High Protein Egg Salad: 17 g per Serving With Greek Yogurt

A serving of high protein egg salad, two eggs with Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise, has 16.9 g of protein and 184 kcal. The classic mayonnaise version has 13.0 g and 284 kcal. I worked both out from USDA records for three servings, and the eggs are the same in each.

How much protein is in classic egg salad?

Almost all of that protein comes from the eggs. One large hard-boiled egg weighs 50 g by its record. The record lists 12.58 g of protein and 155 kcal per 100 g, so the egg has 6.3 g and 78 kcal. Here is the classic bowl for three people.

Ingredient (USDA record)	Amount	Protein	Energy
Egg, whole, hard-boiled	300 g (6 large)	37.7 g	465 kcal
Mayonnaise, regular	55 g (4 tbsp)	0.5 g	374 kcal
Mustard, yellow	12 g (2 tsp)	0.5 g	7 kcal
Celery, raw, diced	40 g	0.2 g	6 kcal
Whole bowl	407 g	39.0 g	852 kcal

The eggs do the work, supplying 97% of the protein. The mayonnaise supplies 44% of the energy and about 1% of the protein. That gap is where this salad improves. Weigh the mayonnaise you usually stir in. The record puts a level tablespoon at 13.8 g, about 94 kcal, and a heaped spoon holds more. Weigh your usual scoop once and you’ll know.

What makes egg salad high in protein?

A binder that brings protein instead of oil, or more egg. I changed one thing at a time on the same bowl. Each version makes three servings.

Version	Serving	Protein	Energy	Protein per 100 kcal
A. Classic, 55 g mayonnaise	136 g	13.0 g	284 kcal	4.6 g
B. 28 g mayonnaise + 60 g Greek yogurt	147 g	15.0 g	235 kcal	6.4 g
C. 120 g Greek yogurt	157 g	16.9 g	184 kcal	9.2 g
D. 120 g cottage cheese	157 g	17.2 g	193 kcal	8.9 g
E. 8 eggs and 120 g Greek yogurt	191 g	21.1 g	235 kcal	9.0 g
F. 55 g light mayonnaise	136 g	12.9 g	203 kcal	6.3 g

Version F is the one I’d skip. Light mayonnaise saves 81 kcal a serving and adds no protein, since it has 0.37 g per 100 g. Plain nonfat Greek yogurt, at 10.3 g per 100 g, saves 100 kcal and adds 3.9 g. Cottage cheese, 2% fat, adds 4.2 g too. It has 321 mg of sodium per 100 g against 36 mg for the yogurt, and its curds are lumpy, so mash it first. How yogurt stacks up against skyr and the regular kind is in high protein yogurt.

More egg helps too. Eight eggs with yogurt in version E reach 21.1 g a serving for the same 235 kcal as version B. Chicken moves it further, and high protein chicken salad makes the same yogurt swap with it.

What about whites only? The raw egg white record has 10.7 g of protein and 55 kcal per 100 g. That’s 19.5 g per 100 kcal against 8.1 g for the boiled whole egg. I haven’t built a whites-only bowl, because the USDA entries for cooked egg white that I found list no nutrient values and a raw record shouldn’t stand in for a cooked one.

How do I make high protein egg salad?

Chop the eggs, stir the yogurt and mustard together, and fold them in with the celery. Here is version C.

Ingredient (USDA record)	Amount	Protein	Energy
Egg, whole, hard-boiled	300 g (6 large)	37.7 g	465 kcal
Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat	120 g	12.4 g	73 kcal
Mustard, yellow	12 g (2 tsp)	0.5 g	7 kcal
Celery, raw, diced	40 g	0.2 g	6 kcal
Whole bowl	472 g	50.8 g	551 kcal

Yogurt is tangy where mayonnaise is rich. Start with version B if you aren’t sure you’ll like it, since it keeps half the mayonnaise. Weigh the eggs without their shells, and log them as hard-boiled.

How long does egg salad keep?

Three to four days in the refrigerator. The USDA says leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days, and cold perishable food should stay at 40°F or below. Throw away perishable food left out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it is above 90°F.

You can cook the eggs ahead. The USDA lists hard-cooked eggs at 1 week in the refrigerator, so a batch on Sunday covers the bowl you make on Thursday.

Is it better on bread or in lettuce?

I put one serving of version C on three bases, using the wheat bread and romaine records.

Served on	Added protein	Added energy	Plate total
Nothing (a spoon)	0 g	0 kcal	16.9 g, 184 kcal
60 g romaine leaves	0.6 g	10 kcal	17.5 g, 194 kcal
2 slices wheat bread (58 g)	6.2 g	159 kcal	23.1 g, 343 kcal

The wheat bread record lists a 29 g slice with 10.67 g of protein per 100 g. Two slices add 6.2 g of protein and 159 kcal, and lettuce adds almost nothing. For a whole lunch I’d take the bread. For a snack the lettuce is enough, and you still have the 16.9 g. If you’d rather have a bowl than a sandwich, high protein pasta salad is the cold-lunch version.

How much of a day’s protein is one serving?

For a 70 kg adult, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans set the daily goal at 1.2–1.6 g of protein per kg, which is 84–112 g. A serving of classic egg salad covers 12–15% of that range. Version C covers 15–20%, and version E 19–25%.

Percentages of a daily range don’t apply if you have kidney disease, where your doctor sets the protein limit.

The protein calculator turns your weight into your own figure, starting from 1.2 g per kg of a reference weight with a floor of 60 g. How much protein you should eat a day explains the range.

A photo of the plate in Calsa comes back with food names and suggested grams, and you confirm the portion.