Million Dollar Deviled Eggs
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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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.
Absolutely love this recipe and so has everyone who’s eaten them. My only suggestion is to melt the butter a little bit to mix better.
Definitely try the instant pot method! I’ll never do them any other way again! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I just made this recipe for the first time. This wonderful recipe will be my go to for deviled eggs from now on. They are delicious!!!
Hint for easy to peel hard boiled eggs: remove cooked eggs from simmering water when done and immerse them in a prepared ice bath for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the eggs.
Excellent deliver egg recipe. The butter makes it better.
You asked, so here it is. The secret to easily peeling even farm fresh eggs. You put the eggs in a carton for several hours— doesn’t matter which end up but I’ve had most success with the pointier end up. This allows the contents of the egg to settle to gravity, creating the tiniest air pocket at the top. While the eggs are still in the carton, EVER SO GENTLY use a thumbtack to CAREFULLY poke a hole right in the top over that air pocket. It takes some practice to get the technique right. Too hard and you could crack the egg. Push too far and you will puncture the membrane of the egg. Push JUST hard enough to feel that tiny pop when you get through the shell. It takes some practice, but I can do it with 95% success.
Then you prepare your water bath to boiling. Then one at a time lower each egg into the boiling water with a ladle, watching the tiny air bubbles come out as the hot water goes into the egg and surrounds the still intact membrane and starts cooking the egg inside and out. This is where you find out if you pushed too hard making your pin hole. If you broke the membrane inside, you will see strings of egg white start to leak out and cook in the boiling water. Not to worry though, usually this is only temporarily, and once it has cooked enough it will stop leaking.
As you add eggs to the boiling water, it will stop boiling as the eggs cool the water. Once the eggs are all in the pot and submerged, put the lid on the pot for a minute or two and keep at temp until it starts boiling, then set timer for 10 minutes, and lower temp to a simmer. You don’t want the eggs rolling around in a rapid boil as they will hit against each other and crack.
After 10 minutes or so ( a little more time doesn’t really hurt them, just makes the yolk a little harder and less creamy — which only really matters for eating hard boiled. If you are making deviled eggs you will be creaming the yolks anyway) take the eggs out of the hot water with a ladle and place them in a colander, then run cold water over them. I usually also empty the pot I boiled them in, cool it off under cold water, then place the colander inside the pot and fill it with cold water to cover the eggs. If you have ice to spare, adding it here really helps, but is not crucial. The main point is to rapidly cool the eggs with cold water so the cooked egg inside the shell contracts just a little, away from the shell. Accomplishing that at this early stage will allow for simple peeling of a beautiful egg.
Once the eggs have cooled ( I usually give them 15 to 30 minutes) you just lightly tap the egg against a hard surface on the end with the pin hole, then using the side of your thumb you just start working the shell off. Because of the way you cooked the egg and the steps you took, it will peel quickly and easily without sticking or making a mess of the egg white.
When I first started doing this I hadn’t developed my “side thumb” technique well enough, so found that running the egg under a little running water helped separate the egg from the shell at this point as well.
You may want to do that, depending on how well you fare without the running water.
Using this technique I rarely have any problem, and my eggs always come out beautifully for making my deviled eggs.
Steam eggs for 15 minutes let sit on heat for 5-10 minutes put in cold water peels easily