There are deviled eggs, and then there are these Million Dollar Deviled Eggs. This is my favorite, best recipe, and it includes a secret ingredient that notches up the filling to the next level. Top everything off with paprika and bacon (if you feel so inclined) and enjoy!
The Best Deviled Egg Recipe
Let’s start the week off with a classic. While Monday morning might have you reaching for a peach bellini kind of classic, I have something slightly different for you today: the best deviled egg recipe that I have in my repertoire.
It’s also a little different from the classic deviled egg recipe that you might have stowed away, scribbled on a scrap of paper in the back of your kitchen cabinet, and that’s largely due to my addiction to secret ingredients.
That’s right, there’s a secret ingredient in these deviled eggs. Can you spy it below?
What Ingredients Do I Need for Deviled Eggs?
- Hard Boiled Eggs
- Mayo
- Butter. This is it, the secret ingredient! We’re going to talk a little bit more about why we add butter below, but this is what makes these “Million Dollar” Deviled Eggs.
- Mustard (you’ll need yellow and dijon mustard)
- Sweet pickle juice
- Sugar (just a pinch!)
- Salt & pepper
- Tabasco sauce (optional, just a dash of heat is a great addition, though!)
- Optional toppings: paprika, sweet pickle slices, crumbled bacon.
The Secret Ingredient
Do you see it? Right there ⬆️⬆️, at 11 o’clock. That’s one tablespoon of pure, delicious, sweet cream butter.
Have you ever made deviled eggs with butter before? It’s a sneaky secret ingredient, nearly imperceptible except that the filling is just a touch creamier, just a tad more velvety, there’s just something about it that you probably won’t quite be able to put your finger on…
Something really, really good, but not overpowering. Just a little bit extra without being overwhelming, subtle, but so important.
In addition to preferring my deviled eggs with a spoonful of butter, I also prefer them to be slightly on the sweet side of things. To this end I’ve added a splash of sweet pickle juice and a sprinkling of sugar.
I’m told sweeter deviled eggs are a southern thing (while sweeter cornbread is a northern thing, go figure), but I happen to live just a notch above the Mason Dixon Line and can vouch for their deliciousness here, too.
I topped off about half of these eggs with bacon (mostly for my Zach’s benefit, he prefers deviled eggs with bacon) and cross-sections of sweet pickles, and all of them got a sprinkle of Paprika.
How Far In Advance Can I Make Deviled Eggs?
For best results, you should not assemble your deviled eggs more than a day in advance. If you’d like to make them two days in advance you can boil, cut, and remove the yolks from the whites. Make your filling and then store the eggs and the prepared filling in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve the eggs, give the filling a quick stir and everything can be quickly assembled.
Deviled Eggs should always be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Let me know what you think!
And if you happen to have some really amazing tricks for peeling fresh eggs, I want to hear them! My parents have chickens so I’m lucky to have a constant flow of farm-fresh eggs BUT those eggs cling to their shells like they were laid by hens with superglue diets. We’ve tried the baking soda trick, the ice bath trick, the spoon trick… none of it has worked here! I’ve heard great things about using an Instant Pot, though, and am considering getting one solely for this purpose!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
- Broccoli Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Ramen Noodle Salad
- Corn Salad
- Pulled Chicken
- If you appreciate secret ingredients, check out my “Worst” Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Million Dollar Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- ¼ cup mayo (55g)
- 1 Tablespoon butter softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons sweet gherkin pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- dash Tabasco sauce optional
- paprika for sprinkling
- bacon pieces optional
Instructions
How To Hard Boil Eggs
- Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with water.
- Transfer to stovetop over high heat until water begins to boil.
- Boil for one minute, cover with lid, and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 17 minutes and then drain and transfer to an ice bath.
- Peel eggs and set aside.
How To Make Deviled Eggs
- Slice eggs in half lengthwise.
- Remove yolks and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
- Add mayo, butter, mustards, pickle juice, sugar, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Use a fork to mash well.
