These smoky deviled eggs are nice and spicy, dreamily creamy and absolutely beautiful, if I do say so myself! Spiced with smoked Spanish paprika, cayenne pepper and Old Bay seasoning around the rim, they’re original, so special, fantastically delicious and so incredibly easy to make!
No grill required!
These smoky appetizers are perfect for a barbecue, summer picnic or party where you want to impress your guests with some elegant, spicy originality.
How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step
1. Add 6 large eggs to a pot of cool water, then place them on the stove and boil them for 20 minutes over MEDIUM heat. After 20 minutes, place them in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, then refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. Once the eggs are cool, remove the shells by carefully tapping around the center and peeling. Crack and peel very carefully so the egg is pristine and free of tears and dents.
3. Slice the eggs. I slice through the center-middle, as opposed to longways. I find the egg-halves have a more sturdy base when cut this way. Carefully remove the yolks and place them in a bowl. They’ll almost always slide out if you’re gentle, so you don’t have you use a spoon. You may sometimes have a little leftover, but it’s easier and less damaging to the egg white to try sliding first.
4. Slice a tiny bit off the bottom so your deviled eggs sit perfectly flat. This will prevent them from sliding around the plate.
5. Push the yolks through a mesh strainer. This will break up the yolks and ensure that your filling is perfectly smooth when you mix in your other ingredients.
6. In a small mixing bowl, mix your egg yolks, 1 tbsp. mayo, 1 tsp. sour cream, 1½ tsp. spicy brown mustard and a tiny sprinkle of salt & pepper to taste. Cover with cellophane, or add to a pastry piping bag and seal the ends with rubber bands or twisty-ties to prevent the filling from drying out while you spice-dip your egg whites.
NOTE: The measurements of mayo, sour cream and mustard are purposely on on the light side so you can customize your texture until perfect. Your consistency should be similar to hummus so give it a taste, and see which sauce you would like to make it a bit more creamy.
7. Slice olives for garnish.
8. In a small bowl, add 1 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper and 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning. Mix spices together and sprinkle about a teaspoon of spices onto a plate. Carefully dip the rims of your eggs in the spices until all your whites are nicely coated. (If you pour all of the spices at once, you run the risk of over-spicing the rims – just add a little more as you go).
A Few Tips
1. It’s helpful to paper towel-pat your egg whites before you dip the rims into the spices.
They’re a little slippery to hold onto, and getting that pretty rim of spice nice and perfect is pretty essential to making them look tidy.
2. Only add about a half-teaspoon of spices to your plate before dipping the egg whites in.
Just give it a light sprinkle and carefully dip them like you dip a margarita glass. Then simply add a little more for each egg. Otherwise, you run the risk of over-spicing the edges, and the flavor can get a little overwhelming.
3. Don’t fill the eggs until a half-hour before serving.
Deviled eggs dry out pretty quickly, and start to look a little yucky after about an hour (even when covered), so you really want to fill them as close to party time as possible for maximum prettiness.
I highly suggest slicing your eggs, dipping them in spices, then placing them in a refrigerated container a few hours before the party. Then, make your filling, but add it to a bag (or pastry piping bag), sealing it with rubber bands or twisty-ties and not filling them until just before guests arrive.
Common Questions
1. How do I prevent the eggs from tipping over or sliding around on the plate?
Here are 2 solutions: First, don’t slice your eggs longways, slice them through the center with the egg standing up, then slice a tiny bit off the bottom to make a nice, flat base. You’ll find directions below for this method.
Second, you can slice your eggs however you please, but add a tiny bit of filling underneath the eggs on the plate, and using it as a little “glue” to hold the eggs in place.
2. How far in advance can I make deviled eggs?
You can make deviled eggs a whole day ahead of time if you want to, but you’ll just want to fill them shortly before your party. As mentioned above in the tips, you can simply slice your whites and make your filling, but refrigerate the egg whites and store the filling in a sealed bag until you’re ready to fill them the next day.
