14 Canned Ingredients That Will Seriously Upgrade Egg Salad

There's a time and place for basic egg salad, but adding fun ingredient twists keeps things interesting. It doesn't have to be complicated, either. In fact, there are a ton of canned ingredients that make a perfect addition to egg salad, especially if you count the ones that come in a tin and a glass jar as canned. If you think about it, when you can ingredients at home you seal them in glass jars, so why wouldn't you?

If you're looking to upgrade a basic egg salad containing just hard-boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, lemon, scallions, and chives, you've come to the right place. We searched through food blogs, chef recommendations, and more and found canned ingredients that you can seamlessly integrate into your next egg salad. A few of our recommendations also come from personal experience. Whether you want your recipe to remain vegetarian or prefer turning up the protein with added meats, you have plenty of options. Keep reading to discover what we learned and you'll never fall short of ways to elevate a basic egg salad again.

Pickles are an obvious choice for upgrading egg salad. In fact, they are so common that you might even think a basic egg salad recipe already includes them. There's something about the way egg, mayo, mustard, and pickles go together that just makes sense, so leaning into the combination is never a mistake. Plus, pickles lend a bold tangy element to the otherwise smoothed-out flavors of egg salad. If you opt for crunchy pickles, they also enhance texture.

Regardless of what kind of pickles you prefer, adding them to your egg salad is as easy as dicing them up and stirring them in. You could add whole pickle chips without dicing them, but smaller chunks throughout ensure a more uniform blend. Still, the choice is yours. In addition to diced pickles, incorporating a spoonful or two of pickle juice into your egg salad does wonders for the flavor. It turns up the zest and tang in delicious ways while simultaneously ensuring you get some of the yummy flavor in every morsel. If you are already a pickle fanatic, you know what we mean. Plus, adding pickle brine to your egg salad is a way better option than simply tossing it out — what a waste.

Canned jalapeños and other spicy peppers like green chiles are exactly what plain egg salad is craving. Not only do they add spice to the otherwise cool, creamy dish, but they also lend a touch of crunch. It's not much, but it's noticeable when enjoyed alongside smooth ingredients like hard-boiled eggs, mayo, and mustard.

We love spicy foods, so we're always adding hot peppers to recipes that don't call for them, and egg salad is a no-brainer. Both hot green chiles and jalapeños have found their way into our recipes before. One time we even used giardiniera because it was all we had on-hand, and just as we suspected, it was delicious.

If you like heat as much as we do, spicy peppers are an ingredient upgrade you don't want to overlook. However, if you plan on bringing your egg salad to a potluck, treading lightly is advised, especially if it is a kid-friendly event. When stirred in, it may be hard to notice chunks of jalapeños and you don't want an unsuspecting person to get blasted with a level of spice they aren't prepared for or simply can't handle.

Potato salad and egg salad are closely related. In fact, many basic American potato salads include hard-boiled eggs in the recipe, so it's safe to assume the crossover works both ways. Actually, it's more than an assumption because potato egg salad recipes are nothing new. With this in mind, adding canned potatoes to your egg salad is a surefire way to take the dish to the next level. Canned potatoes are pre-cooked and super soft, so they won't do much in the way of varied texture, but they easily bulk up egg salad while adding more of the smooth texture we all know and love.

Canned potatoes come whole or sliced, and both are great for egg salad. Sliced potatoes are the simplest option because all you have to do is drain them and stir them in. However, you can easily slice whole canned potatoes so they fit into your egg salad recipe nicely. Whole potatoes also give you the option to cube them, which I think allows them to mix into the other pieces even better than flat slices. Either way, canned potatoes soak up lots of flavor and blend into a classic egg salad recipe perfectly.

Lovers of Mediterranean cuisine will be happy to know they can infuse some of the region's delectable flavor into a classic egg salad by simply adding canned olives to the mix. The salty taste and smooth texture pair wonderfully with the other flavors. Olives also add a pop of color to egg salad and visual aesthetic goes a long way regarding presentation and how people expect a dish to taste. The more colorful and eye-catching it is, the more people expect to enjoy it. Seems simple, but it's true.

We prefer buying sliced olives for this recipe upgrade because the smaller pieces allow you to spread out the flavors better. However, whole canned olives work well, too, even if you don't take a couple of extra minutes to slice them. We also prefer green olives for egg salad. The flavor is a little less intense than black olives and their color just looks more appetizing to me. Maybe that's just a personal preference, though. Feel free to play around with the size and shape of olives until you get it just right for your taste.

