Oprah’s Deviled Eggs Are So Legendary, I Guarantee They Won’t Last 5 Minutes at Your 4th of July Party

Deviled eggs can be a real hit-or-miss appetizer, depending on who makes them. It’s a running joke in my community that you need a few years of experience before committing to making the dish. In honor of building up my skills, I’ve been searching for a reliable recipe that’s customizable, easy to make, and delicious.

While deviled eggs naturally require little effort, there’s truly an art to fusing fiery, creamy, and pickled condiments into rich, scrumptious bites. Everyone has flavor preferences, but I gravitate towards ones with hints of heat. I came across Oprah Winfrey’s recipe that mixes in hot sauce, and it immediately fit the criteria for what I was looking for, but I had questions. Would it be decadent enough? Would it have enough spice? I tested them to see if they could make the cut for my next cookout.

Get the recipe: Oprah Winfrey’s Deviled Eggs

Place a dozen eggs in a large pot filled with water and boil them for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the pot and transfer them into a bowl filled with ice water. Let the eggs cool, and then peel off the shells. 

Cut each boiled egg in half, lengthwise, and place them on a serving plate or tray. Scoop out the yolks and put them in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sweet pickle, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, horseradish sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the egg yolks. Combine until the mixture is smooth. 

Spoon the filling into the egg white halves. Top with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of paprika. Cover and refrigerate the deviled eggs for at least an hour. 

If you’ve ever been in charge of cooking for a gathering, then you know how anxiety-inducing it can get sometimes. These deviled eggs take under 30 minutes to prep and use up a lot of pantry and fridge staples you likely have on hand. So even before digging into these tasty-looking bites, they already checked a bunch of my boxes. 

Judging by how many times I went to the refrigerator to snag a deviled egg, they definitely passed my taste test. These bites pack a ton of condiments — which I questioned at first — but the flavor isn’t overwhelming. The texture is creamy and thick, so have a nice sparkling drink on the side to wash it all down. I didn’t mind this, but it became tricky when I tried to use a piping bag to fill the halves. 

The flavor is the true star of these deviled eggs. The creamy mayonnaise and smooth mustard offer rich bites. The sweet pickles and zesty lemons bring a tangy twist. The dashes of hot sauce and spoonfuls of horseradish add a fiery depth. Winfrey uses Tabasco, but any spicy condiment could work. For those moments when I’m in a pinch and want to perform a labor of love for my friends and family, I’ll lean on this simple recipe to make that happen. In the spirit of the legend herself, you get a deviled egg, you get a deviled egg, everybody gets a deviled egg.

• Have fun with the toppings. While these deviled eggs can certainly stand on their own, a little bit of texture never hurts. Fry some bacon, onions, or capers to add depth to your bites.
• Pipe out the filling. Instead of simply spooning the filling into the egg white halves, try piping it for a more refined presentation. Use a large tip to allow your spread to flow smoothly. You can also thin out the mixture by blending it until it’s creamy and pipeable.
• Pickle the eggs. Place your egg white halves in a pickling bath made from boiled beets to impart a beautiful magenta hue to your bites.
• Switch up the spicy ingredients. Swap the Tabasco for your go-to hot sauce sitting in your cabinet — spoon in scotch bonnet pepper sauce, chili crisp, or gochujang for fiery bites.