Deviled Eggs are an absolute must for Easter! This recipe is the classic version, nothing but mayonnaise, mustard, spices, and perfectly cooked eggs. Okay and maybe a secret ingredient or two. Originally published March 17, 2016.
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I’m still down in Manteca hanging out with my Mom while she recovers from surgery. Today Charlotte, who is 5, walks over to my mom and starts patting her repeatedly. “What’s that Grandma? What is that?”
“Well honey, that’s my breast.”
Charlotte sees me get dressed every single day. But she’s going to have to go to other sources to find out about this whole breast situation because apparently, mine have never been noticeable enough to comment on.
It was convenient that I photographed these deviled eggs at my mom’s house because she has one of these snazzy plates designed specifically to hold deviled eggs. I’ve never bought one because it seems silly to own a dish that is ONLY for one kind of recipe. On the other hand, deviled eggs are devilishly slippery. Someday when I die and we get to watch videos of whatever we want from earth life, I want to watch a huge round-up of people letting their entire platter of deviled eggs slide off onto the floor.
(Am I the only one who dreams about all the cool stuff we will get to know when we die? I imagine a great huge analytics room with giant screens and graphs everywhere. We could see data on anything: how many miles you ran in your whole life (mine would be pitiful) how many books you read compared to the rest of the world, how many people dropped platters of deviled eggs…it’s going to be awesome.)
You’ll love this recipe for deviled eggs
This recipe has no special ingredients! It’s just a no-fuss classic recipe. My 2 tips are to add seasoned salt instead of regular kosher salt for a bit more flavor and add a dash of cayenne pepper. Just a little bit, not to make them spicy, just to add interest.
And don’t add too much mayonnaise! I’ve ruined many a batch by being heavy handed on the mayo. You want a smooth and creamy filling, but you want it to taste like eggs, not mayonnaise. I added one tablespoon at a time until I thought it was perfect. Hang onto this recipe for Easter Sunday! It’s not Easter without deviled eggs!
Classic deviled egg ingredients
Only four ingredients, plus some seasoning, for perfect deviled eggs. Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- eggs
- mayonnaise
- yellow mustard
- Dijon mustard
- seasonings (I like Lawry’s seasoning salt and cayenne pepper, but you can also use black pepper, regular or smoked paprika)
How to make deviled eggs
You’ve no doubt been to a potluck before where they’ve got deviled eggs…but they’re not CLASSIC deviled eggs. They’ve got little pimentos, or sliced green onions, or pickle relish, or cut-up olives, or some other mysterious mix-in that just doesn’t look right. Don’t be that guy!
Keep it simple with mayo, mustard, and some basic (I’m talking really basic) seasonings.
The full instructions are down below in the recipe card, but let me give you the run-down on how to make deviled eggs.
How long to boil eggs for deviled eggs
Who’s had trouble hard-boiling eggs? I mess it up every time, whether it’s overcooking or having impossible to peel shells. Do you have any boiling tips? Please let me know!
For this recipe, you can steam or boil your eggs. I always steam my eggs and I get perfect results every time. It´s sooooooo much easier! The best part is that they are SO EASY to peel.
I timed myself, I peeled 9 eggs in 4 minutes and 51 seconds. Plus I stopped to take photos. My one tip for boiling OR steaming eggs is to use OLD eggs, not fresh ones. If you try to boil fresh eggs that you just bought, those peels will stick no matter how you cook ’em. Eggs last forever, buy them in bulk so you always have some on hand. I buy 5 dozen at a time (seriously).
Scoop the yolks out of the eggs and into a bowl or food processor. Crumble with a fork, then mix in mayo, mustard, dijon mustard, seasoned salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir (or pulse) together. Then scoop (or pipe) your yolk mixture back into the egg whites. That´s it.
Classic deviled eggs FAQ
Deviled is a term used in cooking that refers to something that is heavily seasoned or spicy (I guess because hell is hot?). Deviled eggs are heavily seasoned with mustard and plenty of seasonings.
These deviled eggs take about 12 minutes to cook, 20 minutes to cool in an ice bath, and another 10 or so to prepare. If you give yourself around 45 minutes to an hour you’ll probably be pretty close, from start to finish. Of course, the cooking and cooling time is hands off, so these are easy to work on while you’re doing other kitchen stuff (see: scrolling Instagram, taking bites of cake out of the fridge, wondering how much it would cost to hire someone else to wash the dishes).
If you’re planning on serving deviled eggs to your guests or bringing them to a party, you’re probably wondering how many you need to make. It’s probably safe to bring about one whole egg (AKA two deviled egg halves) per person. I mean, know your audience though. There’s always that one person who could polish off a whole tray (I see you out there!). This recipe makes 18 deviled egg halves, or about enough for 9 people–feel free to adjust accordingly.
I skip the boiling for this recipe and steam the eggs instead, which I find to be a lot easier and a lot more fool-proof. And it takes just 12 minutes!
If you do want to boil your eggs, I recommend placing your eggs in a pot and covering them with one inch of cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat off right away and cover your pot with the lid. You can let them sit like that, covered, but off the heat, for 10-12 minutes, depending on how firm you like your hard-boiled egg yolks. From there, they go straight into an ice bath, just like when you steam them.
