This deviled eggs recipe is creamy, tangy, and downright irresistible. They’re perfect for holidays, parties, or any time you need a quick appetizer.
This is our go-to recipe for deviled eggs. The filling is simple and silky smooth. You can keep these classic or have fun with toppings. We’ve shared plenty of ideas and variations below.
To make truly great deviled eggs, you need to start with perfectly cooked eggs. Overcooked eggs can turn rubbery or gray, but when you get them right, the yolks stay bright and tender. Find my foolproof method for boiling eggs for deviled eggs below, plus all my tricks for making them the best.
Key Ingredients
- Eggs: I go for large or extra-large, and find that they are the perfect size for halving, and hold just the right amount of filling.
- Mayonnaise: This is what makes the filling rich, creamy, and smooth. Use a good-quality store-bought mayo or make homemade mayonnaise.
- Vinegar or Lemon: A little bit of acid, whether from white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice, brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the yolks and mayo.
- Mustard: I usually reach for yellow mustard, which adds that classic tangy flavor. Dijon mustard works, too, but has a bit more of a tangy bite.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Deviled Eggs
Tip 1: Make hard-boiled eggs. I have two foolproof methods for making hard-boiled eggs. The first happens in a saucepan on the stove, and the second calls for an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker):
- Stovetop: Add your eggs to a wide saucepan in a single layer and cover them by 2 inches with water. Bring the water to a simmer, let it bubble for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and let the eggs sit for 12 minutes (for large eggs). Transfer them to an ice bath to cool, then peel. For other egg sizes, see our guide for how to cook hard-boiled eggs.
- Instant Pot: Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot, then place a trivet or steamer basket on the bottom. Arrange the eggs in a single layer on top. Cook on Manual or High Pressure for 8 to 9 minutes, then manually release the pressure. Immediately transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking. For more, see our recipe for Instant Pot boiled eggs.
Tip 2: My #1 trick for easy-peel eggs. I’ve tried just about every trick for easy-to-peel eggs, and the one that works best is cooling them completely in an ice water bath. If the shells are still stubborn, crack the cooled egg all over, submerge it in the ice water for 5 minutes, and then peel. The water seeps underneath the shell, helping it slide off easily.
Tip 3: Make the filling. Once you have hard-boiled eggs, making deviled eggs is easy! Peel and cut your eggs in half, then scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to mash them (perfectly cooked yolks will break down easily). Then, stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.
Tip 4: Fill the egg whites. To fill your egg white halves, you can use a spoon, a piping bag, or my favorite shortcut: a small cookie scoop. It makes filling faster, neater, and they look really pretty.
Recipe Variations
Above, I’ve shared our basic recipe for deviled eggs, but there are so many ways to make them your own. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- Classic: Keep it traditional with a light dusting of smoked or sweet paprika. I also love adding a sprinkle of flaky sea salt just before serving.
- Add relish: Stir in a spoonful of sweet or dill relish to the filling. Or, top each egg half with a small slices of dill pickles or bread and butter pickles.
- Make them spicy: Add a few drops of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to the filling. You can also top with thinly sliced pickled jalapeños for a little kick. Cowboy candy (candied jalapeños) is really great, too.
- Add herbs: Fresh herbs brighten everything up. Try chives, dill, parsley, or a mix of your favorites, either in the filling or on top.
- Add some protein: Dress them up with a small slice of smoked salmon, crispy bacon crumbles, or a sprinkle of feta cheese.
Make Ahead and Storing Tips
After making your deviled eggs, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. They’re best served cold. For food safety, don’t leave them at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If you’re serving a crowd, keep a second tray chilled in the fridge and replenish your serving plate as needed.
To make them ahead, you have two options. You can prepare the deviled eggs completely and refrigerate them, or boil your eggs in advance and assemble them the day you plan to serve them. If preparing in advance, keep the boiled eggs unpeeled (the shells help protect them), and store them in the refrigerator for up to one week.
How long do deviled eggs last? Freshly made deviled eggs keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. We don’t recommend freezing them, as the filling’s texture changes once thawed.
More Egg Recipes
Perfect Deviled Eggs
- PREP
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- TOTAL
This is my favorite way to make deviled eggs! We like a little less mustard than some, so you may want to add more than we suggest in the recipe below. I share how to cook the eggs on the stovetop below, but you can also use an Instant Pot to hard boil eggs. Feel free to add more ingredients to the recipe, suggestions are provided in the tips and article!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
6 large eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise, see our homemade mayonnaise recipe
1 teaspoon white vinegar, white wine vinegar or lemon juice
½ teaspoon yellow mustard
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Cook the eggs: Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Set over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, cover the pan with a lid, cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Let the eggs stand, covered, for 12 minutes (12 to 14 minutes total, depending on egg size).
