Deviled Eggs
This classic, best ever deviled eggs recipe is a must serve every holiday or cookout. Plus, tips on how to make the perfect hardboiled egg every time!
A FOOLPROOF DEVILED EGGS RECIPE
No holiday meal (or cookout) is complete without a plate of deviled eggs. I don’t now what it is about these things, but I promise, folks will not stop eating them and you will have wished you made two or three plates of them. I think it’s just one of those things we don’t make very often so when we see them turn up, we all get a little excited. Let me show you how to make best deviled eggs each and every time along with how to make the perfect hardboiled egg!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)
The word “deviled” actually comes from an 18th century English cooking term that referred to any dish that was fried or boiled.
Vinegar adds a hint of acidity which works well with the fats in the egg yolks to create a surprisingly light and fluffy filling (it also gives it a beautiful bright yellow color!) I am using mustard (which contains vinegar) instead of vinegar to get that same effect.
I always account for at least 2 deviled eggs per person when trying to decide how many to make. If you know your crowd are major deviled egg lovers, then you’ll want to double that amount.
Yes. It is recommended that you cover them and store them in the refrigerator. They will be best if eaten within 2 days. So if you need these to serve tomorrow, you can certainly make them today!
No. It changes the texture of the egg white. The only part you can freeze is the yolk filling.
Keep them in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- large eggs – I’ve always been told that super fresh eggs don’t peel as well as eggs that are a little older (but not too old).
- mayonnaise – I prefer Hellman’s or Dukes but use a mayonnaise that you really enjoy. I am not a fan of Miracle Whip so I personally would not use that but this is all about your tastebuds.
- sweet pickle relish – some folks like dill relish instead of the sweet. Again, that is totally a taste preference and up to you. I think it might be a regional thing. Based off comments I get, folks from the northern states tend to like the dill and the southern folks tend to like sweet. It would be the same amounts.
- mustard – this might seem a bit strange but the vinegar in the mustard brightens up the other flavors and gives you a great yellow color in the yolks and the vinegar in the mustard actually helps to give you a slightly fluffier filling.
- paprika – I just use regular paprika but some people enjoy using the smoked.
HOW TO MAKE DEVILED EGGS
Get a pot of water to boiling. Once it’s boiling, gently and carefully add the eggs into the pot. Set a timer for 12 minutes. Once the timer goes off, drain the water out of the pot and add the eggs into an ice both (just fill a large bowl with lots of ice and cool water. Let the eggs sit in that ice bath for at least 30 minutes.
The key to peeling hardboiled eggs is that little thin membrane that is attached the egg shell. Gently tap the fat end of the egg to get it to crack.
Pick off the shell then look for that membrane. Take your fingers and pick off some of that membrane. The membrane is attached to the shell so if you get it off, then the shell comes with it.
Now, continue to slide your fingers or the inside of a spoon under that membrane to lift the shell off. Sometimes it helps to roll the egg gently on the counter to get that shell to loosen up a bit. You can also peel it under some cool running water.
Once you have them all peeled, set them on a paper towel and gently dry them off. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully remove all the yolks and set aside the egg whites for now.
Mash yolks with mayonnaise. Add relish, mustard, salt, and pepper; stir well.
Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites that you set aside earlier. You can also put the filling mixture into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the tip cut off and pipe it into the eggs. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika.
Then enjoy! Keep eggs covered and refrigerated if not serving right away.
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Originally published: April 2017
Updated photos and republished: March 2024
Best Deviled Eggs Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 2 ½ Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ Tablespoons sweet pickle relish (or dill pickle relish)
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- dash of fresh black pepper
- paprika (for garnish)
Instructions
- Get a pot of water to boiling. Once it's boiling, gently and carefully add the eggs into the pot. Set a timer for 12 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, drain the water out of the pot and add the eggs into an ice both (just fill a large bowl with lots of ice and cool water. Let the eggs sit in that ice bath for at least 30 minutes.
- The key to peeling hardboiled eggs is that little thin membrane that is attached the egg shell. Gently tap the fat end of the egg to get it to crack.
- Pick off the shell then look for that membrane.
- Take your fingers and pick off some of that membrane. Now, continue to slide your fingers or the inside of a spoon under that membrane to lift the shell off. Sometimes it helps to roll the egg gently on the counter to get that shell to loosen up a bit. You can also peel it under some cool running water.
- Once you have them all peeled, set them on a paper towel and gently dry them off.
- Slice eggs in half lengthwise.
- Carefully remove yolks (so you don't tear the egg whites) and add them to a bowl. Set aside the egg whites for now.
- Mash yolks with mayonnaise.
- Add relish, mustard, salt, and pepper; stir well.
- Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites. You can also put the filling mixture into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the tip cut off and pipe it into the eggs.
- Sprinkle eggs lightly with a bit of paprika. Then enjoy! Keep eggs covered and refrigerated if not serving right away.
Notes
- I always boil a couple of extra eggs in case I have issues peeling one or two. Save those mistakes and use them for a little egg salad sandwich. Or use the extra yolks to add to your filling so that you have nicely stuffed deviled eggs.
- If you don’t like sweet pickle relish, you can leave it out.
- You can make these up to one day ahead of time.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This is the perfect recipe for classic deviled eggs. Everyone loves these.
I add just a little fine chopped onions to mine otherwise it’s the exact same recipe.
