How Much Egg Salad for 20 People? Exact Recipe Amounts

Egg salad for 20 people takes about 30 large eggs and makes roughly 10 cups—enough for twenty generous half-cup portions or sandwiches. This creamy mixture of chopped hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, celery, mustard, and pickles is easy to serve at a lunch, picnic, or buffet, and you can prepare it ahead.

Ingredients

30 large eggs (about 1.5 kg in their shells)
2 cups mayonnaise (480 ml)
1½ cups finely diced celery (about 150 g)
½ cup finely chopped dill pickle relish, drained (about 120 g)
½ cup thinly sliced green onions (about 50 g)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (45 ml)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml)
2 teaspoons fine salt (about 12 g), or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper (about 2 g)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika (about 2 g), plus a little extra for serving if you like
Water and ice, as needed, for boiling and cooling the eggs

Instructions

Set up the eggs and cooling bath. Place the eggs in two large pots in single layers, about 15 eggs per pot. Add enough cool water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). If you only have one suitable pot, cook the eggs in two batches rather than crowding them. Set out a large bowl or clean sink filled with cold water and plenty of ice for cooling.
Bring the water to a boil and cook the eggs. Bring each pot of water to a full boil over high heat; this usually takes about 10 minutes, depending on the pot and stove. Lower the heat enough to maintain a steady boil and cook the eggs for 11 minutes. The yolks and whites should be firm. For whole boiled eggs, don’t use a thermometer; the USDA FSIS guidance is to cook them until both the yolk and white are firm.
Cool promptly. Transfer the eggs carefully to the ice bath with a slotted spoon. Leave them there for 10 minutes, adding more ice if the water warms. Cooling stops the cooking and makes the shells easier to remove. Drain the eggs and peel them once they are cool enough to handle.
Chop the eggs and vegetables. Pat the peeled eggs dry. Chop them into small, fairly even pieces; aim for pieces about ¼ to ½ inch (6 to 12 mm) wide. Smaller pieces make a cohesive sandwich filling, while a few larger pieces give the salad a more homemade, chunky texture. Dice the celery finely and slice the green onions thinly so they distribute evenly.
Mix the dressing. In a very large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, drained relish, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika. Fold in the celery and green onions. Taste the dressing before adding the eggs: it should taste a little more seasoned than you want the finished salad, since the eggs will soften its flavor.
Fold in the eggs and chill. Add the chopped eggs and fold gently with a wide spatula until the dressing coats the pieces. Avoid vigorous stirring, which can turn the mixture pasty. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the flavors settle. Stir once, taste, and adjust the salt, pepper, mustard, or lemon before serving. The batch makes about 10 cups, though the exact yield varies with egg size and how finely you chop.

Tips

Season in stages. Pickle relish and mayonnaise vary in saltiness, so begin with the listed salt and adjust after chilling. A little extra lemon juice or mustard can sharpen a batch that tastes too rich; add it a teaspoon at a time so the dressing doesn’t become thin or overly tangy.
Keep the texture in your control. For a chunky salad, chop the eggs by hand and fold gently. For a smoother filling, mash about one-third of the eggs with a fork before folding in the rest. Don’t process the whole batch in a blender or food processor; it can quickly become gluey.
Make it less rich if needed. Replace up to ½ cup (120 ml) of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream. The result will be tangier and less creamy, so taste before adding more lemon juice. For a dairy-free option, use a mayonnaise made without dairy.
Plan the batch around your equipment. Thirty eggs need a large bowl and either two roomy pots or several cooking batches. If preparing batches one after another, cool each batch in fresh ice water. Keep the finished salad chilled while you assemble sandwiches or arrange a buffet.

Serving Suggestions

For sandwiches, allow about ½ cup (120 ml) of egg salad per person. That portion fits comfortably on two slices of standard sandwich bread, a split roll, or a croissant. Set out 20 sandwiches’ worth of bread separately if guests will serve themselves, and offer lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, or cucumber on the side rather than mixing watery vegetables into the salad. If the bread is soft, add the filling just before serving to help prevent sogginess.

For a buffet or lighter lunch, spoon the salad into lettuce cups, serve it with crackers, or offer it alongside sliced vegetables and rolls. The same batch can make smaller portions for a spread with several other dishes: plan on ¼ cup (60 ml) per person if egg salad is one of several substantial choices. For a meal where it is the main filling and guests may take seconds, make 1½ batches—45 eggs and 3 cups (720 ml) mayonnaise—to provide a comfortable buffer.

