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These bacon deviled eggs are creamy, tangy, and packed with crisp bacon, minced onion, and a little cayenne for just the right kick. They’re easy to make ahead, perfect for holidays, cookouts, or any day bacon sounds like a good idea. You’re going to love how quickly they disappear.
Why You’ll Love It
- Loaded with bacon — crisp, smoky bacon gives every bite a salty, savory crunch.
- Creamy with a kick — mustard, apple cider vinegar, and cayenne keep the filling tangy and flavorful.
- Easy to make ahead — chill them before serving to let the flavors settle together.
- No piping required — spoon the filling into the whites for a simple, unfussy appetizer.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll want large eggs here, twelve of them. I’ve used the fancy brown eggs and the regular white carton eggs, and I can’t honestly say the deviled egg knows the difference once it’s been mixed up with mayonnaise and bacon. Buy what you like.
The bacon needs to be cooked very crisp. Not “pretty crispy.” I mean crisp enough that you can crush it into little pieces once it cools. Limp bacon in deviled eggs is not a tragedy exactly, but it is disappointing, and I’ve had enough disappointment in my life without bringing it to an egg platter.
For the onion, keep it finely minced—really tiny pieces. A mini food processor does a nice job with both the bacon and onion if you have one. If not, use a knife and a little patience. I do not always have patience, but there we are.
Yellow mustard is what works best here. Dijon is lovely in a thousand things, but this is not one of them. The apple cider vinegar gives the filling a little brightness, and the smoked paprika adds that deeper smoky note that works so nicely with the bacon. You can dust a little extra paprika over the finished eggs if you want them to look more finished-up.
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus a little more only if it needs it
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus extra for dusting if you feel like it
Instructions
Put the eggs in a pot, cover them with water, and boil them. Once they’re cooked, cool and peel them. This recipe’s listed cooking time is about 10 minutes, which is usually right for a firm yolk. I like to cool mine well before peeling because peeling hot eggs makes me cross, and nobody needs that energy in the kitchen. Once peeled, slice each egg lengthwise. Put the yolks into a large bowl and arrange the whites on your serving dish.
Mash the yolks with a fork. Really get in there and break them up as smoothly as you can. They do not have to be perfectly silky—this is a home kitchen, not a television competition—but big dry yolk chunks are no good. Lumpy filling is still edible, of course. Free food tends to disappear with astonishing grace.
While the eggs are cooling, cook the bacon until it is extra crisp. Drain off the excess grease and let the bacon cool. Then crush it into fine pieces. You can chop it with a knife, crumble it with your fingers, or use a mini food processor. The same goes for the onion: mince it very small. You want bacon and onion in every bite, not one giant onion surprise that makes somebody’s eyes water.
Add the minced onion and crushed bacon to the mashed egg yolks. Stir them together well. It may seem like a lot of bacon when it’s sitting there in the bowl, but once the mayonnaise and mustard go in, it all settles down.
Add the yellow mustard, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, and smoked paprika. Stir everything together until the filling is creamy and evenly mixed. Take a taste before you start filling the eggs. It’s easier to add salt than take it away.
If the filling needs more salt, add a little at a time. The bacon is salty already, so don’t go dumping more in before you taste it. The cayenne is meant to be a background warmth, not a dare. I know some folks like things hotter than blazes, but these aren’t that kind of deviled egg.
Fill the egg white halves. You can use a spoon and mound the filling right into each one—my usual method, especially if I’m in a hurry. Or spoon the filling into a zip-top bag, snip off one corner, and pipe it into the whites. The bag trick looks nice and saves some mess, although I have split a bag once and sent filling onto the counter. Not my proudest moment. Keep the opening small. Learn from me.
Cover the platter and refrigerate the deviled eggs for 30 minutes before serving. They’re better chilled, and it gives the flavors a chance to settle together. If you like, dust the tops with a little extra paprika just before they go out. Then stand back, because they disappear fast.
Variations
A pinch more smoked paprika is nice too, especially if your bacon isn’t particularly smoky.
I would not swap out the bacon if you want these to taste like bacon deviled eggs. That’s the whole point. Could you make them without it? Sure. You could also wear socks with sandals, but why would you. The bacon and onion are what make people pause after the first bite and say, “What did you put in these?”
I did try a version once with sweet pickle relish because it was supposed to be “interesting.” It was interesting, all right. Not terrible, but it took the eggs in a completely different direction, and I kept wishing I’d left well enough alone. Sometimes a recipe has already found its lane.
Storage & Reheating
These should be stored covered in the refrigerator. Since they’re deviled eggs, there is no reheating involved—please don’t do that to yourself or the eggs. Serve them cold.
They’re best the day you make them, after that 30-minute chill, but leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two if they’re covered well. The filling can get a little less fresh-looking after a while, and the onion gets stronger, so I try to make only what I think we’ll eat. Then again, I almost always make too many.
If they’ve been sitting outside for a long time at a cookout, use your good sense. Cold egg dishes are not something to gamble with.
Final Notes
Some recipes become part of the routine. The familiar bowl, the finely minced onion, and a platter of chilled deviled eggs can make any meal feel a little like home.
Make them for a holiday table if you want. Make them for lunch with crackers and iced tea. Make them because the eggs are in the fridge and you need something that feels a little like home, even if the kitchen floor needs mopping again.
Bacon Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 6 slices bacon cooked very crisp and crushed into fine pieces
- 2 tablespoons onion finely minced
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt plus a little more only if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika plus extra for dusting if desired
Instructions
- Put the eggs in a pot, cover them with water, and boil them until cooked through, about 10 minutes for a firm yolk.
- Cool the eggs well, peel them, then slice each egg lengthwise and place the yolks in a large bowl while arranging the whites on a serving dish.
- Mash the yolks with a fork until they are broken up as smoothly as possible, with no large dry chunks remaining.
- While the eggs are cooling, cook the bacon until extra crisp, drain off the excess grease, let it cool, and crush it into fine pieces.
- Finely mince the onion into very small pieces so the bacon and onion are evenly distributed in every bite.
- Add the minced onion and crushed bacon to the mashed egg yolks and stir them together well.
- Add the yellow mustard, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, and smoked paprika, then stir until the filling is creamy and evenly mixed.
- Taste the filling before filling the eggs, adding a little more salt only if needed since the bacon is already salty.
- Spoon the filling into the egg white halves, or spoon it into a zip-top bag, snip off a small corner, and pipe it into the whites.
- Cover the platter and refrigerate the deviled eggs for 30 minutes before serving, then dust with a little extra smoked paprika if desired.