The Make-Ahead Deviled Egg Trick That Actually Works

I love to serve a platter of eye-catching, colorful deviled eggs to guests, especially when topped with colorful retro garnish. This beloved finger food is the exact right size nibble to keep hunger at bay before holiday meals. I would prefer to do deviled eggs as a make-ahead appetizer, but I need to know how to keep my eggs looking fresh and firm rather than squishy and weepy. 

To figure out the trick, I checked in with Chef Nelson Serrano-Bahri at The American Egg Board.

The Trick To Making No-Fail Deviled Eggs

To make good deviled eggs ahead of time, Chef Serrano-Bahri shared a two-part trick:

• Store the components separately
• Skip the plastic wrap

Hard-boil the eggs and prepare the egg yolk filling ahead of time, then refrigerate them separately. When the filling is added back to the eggs, moisture will accumulate and can affect the texture. For this reason, the chef doesn't recommend piping the filling into the shells more than 30 to 60 minutes ahead of time.

To store the egg whites, place the halves upside-down on a paper towel-lined tray to let the towel absorb excess moisture. Chef Serrano-Bahri says they should be covered with a vented or high-domed lid and refrigerated. Don’t cover them tightly—doing so will trap moisture and create condensation. Place your prepared egg yolk filling in a resealable bag or a piping bag, “squeezing out excess air to limit oxidation,” he says. Both deviled egg components can be stored in the fridge for up to two days.

Why skip the plastic wrap? Because when it's stretched over the top of your deviled eggs, it traps condensation that makes for a mushy texture. Instead, “cover assembled eggs with an upturned container lid, cake dome, or sheet pan lid,” Serrano-Bahri says. “Never plastic wrap.” If plastic wrap is the only choice, poke toothpicks into the eggs to prevent the wrap from touching the surfaces.

More Tips for Make-Ahead Deviled Eggs

Here are a few additional hacks from Chef Serrano-Bahri for the best possible texture in make-ahead deviled eggs. 

• When preparing the filling, the chef suggests adding a teaspoon or two of softened butter (to a recipe with 12 yolks). “It firms slightly when cold, yet melts on the palate,” he says. You could also add a blend of Dijon mustard with vinegar or lemon to emulsify the filling and keep it firm.
• For the whites, he advises holding off on salting until just before serving, because salt will draw moisture to the surface. 

The chef says that controlling moisture is essential for good deviled eggs. “Dry whites, airtight yolks, and a tall lid win every time,” he says.