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.
Cynthia Tucker
Hi
I use the instant pot to make hard-boiled eggs. It works perfectly every time. Put the wire rack in the pot, add 1 cup of water, and place the eggs on the rack. Close the lid and set for 8 minutes. After the 8 minutes, do a quick release and plunge the cooked eggs into an ice water bath. Voila! Perfect hard-boiled eggs!
Josh
Before boiling, hold each egg vertical and tap it lightly on the counter until you hear a “crack”. It is not the shell cracking (assuming you didn’t tap too hard), but the sack inside the shell. The sound is unmistakable. The 1st few taps you’ll hear the expected sound of the egg tapping the counter, then you’ll hear a very different sound. Now you are ready to go. Cook the eggs and the shells will peal beautifully!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks!
Stephanie Ashley
This is a game changer, I fixed these with and without the Tabasco sauce and both are very delicious
Kitty
If you were going to make a more savory deviled egg, with dill pickles. Would you omit the butter?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kitty! We’d still use the butter 😊
Sue
Kitty, how did it go with the dill pickle juice?
Joseph
I steamed my eggs in a two-part steamer. Get your water boiling put the eggs in the upper portion when the water is boiling put them on cook them for 20 minutes for one dozen. 20 minutes, take the top portion of the steamer off and shake it vigorously, then dump it into an ice bath. You will find out that doing this allows some of the eggs to actually peel themselves. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope you love it, Joseph! 😊
Vickie
my mom taught me to start eggs in cold water. bring to boil for 8 minutes. remove from heat. drain hot water and rinse hot eggs with cold water twice. third time keep water in pot and allow eggs to cool to rom temp. drain water. now shake pan up and down bouncing eggs in pan vigorously. the shells begin to come loose from egg. and should peel easily. remove shell. chill eggs when made into which dish you prefer ie devil eggs. etc. v
Deshon
great recipe! I cook mine in the instant pot 3minutes on high pressure. Eggs turn out great and peel easily. Also I put the filling in a baggy cut the corner and pipe the filling into the egg.
Jeff
The contortions people go through to hard boil eggs.The Dash egg cooker is used by hundreds of thousands of people.I have nothing to with the Dash company but I have 2 of them and use them all the time.You can’t mess it up.The eggs are alway cooked perfectly and an enjoyable alarm goes off when they’re done.Amazon sells 10’s of thousands.
Barbara Taylor
That’s what we use as well. The dash takes no time and the eggs peel so easily. The alarm comment made me 😂.
Dana
A tiny bit of horseradish!
John Rhoe
Yes, of course! I am shocked there was none in the recipe!
Cris
1st great recipe! Next, boil, steam or whatever – your eggs how you like them. Remove eggs from their cooking vessel. Place eggs in a bowl with ice water for about 4 minutes. Remove an egg and tap the top and bottom and then roll on side back and forth to crack entire outer shell. Under a small stream of water peel the eggs. It should jus come right off very easily. Remember it does take a little work on some eggs, just be gentle and patient.
Ole
It defeats the whole purpose of first giving them an ice bath, then also use running water… You don’t need either, just add cold water to the pot you made them in, and wait 5 – 10 minutes 🙂 No extra cleanup 🙂
Just start in cold water instead of boiling water, doesn’t matter how fresh the Eggs are, or if you just took them out of the fridge, because you don’t risk them cracking from the shock going from cold to instant hot
Greg
Stop boiling the eggs. Steam them. Bring water to a boil, drop in the eggs in a steamer basket. Cover and let them cook for exactly 13 minutes. Remove the eggs and put them into cold water—I tap them to crack when putting them in the cold water. In about ten minutes they are ready to peel. Works every time.
Angela
Use eggs that are about 10 days old (after purchase or hen laying). Works great.
Ole
I wouldn’t have the patience for that, and it’s not needed at all, it’s just people who keeps doing it wrong :*(
If you steam the Eggs instead of boiling them, you can use the freshest Eggs, and they’ll still be easy to peel 🙂
Don’t use an ice bath, just run cold water straight from the tap on them, fill the pot with cold water and set aside for 5 – 10 minutes, but don’t let them sit like 30 minutes or an hour, that can give very big problems peeling 😛
Rhonda Powell
make a small puncture on the bottom of the egg before placing in cold water and then boil for 10 min. run cold water over eggs.
David Fusco
If you poke a small hole in the larger end of the egg before boiling. After boiling put the eggs in ice water. The sudden change in temp draws water in between the shell and cooked egg. After cooled peel as normal
Macninecooks
I put the eggs in a pot of water enough to cover the eggs with an inch of water above the top layer of eggs. I use the water straight from the sink which where I’m from is quite cold. I then place said pot of water and eggs on the stove and turn it on high. Once the water comes to a rapid boil, I turn the stove off and leave the pot on the burner until the eggs are cool to touch. I crack each egg completely all over and then peel. I’ve not had an issue peeling eggs, clean. This works for store bought or Fresh eggs.
Gene
agree somewhat with Mellie in that do not use fresh eggs. I refrigerate for week or two and of course ice them right after boiling or they keep cooking
Ole
Just steam them, and it’s not a problem with fresh ones 🙂
Anderson
Amazon sells a little steamer that spoil’s you quick. Mine does 6 eggs at a time and the water measure has built in shell pricker for fat end of egg.one switch off and on with built in timer.
Kelsee
Excellent, my boys love them! My husband likes a little relish added for texture and my son and I love it without so great all around.
Valorie
Bring eggs to room temp. before putting into your water. I add about 1/4 cup of white vinegar.Cook as usual.It works for me. Try it and see for yourself.
Ole
That’s just a waste of Vinegar though, it just breaks down the Calcium in the shell, the only real thing it does, is descaling your pot at the same time 🙂 But if there is a slight break in the Eggs, you can risk getting your pot or stovetop completely covered in annoying foam, and then you got a clean up to do 😛
You don’t need to put the Eggs at room temperature either, that’s only for those who dump them into boiling water, because yeah, from cold to instant hot risk cracking the Eggs, so always just start in cold water = problem solved 🙂
Patricia
The little electric egg cookers work well for me; instant pot does, too. I have a boil and shake method i read about somewhere that works but it takes longer.
Ole
No the shaking does NOT take longer, as you can do many times at once, like i make 6 Eggs at a time, then either leave half inch of water in the pot, and put the lid on, or transfer to a container with a lid, shake for 5 seconds, and all the peels are off 🙂
It’s so weird that most people don’t know, that’s pretty much a competition in places like Japan 🙂
Michelle
The secret to peeling farm fresh eggs was divulged by Jill Winger. Although an Instant Pot can do it (sporadic results for me), just steaming them for 20+ minutes was the key for our fresh eggs. Peels like a charm. So they’re no longer “boiled” eggs, they’re “steamed” eggs. =D
Sam
Thank you for sharing, Michelle!
Greg
High pressure in the Ninja for 8 minutes then manually release, shells come right off, membrane and all.
mellie
The real secret to peeling eggs is that they have to be older eggs. Eggs fresh from hens will never peel. Let them sit like 4, 5, even 6 weeks, then hard boil them. Use the fresh ones for delicious sunny side up or something like that. The older the egg, the easier it will be to peel.
Kim
I have found that if you boil the water, then add the eggs and bring back to a low boil for 14 minutes then an ice bath, they peel like a dream!
Casey
Made these for a cookout. The texture is great but really not much flavor.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Casey! Did you make any substitutions or omissions? If not, I find that a bit extra salt can always fix up the flavor in things. 🙂
Kathryn
thanks for that tip 🙂
Lauren
Yep! Boil first is key!