Love egg salad, but wishing for a healthier version? This healthy avocado egg salad is packed with protein and nutrition from eggs, avocado, and spinach. Plus, it's a mayo-free egg salad (mayo-haters rejoice)!
(This recipe for Avocado Egg Salad with Spinach was originally published in January 2012, but the post has been updated with new photos and content.)
It's almost Easter!! Aside from eating approximately 93023 trillion Cadbury Mini Eggs and 8302 trillion Cadbury Creme Eggs, I've also been on a major hard boiled egg kick.
Obviously hard boiled eggs are in season ALL the time (unlike my precious candy, which I'm considering clearing out a shelf in my basement for, so I can keep a year-round stock), but they gain in popularity around Easter. Mainly for decorating purposes. But often you're left with a couple dozed dyed hard boiled eggs and have no idea what to do with them. I have the solution!
Egg salad is one of my very favorite foods on Earth. It can be a little tricky, though, when ordering out, you know? If you're not at a trusted establishment, you can't always have faith in their egg salad.
And while good egg salad can be like heaven on a plate, there are few things worse than bad egg salad. And if you're one of the many people who can't stand the idea of mayonnaise? No way are you going near egg salad. And that's just sad.
HOW TO MAKE A HEALTHIER EGG SALAD
Plus, egg salad isn't usually the healthiest thing. Especially when you're never really sure just what restaurants are putting into it. So when I get a craving for egg salad these days, I often turn it green and pack a nutritional punch with it with avocado and spinach and a little bit of Greek yogurt, sans any mayo at all.
You could certainly argue that you're just replacing one fat (mayo) with another (avocado), but I prefer to get my "good" fats along with vitamins and nutrients and no preservatives. Plus, a lot of people just don't like mayo, so this egg salad is a great alternative for them.
This recipe for avocado egg salad with spinach is essentially like combining egg salad and guacamole. And tossing in some spinach for extra nutrition. Could there really be anything better than that?
HOW TO GET THE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS
Of course, you'll want to start by hard boiling your eggs. Otherwise, let's face it, your egg salad isn't going to be too tasty. If you're never sure how to tell when your eggs are done boiling, follow Simply Recipe's amazing guide.
Or if you have an Instant Pot, boil the eggs in there (my fave way!). I use the 4-4-4 method for perfect hard boiled eggs, so I set the Instant Pot for 4 minutes of manual pressure, let it naturally release for 4 minutes before manually releasing the rest of the way, and place them in an ice bath for 4 minutes to stop cooking.
And I get ideal eggs every time!
AVOCADO EGG SALAD WITH SPINACH RECIPE
Making this avocado egg salad it easy! Simply mix the eggs with a little Greek yogurt and mash up the avocado.
And then mix them together and add in the chopped spinach and the celery, too. Hot pepper flakes add a little kick.
Of course, you could eat this avocado spinach egg salad right out of the bowl. But I opted to put it on some nice toasted crusty bread. This jalapeño cheddar bread is what I buy when I'm in the mood for a little treat.
I'm telling you, if you like egg salad and avocado, there's no reason you won't like this! In fact, you might even decide that you never want to make egg salad the "normal" way again. Because what's the point?
You might even want to serve this with a bag of tortilla chips and eat it like it's an eggy guacamole. Does that sound gross? Because I really don't care.
I think the spinach is a nice added touch in this avocado egg salad, too. A little bit of crunch and roughage and some extra nutrition to boot.
When I made this the first time, Chris claimed not to like egg salad. But then he asked to take this to lunch the next day. Oh, and it wasn't so long ago that boy didn't like avocados, either. If I told him I'd be making him avocado spinach egg salad when I first met him, he may not have dated me in the first place.
Thank goodness I didn't come up with this recipe until we were a little bit further into our relationship. Now, I'm pretty sure he'd eat anything I whipped up in the kitchen. Except for beets. I still can't get him to eat beets. Sigh.
I've made this avocado spinach egg salad many times over the years and I'm sure I'll be making it far into the future. It's super quick and keeps me happy for multiple meals. And it's packed with lots of protein and other fun nutrients.
And now you know what to do with all those leftover hard boiled eggs from Easter.
Are you an egg salad fan? Or are you a mayo-hater?
For more egg salad recipes, check out my Egg Salad with Lots of Crunch and my Mini Egg Salad Doughnut Sandwiches. I also love these Chicken and Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps from Sandra's Easy Kitchen.