Egg salad is typically thought of as a simple dish perfect for casual backyard barbecues and picnics, not a gourmet dish. However, you can easily change that by adding one high-brow ingredient: caviar. Sounds fancy, right? Well, it is. Just the mention of caviar and you instantly think of elegant settings, upscale dining, and maybe even celebrities, right? Try topping your egg salad with caviar and it instantly transforms it into an eye-catching dish. Plus, it adds a slightly briny, buttery taste and of course, the delectable mouthfeel of the individual eggs popping while you munch. If you are looking to turn heads with your egg salad, caviar is just the thing. Thankfully, you don't need much either so there's no need to drop a ton of money on a large tin.

As you probably know, caviar is attached to an exorbitantly high price tag, so we wouldn't blame you if you thought it would be a waste to add it to a country-style side dish like egg salad. That's okay though, fish roe is ready and waiting to fill in. Like caviar, roe is a type of fish egg, but it comes from different kinds of fish. Caviar is only sourced from sturgeon, and that's largely why it is so costly. Garnishing egg salad with fish roe gives you the same mouthfeel and a very similar taste without breaking the bank.

There's no shortage of recipes that contain both eggs and tomatoes, so why not add them to your egg salad? Sun-dried tomatoes in particular are perfect for the job. They pack a rich, sunny taste bolstered by sweet and tangy flavors, all of which easily enhance a traditional creamy egg salad. The deep red color of sun-dried tomatoes won't go unnoticed in the dish, either.

About ⅓ cup of sun-dried tomatoes is all you need for a batch of egg salad. You can chop them up a bit if you want, but it's not a must. All you have to do is stir them in with the other ingredients. This canned upgrade is incredibly easy to pull off. Just make sure to drain as much of the liquid in the jar or can off as possible before stirring the sun-dried tomatoes in so your egg salad doesn't get too runny.

If you want to take it a step further, we recommend adding canned olives, as well. The mix of both of these Mediterranean flavors is all you need to make your egg salad not only memorable but drool-worthy by any standards.

Canned carrots are just what your egg salad is craving. They are sweet, crispy, and colorful, all things that fare well in a classic rendition of the dish. Canned carrots may not be as crunchy as fresh ones, but they sure are convenient. Most come pre-sliced to the ideal size to add to egg salad and they have a super long shelf life, so they are ready for use whenever you are. The only exception to this is if you buy canned whole baby carrots — they'll need a bit of dicing before tossing them into the mix.

If adding a sweeter ingredient like carrots to your egg salad sounds a bit strange, Russian egg salad, also known as Olivier salad, begs to differ. While similar to American egg salad at its core, it also includes carrots, peas, potatoes, and sometimes ham in its list of tasty ingredients. Carrots do fit into egg salad quite well. Even without all the other Russian-style additions, the subtle sweetness and incredible crunch provide a lovely balance of flavors and textures. They also ensure all your plant-based friends can still enjoy, unlike a number of other canned ingredient upgrades found on this list.

Peas are delicious and nutritious, and guess what? They have what it takes to upgrade egg salad, too. The soft texture of peas mixes in smoothly and like many other canned ingredient upgrades on this list, they add a splash of color, effectively drawing your eye to the dish and increasing visual appeal. Peas are also high in protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, so they certainly add nutritional value. Who can argue with that? Oh yeah, peas are another one of the ingredients found in Russian egg salad too so using them in the American version isn't as big of a stretch as you might think.

Finding fresh peas at the store is quite difficult. Sure, Trader Joe's sells a bag of fresh English peas, but other than that they aren't the easiest to track down. As a result, canned peas are actually the best option for egg salad. You could use frozen, too, but they need to be heated up and then given time to cool before mixing them in. Why bother when canned peas are ready and waiting? A single can should be just about the perfect amount for a large batch of egg salad, too. Easy peas-y!

Anchovies can be somewhat polarizing — some people love them, others despise them. Even so, they make a wonderful addition to egg salad. While not common in American versions of the dish, anchovies are one of the star ingredients in Hungarian egg salad, so why not take a note from it and add anchovies to your egg salad, too? Even if you don't swap out the mayo for sour cream and butter, as is done in the Hungarian version, anchovies boost saltiness and flavor in delicious ways.

Along these same lines, sardines could be used in egg salad as well. However, if you want a blast of salty goodness, anchovies are the only way to go. Just a few fillets (about three) are all that's required to amp up the flavor and give egg salad the edge it needs to go from ordinary to exceptional. Your plant-based friends may not think so because, obviously, they aren't approved for that kind of dietary preference, but seafood lovers are sure to approve.