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Spicy, Smoky Deviled Eggs Recipe
Equipment
- 1½ quart pot to boil 6 eggs
- cutting board and sharp knife
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
- mesh strainer
- pastry piping bag and tip
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tbsp. mayo
- 1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
- 1 tsp. sour cream
- 6 spicy olives – small
- 1 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
- salt & pepper – to taste
- poppy seeds – for garnish
Instructions
- Add 6 large eggs to a pot of cool water, just covering the eggs, then place them on the stove and boil them for 20 minutes over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. After 20 minutes, place them in a bowl of cold water for 5-10 minutes.
- Once the eggs are cool, remove the shells by carefully tapping around the center and peeling. Crack and peel very carefully so the egg is pristine and free of tears and dents.
- Slice the eggs. I slice through the center-middle, as opposed to longways. I find the egg-halves have a more sturdy base when cut this way. Slice a tiny bit off the bottom so your deviled eggs sit perfectly flat. This will prevent them from sliding around the plate.
- Carefully remove the yolks and place them in a mesh strainer above a bowl. Push the yolks through the strainer. This will break up the yolks and ensure that your filling is perfectly smooth when you mix in your other ingredients. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix your egg yolks, 1 tbsp. mayo, 1 tsp. sour cream, 1½ tsp. spicy brown mustard and a tiny sprinkle of salt & pepper to taste. Cover with cellophane, or add to a pastry piping bag and seal the ends with rubber bands or twisty-ties to prevent the filling from drying out while you spice-dip your egg whites.
- In a small bowl, add 1 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper and 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning. Mix spices together and sprinkle about ½ tsp. of your spice mix onto a plate. Carefully dip the rims of your eggs in the spices, and set each aside. Sprinkle a little more spice, then dip until all your whites are nicely coated.
- Slice a few spicy olives and fill your beautiful deviled eggs. Place an olive slice in each and sprinkle with a tiny amount of poppy seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
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Laurie S.
Asking a question about the spicy olives. Are they different than a green olive with pimento? That is what they look like.
Genevieve Morrison
These were actually spicy green pimento olives, but if you have a hard time finding spicy ones, regular ones will do, too. The spiciness of the recipes is mostly found in the spices themselves 😉
Laurie S.
I totally agree! She changed my concept of Deviled eggs. I have tried them all! Living in Colorado, it is hard to find the flowers so I have to be creative with the garnishes but Genevieve has a lot of creative options. You won’t be sorry following her. She is my go to! Like you, it is most important to create beautiful food!
Genevieve Morrison
Laurie, you’re such a sweetheart! <3
Barb Ottolino
I JUST stumbled upon your site after tracking it down via a post on pinterest. As an artist who also trained for the cut flower trade, I admire your sophisticated presentations and use of edible flowers. Never have I seen foods presented in such a beautiful manner in one recipe after another! This is “eye candy” at its best. I love to cook and to create unusual, beautiful presentations. How lucky I am to have found a shortcut and inspiration in your recipes and food stylings.
Genevieve Morrison
What a sweet comment! My goodness, Barb, thank you very much! That really means a lot to me! xoxo!
Samantha
Beautiful. Definitely going to make these. What is the flower?
Genevieve Morrison
Thank you! Sadly, I can’t remember the exact name of the flower, but if you want to use a similar one, nasturtium, mini dianthus or kale flowers look similar and are so pretty on deviled eggs!
Barb Ottolino
I believe these are florets from milkweed, available in several colors. I doubt they are safe to use on food as the sap is an allergen to which some people react severely. I teach classes on the use of edible flowers and herbs and can recommend some sources. You can obtain lists of edible flowers from botanic gardens, and books like Naked Cakes, simply stunning cakes, by Hannah Miles. Check out The AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants. You will be surprised what is toxic. The flowers of herbs are beautiful and edible, so consult an herb book at your library. Grow mint and allow it to go to bloom – beautiful! Do NOT use flowers from florist or nursery as they are treated with various pesticides and growth hormones to brind them into bloom prematurely for sale.
Barb Ottolino
I forgot the easiest sites to access – the “extension service” of any state university. Each one will list edible flowers from their state.
Sara
I honestly can’t believe how delicious these were! I also never saw a deviled egg cut that way! How is that not the standard way of cutting deviled eggs? It’s so much smarter.