2Prepare a bowl of ice water. Transfer the eggs to the ice bath with a slotted spoon and cool for 5 minutes. Crack the shells and peel carefully. If the shells don’t release easily, crack them in a few places, submerge again in the ice water for 5 minutes, and try peeling once more.
3Prepare the eggs: Pat the peeled eggs dry, then slice each in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolks and place them in a medium bowl. Arrange the egg whites on a serving platter.
4Make the filling: Mash the yolks with a fork until they form a fine, powdery texture. Stir in the mayonnaise, vinegar, and mustard. Season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then mix until smooth and creamy.
5Assemble: Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to fill each egg white half evenly. (Alternatively, spoon the filling into a resealable plastic bag, snip off a corner, and pipe it in.) Finish with a sprinkle of paprika for a classic look, or try one of the toppings suggested below.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. We don’t recommend freezing them, as the filling’s texture changes once thawed.
- Optional ingredients: flaky sea salt, smoked or sweet paprika, cooked bacon, pickles, pickled jalapeños, pickled onions, Sriracha, crumbled feta cheese, or fresh herbs (like chives, dill, or parsley).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I use a very small spoon to fill the egg white since I don’t own a piping bag or want to cut the corner of a zip bag (it gets all mushy in there).
In the past, the white of the egg would sometimes tear while filling. What I do now is place the whites in the freezer for about 20 minutes. They are now very firm and filling is MUCH easier.
hi i find cooking the eggs just like you discribe works good. one ingredient i like and seems to be popular is some horseradish like a tea spoon or two.
Joann, Little tip on the eggs cooking , 1 take a pin like the ones you use to pin up stuff on a cork board, kind with plastic end, pierce a hole in the the end of the egg where the air bubble is, this will let the air out and peal much better, I cook mine for about 5 mins, and when done, pour out the water and bang them around in them around in the pan to break the shells, then fill with ice and water, this also stop the cooking but drives the alum into the egg again so you have no black stope on the yoke. Now when you peal them the peals fall off cuz when you broke the shells the water gets between the shell and egg. Try it you won’t go back and let me know how you like it this way. Stony
My mom will be turning 100 Sept 17th 2022. I will be making about 100 deviled eggs. I do make mine the day before since I have quite a lot of deviled egg trays. Mine NEVER get watery. I make mine with mayo, lots of yellow mustard and S & P and sprinkle paprika on top. They will be gone before the night is over.
Hey guys! recently I’ve been steaming my eggs – the shell literally falls off every time! Just bring an inch or 2 of water to a boil, place eggs in a steamer basket, cover and steam for 15 minutes. cool in an ice bath immediately. Perfect every time!
Thank you so much about that idea for steaming the eggs !! This is the only thing that has worked for me!!
deb: I’ve been steaming eggs (place a steamer basket in a saucepan and bring water to a boil before adding the eggs). I steam them for about 11 minutes/12 tops. Works like a charm.
I’m always over cooking or undercooking my eggs. Your Timing is dead on. I cooked eggs starting with cold water, at rolling boil covered and slid off of burner. 14 minutes then in cold water with ice. Perfect
This timing would depend on altitude. The higher the elevation the more variation in cooking time.
Deviled eggs are a staple at our house. Never tried them with vinegar or lemon. Interesting! I’ll definitely have to check this out. The two main staples for ours–mayo and dijon mustard. However, my husband will frequently add finely chopped shallots and parsley as well. We also have been recently adding just a smidge of curry powder to mix things up a bit. Just discovered your blog and loving the different ideas! Thanks!
I’ve made these so many times before but never thought about using a cookie scoop — thank you, they looked (and tasted) perfect!
Right? I am going to use my small melon baller this time, to see if it works. I always put the deviled mixture in a piping bag and it’s too difficult when I add diced spring onion and bacon! This will be so much easier.
Is it wrong to mix my pickles in with the Mayo, mustard, and vinegar? Sometimes I also throw in raw chopped onions. I too, like a little crunch. At 8,000 feet, in CO, I have to add to all cooking times. It is a guessing game, especially the first try. I added 30 sec to covered cook time, and 5 minutes to the total cook time. Do not feel bad about making them just for the two of you … I make them for one 😉
Thank-you, for sharing.
I made these and filled them the night before. Big mistake the filling became watery?. I have done this before never was a problem
Hi there, we do not recommend filling the eggs the night before. Instead, the key is to keep the whites and egg yolk filling separate. Wrap the egg white halves well with plastic wrap and keep the egg yolk filling sealed in a resealable plastic bag with all the air squeezed out.
Dip the whites in whisked egg and then in bread crumbs and deep fry in oil for a minute and a half or so then add the toppings. It’s madness….
