Whatever the gathering, deviled eggs are always a hit! From black tie parties to backyard cookouts, I’ve seen them disappear from the buffet every time. These Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs are no exception.
Pimento cheese is a southern staple, but I’m admittedly a northerner. I grew up near Chicago, went to college in Wisconsin, lived in Cleveland, and now I’m back in Chicago. So while I haven’t lived in the South, I’ve fallen in love with the food while visiting.
I’m also lucky enough to have a southern friend who knows southern food, so she’s helped me along on re-creating a few favorites at home.
Pimento cheese is obviously the star of these deviled eggs, but since it’s store-bought, choose wisely! There are various pimento cheeses of different quality, but Palmetto Cheese is apparently the best. It even has a whole article in Southern Living that sings its praises.
Palmetto cheese is billed as “Pimento Cheese with Soul”. I haven’t tried enough brands to know that it’s the best, but I’ll take the word of our southern friends here. It’s available at Mariano’s in the Chicago area, and in over 40 states and 9,000 grocery stores nationwide.
Other than the pimento cheese, you’ll need just a few other ingredients: eggs, mayonnaise, pimento peppers (which add some crunch), salt, and chives for garnish. The recipe comes together really easily—peeling the eggs takes the most time!
The recipe below contains a fool-proof method for perfect hard boiled eggs. The whites are fully cooked and the yolks are set but not completely dry—they have the tiniest bit of moisture still in them.
For peeling the eggs, you’ll want to make sure you have a little patience. I find that tapping the egg all over on the counter works best, and then I’ll take a thumb to one of the cracks and start peeling. Some eggs will peel more easily than others. People swear that older eggs peel more easily, but I usually just buy the cheap eggs at the store and they work great. The key is not letting them sit too long in the ice bath. Cold eggs are harder to peel.
I use a sandwich size zip-top bag as a makeshift piping bag for filling the eggs. It’s much neater and easier than using a spoon. I cut a small hole in the corner and pipe the filling into the egg whites.
After garnishing with fresh chopped chives, the Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs are ready to serve. These are definitely going to become one of my go-to appetizers, along with pigs in a blanket and maple sriracha roasted nuts! Do you have any southern foods that you love to make at home? Or any go-to party appetizers? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 1 dozen 12 large eggs
- ¾ cup prepared pimento cheese
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup chopped pimento peppers plus more reserved for garnish
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- For garnish: chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a large saucepan. Add cold water to the pan, covering the eggs by one inch. Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil.
- As soon as the water reaches a rapid boil (lots of large bubbles), cover the pan and take it off the heat. Allow the eggs to sit in the covered pan for 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice water. After 8 minutes, remove the eggs from the hot water and place in the ice water. Allow the eggs to sit in the ice water for 2 minutes (no more, or the eggs will be hard to peel).
- Take an egg and tap it gently all over on a flat surface. Work your thumb into one of the cracks and gently remove the peel. This can take a little patience. Don’t worry if your eggs aren’t perfectly peeled (they’ll taste the same!).
- Slice each egg in half. Place the egg yolk from each egg half into a medium bowl. Transfer the egg whites to a serving platter.
- In the bowl with the egg yolks, add the pimento cheese, mayonnaise, chopped pimento peppers, and salt. Mix with a handheld mixer until combined.
- Transfer the pimento cheese mixture to a pastry bag or zip-top bag. I found that a sandwich bag fits about half of the filling. Snip a ¼ inch piece off the corner of the bag.
- Pipe the pimento cheese filling into each egg white. Garnish with chopped chives and serve!
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