Classic Deviled Eggs

What You’ll Need

I’ve outlined the five simple ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Find the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.

• Hard boiled eggs – The main ingredient in deviled eggs, and simple to make with my recipe for easy peel hard boiled eggs.
• Mayonnaise – Use a good-quality mayo for the best flavor and texture.
• Mustard – I use regular prepared yellow mustard.
• Vinegar – White vinegar gives a clean, tangy flavor.
• Salt – I add just a touch of salt, for the perfect flavor.
• Garnishes – Keep it classic with a sprinkle of paprika and some fresh chives or dill.

How To Make Deviled Eggs

Follow along with my simple steps for how to make deviled eggs. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

• Prepare eggs. Peel eggs and then slice them in half lengthwise.
• Make the yolk filling. Place the yolks in a bowl with the remaining ingredients.

• Mash. Use a fork to mash everything together.
• Blend. This is not required, but you can use an immersion blender to create a super smooth and creamy filling.

• Add filling to the whites. Fill the egg white halves with the yolk filling, using either a spoon or pastry bag.

• Serve. Add classic garnishes, such as paprika and fresh chives or dill. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Tips for the Best Deviled Eggs

Here’s how to make the best deviled eggs, with my best tips!

• Use my hard-boiled eggs method. I’ve mentioned this already, but this is worth repeating more than once. I highly recommend that you use my recipe for easy peel hard boiled eggs. It truly gives you the best, least frustrating hard boiled eggs. They’re not only perfectly easy to peel, but the yolks are always beautifully yellow (no greenish-gray yolks!).
• Slice the other way! Most people, including myself, slice the hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise. But you can also slice them in half the other way, which creates more of an upright “cup” effect. To get the eggs to sit up straight, slice off a small piece from the bottom of the egg white to give it a flat surface to rest on.
• Blitz with an immersion blender. For the smoothest filling, give the yolk mixture a blitz with an immersion blender to eliminate any lumps.
• Pipe the filling. For a pretty presentation, add the yolk filling to a piping bag, then pipe the filling into the egg white halves. I highly recommend that you use an immersion blender to create a very smooth filling if you want to do this.
• Scoop the filling. You can use a small cookie scoop to add the yolk filling to the egg white halves.
• Subtitute with Dijon mustard. Swap the yellow mustard in the filling for Dijon mustard, for a deeper mustard flavor.
• Add pepper. A bit of white or black pepper is always a nice addition to deviled eggs along with the salt.
• Sprinkle paprika. A classic finish for deviled eggs is a sprinkle of sweet or smoky paprika over their tops.
• Add more salt. For an extra pop of salty crunch, sprinkle sea salt flakes over the top.

Variation Ideas

I invite you to play around with this classic deviled eggs recipe. Here are my favorite variation ideas, 12 different ways to garnish deviled eggs:

1. Paprika + chives + radish: Sprinkle the yolk filling with paprika and chopped chives. Then tuck in a fresh radish slice for crispy texture and a spicy, peppery flavor.
2. Bacon + blue cheese + chives: Add chopped bacon and blue cheese crumbles, plus chopped chives or green onion.
3. Sriracha + sesame seeds + cilantro: Create a little indent in the yolk filling, then add your favorite Sriracha. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.
4. Smoked salmon + capers + lemon: Press smoked salmon into the filling, plus briny capers and fresh lemon zest. (If preparing in advance, wait to add the fresh lemon peel until shortly before serving, so the peel doesn’t dry out.)
5. Olives + sundried tomatoes + Italian parsley: Press a slice of kalamata olive into the yolk filling, along with sundried tomato and fresh parsley.
6. Feta + lemon + oregano: Press small pieces of Feta cheese into the yolk filling, plus fresh lemon zest and small oregano leaves. (If preparing in advance, wait to add the fresh lemon zest until shortly before serving.)
7. Ham + cheddar + green onion: Press cubed ham and cheddar into the yolk filling. Sprinkle with green onion and black pepper.
8. Prosciutto + Parmesan + chives: I call this my “fancy ham & cheese” version! Tuck small rolls of prosciutto and shaved Parmesan into the yolk filling. Finish with chives and black pepper.
9. Green olives + lemon + black pepper: Tuck slices of pimento-stuffed green olives into the yolk filling. Finish with lemon zest and black pepper.
10. Jalapeno + cumin + cilantro: Press fresh jalapeno slice(s) into the filling. Sprinkle with cumin and cilantro.
11. Potato chips + chives + black pepper: Press crushed potato chips (sour cream & onion or BBQ flavored chips are SO GOOD!) into the yolk filling. Finish with chopped chives and black pepper. (If preparing in advance, wait to add the potato chips until shortly before serving so the potato chips don’t get soggy.)
12. Tomato + ripe black olive + taco seasoning: Taco-inspired! Press quartered grape tomatoes and ripe black olive slices into the yolk filling. Sprinkle with taco seasoning, green onion, and cilantro.

Proper Storage

Deviled eggs are best enjoyed fresh, although you can certainly make them in advance. Here’s how to store your deviled eggs:

• Make ahead – If you want to make deviled eggs in advance, you can make the hard boiled eggs ahead of time and keep them, peeled or unpeeled, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. When you’re ready to make the recipe, take them out of the fridge and proceed with the instructions. You can also completely make the deviled eggs the night before, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just know that if you sprinkle the deviled eggs with paprika, and the eggs sit overnight or for even a couple hours, that the paprika can somewhat “bleed” into the egg white and not look so fresh. If I make deviled eggs the night beforehand, I prefer to wait with the paprika sprinkle until shortly before serving.
• Fridge – Place deviled eggs in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

More Appetizer Ideas

• Shrimp Dip
• Chili Cheese Dip
• Sausage Cheese Balls
• Queso Fundido
• Pickled Beets