- Spoon filling into each egg white. Sprinkle with paprika and bacon (if using) and serve.
- If desired, top with a small slice of sweet gherkin pickle, as seen in pictures.
Nutrition
Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!
This Million Dollar Deviled Egg recipe was originally published 07/24/2017. Recipe remains the same but post has been updated as of 05/08/2019.
Harold
INSTANT POT baby! 5-5-5 for boiled eggs
5 minutes on high
5 minutes regular pressure release (then release remaining pressure manually)
5 minutes in ice water
Crack all over and peel – easy peezie.
Chris Kieffer
I’ve tried everything to make eggs easy to peel. Simple but effective. Boil water first. Drop eggs gently into boiled water and cook for thirteen minutes. Place in ice bath. Peel when ready. Works every time for me.
Bulldog001
This is exactly what I do as well and it’s never failed me.
M. Scott
Grew up with farm fresh eggs. The old show “Kitchen Klatter” gave us the secret to “easy boiled egg peeling.” It was welcomed. One of my chores was regularly making deviled eggs. Immediately drain off the boiling water. In the water free kettle shake the eggs to break the shells, then immediately run under cold tap water. If all the shells did not crack, shake to crack again. Dump the warmed water and replace with more cold water. Peel ASAP. I was more often able to get the shells off in one long strip (with the membrane) and could quickly peel a dozen plus eggs.
Nina Meza
Just finished making potato salad for the Fourth of July. The eggs peeled off very nicely, effortlessly. After they had finished boiling, I drained the hot water and I ran cold water over the eggs still in the pot. I then filled the pan with cold water and left the eggs in the pan until I was ready to peal them. I think the fact that the eggs were submerged in warm water until I finished pealing the very last one made the process of pealing them very easy. I will always use this method from now on.
Jackie Hall
What works best for me is as soon as the time is up for the eggs to be done (I always cook mine the same as you boiling the water, then turning off the stove immediately and letting them set for 12-15 minutes,) I dump the water out and put cold water in, then dump it again and fill with cold water again and start taking the eggs out and cracking and rolling them on the counter with a rolling motion, putting them back in the water -it should be warm to tepid. Then, I start peeling them one by one. If I have any difficulty, I peel while my hands and the egg are under WARM running water. I make sire I have found the spot where I am under that membrane and the egg is smooth. I have found that the colder the eggs get the harder it is to peel them, especially fresh ones. Even if the have gotten too cold, the warm running water will put you back on track. Ice baths DO NOT work for me. I have been making them for over 40 yrs and for some reason got off track and started having trouble peeling them (usually having so many other things going that the eggs got cold.)
I did internet search and thought I had lost my mind for a minute or the eggs were some how different, I guess I just didn’t have so much going on back in the day (as they say) and was making them while they were still warm.
See if this works for you.
Christine
Tablespoon of vinegar in the water when you boil the eggs is the trick! I’ve just recently learned this and I can’t believe the difference for removing the shells
Gina
For peeling eggs, purchase an egg steamer ($10 to $15 off Amazon) and I promise you that eggs will peel flawlessly! I’ve never had an issue.
Rodney Z.
Who’d a thunk it..? Lol. Butter… It’s delicious….
Boiling eggs….
1. Let the eggs sit at room temperature for about 30 to 45 mins.
2. Get a pot of water going to a very hard boil.
3. Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water.
4. Return water to boil and boil eggs for 10 mins.
5. Drain boiling water off of eggs.
6. Immediately place eggs in an I’ve water bath.
Placing the eggs into water that is already boiling will instantly cook the outer membrane of the egg. As a result, you will be able to peel them with one hand…
Erin
I just use a regular steam basket. Get the water boiling and steam for 14 minutes (6-8 eggs) then straight to an ice bath. Ive read after that you can put the in a container and shake but I just roll the egg on the counter and the peels fall off!!!
Lynn Kempen
Or just steam them in a kettle you already have, with a strainer/collander over it, covered.