Jamie Oliver’s Easy Deviled Eggs Will Disappear in 10 Minutes—They're So Good

And they only take 15 minutes to make.

I had always considered deviled eggs—an enjoy-with-your-pinky-up hors d’oeuvre—too fussy or fancy to make at home. Whenever I have them at a potluck, company holiday party, or charity event, I’m blown away by their aesthetic and taste.

So, imagine my surprise when I first made them in about 15 minutes. Since then, I’ve always been looking for ways to further improve my homemade deviled eggs, and recently, I came across Jamie Oliver’s five-ingredient recipe. It caught my attention because his smoked salmon deviled eggs are as stunning as they are simple to prepare. His recipe is perfect for wowing guests at any holiday celebration or potluck. Or, if you’re like me and just want to treat yourself now and then, make these and feel like royalty.

Oliver’s recipe takes the guesswork out of classic deviled eggs, making them look posh while remaining effortless. However, I want to preface that he whips up mayonnaise from scratch. We’re going to skip that step and use the mayo in our fridge. I used Duke’s Mayo, my go-to brand. Kewpie mayo would work just fine as well, and don’t fret if you have Hellmann’s. There’s no need to run out to buy Duke’s instead.

Along with mayo, you’ll need eggs, smoked salmon, fresh dill, and cayenne pepper.

How To Make Jamie Oliver's Deviled Eggs

For 16 deviled eggs, you'll need:

• 8 large eggs, hard-boiled
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• A pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika
• 25g smoked salmon, minced, and more for garnishing
• 4 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped, and more for garnishing 

First, I used my egg cooker to steam the eggs to hard-boiled perfection. Normally, I always cool cooked eggs down with an ice bath, but my ice maker broke. After cooling the eggs in cold water and peeling them, I cut each egg lengthwise and gently scooped the yolks into a bowl.

I mashed the yolks with a fork until smooth, then added the mayonnaise, paprika, and salmon. Instead of fresh dill, I improvised with scallions I had in the fridge. While Jamie Oliver’s recipe doesn’t call for seasoning, I added salt and pepper to taste for extra flavor. Once the yolk mixture was creamy and well combined, I spooned it back into the egg whites, filling the cavities generously. To finish, I garnished the deviled eggs with a sprinkle of paprika, additional chopped scallions, and more smoked salmon.

The result was fancy-looking deviled eggs full of color and flavor. The creamy yolk filling was rich and velvety, with a subtle smoky depth from the salmon. The scallions added a fresh, oniony bite that cut through the richness, balancing the flavors. The egg whites were the perfect vessels and provided a tender, slightly springy base. As they were, the deviled eggs were already impressive, given how simple it was for me to put them together with only five ingredients.

My Tweaks to Jamie Oliver's Recipe

Of course, being the chaotic kitchen wizard I am (it comes with being a recipe developer and cookbook author), I had to transform Oliver’s recipe a bit to make it my own at home.

The next day, I made the deviled eggs again, but this time, in addition to seasoning the egg yolk mixture with salt and pepper, I added a pinch of MSG to punch up all the umami notes. Then, as a finisher, I drizzled extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) over the fully assembled deviled eggs. The oil added richness, tied all the flavors together, and enhanced the aesthetics of the fancy plate even further.

So, this holiday season, take a page from Oliver’s book and transform simple pantry ingredients into something impressive and delicious.  Whether you stick to his smoked salmon and dill or spin it like I did, your deviled eggs are guaranteed to impress. Gourmet doesn’t have to mean complicated, but don’t tell anyone it took you only about 15 minutes to make these deviled eggs.

Tips and Variations

• To save time, cook the eggs the night before and keep them refrigerated until ready to use.
• If you don’t have smoked salmon, try using another flavorful protein, like minced ham or prosciutto. Roasted and minced mushrooms would work, too. 
• Dill is slightly grassy with notes of anise and licorice. Since scallions worked just fine in my adapted recipe, I’m sure you can use another herb instead of dill for the deviled eggs. 
• We often have DIY poke or sushi nights and had some leftover tobiko (flying fish roe) and ikura (salmon roe) in our refrigerator, so I added a mix of both to my deviled eggs.

Get Recipe with Title: Jamie Oliver's Salmon Deviled Eggs Recipe