Hi Barbara – love hearing that! Onions tend to overrule all the other flavors for me but I’ll take deviled eggs any way I can get them! 🙂
My attempts to cook the eggs to the point where they peeled easily were often hit or miss. I was skeptical about your technique but I tried it AND with great success!! Yay! They peeled easily and the yolks were a beautiful bright yellow. Perfection! I do want to add that I started with eggs that were at room temperature before I started the process.
Hi Roseanne! I am doing a happy dance for you! That cooling down process really helps. Thank you for coming back to let me know!!
I love the classics too! However, we have friends that are very health conscious so I tried substituting plain Greek yogurt for 1/2 the mayo & no one noticed the difference.
Thanks so much for letting me know your tip! Great information to know for others 🙂
They are good… and they fit with many different meals. 🙂
Thank you for sharing such a tasty recipe – we loved it!
So happy you liked this recipe Remo! Thanks for coming back to leave a review!
This is the same recipe I always use to make my deviled eggs Instead of mashing the yolks with a fork, I use a grater and grate it into a bowl. It seems to make the yolks lighter and more fluffy. After mixing the ingredients into the yolks, I put the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe it into the white part. Then I place a slice of green olive on it and sprinkle with paprika to make it pretty. I always take an empty platter home.
Is it OK to omit the relish? My family are not relish fans.
Of course! You can totally make this to taste. 🙂
I make my deviled eggs this way too, but i decorate the tops with a slice of green olive and parsley leaves.
I’ve been making eggs like this since my mother taught me how back when I was a teen. Now married with two teens! My son loves these eggs. Everyone that has tasted mine just can’t get enough! Funny thing is….I dislike eggs! I love to make deviled eggs but I won’t eat one!
I’m glad I’m not the only one that doesn’t eat eggs I do love making them though!
Helmans is called ‘Best Foods’ in my neck of the woods & yes its the BEST!!
Great classic recipe! I’ll take a great classic over a tarted up nouveau fou-fou version anytime!
I prepare my eggs the same way, also. Occasionally, I’ll get eggs that are “sticky” and refuse to peel properly even under running water. At such times, I put the eggs with their cracked shells back into the pan, fill it with cold water and leave them in the pan 2 or 3 minutes, before proceeding with peeling. It sometimes helps facilitate the peeling process of “sticky” eggs a bit if water seeps into the cracked egg shells while they’ve been submerged in the water.
Totally agree Wynn! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
I use DILL relish, and/or a bit of fresh dill instead of sweet relish…
I used to help my grandma make deviled eggs when I was a kid. This is the same way we always made them except she didn’t use relish. I started using sweet relish several years ago and everyone loves them. It doesn’t matter how many dozen I have, they are always gone.
This is the way I make my deviled eggs with two slight changes. I use Miracle Whip instead of mayo and I use dill relish instead of sweet. I made these with dill relish then another platter of ones with sweet relish for a dinner at work. All the eggs were gobbled up and even the ones that I prefer with the dill relish.
same recipe I use, except my family prefers sweeter so I use Miracle Whip, and I can sweet pickles, so they must have sweet pickles added! Love your recipes and the photos too!
This is the same way I make my deviled eggs, except that I use Hellman’s instead of mayonnaise. I wonder if anyone thinks the Hellman’s tastes better? Mayonnaise is too sweet for my taste. Two things I love the most are deviled eggs and egg salad, and I use Hellman’s in both.
Hellmann’s IS REAL mayonnaise. You are thinking of Miracle Whip which is more of a salad dressing. Always use Hellmann’s for deviled eggs and potato salad.
I agree Maureen. Definitely need a real, good quality mayonnaise for these. Many of my fellow southern friends like it with Duke’s mayo. Duke’s is a little tangy for my taste so I tend to use Hellmann’s or JFG. But if you like more of that tang – definitely go with Duke’s. 🙂
Hellman’s or best food is the one I have ever used. You might be thinking about salad dressing or miracle whip to sweet.
Hellman’s makes mayonnaise.
What exactly are you using that’s Hellman’s?
Yum. I agree, the best deviled eggs are the ones with just the classic ingredients. Saw these at the weekend potluck this morning. Great idea for Easter this weekend 🙂
I agree with you completely. I don’t know why people feel like they have to tart up devilled eggs with so many ingredients. My deviled egg recipe is the same as yours except I don’t add the relish. My Gram made them this way, My mom makes them this way, and they are perfect.
There really is nothing like the classic. My family LOVES these deviled eggs. I only make them a couple of times a year, but they go quickly when I do!
That’s the way I’ve always made them, too. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” LOL
I agree with Joan. My mother has been making them just like this my whole life (and I am 54). And I continue to make them this way. Nothing fancy! But they always get gobbled up first!
I’m going to try your deviled eggs this year! I’m kind of burned out on my own “Best Ever Deviled Eggs” which is just Thousand Island dressing and bacon bits mixed into the hard boiled egg yellows… You are my A#1 food Blogger Brandi. I know anytime I set out to try a recipe of yours, it’s guaranteed to turn out great, and they always end up in my recipe book under the “Winners Circle” category, which means these are made over and over again, lol… Love you so much!!! Keep them winners coming girl… 😀
I have my deviled eggs this way for ever except no relish. I save the relish for my egg salad. It is so nice to see someone else likes the classic deviled egg. Thank you
Sometimes I use JALAPENO MUSTARD, gives them a little kick but certainly not hot. They are REALLY good!
I cut down on the Mayo and add A LOT of SPICEY BROWN MUSTARD to give it the extra wetness to compensate for the mayo and it also gives it a little “Zip”.
This is exactly the way I make deviled eggs for over 50 years. There is never enough every one gobbles them up right away. It is the only way to make them