A little over a year ago, I was working with a nutritionist who recommended Trader Joe’s Egg White Salads as a good way to add some protein to my diet without adding too many calories. I was a bit hesitant, but I stopped by my local Trader Joe’s and bought some. Both varieties were DELICIOUS! Only two problems… it was $2.99 for 2 little servings, and Trader Joe’s is a little out of my way. So, while I would like to eat this just about every day, it’s not going to happen.
Then it came to me! I could find a “copy cat” recipe and make my own. Only problem? I only found ONE recipe online for my favorite Spicy Ranchero version. ONE! Usually when I want to make something, I can find at least a dozen recipes online. Then I can pick and choose at my leisure which recipe I want to try. Plus, if I don’t like the one I tried, I have a plethora of others to choose from. Not the case with this one. I decided to dive right in anyway and make it. I found the original recipe here, but I tweaked it just a bit, to tailor it to my personal preferences. Here’s my version.
Trader Joe’s Spicy Ranchero Egg White Salad Knock-off Recipe
9 extra large hard boiled eggs
cilantro, to taste (I used about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro)
jalapeno pepper, to taste (I used 1/4 pepper)
red bell pepper, to taste (I used almost one whole pepper)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (still a bit spicy for me. I will cut back to 1/8 t next time.)
3/4 teaspoon salt (you might want to back off just a tad)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (I made my own from dried onion)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used canola mayo, but you can use any kind you’d like)
lemon juice, to taste (I used just over 2 tablespoons)
Boil the eggs, then peel. Cut eggs in half, remove yolks, then chop whites. Add to a small mixing bowl. Chop jalapeno, red bell pepper, and cilantro and add to egg whites. Stir gently to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together lemon juice, mayonnaise, and spices. Gently fold into the egg white mixture. For best results, chill for at least 2 hours, then serve, however, you may serve this immediately if you so desire.
Here is my step-by-step with pictures.
Start by boiling the eggs. I start mine on the stove in cold water. I bring it to a boil, then let it boil for 4-5 minutes. Then I turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan (for about 10 minutes). They turn out perfectly every time! See? Aren’t they beautiful?
Next, I assembled my ingredients.
I didn’t have any granulated onion, so I made my own. I put some dried onion in a coffee grinder (which I use for spices).
Like this. I put the lid on and ran it for less than a minute.
And it came out like this!
Then I prepped the veggies. First the jalapeno. I used about 1/4 of a pepper, because I don’t like “hot” spicy foods. You can add as much or as little as you’d like.
And the cilantro.
Oh! And I removed the yolks from the eggs and chopped the egg whites.
I folded the egg whites, peppers, and cilantro together. Pretty, huh?
I combined the mayonnaise, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder, and salt.
Gave it a good stir, then poured it over top of the egg mixture.
I folded the mayo/lemon juice mixture into the egg mixture and got this beautiful concoction.
So, how did it compare to the original?
In a side-by-side comparison, there are obvious differences. I think the homemade version is prettier.
In a head-to-head taste test, I like the Trader Joe’s version better. For similarity in taste, this recipe gets a D. BUT, for overall flavor, I give this recipe an A-. It was very good on it’s own, and it does remind me of the Trader Joe’s version, as long as I’m not eating them at the same time. 🙂
When I compare calories, my homemade version comes out about the same. The Trader Joe’s version has 60 calories for 1/2 of the container (3 ounces), and my version has 67 calories for 1/2 cup (4 ounces). But my version has 9.2 grams of protein versus Trader Joe’s 7 grams.
When I compare price, I come out much better with my homemade version. The Trader Joe’s version costs about $1.50/serving. Mine comes out to a little over 50 cents a serving and the serving size for mine is just a bit bigger. If I compare the same serving size, it’s just over 40 cents a serving. Not bad, huh?
Will I still buy the Trader Joe’s Egg White Salad? Yes. But if I ever have a craving for it and don’t feel like going out of my way, I know I can make a good egg white salad at home for less money.
Do you have a store bought favorite you’d like to duplicate at home?
Author: Laurie Nguyen
I am a happily married, stay at home mom with four sons, ages 24, 22, 18, and 14. I'm not a professional blogger, and I'm certainly not a foodie or a chef. But I like food, so I think I'm qualified to write about my own life experience with food.Want to be a little more prepared for the unexpected? Check out my Food Storage Blog, http://forayintofoodstorage.com.Have a question about Food Storage? Email me: forayintofoodstorage@gmail.com.
