These easy southern Paula Deen deviled eggs are creamy, delicious and made with pickle relish. It's a classic recipe with a lot of variation options (see below): cajun, curry, jalapeno, wasabi, no mayo and more!
We got this recipe from Paula Deen, queen of southern cooking. Her recipe is very traditional, which we love! We've expanded her instructions and added a lot of fun variations. Try our other deviled eggs like Easter deviled eggs and 4th of July deviled eggs!
These are popular at holidays, especially Easter and Christmas or for a baby shower. They are great year round and are great for picnics or get-togethers. Try our stuffed jalapeno poppers for another fun side.
Try our other Paula Deen recipes: green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin bars, and gumbo.
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Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.
- boiled eggs, peeled. You can use this air fry egg recipe.
- relish, sweet or dill. I usually prefer dill relish, but as I tested the recipe over and over I found I really liked this recipe with sweet relish.
- mustard - For that regular pure mustard flavor go with yellow. For a more earthy flavor, use brown. As we tested this recipe we found that it didn't make a huge difference and while I preferred it with brown, most of our taste testers preferred it with yellow mustard.
- salt
- black pepper
- paprika- Paprika is a classic staple for deviled eggs.
- chives
- sweet gherkin pickles (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Deviled Eggs
Use these process shots to help get the results you are wanting. The pictures can help with texture and be a visual guide for best results.
1. Place eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring water to a boil then turn off the heat. Cover with lid and let sit for 12 minutes.
2. Immediately drain hot water and fill with ice water. Let sit 15+ minutes in ice bath. Peel and halve the eggs.
3. Place one whole egg (this is Paula Deen's secret to always having plenty of filling) along with all the other egg yolks in a food processor. Blend until crumbly. Alternatively, use a fork and bowl.
4. Add mayonnaise, relish, salt and pepper to the food processor or bowl. Blend (or mash with the fork) until well combined.
5. Using a spoon, fill the egg whites with the filling.
6. Sprinkle paprika and chives on top for garnish. Easy!
Substitutions and Variations
We love switching things up when we're in the kitchen. Try any of these variations for something a little different.
- No Mayo deviled eggs - use plain greek yogurt instead of mayo. It will change the texture slightly, but is still delicious.
- Mustard - This can be made with any mustard! Try brown or spicy brown for a fun kick. Try this Deviled Eggs Without Mustard recipe.
- Spicy - add ½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes to the filling mixture.
- Curry, Cajun, Wasabi - skip the relish and mustard then add ½- 1 teaspoon curry powder or cajun seasoning. For wasabi, skip the relish and mustard and add 2 ½ teaspoons wasabi paste. Top with sushi ginger.
- Avocado- skip the extra whole egg in the filling (step 3 above), and instead add ½ ripe avocado.
- Bacon - add in ¼ pound cooked and chopped bacon for a delicious variation!
- Dyed or Colored- for dyed or colored deviled eggs for Easter, Christmas or another holiday: Place 4 drops of desired food coloring in 1 cup of water and place up to 8 egg whites halves inside. Let sit for 2 minutes. If a darker color is desired, add more food coloring to the water.
Storing Deviled Eggs
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
It is not recommended to freeze these.
How to Serve
Deviled Eggs are very popular to serve with all holiday meals in the south. These are easy to make and perfect for Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, baby showers, picnics and more!
I like to serve them as a side dish, but I've been known to eat a few of leftover eggs the next day as my lunch.
Top tip
Don't be afraid to play around with the flavor. Paula Deen gives us such a great basic recipe and place to start. Let us know if you try something new and different!
Recipe
Paula Deen Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 7 boiled eggs peeled
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 heaping teaspoon yellow mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or more to taste
- paprika for garnish
- chives for garnish
- sweet gherkins for garnish optional
Instructions
- Boil the eggs: Place eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Cover. Let stand 12 minutes. Drain the water and fill pot with ice and water. Let stand 15+ minutes.
- Peel the eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Place all yolks plus one whole egg into a food processor or in a mixing bowl. Blend until crumbly or mash with a fork until crumbly. Add mayo, relish, mustard, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. See photos above to check for texture and consistency.
- Spoon the filling evenly into each egg white. Top with paprika and chives and sliced gherkins, if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- It is not recommended to freeze these.
- For no mayo, use greek yogurt, sour cream, or a mix of both (our favorite) as a substitute.
- See our variations section above for some fun ideas of how to make these eggs more interesting! These are a great basic deviled egg recipe and have so much room for experimentation.
- Use our boiled egg directions for all your boiled egg needs. They turn out perfect every time!
- Try these with ¼ pound cooked and chopped bacon for a delicious twist.
Nicole says
Yum, such a great and delicious recipe, they are so creamy and yummy. We are fans of Paula Deen. She knows how to do things right. Can't wait for next time and trying some variations, I'm especially excited for wasabi and cajun deviled eggs.
Andrea says
Perfect deviled eggs the way they are meant to be made. I love to eat them for lunch.
JC says
We made these deviled eggs for Easter then again a few weeks later for a picnic, but tried the wasabi deviled eggs and yummm did we love them! Such a great recipe, Paula Deen is the best. next time we'll try the curry!
Gwynn says
You had me at pickle relish! Such a delicious addition to this creamy filling! We absolutely devoured these, they were so good. And I love all the delicious flavor variations and can't wait to try them too!
Sharon says
if you flip the carton for a day before you boil the eggs, it will center the yoke opening more towards the middle of the eggs.
Andrea says
Wow that's a really cool hack I never knew, thanks!