I Replaced the Mayo in My Egg Salad With Cottage Cheese and I’ll Never Go Back

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

I don’t write recipes for what I'd consider “diet” food all that often. I consider everyone’s health, strength, or weight loss journey to be their own, and like most personal things, filled with nuance; it's not for me to say what's healthy for you, or not. Still, lately I am working toward my own nutritional goals. Most of of my efforts involve bumping up the protein in a dish where I can while still eating foods that I like. And this egg salad recipe fits the bill. 

I call this recipe my Accidentally Higher-Protein Egg Salad, because I was planning on making regular old egg salad on that fateful day. Not only are eggs my favorite food, but I’ve got my eyes set on the 2025 NYC marathon, and eggs are a lean source of protein. I’m trying to get these gams in the sort of shape they need to be in to run for five hours straight, so I’m aiming to maintain muscle there and lighten up in other places.

(I should mention, I’ve never run a marathon before. Having snacks like this one makes me feel like I’m not disintegrating into a pile of jelly at the end of a long training run. And if you’re interested in marathon or distance running, check out our senior finance writer Meredith Dietz's training diaries.)

Anyway, here's how it all went down: I’ll often boil a half-dozen eggs and keep them in the fridge for an easy bite, but I wasn’t keeping track of my mayonnaise inventory. I went to make some egg salad and discovered the jar was empty. I had to improvise.

Sorry mayo, you've been replaced

I was about to give up and crush a couple plain hard boiled eggs when my eye happened upon a tub of cottage cheese. Well, I thought, it’s kind of creamy like mayonnaise. Sure, there are little cheese bits, but I like cheese! I scooped a couple tablespoons into a bowl with my chopped up eggs, and the result was fantastic. Dare I say it was a perfect egg salad? The mixture barely needed seasoning because cottage cheese is already a smidge salty, with a tangy bite. Add some chopped chives or celery and you’re in business.

I now make this egg salad often. I haven’t even bothered buying mayo again, because I don’t miss it. As a bonus, the cheese curds mimic the texture of the egg whites, so it actually feels like there’s even more egg in there than usual.

As far as my nutritional goals are concerned, this replacement results in an egg salad with significantly fewer calories (28 versus 180), and three additional grams of protein (mayo adds zero). In all, this quick snack delivers 15 grams of protein, or more if I happen to want more cottage cheese. Enjoy it with a heap of arugula, or tucked between two slices of bread for a truly satisfying egg salad sandwich.

Accidentally Higher-protein Egg Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

2 eggs, boiled and peeled

2-3 tablespoons full-fat cottage cheese

A pinch of chopped herbs (try chives, cilantro, or parsley)

A few cracks of pepper

1. Chop the eggs into pieces in a bowl. Stir in the cottage cheese. Add the herbs and pepper. Enjoy as-is, with toast, or mixed with fresh salad greens.