Avocado Egg Salad with Spinach
Ingredients
- 7 eggs, hard boiled
- 4 oz. plain Greek yogurt
- 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
- Hot pepper flakes to taste
- ½ tsp salt
- Good bread (toasted if desired)
Instructions
- Peel hard boiled eggs and mash them up in a large bowl with the Greek yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a separate medium bowl, mash avocado.
- Add mashed avocado to bowl with mashed egg and stir together with chopped celery and spinach.
- Stir in hot pepper flakes and salt.
- Make sandwiches with avocado egg salad using nice crusty bread, toasted if desired.
Notes
Lindsay @ The Reluctant Runner says
This looks really good! I love egg salad but don't make it too often and never order it anywhere. I used to not order it because it is always loaded with so much mayo (I can't wait to try the greek yogurt and avocado swap!), but now I especially don't order it anywhere because I recently started working at a sandwich shop and our egg salad is made with eggs that we get already hard boiled and peeled and come floating in a giant plastic tub of formaldehyde (!!). I don't understand how that can possibly be safe, and I haven't been able to find anything on the internet about it, so from now on, it will be only egg salad at home for me!
Emily @ A Cambridge Story says
Yes! Egg salad with Greek yogurt is such as good call. Add avocado and I'm in creamy, eggy heaven!
sarah k. @ the pajama chef says
this sounds fantastic!
Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living says
I am absolutely an egg salad fan, and I'm with you - avocado and Greek yogurt make a fantastic healthy substitute for mayo! Looks delicious.
Cherie says
This is a great idea! I eat hard boiled eggs most mornings, and always have Greek yogurt and avocados on stand-by. I can't wait to mix them all together! P.S. Grew up a Miracle Whip fan because of my grandparents' preference!
bridget says
I've never been a fan of hard boiled eggs, so therefore no egg salad for me...I think it was always that rotten egg smell that it gets or something. I dont know! Wish I liked it, maybe someday I'll try. Anyways, funny my mom and her whole side of the family are all Miracle Whip lovers...that could be part of my issue too...I hate that stuff!
Regardless, it sounds delicious...I'm thinking just using chicken instead of egg 🙂 Love Avocado's and greek yogurt!
Melissa says
Yum!! I can't wait to make this for lunches. It's so exciting to find a new lunch option!
Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine) says
How long does this keep for without the avocado going grey? I'd LOVE to try this but I don't think I could consume it all in one day!
allie says
First thought: OMG that looks so good.
Second thought: I have an avocado that is about to go bad, a carton of eggs, a bag of baby spinach, and Pigs Fly bread at my house. Thank you for saving my day!!
Leah | So, How's It Taste? says
You just made my Friday! I love this twist on egg salad. Egg salad is a favorite of mine, especially with my version that adds cream cheese (ok not so healthy), so I'm excited to try your healthier version. I only like Miracle Whip in tuna salad, otherwise I'm Hellmann's all the way!
Mal @ The Chic Geek says
This look fantastic, such a great alternative to mayo!
NicoleD says
This is my kind of egg salad! I've always loved egg salad and I also really love avocados. The kick of the pepper flakes sounds perfect. NOT a miracle whip fan at all, but I love Hellman's. Definitely could be convinced to try yogurt and avocado, though!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says
I make my egg salads with avocado too but haven't tried it yet with Greek yogurt! I also make tuna salads with mashed avocado 🙂 So good!
Susan says
I love egg salad and, yes, Miracle Whip is banned in mine! Hellman's all the way. This sounds like a wonderful and healthy twist on egg salad and one I'd love to try! I think just about everything goes better with avocado 🙂
Lindsay @ Chobani says
Sues, this looks tasty as always! Egg salad + guacamole in a dish, heavenly. Thanks for including us in your treats 🙂
Kelsie says
Can't wait to try this! I've never even thought to use Greek yogurt as a mayo substitute!
joan says
Miracle Whip was the only one my Mom ever bought. My husband introduced me to Best Foods. 🙂 But I do still buy Miracle Whip once in awhile.
We lived in NC for a year and loved Dukes Mayonnaise!
Megan says
This is amazing! Definitely trying it. I love egg salad but not the mayo and you've completely eliminated that!
emily @ the happy home says
complete and total egg salad fiend. and avocado fiend. trying this this weekend for sure.
lena says
i often have this avocado with egg mayo but not with greek yogurt, thanks for the idea, am sure this is really yum !
Kathy says
I love adding avocado to eggs! I was reading another blog and they had a post about egg salad but they used mayo. I heard somewhere else that you can substitute hummus for it too and it worked out great! I'm sure Greek yogurt would be awesome too.
