2019.