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Southern Deviled Eggs

Southern deviled eggs with a creamy, sweet-tang filling and a classic paprika-and-chive finish. Boiled, halved, yolks mashed smooth, then piped into whites and chilled for clean, sliceable flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chill 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 34 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Eggs
  • 12 large eggs
Deviled Egg Filling
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • 0.5 tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
  • Paprika and fresh chives for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 pot

Method
 

Boil and peel the eggs
  1. Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water, then bring to a boil. Visual cue: you should see rapid bubbling across the pot surface.
  2. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let the eggs stand for 12 minutes. Visual cue: the water settles and the shells look set with no liquid sloshing.
  3. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath for 10 minutes, then peel and halve them lengthwise. Visual cue: the eggs should feel cold all the way through before halving.
Make the yolk filling
  1. Mash the yolks with mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, white vinegar, and sugar until creamy. Visual cue: the mixture becomes smooth and thick with no visible yolk lumps.
  2. Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste. Visual cue: the filling color stays creamy yellow with evenly speckled seasoning.
  3. Pipe or spoon the filling into the egg whites. Visual cue: each egg half is filled to the brim with a smooth, domed top.
Garnish and chill
  1. Dust the deviled eggs with paprika and sprinkle with fresh chives. Visual cue: you should see a bright paprika dusting and green chive pieces on top.
  2. Chill until serving. Visual cue: the filling firms up and the eggs look glossy and set when ready to serve.

Notes

For the smoothest filling, mash the yolks thoroughly before adding mayonnaise so the mixture turns creamy instead of grainy. Refrigerate deviled eggs in a covered container for up to 3 days; they’re best within 24 hours of filling. Freezing is not recommended because the texture of the egg whites and filling changes. If you want a lighter version, swap mayonnaise for a plain Greek-yogurt mayo blend to keep the creamy texture with less fat.