Lindsey @ Why Just Eat says
I bookmarked this recipe a few days ago and was planning to try it over the weekend when I had time to hard boil some eggs. But then I never had time to hard boil the eggs. So I scrambled up some egg whites to use instead and it was DELISH!
Kayla says
I don't like egg salad, but I am a huge fan of tuna salad.. Any ideas if the avocado and yogurt would do as a substitute in that?
Gina @ oatsandbeansandbabygrow.com says
First, I love egg salad and avocado, so this looks amazing. Second, I am having a Dr. Seuss themed party for my son's first birthday, and having some "green eggs" sounds like a fantastic! Thanks for the idea!
Sues says
@Kayla- I feel like the avocado and Greek yogurt could work the same way in tuna as it does in egg salad! Both avocado and yogurt have a pretty mild taste, so I think it would just make a creamy delicious tuna 🙂 Let me know if you try it!
Sues says
@Bee- I made this on a Monday and finished it on a Wednesday... It was only just starting to look grey, which I was a bit surprised about. You could always add a little lemon if you want. Or make half the recipe!
mary says
Can you make this ahead of time or do the avocados brown in the fridge??
Sues says
@Mary- I think it depends how far ahead of time. I had mine in the fridge for 2.5 days and it was starting to brown, but still eatable! Definitely add some lemon if you don't mind a citrusy touch (I think it would be delicious!) and cover in saran wrap, making sure the saran is pushed down so it's touching the salad.
bree says
do you recommend cooking and wilting the spinach first? or adding it raw?
Sues says
@Bree- I added it raw because I wanted it to be a little crunchy and I didn't like the idea of mushy spinach in the egg salad as much. But if you like cook spinach better, I think that would be perfectly fine!
Heidi says
I absolutely love avocados, so I will definitely try this!
Barb says
I am not a miracle whip girl. I do not like it in my egg salad, I do not like it in my potato salad, I do not like it with green eggs and ham! I also love egg salad & I will not order it from a restaurant or store (YUCK!). I also wan't order potato salad either. I am looking forward to try this, it looks and sounds delicious.
Laura says
I LOVE this idea! I made my own version tonight and talked about it on my blog...
Thanks for such a great idea!
Emily says
Looks great. When I make my own guacamole, I always add some garlic, lime, and cumin. I think those would make great additions as well as keeping the avocado fresher.
Sarah says
LOVE this idea and can't wait to try it! I'm on weight watchers. Any idea on a serving size and nutrition info?
Debi at Life Currents says
Egg salad sammies are one of my favorites. And, I love avocados. I love this idea of combining them. I will sometimes put finely chopped cauliflower or broccoli in my egg salad. Yum!
Karen says
This is amazing! I loved where you went with the red pepper flakes, so I took it a little further, adding some reduced fat sour cream instead of the greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, and fresh lime juice... I reference you in my write-up here - http://lettuceeatlocal.blogspot.com/2012/01/pinterest-inspired-avocado-spinach-egg.html. I love this idea - thanks for sharing!
Mimi Avocado says
What a pretty thing to put on a piece of bread! I ate egg salad sandwiches with olives almost every day in the high school cafeteria when I was young. Of course, that was in Vermont and we didn't know avocados existed then! Now I'm married to an avocaco farmer! We'll be sharing a link to your recipe on our Facebook page today! Facebook/Avocados_Direct Thank you!
Eliza says
I made this today with the following changes: cut recipe down to 4 eggs and 1 avocado with 1/3 cup fat-free yogurt--because no one else in my family will eat this. Added a tablespoon of lemon juice to the avo. Omitted celery because I didn't have any. Delicious--and I don't really like egg salad because I don't like mayo.
@Sarah: I'm on Weight Watchers, too. I put my altered recipe into e-Tools, divided it into 3 generous servings and got 6 points per serving. Fantastic on whole wheat bread.
Barb says
Made this today and it was awesome! Used guacomole and left out the hot pepper flakes. I am also going to try it using tofu & cumin to replace the eggs, next time!
Courtney says
I tried it yesterday, and I wasn't a big fan. I think it was the greek yogurt.
Helen Bushnell says
Like the idea of mixing 4 of my favorite things together, i.e. eggs, avocado, Greek yogurt and spinach. Not sure about the Miricale Whip, but I'm willing to give it a try. Headed to the store... will let you know.
Helen Bushnell says
Like the idea of mixing 4 of my favorite things together, i.e. eggs, avocado, Greek yogurt and spinach. Headed to the store... will let you know.
Barb ara says
I saw this last night and had to make it for lunch today!!! It was amazing! I kicked it up a notch and added some spicy pickle relish! Just the right amount of zing!
