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    Home » Appetizers

    Simple Deviled Eggs

    Published: Mar 27, 2023 · Modified: Mar 25, 2024 by Tammy Circeo · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Yum
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    One of the best and easiest appetizers or snacks to make is Simple Deviled Eggs. There are as many ways to make them as there are cooks. Some people add in pickle relish, jalapenos, or olives, but my favorite is a no-fuss version.

    A deviled egg plate with Simple Deviled Eggs

    Choose the best eggs

    When it comes to buying eggs, the labels can be quite confusing and even misleading.

    • Cage-free sounds great until you learn that the chickens could be in a pen with no natural vegetation or access to the outdoors.
    • Free-range requires the birds to be outdoors for a minimum of six hours a day, but the farmer is only required to provide two square feet of space for each bird and that might be open field or it might be a small patch of dirt.
    • Certified organic is the only label regulated by the Department of Agriculture. It simply means that the chickens have outdoor access and are fed feed that is free of GMOs, antibiotics or animal byproducts. This doesn't necessarily make them safer or more healthy.
    • The label "Vegetarian" cracks me up because chickens, by nature, are not vegetarian! They are omnivores, meaning they eat everything, meat, bugs, worms, vegetables ... pretty much anything you throw in their feed trough! Furthermore, much of the chicken feed on the market comes from crops that were heavily covered with pesticides.
    • Farm fresh or pastured eggs are my choice ... from small local farms where I know what they are fed and if they have room to roam. Thankfully, my daughter is my current supplier!
    Farm fresh eggs laying on a blue patterned tea towel

    How to boil eggs


    There are probably as many ways to boil an egg as there are cooks!

    • The traditional method of boiling them in a pot with plenty of water for 10 minutes is probably the most popular as it is something everyone can easily do.
    • Steaming is another convenient method and seems to make them easier to peel. You can do this on the stove or in the InstantPot. You just put them in a steamer in a pot (or in the InstantPot), put 1-2 inches of water in the bottom, and bring to a boil. On the stove, leave them for 10 minutes. In the InstantPot, set it to manual for 5 minutes, and release the steam.
    Farm fresh eggs on a steaming tray for the InstantPot

    Ice water plunge

    One of the most important things is to immediately plunge the eggs into ice water to cool them so that you can peel them quickly.

    Cooked eggs in ice water in a jadeite bowl

    Peeling them quickly releases sulphur which keeps the yolks nice and yellow rather than turning grey.

    Peeling the eggs immediately after cooking

    Make the filling

    I have always cut eggs for deviled eggs horizontally, but I've seen others cut the top third of the white off to create more of a little cup. I wouldn't want to waste that top bit of white so I'm going to stick with the horizontal cut.

    Another tip ... that, according to the photo, I didn't adhere to ... is to store eggs with the pointed end down. There's a naturally-occurring air bubble inside each egg's rounded side, which helps keep the yolk more centered inside the egg. It will not only give you prettier deviled eggs, but it will also help your eggs stay fresh longer.

    The yolks are in a bowl and the whites on a dish

    Mash the egg yolks with the tines of a fork, a ricer, or a really cool vintage pounder. I saw Nancy Fuller using one on her show Farmhouse Rules and I started keeping my eyes peeled in the antique shops. I use it for deviled eggs, obviously, and to pound garlic cloves, meat, and smashing small boiled potatoes for frying.

    Yolks mashed with a vintage masher in a green jadeite bowl with mayonnaise and mustard measured on the side

    As I said before, these deviled eggs are quite simple. I just use a bit of mayonnaise, some yellow mustard, salt, and a smidge of pickle juice for the acidity and to smooth out the filling.

    Mayonnaise and mustard measured out

    You can use Dijon mustard if you want, but I prefer the color of the yellow.

    Egg yolk mixture in a jadeite bowl with small wooden spoon

    How to serve

    A deviled egg tray is nice to have, but if you don't have one, lay some microgreens, green leaf, or butter lettuce leaves on a plate or platter and arrange the deviled eggs on them. So pretty. I like to garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, some bacon crumbles, and chives. Dill is pretty as well.

    There's hardly a wrong time to serve Deviled Eggs! They make a great appetizer or addition to a charcuterie board. A picnic is certainly made better when deviled eggs are in the basket. Barbecues and cookouts are definitely the time to whip up some Simple Deviled Eggs.

    Recipe

    A deviled egg plate with Simple Deviled Eggs

    Simple Deviled Eggs

    Tammy Circeo
    One of the best and easiest appetizers or snacks to make is Simple Deviled Eggs. There are as many ways to make them as there are cooks. Some people add in pickle relish, jalapenos, or olives, but my favorite is a no-fuss version.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 halves

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 eggs
    • ¼ cup mayonnaise
    • 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
    • 1-2 teaspoons pickle juice or apple cider vinegar
    • salt and pepper to season
    • smoked paprika to sprinkle on top
    • bacon crumbles 1-2 slices, cooked and cut
    • 3-4 chive sprigs to garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Place the eggs in a pot of water and allow the water to come to a boil. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Immediately drain the boiling water off and fill the pot with cold water and ice. Let the eggs cool for 5 minutes, then peel them. The sooner you can peel them, the better so that the yolks don't turn grey. See Notes for how to steam rather than boil.
    • Slice the eggs in half horizontally. Put the yolks in a bowl and the egg whites on a deviled egg tray. If you don't have one, lay some microgreens, green leaf, or butter lettuce leaves on a plate or platter and arrange the deviled eggs on them. So pretty.
    • Break the yolks up with a fork, a ricer, or a vintage pounder, then mix with the mayonnaise and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add enough pickle juice to loosen it up, but not so much as to make it runny. Using a teaspoon, spoon the yolk mixture into the egg white halves.
    • Sprinkle the tops with smoked paprika, place some bacon crumbles on each egg, and top with chives sprigs.

    Notes

    Steaming is another convenient method to cook eggs and seems to make them easier to peel. You can do this on the stove or in the InstantPot. Put them in a steamer in a pot (or in the InstantPot), put 1-2 inches of water in the bottom, and bring to a boil. On the stove, leave them for 10 minutes. In the InstantPot, set it to manual for 5 minutes, and release the pressure. Immediately put them in cold water and ice to cool down, then peel. 
    Keyword deviled eggs, eggs
    Yum

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    I have always loved nurturing and feeding people. My cooking style is influenced by my Southern parents, time living in Europe, and the foods available in the Pacific Northwest, where I lived for over 20 years. I cook from scratch and strongly support local farms and producers, believing that food plays a pivotal role in our quality of life.

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