You can steam (or boil) the eggs and make the filling the day before but I would wait until day-of to pipe the filling into the egg shells. Just store the filling and egg whites separately in air-tight containers or Ziplock baggies.
Other egg recipes you will love!
Sriracha Deviled Eggs >> personal fav!
Deviled Guacamole Eggs >> no mayo in these!
Classic Egg Salad Sandwich >> this is unbeatable! It’s not Easter without one of these bad boys.
Dijon Deviled Eggs with Maple Candied Bacon >> deviled eggs are already everyone’s favorite appetizer, and using Dijon and adding candied bacon just puts them over the top
Creamy Asiago Deviled Eggs from Life’s Ambrosia
Parmesan Pesto Deviled Eggs from Lemon Tree Dwelling
Bacon and Blue Deviled Eggs from Cake n Knife
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Classic Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 9 large eggs*
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt, like Lawry’s
- dash cayenne pepper
- black pepper to taste
- regular or smoked paprika, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Begin by cooking your eggs. I highly recommend steaming:**
- Add about 2 inches of water to a pot that has a steam basket. Cover (without the steamer) and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, add 9 eggs to the steam basket.
- When the water is at a rolling boil, remove the lid and place over the steam basket, and place the covered basket over the boiling water.
- Set a timer for 12 minutes right away.
- Meanwhile prepare an ice bath, or a large bowl with very cold tap water will work fine too.
- When the timer goes off transfer the eggs to the cold water. I use a spoon to transfer them one a time but do it however you like.
- Let cool in the water for about 20 minutes.
- Peel the eggs and slice each one in half lengthwise.
- Scoop the yolks into a bowl or food processor. Place the whites on a serving platter. Crumble the yolks with a fork or pulse a couple times.
- Add the rest of the ingredients: mayonnaise, mustard, dijon mustard, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
- Stir together or pulse.
- Scoop the filling back into the egg whites. You can pipe it if you want, but I actually prefer the natural look of just spooning it in.
- Sprinkle with paprika and serve!
- You can make them a day ahead if you want! Just keep covered in the fridge. Perfect make-ahead appetizer.
I agree with you…I’m hoping I get to find out EVERYTHING in Heaven!!
Ahaha!! See I’m not that only one!! 😂😂
“It’s going to be awesome” It being…death. Go Karen. ;)
I really love deviled eggs! and they’re great for Easter, you’re absolutely right! I usually add some mushrooms – seems a good ides to me :)
Mushrooms! I’ve never heard of that! Sounds interesting!
I’ve tried every trick and tip imaginable for peeling eggs. Nothing works for me. I just accept the fact that I can’t be good at everything. Ha. Did you see that video I shared last week where they completely deconstruct the egg and make deviled ones that way? It was the stupidest thing I’d ever seen. I’ll stick with imperfection and your way any day. Can’t beat a classic. Also? I could eat my weight in these. Hope your mom is recovering ok!!!
Luckily it was your mom and not a stranger! :)
Ha! You are so right Laura!!
i love deviled eggs…aka the only time eating two dozen eggs seems totally normal and delicious and plausible. but i never thought about steaming them! i am going to try that. when i hard boil eggs i use the put in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil uncovered, then turn off the heat and put a lid on, wait ten minutes method. the eggs are always perfect, cook-wise, but it’s a crap shoot as to whether they’ll peel easily or be franken-eggs, haha. (i buy fresh eggs every week because mostly they’re only used for scrambled eggs…i think i need to leave one box in my fridge though labeled “DON’T EAT YET” and leave it there for a month or more for when i want hard boiled!)
for those that don’t have a steamer basket, you can use a colander that fits over a pot that a lid fits onto. or, if you’re like me and that setup belonged to your roommate you no longer live with and you refuse to just buy a steamer basket, you can add the water to your pot, then put a big sheet of heavy duty foil over the top. crimp it to the sides of the pot, while pushing it down inside a little. then stab it all over with a sharp paring knife, press the lid back on, presto. steamer! i do this every time i steam wings for chicken wings. (obviously you want to use a pot with a domed lid, so the food can fit and the lid still seals, and more surface area [vs. a deeper pot] is better. i use this pot from my rachel ray stash: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71v2rDHo-BL._SY355_.jpg )
These eggs are screaming “summer cookout” to me! With the warm weather we’ve been having, all I can think about are summer block parties and all the delicious food :)
Well apparently you and I are in the same department when it comes to breast touching by 5 year olds – she’s never asked me that question either. Haha!! So funny Karen I burst out laughing – all by myself at home. (Chip will enjoy this later, I’m sure)
thanks for the basic recipe. I never can find a good plain basic deviled egg recipe! BTW I’ve solved the whole green ring around the yolk issue – I bought an electric egg cooker.
Haha!! She is going to have to go to you for all her fashion questions and my mom for all her changing -body-during-puberty questions Kris, because you and I will be no help at all. hahaha!!
I tried to find any videos of people spilling slippery deviled eggs off of plates but couldn’t find a thing. This is a real weak point for the internet people – somebody get on this!
Seriously though! Come on internet! Like how have we gotten this far.
I put sweet pickle relish and capers in mine
Ooh that sounds delicious Paulette! Thanks for the idea!
I like my deviled eggs plain and am always disappointed when I bite into one and it’s got junk in it.
I’m kind of with you Shelly! There are some exceptions but usually I just like them plain!