Great Deviled Eggs Recipe

The best deviled eggs are creamy, savory, punchy, and light, made with good Dijon mustard, homemade mayo, and good olive oil.

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Dec. 05, 2019
20110915-deviled-eggs.jpeg
Photograph and video: J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

  • Using homemade mayo makes the dish stand apart from versions made with store-bought mayo.
  • Boiling the eggs until the yolks are perfectly done and shocking them in ice water prevents the egg yolks from developing off flavors.
  • Adding the oil in a steady stream while processing the filling makes for a light, fully emulsified deviled egg filling.

These creamy, super flavorful deviled eggs are inspired by the ones served at The Spotted Pig in New York. They are punchy, thanks to a generous amount of salt and vinegar, and light, because of a nice, loose, homemade mayo. They're everything a bar snack should be.

Deviled eggs can be made one day in advance, too. Just cook the eggs and make the filling, and store them separately overnight in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, just pipe the filling into the egg white halves and add the garnishes.

Featured Video
2:21

Recipe Facts

4

(7)

Active: 20 mins
Total: 20 mins
Serves: 16 deviled egg halves

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 12 large eggs, not too fresh (see note)

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) mayonnaise, preferably homemade

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) Dijon mustard

  • Up to 1 tablespoon (15ml) white wine vinegar

  • 1/2 teaspoon (3ml) Frank's RedHot sauce

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided (see note)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 tablespoons (85g) thinly sliced chives

  • Crushed red pepper or hot paprika

  • Crunchy sea salt, such as Maldon

Directions

  1. Add 1 tray of ice cubes to a large bowl and fill with water. Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water. Place steamer insert inside, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add eggs to steamer basket, cover, and continue cooking over high heat for 12 minutes. Immediately place eggs in bowl of ice water and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before peeling under cool running water. Slice each egg in half lengthwise.

  2. Place all yolks in the bowl of a food processor. Select 16 of the best-looking egg white halves and set aside; reserve remaining 8 for another use. Add mayonnaise, mustard, 1/2 tablespoon (7ml) vinegar, and hot sauce to food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

  3. With machine running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil. Season mixture to taste with salt and remaining vinegar (if desired). Transfer to a zipper-lock bag. Filling and egg white halves can be stored in the refrigerator up to overnight before eggs are filled and served.

  4. Cut off a corner of zipper-lock bag and pipe filling mixture into egg whites, overstuffing each. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper, chives, crushed red pepper or paprika, and sea salt. Serve immediately.

Special equipment

Large pot with steamer insert, food processor

Notes

For the best results, use really, really good olive oil. I like overstuffing the eggs, which leaves you with a few extra whites. Just eat 'em (or feed them to the dog). Eggs that are a couple of weeks old will peel more easily than very fresh eggs. You can boil the eggs and make the filling one day ahead of time.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
47 Calories
5g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 47
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 12mg 4%
Sodium 143mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 9mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes