Ina Garten’s Secret for the Best Deviled Eggs Is Genius

I'm a recently reformed deviled eggs hater. Like my other superpower of spotting a tiny spider in the corner of a room I just walked into, I was that person who immediately locked eyes on deviled eggs on a buffet table and thought, Which cartoon villain guest passed on making pigs in a blanket, mini quiches, or fried pickles, and instead choose the chalkiest, dry heave of breakfast foods: hard boiled eggs? I hid my contempt pretty well…ish, while witnessing sweaty little egg halves try to survive the holiday party circuit like actual chestnuts roasting on an open fire. 

However—glow-up alert—Ina Garten's secret for the best Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs has deviled eggs singing high notes like Mariah Carey on "All I Want For Christmas," thanks to the decadent addition of cream cheese and sour cream in the filling. After a spin in the mixer to whip in a little air, the velvety yolk mixture will be ready to party like it's 1999.

I wrote about my love for Ina’s deviled eggs earlier this year, and the love affair continues. 

Why Adding Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Upgrades Deviled Eggs

Outshining the mayo-only mixture of most deviled egg recipes, cream cheese and sour cream add incredibly smooth, rich texture and lots of tang. Sour cream lightens the richness of the yolks and keeps it from being overly one-note. Cream cheese gives the filling some structure (i.e. fluff) without overwhelming its flavor. It’s literally the easiest way to upgrade deviled eggs into a show-stopper.

You can use this trick on your favorite deviled eggs recipe. For eight egg yolks, Ina calls for 1/2 cup of sour cream, two ounces of cream cheese, and two tablespoons of mayo. Make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature so that it’s soft and easier to blend.

If you’re cooking a dozen eggs, up the measurement to 3/4 cup sour cream, three ounces of cream cheese, and three tablespoons mayo. You can always use less and add more after you mix the filling and sense it needs it. 

Fast forward to now, if there's a line of plump hard-boiled egg halves dressed to the nines with dill sprigs and pickles sticking out of their tops like fascinators on Marie Antoinette, I'm the first one in line at the buffet—my compliments to the chef! Ina's trick for making the best deviled eggs make me seem like the hors d'oeuvres queen of the party.