Keep the serving bowl nested in a larger bowl of ice when it will sit out, and replenish it with a chilled portion rather than topping a warm, nearly empty bowl with fresh salad. Use a clean serving spoon, label any add-ins that may matter to guests, and place bread and garnishes nearby so people can assemble portions without handling the main bowl.

Variations

Classic and mild: Leave out the green onions and use yellow mustard in place of Dijon. The flavor will be softer and familiar, which can suit a mixed-age group. If you use sweet pickle relish instead of dill, the salad will taste sweeter; start with a little less relish, then add more after tasting.

Herby: Fold in ¼ cup (about 15 g) chopped fresh dill, parsley, or chives. Dill echoes the pickles, while parsley and chives add a fresher, more delicate flavor. Add herbs shortly before serving if you want their color to stay bright.

More crunch: Replace up to ½ cup (50 g) of the celery with finely diced radish or crisp bell pepper. Both add crunch, but bell pepper brings a sweeter note and radish a sharper one. Keep the dice small so the filling stays easy to spread.

Smoky or spicy: Add ½ teaspoon (about 1 g) smoked paprika, or offer hot sauce on the side so guests can season their own portions. For a little heat throughout the batch, fold in a small amount of finely chopped jalapeño, taste, and add more gradually. Avoid adding a large quantity at once; heat becomes more noticeable as the salad rests.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate egg salad in a covered, shallow container at 40°F (4°C) or colder, and put it away within 2 hours of preparation or serving. If the room or outdoor temperature is above 90°F (32°C), refrigerate it within 1 hour. Properly refrigerated egg salad is generally best used within 3 to 4 days. Mark the preparation date on the container, and use a clean spoon each time you serve it.

Egg salad is meant to be served cold, so reheating the whole batch is not recommended; warming it can make the dressing separate and the texture unpleasant. If you use leftovers in a cooked dish, heat that dish to 165°F (74°C). Discard salad that has been left out beyond the safe time, and don’t rely on smell or appearance to decide whether it is safe. Freezing is also a poor choice for this recipe because mayonnaise can separate and the chopped egg can become watery or rubbery after thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many eggs do I need for 20 people?
Use 30 large eggs for this recipe. That provides about 1½ eggs per person and yields roughly 10 cups of finished salad, or a generous ½-cup portion for each of 20 people. If egg salad is only one of several fillings or main dishes, you may have some left over; for small buffet tastes, a half batch may be enough.

How much egg salad should I put in each sandwich?
Plan on about ½ cup (120 ml) per standard sandwich. That is a hearty filling without making most slices difficult to close. For small rolls or tea sandwiches, use about ¼ cup (60 ml) each; the number of portions will increase, so this batch can serve more than 20 people when the sandwiches are part of a larger spread.

Can I make egg salad the day before?
Yes. Prepare and chill it in a covered container, then keep it refrigerated until serving. It often tastes well blended after a few hours, though the celery may soften slightly over time. You can also boil, cool, and peel the eggs a day ahead, store them covered in the refrigerator, and chop and dress them closer to the meal for a fresher texture.

Why is my egg salad watery?
Common causes include wet relish, warm eggs, or vegetables that release moisture. Drain relish well, cool the eggs completely before mixing, and refrigerate the finished salad promptly. If it is already loose, stir in a little extra chopped egg or a spoonful of mayonnaise, then chill it. Avoid adding watery ingredients such as tomato directly to the bowl; serve them separately.

Can I use a different pickle or mustard?
Yes. Finely chopped dill pickles can replace the relish in roughly the same volume, but drain them well and chop them small. Sweet relish makes a sweeter salad, while yellow mustard is milder and more traditional-tasting than Dijon. Since both pickles and mustard affect the salt and acidity, make substitutions gradually and taste the finished mixture before serving.

What if I need to feed more or fewer people?
Scale the ingredients in proportion to the number of servings. For 10 people, halve the recipe: 15 eggs, 1 cup (240 ml) mayonnaise, and half of each remaining amount. For 40 people, double it and mix in two bowls if one bowl is not large enough. Keep each batch chilled, and calculate the serving amount from the role of the salad: about ½ cup per sandwich or ¼ cup when many other foods are available.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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