The Best Deviled Eggs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you add vinegar to deviled eggs? ›

Do I have to use vinegar? No, but it does give the eggs that tangy flavor. If you choose to leave it out you may want to add a little more mustard. If you don't have vinegar on hand, you can also replace it with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Notes and Tips...

No time for the whole thing. I cook the eggs the day before and (when cooled) cut them in half. I prep the egg yolk mixture (and refrigerate). I place the egg whites, cut side down, onto 1-2 paper towels in a container with a lid.

Cook the eggs in gently-simmering water. Cook them no more than 10 minutes. Cool them immediately in ice water. You won't have the rubber problem again.

Lemon juice (or vinegar): I love the fresh, bright flavor of lemon juice in deviled eggs. But vinegar (white, white/red wine, or apple cider vinegar) is the traditional option and would also work well. Dijon mustard: Feel free to add in a bit more or less, depending on how mustardy you like your eggs.

Therefore, adding one tablespoon or 15 ml of vinegar for every quart of water in the pot is recommended. So, vinegar for hard boiled eggs can save you time and effort when peeling and also help you get more out of your protein-rich snack!

Making them too far in advance

Deviled eggs can be watery, dry, or lose flavor the longer they sit, so don't make them too far in advance. For the best results, prep your eggs and make the filling up two days in advance, and store them separately. Assemble the eggs before serving.

How many deviled eggs do you need per person? Plan 2 to 3 deviled eggs per person for your get-together. A dozen eggs will make 24 deviled eggs, and that will be enough for 8 to 12 people. If you have leftovers you can store them in the fridge for 24 hours and snack on them the next day.

Place eggs in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the eggs cook, covered, for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on your desired done-ness (see photo). Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill for 14 minutes.

Standard deviled eggs are undeniably good, but adding a touch of tomato paste and a generous pinch of smoked paprika makes them a bit more sophisticated. The flavor is gently sweet, forcefully spicy and perfectly smoky.

What is the best piping tip for deviled eggs? ›

Use a pastry bag with a piping tip for a beautiful presentation when filling your deviled eggs. The three tips I use most often are the open star, closed star, and round (usually, ⅜″ or 7/16″, depending on the filling and the size of the well).

Prep deviled eggs too far in advance, and you'll have dried out filling and stinky boiled egg whites. For the best results, prep your deviled eggs up to two days in advance and keep the egg whites and filling separate until you're ready to serve. This prepping method also applies if you're not even leaving the house.

So you've already added too much mayo to your deviled egg filling. Now what? The good news is you won't have to start over. The easiest way to go about, Pantry & Larder shares, is to just add more egg yolks.

"Vinegar is an inherently acidic material, so if we add a few drops of vinegar into that boiling water that is going to increase the rate of denaturing and it's going to make that happen faster and help the poached egg hold its shape better."

Adding white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to your pot of water allegedly results in softer, easier-to-peel eggshells. That's because the acid in vinegar dissolves some of the calcium carbonate that makes up the egg's hard exterior.

When vinegar is added to eggs, its acetic acid combines with the calcium carbonate in the eggshell to produce carbon dioxide gas and calcium acetate. This reaction creates an acidic environment in the container, which can cause the egg whites to denature and become opaque and rubbery.

No need for vinegar to achieve that tang – we're using hard-boiled eggs mixed with mayo and Dijon mustard for some extra flavor. Sprinkle a bit of premium sweet paprika and some chopped chives on top, and you've got yourself a fancy-looking snack that's actually really easy to make!