Deviled Eggs
You can’t beat classic deviled eggs made with creamy mayo, tangy mustard, and sweet pickle relish. Make a big batch for holidays or special occasions and watch them disappear!
No holiday or potluck spread is complete without everyone’s favorite appetizer — deviled eggs!
The creamy filling in the center of the egg whites is made from a simple mixture of boiled egg yolks, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, and mayonnaise. It’s an incredibly simple recipe, but the real secret to perfect deviled eggs is how you hard boil the eggs first.
I originally posted this recipe in 2019, but over the years I’ve received comments from readers that they were having issues with the eggs not peeling very easily. After a little trial and error, I finally cracked the code for perfect hard boiled eggs that peel with no issues!
In today’s post, I’m going to show you my favorite method for hard boiling eggs and how to make the best deviled eggs you’ve ever tried. I guarantee people won’t stop begging you for this recipe!
Ingredient Notes
Eggs
I always use large eggs for this recipe. You can use medium or extra large eggs, just keep in mind that you will need to adjust the filling and cooking time. There’s no need to bring the eggs to room temperature either, you could just pull them straight out of the fridge and cook them.
Mayonnaise
I recommend sticking with a mayonnaise that you love! You can use full-fat if you prefer, but truthfully I use Hellman’s light mayo (because it’s what we keep on hand) and it works great!
The Secret To Easy-Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
When I originally shared this recipe, I recommended bringing the eggs to a boil, covering them, and letting them sit for 12 minutes. The only issue was that sometimes the eggs would be easy to peel and sometimes they would be a little difficult. And let’s be real, no one wants to serve deviled eggs that look mangled.
I ended up buying an egg cooker and realized that EVERY single time I used it, the eggs were incredibly easy to peel. So I tested steaming my eggs in a pot and it worked like a charm!
So long story short, if you’re sick of hard boiled eggs that are impossible to peel the shell off of, you need to try steaming them.
How To Steam The Eggs
You can technically do this a few different ways, but my preferred method is to use an egg cooker. I use mine all of the time and I can’t recommend it enough! It’s inexpensive and beeps when the eggs are done, so you don’t accidentally forget them. It’s also small so it doesn’t take up much space and is easy to clean.
All you have to do is pierce each egg, add some water to the egg cooker, cover, and cook until the timer goes off.
The next best method is to add about 1-inch of water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Then, place your eggs in a steamer basket on top (make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom), cover, and let them steam for 15 minutes.
Note: You can also use an instant pot to steam the eggs. If I’m being honest though, I don’t because I have a large instant pot and don’t like to clean it just to steam 6 eggs. If you love your instant pot though, then by all means, use it! Here’s an easy tutorial on how to hard boil eggs in an instant pot.
Tips For Perfect Deviled Eggs
- Don’t over cook the eggs! If you’re steaming the eggs in a pot, make sure to set a timer for 15 minutes. Once the eggs are done, immediately transfer them to an ice bath for about 5 minutes. This is going to stop the cooking process so you don’t end up with a green ring around your egg yolks.
- Carefully peel the eggs. The shells should peel off pretty easily, but I like to gently tap the bottom of each egg on the counter to loosen the shell, then peel them.
- Use a piping bag to add the filling. The easiest (and prettiest!) way to fill deviled eggs is to transfer the filling to a piping bag and pipe it into the egg whites. If you don’t have any piping bags, you can use a ziplock bag or just spoon the filling into the egg whites.
- Love adding mix-ins to your deviled eggs? You can feel free to customize this recipe by adding cooked and crumbled bacon, finely chopped olives, chopped chives or dill, or a few dashes of hot sauce to the filling. My husband loves to sprinkle chili powder or Tajin on top instead of paprika.
Can This Recipe Be Made In Advance?
You can hard boil the eggs up to three days in advance, peel them, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble them.
Or you can assemble the entire recipe as written one to two days in advance and store them in the fridge.
How Long Is It Safe To Let Them Sit Out?
I wouldn’t recommend letting them sit out for more than an hour or two. I usually keep mine in the fridge until it’s time to serve, then set them out.
I mean, just look at how perfect they look! I can’t wait to make another batch of these and my easy quiche recipe for Easter this year!
If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know how they turned out. Enjoy!
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (60 grams)
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish (18 grams)
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- Tiny pinch of salt
- Paprika optional
Instructions
- To steam the eggs: Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water, place a steamer basket on top (make sure it’s not touching the water), and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, carefully place the eggs in the steamer basket, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.To use an egg cooker: Pierce each egg using the pin or tool that came with your egg cooker. Place the eggs in the cooker with the pierced hole facing up, then add water following the manufacturer’s instructions for hard-boiled eggs. Cover with the lid and cook until the timer goes off.6 large eggs
- Using tongs or a spoon, carefully transfer the eggs to a large bowl filled with cold water and ice. Allow to cool in the ice bath for 5 minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the ice bath, tap the shells on the counter, and carefully peel them off. Run under cold water to remove any small pieces of the shell, pat the eggs dry, then slice in half lengthwise.
- Remove the egg yolks and place them in a small bowl. Mash the egg yolks until crumbly, then add the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, and salt. Mix until fully combined then pipe or spoon the filling into the egg whites.¼ cup mayonnaise,1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish,1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard,Tiny pinch of salt
- Sprinkle with paprika and serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.Paprika
Great recipe. Instant pot makes the perfect hard boiled eggs. The shells come off easily. I use the 5-5-5 method. 5 mins manual high pressure vent closed- 5 mins natural release-5 min cold bath.
Made these tonight for a party tomorrow and gave a sample to my husband. He LOVED them! I tasted the filling too, and this recipe is really delicious made as it is written. I wouldn’t change a thing! However, I had a problem getting my eggs to peel easily using your method. Maybe they sat too long in the ice bath? Anyway, I made another half dozen and peeled them using a similar method taught to me by my husband’s grandmother: After bringing to a boil, instead of 12 minute wait time, I increased it to 15 and immediately ran them under cold water; then, gently crack and roll each egg to loosen the shell, peeling under running water as needed. This works for me. Thank you for a great recipe that I will use from now on!
This recipe did not work at all. After the eggs came to a boil, I covered for 12 minutes (off the heat), placed them in an ice water bath for 15 minutes and when I took them out and cracked them open they were totally under cooked and the shell stuck to the undercooked egg.
Sorry that the eggs didn’t turn out well for you, Teresa. I’ve never had any issues with the eggs not being cooked through. If you make them again, you could try letting them boil for an extra minute or two or let them sit for several more minutes in the warm water. You could also try adding some salt or baking soda to the water to see if that makes them easier to peel. I hope that helps!
I just want to thank you for all the wonderful recipes you have shared with me I like to put a little bit of Dill in my deviled eggs. once again thank you for all the great recipes I’m going to take some of these to my granddaughter’s for Easter
Thank you, Judy! Dill would be a great addition to these deviled eggs!
Hi! Danielle, When I make deviled eggs I do not use relish. I sometime use green olives finely chopped. I also use horseradish sauce to give it a bit of a kick. Then I add the mayo with the rest of the ingredients like little salt and pepper. Then I use a hand mixer and mix it all. They come out really creamy and so good and I never tell anybody the recipe . Thank you, Danielle
PS. My oldest Daughter’s name is Danielle
Green olives sound fantastic, Rosemary! I’ll have to give that a try!
I’ve made deviled eggs for years! But I still look up the recipe bc I can’t remember the minutes 🙂 I found your recipe! It was simple, perfect eggs and deelicious ?
Thank you, Stacy! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!