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.

If you have an Instant Pot you can make your hardboiled eggs using the 5-5-5 technique, which my friend Sarah will walk you through in this recipe for Instant Pot Hardboiled Eggs.

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.

BUT WHAT ABOUT CHOLESTEROL?

Well, several large-scale studies conducted recently have suggested that the cholesterol content of eggs in relation to heart disease may be less of a concern than previously thought. Interestingly, a relationship between egg intake and an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol has also been observed.

However, those with type 2 diabetes should speak to their doctors about including eggs in their diets, as there is a connection between egg intake and cardiovascular problems in that specific population.

Is one part of an egg better than the other? As it turns out, the nutrients found in an egg are distributed fairly evenly between the white and the yolk. The white has more protein, magnesium, potassium, and B3, whereas the yolk has more omega-3 fatty acids, folate, choline, B12, and fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K.

If you want to learn more, I did a deep dive into why eggs are so healthy in this post: Nutrition Superfoods: Eggs.

Other recipes you might enjoy

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

curried devilled eggs topped with jalapeno peppers on a white plate with a beer to the side

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5 from 5 votes

Curried Deviled Eggs

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword Curry, Deviled Eggs

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 92kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

6 large eggs hardboiled and cooled
¼ cup canola oil or other neutral cooking oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
½ large tomato finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup plain yoghurt full fat
1 small jalapeno pepper finely diced

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds, or until the seeds begin to darken.
Add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until it is lightly golden brown.
Add the garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, salt, cayenne, cumin, fenugreek seeds, and black pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes.
Stir the yoghurt into the curry mixture, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat.
Peel the eggs and slice them in half.
Remove the yolks and place them in a medium bowl, then use a fork to finely mash the yolks until they are smooth.
Add the warm curry mix to the yolks and mix well.
Spoon the filling into the egg white halves, and place on a serving plate.
Garnish with cilantro, green onion, or jalapeño. Serve immediately, or cover the eggs and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Notes

You may end up with more filling than will fit in the egg whites - I like to mound it up generously, but still usually end up with leftover filling - the leftovers are excellent as a spread on crackers or bread.
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.
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.

Nutrition

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.