Creamy Dill Broken Egg Salad with Jammy Eggs

You’re about to make this for lunch and feel completely smug about it. We are obsessed with eggs, so when the New York Times ran this broken egg salad last year we had to try it. And we haven’t stopped making it since.

The first version we made went ten minutes. Hard-boiled, mashed into the dressing the way you would any egg salad. Pale, uniform, nothing to look at. When we made it again at eight minutes the yolk center was still amber and tacky when we tore the first one open… we almost put it back in the pot… But, we folded it in anyway. And, the dressing turned gold.

The dressing is a simple mix of sour cream and mayo, split equally. Fresh dill (fresh is mandatory here for brightness), diced dill pickles, and green onion. Eight minutes in boiling water, three in an ice bath. Then tear, not chop, and you’re about to fall in love with egg salad for the first time ever. Who even knew that was possible…

A variety of ingredients on a table, including eggs, chopped pineapple, mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh herbs, black pepper, salt, and whole green onions.

🔪 Ingredients for Creamy Dill Broken Egg Salad

Large eggs: Size matters. Large eggs at 8 minutes give you a yolk that’s set at the edges and still amber-soft at the center. Jumbo eggs need an extra 30 seconds. Extra-large eggs run close to large, check one at 7:45.
Mayonnaise: Full-fat, standard American mayo. Duke’s or Hellmann’s are both solid here.
Sour cream: Full-fat. It cuts the richness of the mayo and adds a cleaner tang that straight mayo doesn’t give you.
Yellow mustard: Standard yellow, not Dijon. Yellow reads slightly sweeter and brighter, which balances the briny pickles without overpowering them.
Dill pickles: Diced, not relish. Relish adds too much liquid and loosens the dressing. Look for a crisp, garlicky variety. Claussen or Vlasic kosher dill both work well.
Green onions: Thinly sliced from tip to about halfway down the dark green. You get mild onion bite without the sharp punch of yellow onion.
Fresh dill: Not dried. Fresh fronds, roughly chopped. Dried dill is dusty in a cold dressing and won’t hold up.
Kosher salt and black pepper: Season after you’ve folded in the eggs, when you can taste the full dressing.

Equipment

Large bowl

📝 How to Make Creamy Dill Broken Egg Salad

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
Lower the eggs gently into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Set a timer for exactly 8 minutes. The water should maintain a steady boil throughout.
While the eggs cook, fill a large bowl with cold water and plenty of ice and set it aside. Start the dressing.
Whisk together the mayo, sour cream, mustard, diced pickles, green onions, fresh dill, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until evenly combined.
Transfer the eggs immediately to the ice bath the moment the timer goes off. Let them sit for at least 3 minutes. This stops carryover cooking and keeps the yolks jammy, not chalky.
Peel the eggs under cool running water to help the membrane separate from the white. Rinse off any shell fragments and pat dry.
Tear each egg into 3 to 4 large, irregular chunks directly over the bowl of dressing. The yolk center should look slightly tacky and amber. Tearing gives more surface area than cutting, so the dressing has more to cling to.
Fold gently 3 to 4 times until the eggs are coated and the soft yolks start to bleed into the dressing, turning it golden.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

A plate with broken eggs in creamy sauce, blistered cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and carrot sticks, garnished with chopped herbs.

🔄 Substitutions

Sour cream → plain Greek yogurt: Maintains the tang and adds protein. Texture is slightly thicker and the flavor is a little sharper. Use the same amount.
Yellow mustard → Dijon: Works, but shifts the flavor sharper and more complex. The sweetness in yellow mustard keeps this bright. Dijon will taste noticeably different.
Dill pickles → sweet gherkins: Changes the profile toward sweeter and less briny. If you go this route, consider reducing the mustard slightly to keep it balanced.
Dill pickles → pickle relish: Drain it very well first. Relish contains more liquid than diced pickles and will thin the dressing. The texture of the final salad won’t hold as well.
Fresh dill → dried dill: Not recommended for this recipe. Dried dill is dusty in a cold dressing compared to fresh. If you must, use 2 teaspoons dried in place of 2 tablespoons fresh.
Add chopped celery: About 1/4 cup diced, alongside the pickles. Adds crunch and some bulk without changing the flavor much.