Tiffany says
Had this for lunch today! DELISH! Thanks!
Maureen says
I was intrigued by this recipe, I had to give it a shot. I was a little skeptical while I was making it, but this was so much better than I expected it to be. I did use lemon flavored Greek yogurt and I added some basil since I didn't have hot pepper flakes. Great recipe, thanks for sharing it. I'm wondering if anyone has already calculated the Weight Watchers points for this recipe?? Thanks! 🙂
Kelly says
I just made this and it's delicious!!! Any idea of the calorie/fat/carb breakdown?
Amy says
Just made this for lunches for the next few days and snuck a taste. Very good! Thank you for the idea. 🙂
Chanel says
Wow!! Made this tonight!!! DELICIOUS!! i didn't have celery, so used onion instead. Also used sriracha sauce instead of the hot pepper flakes. Really good!!! If only I was good at boiling eggs, it would have been perfect!
Joann says
Great idea! Will definitely make this. Great for kids' lunches on St. Patrick's Day too 🙂
Nobody has said this, but you can make your own Greek yogurt very easily (and cheaper too). Sorry Chobani people. 🙂 Just put a coffee filter into a strainer or sieve, put in the amount of yogurt you want (it will condense), and let sit for a while. I usually let it go for 15-30 min., but you could do it overnight to make it even creamier.
Thanks for the post!
Jennifer says
I didn't have all ingredients on hand and I wanted to make these as little appetizers, so I made 2 large hard boiled eggs mixed with some mayo, 2 mashed avocados, salt, pepper and garlic powder. I put a small spoonful on a small, bite size lettuce leaf and sprinkled them with red pepper flakes. I then toasted some 12 grain bread, buttered it and cut it into tiny pieces which I used to garnish each lettuce bite. It was simply delicious and I will definitely make for company as a bite size appetizer!
Jessica says
I loved these! My kind of recipe - adding veggies to make it healthier. Thanks for the great recipe.
Emily says
I added a little bit of yellow mustard to this recipe because that's what I'm used to and it was delicious!
Sarasota Flight School says
I could eat egg salad day and night! I just love it. I've never thought to add avocados, so I'm super excited to try these (as I could also eat avocados day and night). I'm not a huge fan of Greek yogurt (please don't throw things at me), so I would probably go half Greek yogurt and half mayo to "fatten" it up a bit 🙂 Wonderful recipe and I can't wait to try it!
kathhon says
While visiting my daughter in Tenn, she decided to make this on Ash Wednesday for us.. I was a bit leary since I'm not a lover of guac or greek yogurt, (so I thought)... It was delish, and I mean wonderful!! I will NEVER again have to use MAYO for my egg salad.. thanks for this awesome idea, even us "older" folks can change bad habits, LOL =)
SFPrincess says
I made this recipe w/4 eggs, 1 avocado, 1/4 cup of mayo, spinach, and red pepper flakes. I added lettuce, tomato, and pepperjack cheese. It was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Kathy says
SO GOOD. THANK YOU. My roommate and I have made it three times in the past month! We use green apple instead of celery, though. Delicious!
Sarah says
Wow! My 2 favorite things combined!! You are a genius! Making this ASAP.
Sally says
I accidentally bought an extra carton of eggs recently and didn't want them to go to waste, so I looked for an egg salad recipe. I'm not a huge egg fan, but sometimes I like egg salad and I need the protein so I set off to make some. I found this and thought it would be perfect, since I'm on a diet and had some extra guacamole and spinach in my fridge that I needed to use up as well. Let me just say: WOW! This was SO delicious. Tastes like a buff avocado sandwich. I left out the celery because I'm not a fan, and I used one avocado and about 1/4 cup of store-bought guacamole. It came out SO good! And the hard-boiled egg recipe you linked to was a huge help; my eggs came out perfect! I wish I could serve it on some nice bakery sourdough, but unfortunately the diet constitutes whole wheat instead. It was still good though! Topped the sandwich with extra spinach for texture. Thank you SO much, this will be my new go-to egg salad recipe!
PS: I counted everything out and it looks like the whole recipe, including the guacamole subbed for avocado and non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt, without the celery, came to about 200 calories per half-cup serving. So it's healthy too! 🙂
Brittany N. says
So glad I came across this! I had an avocado that was about to go bad and jumped right on this recipe. I substituted cilantro for spinach because I cannot get enough of the stuff! Turned out great, the eggs and avocado go wonderfully together!
