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 (55 g) mayo
- 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.12 large eggs
- 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.¼ cup (55 g) mayo, 1 Tablespoon butter, 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
- Spoon filling into each egg white. Sprinkle with paprika and bacon (if using) and serve.paprika, bacon pieces
- If desired, top with a small slice of sweet gherkin pickle, as seen in pictures.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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.
Stacy
I make my ‘hard boiled’ eggs by smoking them. I place them directly on the grate of my pellet smoker at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours then place them onto a plate to cool to room temperature. I sometimes peel them at that stage and sometimes peel them the next day after they’ve been refrigerated. They always peel easily either way. I know it’s got the same spending issue as having to buy a pressure cooker but having a smoker is useful for millions of other things and adds amazing flavor to your eggs. You can even bake bread and pie and whatever else you want to on your smoker. If you want to add smoke flavor to your baked goods bake them on a lower temp and if you don’t then higher temps are better. Either way is delicious! I have a pressure cooker but haven’t yet tried boiling eggs in it, it’s new and I’m still figuring it out.
Sam
I haven’t had a smoked hard boiled egg, but it sounds delicious! I will have to try it. 🙂
Elaine Alspach
Delicious! I needed to make 2 dozen eggs for deviled eggs. When I do this I always make a couple of extra eggs in case one or two eggs fall apart in cooking, so I had about 25 or 26 eggs to process. I used the butter as recommended in this recipe, doubling everything. I needed to add a slight bit more mayo but everything turned out great. Probably the best batch of deviled eggs I have made in a long time. They were gone after the event today!
As an added note, I usually stuff about 12 or so halves with no pickle relish in the filling to suit some family members. Then I add the relish to the remaining filling and continue stuffing the rest of the eggs.
Phyllis Dansie
The Instant Pot is the perfect answer, every time. I’d buy one just for this even if it wasn’t great for other things.
Michelle Jimenez
I didn’t like this recipe very much. A little sour for me.
Sam
Hi Michelle! I wonder if one of your ingredients was bad. I’m not sure how these would be sour as they have sugar and sweet pickle juice in them. 🙁
Nan
My trick to peeling boiled eggs: put the boiled egg in a glass/jar with a little bit of water, cover the open jar with my hand and give it a good shake. The shell will crack and peel with ease.
Starr
Outstanding recipe very delicious. Enjoyed it very much.
Marni
Easy peel eggs- drop room temperature eggs gently into boiling water using silicone tongs. Boil 15 minutes. Remove with tongs and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Cool for 15 minutes. That’s it! They are still a little hot, but peel perfectly every time.
Amy in WV
I used 2 week old County eggs and still couldn’t get them to peel nicely so instead I turned this into egg salad, adding a little grated onion, A spoon full of sweet and dill pickle relish and it was delicious as an egg salad too!!!
Keitha P
My way to use fresh eggs is to start them in cold watering bring it up to boiling. then don’t forget the ice bath.
Kevin Petroff
This is a good recipe. Though I added more than a dash of Tabasco (a few dashes), a little bit more yellow mustard, and some Durkee’s sauce.