Thank you ladies, I will for the first time be putting in baking soda to the water! Another add in my mom usually does, is celery. Cut real small into pieces! Great flavor and adds a little crunch! Enjoy!
Place a metal steamer basket in a electric pressure cooker bring up to pressure mine takes around 10 minutes set for 6 minutes allow pressure to naturally release for 6 minutes then manually release pressure place eggs in ice water till you can handle them shells will come right off I call this the 10-6-6 method
Deviled eggs have become my go to for a cocktail party. We live in a retirement community and there’s a cocktail party every night somewhere. Pink Flamingo parties, Full-Moon parties, “Every Night is Saturday Night” parties, you name it, there’s a party for it. I’ve frequently topped mine with caviar, smoked salmon, prosciutto, crispy pancetta, chives or finely minced green onions, Spanish smoked pimenton, finely diced tomatoes (drained & dried as much as possible), a sliver of spicy sausage or salami anything to make the humble egg more festive and special.
I’ve always used vinegar in the water to keep broken eggs intact, relish juice (pickle juice if need be) instead of vinegar, both dry & wet mustards, & paprika in & on them. Gonna try the baking soda in boiling water.
Love your article! We always make them with mayonnaise, dry Chinese mustard, salt and Tabasco. Gives them a nice savory bite!
Amazing guideline! Used Pompeian white wine vinegar, some McIlhenny Green Pepper sauce and Boar’s Head Deli mustard to church up the gig – turned out brilliant. Thanks for the template 😉 Five Stars A and J!!!
Have never used vinegar, but always use Best Foods mayo, yellow mustard, black pepper & finely chopped cooked bacon. I also scoop out some of the white so more filling.dont understand the vinegar as to me its then pickled deviled eggs.
Try it. Makes them “tangy”. Once you try it, they are bland without it.
Never made deviled eggs before, but I found your recipe very simple and easy to follow. A lot of recipes I looked at only included the steps after the eggs were boiled, but yours included everything and was great!
My family’s Deviled Egg recipe was originally written on the back of a Euchre score card! On one side is Us/Them with the tick marks of who won which hand. On the back are four ingredients. FOUR… that’s it. There are no measurements! Just the ingredients. It’s been handed down from one generation to the next solely by taste. The Four ingredients are: Miracle Whip, mustard, pickle juice and sugar. I have found, though, that the recipe REALLY needed to say Vlasic Dill Pickle Juice. I tried it with Claussen Dill Pickle juice, and I have to add red wine vinegar to it to get to to come out right. Mix this sauce with your mashed up yolks, and yum, yum, yum!! 🙂
I ADORE this! Thanks for sharing. May you have many happy Thanksgivings ahead to enjoy this recipe.
I wanted to add that when I make the devilled eggs I add a small dash of garlic powder too, along with hot sauce for some kick ! Along with the other ingredients.,.. BUT what makes my eggs rock is a couple of small pickled capers on top…or sometimes a slice of manzilla olive for that salty niceness.
Thank you – We love the recipe and tips! That OXO cookie scoop makes filling in of the yolk mixture so easy! To your exact recipe, we added a very little curry powder (McCormick brand) and put some capers on half of them and took them to a potluck. They then vanished with amazing speed!
My tip for easy to peel hard boiled eggs is pretty simple. I’ve done it a number of times and it’s always worked, even with fresher eggs. Get out your steamer, or I use a large pot, and a metal colander and a cover. Put in a couple inches of water and bring to a boil. Place the eggs in the steamer or pot and colander inside that. Put on the cover and steam for 16 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool under running water. When they’re cool enough to handle, I let mine get cold, peel them.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing, Betty.
Hey, thanks for the great tips. As you, and everyone else knows, peeling those darn eggs are the only reason we don’t eat deviled eggs everyday. To avoid the peeling, my so came up with the idea of making scrambled eggs and then mixing it with mayonnaise. It tasted ok, but the texture was off, and it turned out to be a one time snack.
It can be annoying sometimes! Too bad your work around didn’t work out as well 🙂
We also love devilled eggs at our house. I’ve tried many tips for easier shelling, and so far, for me, the most successful has been to add a tsp or two of baking soda to the water with the eggs.
To the yolks I always mix in a little celery salt or Cajun seasoning, white pepper, low fat mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of hot sauce (usually Tabasco), all to taste, of course, then sprinkle paprika on top. Haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking a touch of curry powder would be very interesting, too.
Haven’t made devilled eggs in quite a while. Thanks for sharing your recipe and reminding me to make a batch. The small cookie scoop is a great idea.
Great tips! We’ve never tried the baking soda trick, but heard good things!
Ive seriously been over cooking my eggs all this time. Love that this just now at 26 years old has taught me to boil and egg properly lol.. Thanks!
🙂 Glad we could help!