Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

With caramelized shallots and crispy bacon, these Thanksgiving deviled eggs are a party on your plate! Deviled eggs are such a classic recipe for the holidays and are always a crowd pleaser. These Thanksgiving deviled eggs start with a simple filling made with mayonnaise, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, pickle brine and smoked paprika. Then they get dressed up for the occasion with sweet and rich caramelized shallots and crispy bacon crumbles.

Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

Perfect hard boiled eggs

The perfect hard boiled egg is easy to peel and has a set yolk with no grey ring. There are lots of methods out there for making perfect hardboiled eggs. This version works every time and yields eggs that are super easy to peel.

The key to this method is to add a bit of baking soda to the boiling water and to plunge the eggs into an ice bath when their time is up. This helps the shell slide right off when it comes time to peel. If you have a tried and true way that you hard boil your eggs then by all means, stick to what works for you. But If your eggs often come out over or undercooked —or worse, difficult to peel— this method is worth a try!

Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water has reached a boil, add in one teaspoon of baking soda. Lower in the eggs gently with a large spoon or spider. Place the lid back on the pot and set your timer for 12 minutes. Once the water has returned to a rolling boil, reduce the heat down to a simmer. When the 12 minutes are up, remove the eggs using a large spoon or spider and plunge them immediately into a large bowl filled with ice water. Allow the eggs to cool in the ice water for at least 5 minutes before peeling.

Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

Tips for Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

Don’t: Over boil your eggs. No one wants an egg yolk with a grey ring around it. Not only will it tint the color of your filling mixture, but overcooked yolks can also have an unpleasant sulfuric taste. If you need a foolproof cooking method, use the above technique for perfect hardboiled eggs.

Do: Make your filling in advance. To keep the Thanksgiving stress down to a minimum, you can boil your eggs and whip up the filling up to 3 days in advance. Store the egg white halves in an airtight container in your fridge and store the filling in a zip-top bag.

Don’t: Fill the eggs until you are ready to serve. Assemble the deviled eggs as close to party time as you can. You can do this by snipping the corner off a zip-top bag, or you can use a piping bag with a star tip for some festive flare. Assembling them at the last minute will not only keep the eggs looking beautiful but also allow the bacon to stay crisp.

Do: Use a hand mixer to beat the filling. Even though this filling comes together easily with a fork, using a hand mixer seriously upgrades the texture of the filling. Beating the deviled egg filling for a few minutes makes the mixture light, fluffy, and perfectly pipe-able.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

Tyler Anastasio
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
These Thanksgiving deviled eggs start with a classic filling made with mayonnaise, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, pickle brine and smoked paprika. Then they get dressed up for the occasion with sweet and rich caramelized shallots and crispy bacon crumbles.

Ingredients 

Perfect Hardboiled Eggs

  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • large bowl ice water

Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

  • 3 strips bacon
  • 2 large shallots
  • 1 tablespoon bacon grease, reserved
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon gherkin brine*
  • 1-2 dashes Tabasco sauce to taste, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus extra for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon chives
  • kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Perfect Hardboiled Eggs

  • Fill a small saucepan with enough water to eventually submerge the 8 eggs. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the baking soda and carefully lower in the eggs with a large spoon or spider. Cover with lid.
  • Set timer for 12 minutes. Once the pot comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. After 12 minutes, remove the eggs with a large spoon or spider and plunge directly into a large bowl filled with ice water. Allow the eggs to cool in the ice water for at least 5 minutes.
  • Once the eggs have cooled, peel by tapping the top and bottom of the egg on your counter to crack. Then tap around the equator. Peel and set aside.

Thanksgiving Deviled Eggs

  • Fry the bacon over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until crispy. Drain on a paper towel, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Once cooled, finely chop and set aside.
  • Thinly slice the shallots and add to the pan with 1 tablespoon of reserved bacon grease. Cook on medium high heat for 1-3 minutes with a pinch of kosher salt, stirring to break up the rings.
  • Once translucent, lower the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once caramelized, add in 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and cook for an additional minute or 2. Set aside to cool.
  • Halve the hard boiled eggs and pop out the yolks into a bowl. Add in the mayo, softened cream cheese, dijon mustard, gherkin brine* and smoked paprika. If you like a little heat, add in 1 to 2 dashes of Tabasco to taste. Beat with a hand mixer for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.** After mixing, add kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste and mix to combine.
  • Spoon the mixture into a piping or zip top bag with the corner cut off. Pipe the deviled egg filling into the holes of whites. Garnish the eggs with an extra pinch of smoked paprika. Then, top with a pinch of the caramelized shallots and then the crispy bacon. Finally, snip the chives using kitchen scissors and sprinkle on top. Plate on a large platter or a deviled egg plate.

Equipment

  • Hand mixer, optional

Notes

*You can use gherkin brine or brine from any jar of pickles you have on hand. If you don’t have any pickles, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar with an extra pinch of salt and sugar to taste. If you like pickles in your deviled eggs, feel free to add 1 or 2 finely chopped gherkins to the deviled egg mixture before piping. 
**You can use a fork to mix instead of a hand mixer for a more rustic texture. Using a hand mixer yields a lighter and fluffier filling. 

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