Ranch Is The Flavor-Packed Ingredient For Game-Changing Deviled Eggs

An elegant staple at baby showers, Easter celebrations, and potlucks, deviled eggs are the perfect savory combination of sour, salty, and creamy. And, with their satisfying array of textures and complementary flavors, they are right up there with buffalo wings as one of the most notable, delectable finger food appetizers at any party. 

But did you know you can kick the basic deviled egg recipe of mayonnaise, mustard, and relish up a notch with a simple packet of ranch seasoning? That's right, adding the easy-use powdered version of the popular salad dressing to your deviled egg filling will not only bring a tangy, delectably salty taste to the classic dish, but it will also serve as a flavorful base for an array of savory mix-ins and toppings, from bacon to avocado to blue cheese. With its uniquely sharp flavor profile, get ready for an upgraded deviled egg that will leave you and your guests singing its praises. 

A great deviled egg begins with the egg being cooked properly. While soft-boiled eggs, medium-boiled, and hard-boiled eggs all bring a uniquely delectable texture to the breakfast table, deviled eggs call for hard-boiled yolks so the filling will hold its shape. So you'll want to boil those eggs for 12 minutes, the ideal boiling time for perfectly yellow yolks without that pesky green outer ring. As a clever hack for easy-to-peel-boiled eggs, add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to your water once it's boiling; the alkaline in the baking soda will help the eggs detach a bit from the shells for easier peeling.

When you're ready to make your upgraded filling, add one packet of ranch seasoning to your yolks, mayonnaise, and other ingredients, and mash it together with a fork. Alternatively, you can use your food processor to get your egg filling smooth; a deliciously creamy texture is ideal if you prefer using a piping bag to fill your whites for a sophisticated flair. 

Don't have ranch seasoning, but you've got a bottle of ranch salad dressing in your fridge? Go ahead and add two tablespoons of your dressing to your egg filling instead. And if you feel like getting even more hands-on, feel free to make a ranch dressing to mix with your yolks — with some sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, and seasoning to taste, you've got a solid addition to a smashingly good appetizer. 

Adding ranch seasoning to your egg filling provides the perfect base for more delicious ways to upgrade your deviled eggs with complementary mix-ins and toppings. For example, is there a pairing more classic than ranch and bacon? That's right, adding smoky bacon bits to the filling or a larger piece of bacon as garnish promises a well-rounded, extremely satisfying bite. But, if you do add bacon to your yolk mixture, keep your extra salt to a minimum, as the bacon is plenty salty on its own. If you're feeling especially adventurous and love a good plate of buffalo wings dipped in ranch, try adding three tablespoons of buffalo wing sauce to your yolk mixture for a pairing that gives a delectable kick, then top with green onions and blue cheese. 

If you rock with the smooth, velvetiness of avocado, go ahead and mash one and add it with a squeeze of lemon juice to your ranch filling — avocado goes deliciously well with ranch (hence the popularity of avocado ranch dressing) and maximize the creaminess of your filling. For a topping that gives a cozy, backyard grilling feel, drizzle some barbecue sauce over your ranch deviled eggs after they are stuffed, and feel free to top with green onions or chives. And there you have it: Adding ranch to your deviled eggs completely changes the game in the best and most scrumptious way.