💡 Meat Nerd Tips

The 8-minute cook time is not flexible. Seven minutes gives you a runny liquid yolk that makes the dressing watery and loose. Nine minutes edges toward chalky and pale. If your stove runs hot, check at 7 minutes 45 seconds. The egg should feel set when you press gently through the shell, but shouldn’t feel rock solid.
Make the dressing first, then add the eggs. Pouring dressing on top of eggs in a bowl means you can’t tell if everything is evenly coated until you’ve already overmixed it. Adding eggs to the dressing gives you control over the fold and keeps things from turning to paste.
Tear, not chop. A knife gives you a clean, smooth cut surface. Tearing gives you irregular edges with more surface area. The dressing grabs torn egg white better, and the rough surface of a torn yolk bleeds into the dressing in a way a clean cut won’t allow.
Plan to eat this the day you make it. The jammy yolks continue to set in the fridge. After 24 hours, the texture firms up and the golden color in the dressing fades. This isn’t a make-ahead-for-the-week salad. If you need something with a longer shelf life, spicy deviled eggs hold up two to three days with no texture loss.

A close-up of a spoon holding a creamy broken egg salad garnished with dill, with a bowl of the same salad and a plate of black pepper in the background.

🍽️ What to Serve with Creamy Dill Broken Egg Salad

This is excellent on thick-sliced toast with a tomato, but it earns its place at a cookout table too.
Serve it as a side alongside crack burgers or griddle smash burgers in place of a heavier mayo-based salad if you want to feel super bougie at your outdoor cookout.
It also works spooned over greens with crackers for an easy lunch, or tucked into a toasted brioche bun or a croissant with peppery arugula as a proper sandwich.

🧊 Leftovers and Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
Best eaten within 24 hours: the jammy yolks continue to firm up, and the texture changes significantly after that
Do not freeze: eggs turn rubbery, and the sour cream dressing breaks
Stir gently before serving if refrigerated: some liquid may separate from the sour cream

Have you tried this recipe? Do us a favor and rate the recipe card with the ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and drop a comment to help out the next reader.

Youre about to be obsessed with this one. Jammy 8-minute eggs torn into chunks over a sour cream-mayo dressing with fresh dill and diced pickles. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Make the Dressing

Whisk together the mayo, sour cream, mustard, pickles, green onions, fresh dill, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until evenly combined.

Best eaten within 24 hours — jammy yolks firm up in the fridge over time
Tear eggs rather than chopping for better texture and getting a good coating with the dressing
8-minute cook time is not flexible – 7 minutes gives runny, 9 gives chalky – the texture of the yolk is everything in this recipe.

Course: Salad, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Open-faced creamy broken egg salad sandwich on multigrain bread served with potato chips on a plate; glass of iced drink and bowl of vegetables in the background.

Quick Summary

Creamy dill broken egg salad starts with 8-minute jammy eggs torn into large chunks over a mayo-sour cream dressing. The soft yolks dissolve into the base and turn it golden. Fresh dill, diced pickles, and green onion keep it bright. Ready in 23 minutes.

❓ FAQs

Why cook the eggs for 8 minutes instead of 10?

Eight minutes produces a yolk that’s just set on the outside and still amber-soft at the center. Ten minutes gives you a chalky, pale yolk that doesn’t melt into the dressing. The jammy yolk is both a textural element and part of the dressing itself.

Can I use pickle relish instead of chopped dill pickles?

You can, but drain it very well first. Relish contains more liquid than diced pickles and will thin out the dressing, which changes the texture of the finished salad. Diced pickles give you more control over consistency.

Why is the storage window only 24 hours?

The jammy yolks continue to firm up in the fridge even after the ice bath. The texture of the salad — the whole point of the broken-egg method — degrades faster than a version made with fully hard-boiled eggs. Make it the day you plan to eat it.

Trending Products