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Classic Deviled Eggs

A ceramic deviled egg tray on a marble countertop with deviled eggs and glasses of wine and seltzer to accompany story...
Photo by Travis Rainey, Styling by Joseph De Leo
  • Active Time

    15 minutes

  • Total Time

    40 minutes

This classic deviled egg recipe is an old favorite fromGourmet.The method is so simple that each ingredient really matters. Thepaprikawill determine the depth of flavor of each bite. You can garnish with any kind (hot or sweet Hungarian, or hot or sweet smoked), but the better the quality, the more complex the flavor will be. If your paprika has been sitting on the shelf for years, it’s time to get a new bottle.

It’s wise to useeggs purchased at a grocery storeinstead of the farm-fresh variety. The former tend to be a little older, which means they’ll beeasier to peelafter they’ve been boiled. And about those boiled eggs: We start them in cold water, bring to a boil, then let them cook gently before shocking them in ice water to cool them down. The technique renders perfectly cooked egg yolks, firm egg whites, and a shell that practically slips off.

Want to get fancy with the garnishes? Add pickled shallots and fresh herbs, crumbled bacon, or even trout roe. Or you can mix a littlehot sauce, harissa, chopped jalapeños, or canned chipotle into the filling for heat, or sweet pickle relish or chopped dill pickles for tang.

Ingredients

Makes 6 hors d'oeuvre servings

6 large eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
Garnishes: Paprika and chopped fresh chives

Special Equipment

  1. Step 1

    Cover eggs with cold water by 1½ inches in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a rolling boil, partially covered. Reduce heat to low and cook eggs, covered completely, 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking and let stand 5 minutes.

    Step 2

    Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks and mash in a bowl with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard, and cayenne and stir with fork until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Fill pastry bag with yolk mixture and pipe into egg whites.

    Editor’s note:This recipe was originally printed in the June 2002 issue of ‘Gourmet.’Click through to read more about how to boil eggs perfectly every time.

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Reviews (64)

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  • I never had good luck peeling hard boiled eggs UNTIL I learned to steam them, as described below this recipe by ROBINROBERTS. As I understand it, the hot steam on cold eggs causes the shell to bond with the membrane just inside the shell---that probably explains why my son gets similarly good results by putting cold eggs into boiling water to hard cook them. Since using the steaming method, I can use eggs fresh from the store without waiting for them to age. I can usually peel one steamed egg per minute with excellent results.

    • Anonymous

    • Staunton, VA

    • 11/20/2022

  • Good but put some paprika on the top and it would be great!

    • Jayceeheggie

    • Lethbridge AB Canada

    • 12/21/2019

  • I bumped this up a notch by adding about 1/2 tsp. of curry powder to the mayo/Dijon mixture. It makes a great egg salad as well.

    • lamare78

    • Hadley, MA

    • 4/27/2018

  • The recipe has insufficient mustard and cayenne. I'd increase both by at least x2.

    • ceelyd

    • Maryland

    • 7/12/2017

  • Very basic - I add finely chopped green onion, celery and radish to the yolk mixture.

    • lyta

    • Sarnia, Ontario Canada

    • 9/24/2016

  • While this is a good, somewhat old standard for deviled eggs, I made a couple of major modifications. I cut the mayonnaise down to three tablespoons and added one mashed avocado and the juice from one, small lime and about one teaspoon of Sriracha sauce and several minced garlic cloves. These changes incorporate the avocado suggestion from the May Clinic diet, the basic recipe from Epicurious and the Sriracha which can improve nearly any recipe.

    • bfreidy

    • San Francisco Bay Area

    • 5/28/2016

  • A good basic recipe, I like to use some sour cream and mayo combined rather than this all mayo version. For those of you struggling with peeling the eggs. I have tried many methods including the one in this recipe, but the one that works the best is to steam the eggs. Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a two part steamer pot, then put the eggs in the top steamer part and put on the bottom pot and cover. Unlike the recipe, you leave the water boiling while the eggs are steaming (14 minutes), when done put the eggs in cold water for about 10 minutes. It works great! The shells slide right off.

    • robinroberts

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 2/4/2016

  • Oh I forgot my rating!!

    • Anonymous

    • Nova Scotia, Canada

    • 12/25/2015

  • The cook from Litchfield, Connecticut (review from 2003) must be a brilliant cook. I did as he suggested and added the honey and the hot sauce instead of cayenne. I just made this dish for a Christmas Eve party and let me tell you the honey adds a mystery to it. I did use mayo, and I used horseradish dijon, otherwise followed recipe to the letter. Great recipe. A keeper. Oh - and the sweet smoked paprika is a must sprinkled on top!!!

    • Anonymous

    • Nova Scotia, Canada

    • 12/25/2015

  • i forgot to add that i added some greek yogurt as it was a little dry and i didn't want to add more mayo. this worked well. i often combine mayo and yogurt to make dips etc healthier.

    • hp

    • nyc

    • 4/24/2013

  • 31/2 stars. a very simple but well liked recipe. i did add a small amt of horseradish sauce and dusted with sweet paprika. i didnt have the pastry bag and was racing the clock so didnt have time to improvise so i just filled them with a spoon but they went like hot cakes. everyone likes a good old fashioned treat that looks pretty on a platter.i let them stay in the hot water 12 minutes covered after i turned off the gas and the yolks came out perfect.creamy and yellow.i put them in ice water for 10 min. then i ratttled them around the drained pan to get them crazed and cracked. then they peeled easily and looked lovely.THE SECRET TO EASY PEELING IS NOT TO USE VERY FRESH EGGS.YOU SHOULD HAVE THEM A WEEK OR MORE IN FRIDGE. IF YOU BOIL FRESH EGGS THE SHELL STICKS AND YOU END UP WITH MISSHAPEN mutant EGGS AS I DID LAST PASSOVER.

    • hp

    • the big apple

    • 4/24/2013

  • This is a really good basic recipe. I made this for Easter dinner because so many folks are so specific about what they like or don't like in hard boiled eggs that it's just better to go simple. These did the trick. I did "up" the style a bit with smoked paprika as garnish, but other than that, I stayed true to the recipe. I personally missed the pickle, but I think I was the only one :)

    • kissthekycook

    • 4/1/2013

  • Good basic deviled egg recipe which can be left as-is or tinkered with (as many reviewers have done). Peeling my eggs was soooo painful but otherwise the recipe is simple and satisfying.

    • Anonymous

    • Moraga, CA

    • 11/26/2012

  • This was essentially how I remember deviled eggs being. I, too, used smoked paprika and it added a great flavor!

    • Anonymous

    • New Hampshire

    • 4/9/2012

  • Using smoked paprika is KEY. Everyone loved these and they were gone in like 20 minutes.

    • TheRatchel

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 4/18/2011

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