Best-Ever Deviled Eggs Recipe

Deviled Eggs are a staple at potlucks, parties, and holidays like Easter! Adding pickle juice is a delicious and unexpected way to add tons of flavor and the crispy bacon topping makes these irresistible. Deviled eggs are quick and simple to prepare especially with our easy-peel Hard Boiled Eggs.

This Deviled Eggs Recipe is one of our most requested appetizers along with Jalapeno Poppers, Cowboy Caviar, and our famous Guacamole. If you’re looking for a new go-to starter, this is it!

Deviled Eggs on a platter garnished with bacon

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Deviled Eggs Recipe

Keep those Easter eggs! This is our favorite way to use up hard-boiled eggs. If you’re going to make a deviled egg platter, surprise everyone with this recipe. This filling has a creamy and interesting texture from the crunchy bits of dill pickles and the crisp bacon pummeled over the top.

These are my son’s favorite dressed eggs both in flavor and texture. It’s one of the recipes he likes to make on his own when the craving strikes and if these are on the menu, it doesn’t surprise me when half his plate is these stuffed eggs. I think that qualifies as favorite food status! Make this recipe for your next special occasion and you will be known for your deviled eggs.

What are Deviled Eggs?

The term ‘deviled’ refers to something that is highly seasoned with spiciness or tang. Deviled eggs are the same thing as stuffed eggs or dressed eggs. It’s essentially eggs that have been hard-boiled, peeled, cut in half, and stuffed with a classic mixture of the cooked yolks mashed together with mayo, mustard, and spices (typically paprika).

Deviled Egg stuffed with an egg yolk, dill pickle and mustard filling, garnished with bacon

Tips for the Best Deviled Eggs

Here are some important steps to ensure perfect deviled eggs and consistent results:

Hard boil – Cook eggs until they are hard-boiled with a dry center
Do not overcook or the yolks will tint green
Start with chilled eggs – the process will be easier and deviled eggs are best served chilled.
Use a sharp knife – this will make it easier to slice eggs in half and remove yolks without creating jagged edges. Wiping the knife clean between eggs also helps create clean slices.
Portion correctly – A mini cookie scoop makes it easy to portion the filling. You can also use a piping bag or a couple of spoons.
Taste as you go – Always taste the filling and add more seasoning, pickle juice or mustard to your liking. Also, go light on the salt. It’s easy to oversalt this filling.
Garnish – even if you aren’t adding bacon, sprinkle on some paprika to add color and flavor.

How to Cook Eggs for Deviled Eggs?

Our go-to method for making perfect hard-boiled eggs is this basic stove-top boiled egg. It’s so easy and all you need is water and a saucepan. When making deviled eggs, I remove them after boiling for 7 minutes.

P.S. If you are using Farm Fresh Eggs, wait until they are at least a week old and then we prefer to make instant pot hard-boiled eggs because they are easier to peel. If using farm-fresh eggs, store them pointy-end down in the refrigerator to keep the yolks centered. Otherwise, the heavy yolks tend to settle to the bottom as the egg gets older.

The Best deviled eggs on a platter garnished with bacon and paprika

Tips for Easy Egg Peeling

We’ve all had the experience of stuck-on eggshells that result in ugly peeled eggs that are too pitiful looking to put out for company. If that describes your experience, you need to read this section. Follow these tips for peeling hard-boiled eggs to prevent the shell from sticking:

Use older eggs – generally, older (store-bought) eggs are the easiest to peel.
Chill boiled eggs in an ice bath right after they are cooked
Roll the egg on the counter to crack the shell all around then soak in a bowl of water for a minute. The water gets under the shell and makes it easier to peel.
Start peeling from the bottom (wide end) of the egg where the air pocket is to get under the membrane.
If you get a stubborn egg – peel it while submerged in a bowl of water or under running water

How To Make Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are one of the easiest appetizers to make. If serving a larger crowd, you can easily double the recipe. You can also make these eggs in advance (see make-ahead instructions below).

Peel hard-boiled eggs, cut eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks, and transfer to a bowl.
Mash yolks with a fork then mash in mayo, pickle juice, mustard, and seasonings.
Fold in finely diced baby dill pickles then add more seasoning to taste.
Spoon filling into egg halves
Garnish – serve garnished with paprika and bacon bits

Pro Tip: If you want to get really creative, try this same filling and make Easter Egg Chicks.

How to make deviled egg filling process photo collage

Make Ahead

Deviled eggs are a great make-ahead appetizer and there are several options for prepping or assembling them in advance:

Prep-ahead: you can boil and peel eggs a day in advance, cover them, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Boiled eggs should be eaten within 1 week of cooking. You can also pre-slice your eggs and pre-make your filling and keep them separate (covered and chilled in the refrigerator) for up to 2 days or until ready to serve.
To store deviled eggs: set deviled eggs on a serving platter, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Sprinkle on the paprika and bacon garnishes just before serving to keep the bacon crisp.
Transporting deviled eggs – put them in a single layer on a rimmed platter, cover and ensure they don’t tip over or slide off while transporting. Lining the platter with a paper towel can help keep them from sliding around. You can also use a specialized egg carrier or set the eggs in a muffin tin that is lined with cupcake liners.

Pro Tip: If you’re transporting the eggs and they will be out longer than 2 hours, the FDA egg safety tips recommend keeping them on ice. When traveling, you can store them chilled in a cooler with cold packs to keep the eggs at a safe temperature.

Up close deviled egg served with bacon and paprika garnish

These Deviled Eggs always get rave reviews. They are also the perfect way to use up leftover Easter eggs. I hope they become a new favorite for you. If you have a favorite deviled egg recipe, I would love to hear about it in a comment below!

More Egg Recipes

Eggs are such a wholesome food. That’s why we make things like Scrambled Eggs and Omelets on our regular rotation! We’re always adding eggs to amp up salads like Cobb Salad! If you love eggs, you will enjoy this list of egg recipes:

Creamy Potato Salad – loaded with boiled eggs
Egg muffins – easy breakfast on the go
Egg Salad – classic and so creamy
Breakfast Burritos – go-to recipe!
Breakfast Sandwich – one-pan egg sandwich
Eggs Benedict – with the best hollandaise sauce

This deviled egg recipe was first published in March 2019. We updated the post and photos but it is the same great recipe.

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.