How to Make Deviled Eggs – 2 Easy Recipes (and Prep Tips)
We share how to make deviled eggs with two easy recipes – classic deviled eggs and avocado deviled eggs – plus tips for cooking your eggs and fun garnish ideas.
Tips for Hard Boiled Eggs that Peel Easily
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to make deviled eggs and ending up with shells stuck to the eggs. There are a number of ways to avoid this.
Use older eggs. As eggs get older, the membrane inside the egg naturally starts to separate from the shell. This is bad for hatching chicks, but helpful for making boiled eggs.
If I’m planning ahead, I set aside some older eggs just for hard boiled eggs. Storing eggs on the counter top instead of the refrigerator also speeds up the aging process a bit.
Use steaming instead of boiling. Steaming your eggs on the stove top or in the instant pot makes the shells much easier to remove, even with fresh eggs.
For a stove top steamer, add water to the bottom of the pan, below the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil and add eggs. Cover and steam the eggs for 15 minutes, then chill in an ice bath for 15 minutes before peeling.
For an instant pot, add 1 cup of water to your pot and place the eggs on the rack insert. Cook at high pressure for 3-4 minutes, depending on egg size. (Cook duck eggs for six minutes.)
Remove eggs from pot and chill in an ice bath for 15 minutes before peeling.
Add baking soda to your boiling water. If you’re boiling eggs on the stove top, add a teaspoon of baking soda to your water to make peeling easier. Chill before peeling.
Don’t skip chilling your eggs! Take the time to put your cooked eggs into an ice bath or cold water bath before peeling, or chill overnight. This gives the egg white time to firm up so you don’t destroy your eggs when you peel.
If you need tips for boiling eggs just right and easy ways to get the peels off, check out “How to Boil an Egg“.
The Fastest Way to Fill your Deviled Eggs
Sure, you can stuff filling in with a spoon, but I recommend the use of a piping bag for filling your deviled eggs. It makes the process so quick and easy.
You can buy reusable decorating bags or disposable decorating bags. For these eggs, I used a large star tip on my piping bag.
If you don’t have a piping bag, use a zippered food storage bag and cut off one corner.
To easily fill your piping bag, invert it into a large glass or mason jar. Scoop in filling, and twist or fold closed. You’re ready to fill deviled eggs in record time.
Piping bags are also great for making cream puffs, mini tarts or cheesecakes. You can use them to stuff cheese filling into manicotti, and all sorts of other kitchen tasks.
How to Make Deviled Eggs
The classic deviled eggs recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cookbook (1961).
To make deviled eggs:
Cut the boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and place in a small bowl or mini food processor.
Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Blend or smash with a fork until smooth and creamy.
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For the avocado deviled eggs, cut the eggs in half and remove the yolks. Blend the yolks with a whole avocado, hot sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper.
Use a piping bag or spoon to fill the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture. Sprinkle with paprika, smoked paprika, or finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish.
Deviled Egg Recipe Variations
Instead of separating the whites and yolks, blend all the ingredients together for an egg salad sandwich filling.
Add a tablespoon of pickle relish to your deviled egg filling for extra flavor, or try a teaspoon of Dijon mustard instead of the dry mustard.
For the bacon lovers – add a slice of crumbled bacon to your filling. Make sure your bacon is finely chopped or crumbled so it doesn’t plug up the pastry tube. Sprinkle with additional bacon for garnish, if desired.
Garnish ideas for your deviled eggs.
For your holiday table, slice some green olives crosswise, and use the pimentos to make a small bow so they look like a miniature wreath.
When we had the family catering business, we used to get creative with holiday canapes.
If you have plenty of time or extra hands in the kitchen, use miniature cookie cutters or a sharp knife to cut pimentos into tiny stars.
Other garnish ideas include mini shrimp, crumbled blue cheese, smoked salmon, capers – use your imagination.
PrintClassic Deviled Eggs
These classic deviled eggs are always welcome at gatherings. To pack them for lunches, stack the two halves back together to make sure all the filling stays in place.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 3 tablespoons salad dressing
Instructions
Cut hard boiled eggs in halves. Slip out yolks. Mash yolks with fork or food processor. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Refill whites with egg yolk mixture, heaping slightly. Serve chilled and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
I highly recommend the use of a piping bag for filling the eggs, because it makes the process so quick and easy.
To easily fill your piping bag, simply invert it into a large glass or mason jar. Scoop in filling, twist or fold closed, and you’re ready to fill deviled eggs in record time.
These guacamole devils (avocado deviled eggs) are from the Primal Blueprint free reader created e-book. They are keto friendly, with healthy fats and low net carbs.
PrintAvocado Deviled Eggs (Guacamole Devils)
With a boost in heart healthy fats from avocado, these guacamole devils are low in net cards and keto friendly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut hard boiled eggs in halves. Slip out yolks and scoop out avocado. Mash together yolks and avocado with fork or food processor. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Refill whites with egg yolk mixture, heaping slightly. Serve chilled and store in the refrigerator.
How far ahead can I prep deviled eggs?
You can boil the eggs two days ahead, and make the classic deviled eggs a day in advance.
The avocado deviled eggs are more attractive when eaten the same day they are made, as the color fades in storage. That said, if you cover them with bacon bits, no one will care about the color.
If you need to keep your eggs cool on a buffet table, consider a chilled serving platter. This cold appetizer tray has an insert for deviled eggs, but can also be used for salads or other cold dishes.
I hope you enjoy these recipes. If you have some deviled egg tips or ideas to share, leave a comment below.
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Originally posted in 2015, last updated in 2020.