Curried Deviled Eggs

This recipe for Curried Deviled Eggs is NOT your grandma's recipe. Anything but traditional, these spicy deviled eggs are made with yogurt, tomatoes, and a spicy curry blend. No mayo in sight! Perfect for snacks or appetizers, or for a potluck spread.

Let’s just get one thing out of the way: these are not your grandma’s deviled eggs.

I mean, neither of my grandmothers made deviled eggs (that I know of) , but if they did, I’m confident that they wouldn’t have been these. What I’m trying to say is, if you’re looking for a traditional deviled egg recipe, you’re in the wrong place.

But! If what you’re looking for is a bonkers delicious spicy deviled egg recipe, then we should talk because these bad boys are out of this world.

If you came to a party at my house anytime between 2011 and 2016 (aka, pre kids) chances are you had these Curried Deviled Eggs. If you did not come to one of my bitchin’ pre-kid parties, I’m sorry. You really missed out.

At one of said parties I made a double batch of spicy deviled eggs and my sister, who had turned up for the weekend, took one look at them and said, “those do not look good.”

And it’s true, if you’re expecting bright yellow yolks piped into pretty swirls, you’re going to be concerned with how these come out. Straight up, the filling is pretty fugly. But let me tell you that what they lack in looks they make up for in flavour.

There’s a legit party in your mouth and your life will be forever changed when you bite into one of these deviled eggs. FOREVER CHANGED.

At that same party my sister took it upon herself to walk around the room with the tray of deviled eggs telling people, “these look gross but they’re really really good and you should try one.”

Are you ready for this?

What do I need for this recipe?

Here’s what we’ve got going on:

• Eggs –-> You saw that coming, right?
• Yoghurt –-> This is a mayo-free zone.
• Red onion –-> Finely chopped, pls and thank you.
• Garlic -–> Don’t be shy now.
• Tomato –-> half a cup finely chopped.
• Cumin seeds AND ground cumin –-> So much smoky flavor.
• Cayenne pepper –-> Bringing the heat!
• Cooking oil, salt, and pepper –-> Support crew bringing it home.
• Jalapeno and cilantro –-> for garnish.

If you're wondering whether this blend of spices and ingredients seems familiar, you're on to something. My Mung Bean and Coconut Curry has a very similar flavour profile, as do these Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Wraps. So the great news is that if you buy the spices to make one of those recipes, you're good to go for all three!

How do you make deviled eggs?

If you haven’t already hardboiled your eggs, this is a good place to start. You can check out my technique here for making perfect hardboiled eggs. Note that for making deviled eggs it’s better to err on the side of slightly overdone than slightly underdone, as it’ll provide a sturdier base once the egg is filled.

Ok, onto the filling!

Step 1: Heat the cooking oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds, or until the seeds begin to darken slightly.

Step 2: Add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until it is lightly golden brown.

Step 3: Add the garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

Step 4: Add the tomatoes, salt, cayenne, cumin, and black pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes.

Step 5: Stir the yogurt into the curry mixture, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.

Step 6: Peel your hardboiled eggs, and slice them in half.

Step 7: Remove the yolks and place them in a medium bowl, then use a fork to finely mash the yolks until they are smooth.

Step 8: Add the warm curry mixture to the yolks and mix well.

Step 9: Spoon the filling into the egg white halves, and place on a serving plate.

Step 10: Garnish with finely diced jalapeño, or cilantro leaves.

Step 11: Serve!

Can deviled eggs be made in advance?

For this curried deviled egg recipe you can prepare all of the components in advance. You can hard boil your eggs up to a few days ahead of time, and the curry mixture can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge.

I do recommend that you fill the eggs fairly close to serving, only because if left overnight, while still completely delicious the eggs will start to look a bit funky and the filling will start to weep a bit.

I did pack the eggs from this photoshoot for my work lunches and ate them up to four days afterwards. From a flavor and food-safety perspective they were totally fine but they definitely didn’t look so appealing.  

Note:

You may be tempted to reduce the amount of oil in this recipe: don’t. Trust me, I’ve tried, and the filling is just not as good without the full amount.

Keep in mind that we’re replacing the usual mayo with a combination of cooking oil (I use either canola or light olive oil, whatever I’ve got on hand) and yogurt, and in the end, it works out to less than a teaspoon of oil per serving.

Serving:

I recommend serving these curried devilled eggs as an appetizer or snack. They are freaking fantastic with a glass of bubbles or a cold beer.

I’d serve them alongside other snacky food, like this epic Vegetarian Cheese Board, some crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans, or Spicy Garlic Edamame.

Are eggs healthy?

They sure are!

Eggs are a natural, nutrient-rich whole food and an amazing source of high quality protein. In fact, many public health authorities use eggs as the reference standard against which protein qualities are evaluated.

Eggs contain all eight B-vitamins, including folic acid. Vitamin B12 and choline are particularly abundant in eggs. Eggs are also a very good source of selenium and iodine.

Other recipes you might enjoy

Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Ricotta and Spinach Egg Bake
Egg in a Squash Hole
Vegetarian Frittata with Corn and Tomatoes

This recipe is adapted from one of my favourite cookbooks, Vij's At Home. This recipe was originally published March 28, 2013. It was retested, rephotographed, and updated on March 10, 2020.