Beth says
WOW! This looks great. I think I'll combine it with SkinnyTaste's low yolk egg salad. I can't wait to try the combo of red pepper flakes and avocado. Thanks!
Stacie says
Loved this! Thanks for the recipe!
Hillary says
I just made this for lunch today, and it was great! I added lemon juice to the mashed avocado, but other than that I kept the recipe the same. I served it on my homemade wheat bread, and it was a very filling, satisfying lunch. Delicious! Next time I'm going to try it with green apple instead of celery, like someone else mentioned above. M'mm.
MomHomeGuide says
Wow -- looks terrific! Love the idea of combining avocado, greek yogurt and egg salad.
Boudoir Photography says
Who knew that the addition of avocado and spinach could spruce up an egg salad sandwich?? So many other things you could add as well! Will be making this again...soon!
Epifurious says
I really liked the idea of using Greek yogurt instead of mayo here. Brought the calories down and also added a little tang. I added a bit of lemon pepper instead of red chili flakes for seasoning. I think the basic recipe here would probably make a good tuna salad too. http://epifurious.tumblr.com/post/17917101535/avocado-spinach-egg-salad
Ellen says
To keep the avocado from turning brown, keep the seed in the salad. I am going to try this right away. Sounds great and I've been trying to find a substitute for Miracle Whip (yes, raised on it) or mayo for quite awhile. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Julie says
I love egg salad but this blew my old recipe away. I don't think I will ever make the old way again. I added a little onion and garlic to mine. We are big onion and garlic fans. It was delicious.
Megan says
Came across this recipe on pinterest, and made it for dinner tonight. DELISH!!!!! I love love love Greek yogurt substitutions. My kids even liked it (including my 7month old) and my husband was totally wowed! Thank you for sharing...I will be back!
Bianca says
YUM! I've had this pinned on my Pinterest for weeks now.. and I finally got to try it! Delicious, avocado is simply an amazing addition to anything, IMO!
I mentioned your recipe on my blog - thanks for posting!
http://thepierogiemama.blogspot.com/2012/08/thirsty-and-hungry-what-gives.html
Shirley says
Eating it now with my 3 yr old. She loves it with ritz crackers. So I didn't use the red pepper flakes. Thanks, it's really good
Debbie says
Just made this for dinner. Delicious! Even my husband didn't miss his favorite condiment. Would be good for a tea sandwich filling for a shower.
chinner says
Unique ideas love this one
chinner says
Luv this egg salad and avocado salad had it on lettuce leaf, fantastic. Can't wait to try the rest of the avocado recipes.
NI says
Love this! It's so delicious! You have got to try this. I made this but put it on a bed of baby lettuce or spring mix and drizzled with balsalmic vinegar. Came out very good! It was very filing.....just purrrfect:)
JMEGANJ says
I made this today with some variations and it is amazing thank you for posting!!! Still did: 7 hard boiled eggs, 2 avocados, 4 oz (actually 5.3-I just used the whole single serving cup) chobani Greek yogurt
ADDED: 1/4 onion (I love onion and it gives it a little crunch), 2 cloves of garlic, 1 hothouse tomato, a dash of ground peppercorns and sea salt. So good, I'll be putting it in a brown rice tortilla and cooking it in coconut oil to finish it off!!
Olivia Dugas says
I'm on a low cholesterol diet, but I will definitely use my 3 egg per week allotment on this yummy recipe. I also will try the young lady's idea for using just the egg whites.
Marilyn Hogan says
I 'AM' a Miracle Whip girl, and only Miracle Whip. I detest any brand of mayonnaise. However, I would make this with Miracle Whip, or a recipe of homemade salad dressing that my mother used to make. I find mayonnaise is very bland and tasteless, almost like eating white grease. (yuk..lol) However, I already make mine with green onions, and fresh ground pepper and "Miracle Whip", now I'm anxious to try adding the chopped spinach. 🙂
Emily of The Three Bite Rule says
I LOVE this! I too only eat egg salad (and tuna) at home since I'm strongly against celery and you just never know... Great idea with the avocado! I'd definitely scoop it with tortilla chips!
Nellie says
What an incredible variation!! I love this version of egg salad WAY more!
Jenn L says
LOVING this healthier version and the avocado you used to dress the salad. Just beyond tasty! I've also been seriously eating my weight in all things cadbury so it's nice to balance it out with some vitamins and nutrients for good measure!
Hayley | The Simple Supper says
Egg salad is my favorite week day lunch. Love this healthy version!
[email protected] says
I always love avocado salad and that this recipe is super healthy. Will have to make it for breakfast soon. Thanks for sharing.