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.
Kristina
I’m not sure how everyone feels about salt, but my mother in law told me to put ALOT of salt in the water before boiling. Well I tried it and it works very well when it comes to peeling the eggs. The shell just slips right off the egg. So try putting some extra salt into your water. You’d be very surprised.
Stan
For easy peakling eggs, slightly tap the large end of the egg on a hard surface, just enough to dent it, before boiling. With a little bit of practice you’ll develop the correct feel. Eggs will easily peal no matter the age.
Carrie
I have chickens and in the past have had difficulty with fresh eggs but after a vigorous search I learned and successfully boiled and beautifully pealed eggs that had been laid the day before. You have to start with boiling water then gently place your eggs in, lower water to a gentle boil not a rolling boil and cook for 13 minutes for large eggs. Scoop out and put in ice water for 5 minutes minimum and they’ll peel like store bought eggs. Love the recipe by the way. I’m using it for Thanksgiving this year!
Susan
I made these for my family Thanksgiving celebration; of course I had to quality check one ; ). They are delicious! I hope my family likes them. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Sam
Glad they were a hit! Thank you for commenting, Susan! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Shank
Use a shell piercer. Put a pinhole in the shell and they peel great….99% of the time anyway
Brittany Sonier
I have found that doing hard boiled eggs in my electric pressure cooker makes them come out of their shells perfectly every time. The pressure through the porous shells causes the membrane to detach from the shell. Takes the same amount of time (5-7 minutes pressure depending on how cooked you want your yolks and what your altitude is, 5-7 minutes natural release, and 5-7 minutes in an ice bath). I use my Instant Pot and have never had issues with peeling the eggs.
Sam
That’s it, I’m buying an Instant Pot! Thanks Brittany!
Candice
Yes!! My pressure insta pot is my favorite kitchen appliance!! I get so upset with eggs not peeled nice and smooth. Not anymore!!
Phred
An easy way to peel eggs, run them under water, as peeling.
Tiffany Stewart
I steam my 1-2 day old eggs on the stove top for 20-25 minutes. I place a metal steamer tray on the bottom of a large pot, add water (until it almost touches the steamer tray), add my eggs (stack them if you want), cover with the lid, and place on the stove top with your burner on high. Once you start to see steam coming out of the lid, dial the heat back to med-high and let the eggs steam 20-25 minutes. Once the time has elapsed, I take the whole steamer tray out of the pot and place it into a bowl of icy water. Once the tray cools, I remove the tray and allow the eggs to sit for about 5 minutes. After that, they’re ready to peel!! I hope this works for you!! 🙂
Jessica
Is there a way to make this into an egg salad? While trying to peel my eggs they got all screwed up and broken. No way I can use them for devil eggs 🙁
K Roland
Fresh farm eggs can be cooked in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes, then release pressure and place in cold water bath. Farm eggs slip right out of their sheets.
Erica
I have chickens, and I found a handy trick for easy peel fresh eggs: steam them! 12ish minutes in the steamer, and peel them when still slightly warm. I did two dozen today (since I’m going to be making this here recipe haha), and only had two rough ones.
Kaaren
I’ve always steamed my eggs and have never had a peeling problem!
Shawn Matthews
Yep we were faced with this dilema last thanksgiving. An with some research an trials I’ve found rather than covering eggs in water. Just add about an inch of water cover an steam about 15 min. just keeping an eye on the water level. Has worked beautifully everytime… Even with farm eggs. Thanks for the recipe. An Happy Thanksgiving All.
Kimberly Doren
Awesome recipe! FYI – the best way to peel eggs is to bring the water to a boil FIRST, then use a slotted spoon to carefully place the eggs in the water. After the eggs are cooked, empty the boiling water and fill the pot with cold water. I peel them immediately, under cold running water. I’ve never had issues with the shells sticking when I do this. Cheers!
Jennifer Myre
Have you ever tried bringing the water to a boil, and then gently adding the eggs with a slotted spoon? Ice bath still required, but seems to work better for peeling them than adding eggs to the water then boiling.
Sydney
I saved this recipe for thanksgiving! It looks delish! Also, I have tried many things to get a hard boiled egg to peel easily. What worked best for me (literally they shells slipped right off) is a tad bit of white vinegar in water while boiling and place in cold water once done. Works like a charm!
Annie
I use the white vinegar trick also and it’s the best trick! When I peel the eggs, I crack them all over, then roll them in my hands under cold running water and let the water do the work!
Tim
If you want a no fail way to get your eggs to peel easy simply add a half cup of iodized salt to your water the more the better. Doesnt matter how old the egg is.
Anna
Is there a way to make this a day or two ahead of time? Maybe making the filling and keeping it separate from the egg halves?? I’m planning on making these for Thanksgiving and I’m trying to do as much on Wednesday as possible!
Sam
Yes that would be fine! You can boil the eggs and separate the yolks and make your filling in advance. Honestly you could even fill them and store them in advance but sometimes the filling can separate just a little bit if it sits a long time, so I’d probably recommend storing the filling separately then stirring it really well before portioning into your egg halves. If the filling is too firm when it’s cold just let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and then stir and portion.