Capers are another fantastic canned ingredient upgrade for egg salad. They are similar to pickles but boast a saltier and slightly less tangy flavor. They also come perfectly sized to stir into any dish, egg salad included. We didn't come up with this idea all on our own, either. Capers are another one of the ingredients that sets Hungarian egg salad apart from the American version most of us are familiar with.

Some recipes will tell you a tablespoon of capers is enough for a batch of egg salad. They'll also claim you should chop the capers first. However, they are already so small there's really no need and you don't have to stop with a single tablespoon either, especially if capers are the only extra ingredient you are adding. If you plan on adding more than one additional upgrade, like anchovies for a Hungarian-style egg salad, about a tablespoon should suffice. Using more can easily push egg salad into overly salty territory, so don't go overboard.

If you are looking for a meaty upgrade for egg salad, look no further than canned ham. It gives your average egg salad a bit of oomph and while eggs are already quite filling, ham ensures no one leaves hungry. It even has what it takes to elevate egg salad past solely being a side dish and turns it into a complete meal. You will likely need to dice it up first, but canned ham comes pre-cooked so incorporating it is quick and easy. Obviously, it tastes great with eggs, mayo, and mustard too, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by stirring some into your next egg salad.

Ham is also the final ingredient needed for Russian egg salad (AKA Olivier salad) — we've already discussed carrots, peas, capers, and anchovies. Go all of the way and turn your classic American recipe into an Olivier salad with ham and all the other yummy canned ingredients needed and something tells me you'll have no problem devouring every last bite within the three to four days that egg salad stays good in the fridge.

Chicken salad is another classic American dish, and it has a lot in common with egg salad, like a mayo-based dressing for starters. If you love chicken salad as much as egg salad, you'll be glad to learn that you can easily make a mash-up of the two tasty dishes by simply adding canned chicken breast to your typical egg salad recipe. You'll want to dice or shred it first, but it easily takes to the other ingredients in egg salad while simultaneously increasing the overall concentration of protein. As we all know, chicken is a lean protein too and it's not a processed meat like ham, so it's undeniably good for you. Score.

As far as canned meats are concerned, chicken breast is one of the best ones to buy, so it's not like using a canned version seriously detracts from the quality. Will it be the same as freshly cooked and cooled chicken? No, but it sure is convenient and it still boasts all of the same rich, savory flavors you'd expect from chicken. Plus, canned chicken has a super long shelf life of two to five years. Sounds like a win-win right?

Salmon is another fantastic canned meat that tastes delicious when mixed into egg salad. It's buttery, rich, and packed with umami flavor, all of which lend themselves perfectly to a basic egg salad recipe. It can be broken up incredibly easily too, so like many of the canned ingredients on this list, it doesn't take much effort to stir into your creation. Just pop open a 14 to 15-ounce can of salmon, break it up, and add it like you would any other ingredient.

Of course, egg salad is already packed with protein, from all of the eggs, but salmon takes it a step further. I'm not saying this mayo-heavy dish is necessarily healthy, but infusing it with more protein and adding all the other vitamins, minerals, and amino acids found in salmon certainly pushes it in the right direction.

If you've never been brave enough to try canned salmon (sometimes canned meat can be quite strange), this is your sign to start. It's absolutely one of the canned meats that should be on your radar. Not only is it juicy, but it's extremely affordable too, and it's definitely cheaper than fresh or frozen salmon. If you live in a land-locked state where truly fresh fish is hard to come by, even better.

For the most part, egg salad is a soft, creamy dish, but adding a crunchy element will serve you well. Enter canned nuts. Of all the canned ingredients we have discussed so far, nothing will give your egg salad as much crunch as they will. Sure, carrots will add a crispy element, but nuts are even better if you desire a drastic offset to the otherwise creamy texture of egg salad.

Almonds are my favorite type of nut to add to egg salad, but macadamia nuts, peanuts, cashews, and walnuts make great additions, as well. Pistachios also add a nice green color, just be wary of how much you add because they often come with lots of added salt and you don't want it to overpower the rest of the flavors. Actually, you'll want to be mindful of this with any nuts, unless you buy unsalted ones. Depending on the size of the nuts you choose to use you may want to crush them a bit, too, but really it all comes down to personal preference. What's important is that you get a nice mix of crunchy and creamy in every bite.

If you plan on refrigerating your egg salad before serving, wait until the last moment to stir in any nuts so they stay as crunchy as possible. Using them as a garnish on individual servings is also a great idea. No matter how you do it though, nuts are a tasty ingredient addition that won't go unnoticed.