HARD Boiled eggs 

• Gently place the eggs in single layer in the empty pot and add cold water until it reaches 1″ above the eggs.
• Bring water to boil.  Once it’s boiling all over the top, not just the edges, cover, and turn off the heat. Keep the pot on the hot burner.
• Let stand covered for 14-17 minutes.
• As soon as the eggs are cooked, transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water. 

STEAMED EGGS ON THE STOVE

• Fill a saucepan with as much water as needed to reach the bottom of the steamer basket (about 1 inch or so).
• Heat water to boiling until it is at full boil and producing steam.
• Turn off the heat and gently place 12 the eggs at the bottom of the steamer basket or the bottom of the pan.
• Turn the heat back on again to medium high, and cover the pot.
• Cook for 14-17 minutes for cooked-through hard boiled.
• As soon as the eggs are cooked, transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water. 

STEAMED EGGS IN THE INSTANT POT

1. Place a steamer basket in the bottom of your pressure cooker. Add 1/2 to 1 inches of water (1 to 2 cups) to the pressure cooker (check your pressure cooker manual for minimal liquid amounts). The water level should be just below the steamer basket.
2. Add cold eggs straight from the fridge, but be careful of wedging eggs too firmly against one another or stacking eggs on top of each other since these can cause eggs to crack.
3. Close the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the steam valve is set to the "sealed" position. Set the pressure to high and set the timer for 4 minutes for electric pressure cookers (3 minutes for stovetop). The pressure cooker will take 5 to 10 minutes to come to full pressure and then being cooking. Cooking time begins once the cooker has come to pressure.
4. After cooking is done, let the pressure cooker sit for 5 minutes with the lid on and the steam vent "sealed" to allow steam to begin releasing naturally. (If you're using a stovetop pressure cooker, remove it from heat.)
5. After 5 minutes of natural release, flip the steam valve to "venting" and quick-release any remaining pressure.
6. Immediately transfer the cooked eggs to a bowl of ice water. 

How to Store 

Make Ahead

• Make the hard-boiled eggs: To make ahead, you can hard boil the eggs up to a week in advance but don’t peel them.  Let the eggs cool completely then store in a plastic bag until ready to use.
• Make the filling:  You can peel the eggs, slice the eggs and make the filling up to two days before serving the deviled eggs. Store the filling separately from the egg whites in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  You can even store the filling in a plastic bag so all you have to do is snip the corner to pipe the filling into the egg whites when it’s go time.  To store the egg whites, transfer them to a serving platter and wrap the egg whites on the serving dish tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
• Assemble:  When ready to serve, pipe the egg yolk filling into the egg whites.  You can store the assembled deviled eggs covered in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving, but the fresher, the better.

Possible Recipe Variations

• Swap horseradish:  I love the addition of horseradish, but if you’re not a fan, omit it and add some sass with cayenne pepper or hot sauce.
• Swap Cajun seasoning:  I love that Cajun seasoning is a mixture of everything delicious, but if you don’t have it on hand, add some paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to taste.   Alternatively, you could go a different route entirely and season the egg filling with Italian seasonings, curry powder, jerk seasonings ranch seasoning or Old Bay seasoning.
• Swap mayonnaise for avocado:  To make avocado deviled eggs, just substitute the equivalent in avocado.  Make sure it’s ripe enough so it will mix up smooth.  
• Swap lemon juice:  I prefer lemon juice to vinegar, but you may sub 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar or pickle juice then add more to taste if desired.
• Add pickles:  In addition to swapping the lemon juice for some pickle juice, you can also add some relish – a Southern classic!
• Add olives:  Stir in chopped olives directly into the filling.
• Add crunch:  I love the crunch of bacon as a topping but you can also add crunch to the filling with finely chopped celery or bell peppers.
• Add protein:  Add bacon, ham, crab meat, salmon or shrimp to the filling or reserve for a garnish on top. 
• Add fresh herbs:  Add fresh chives, dill, parsley, tarragon or your favorite herbs to the filling for extra fresh flavor.
• Add pesto:  Instead of herbs, go for a couple tablespoons of basil pesto mixed into the filling.  If using, reduce the sour cream and mayo.
• Add onions:  Add chives, green onions or red onions to the filling.
• Add heat:   The Cajun seasoning and horseradish add flavor but don’t make the deviled eggs overly spicy.  To really bring the heat, add some cayenne pepper, Tabasco, Sriracha, harissa, chipotle peppers or fresh or pickled jalapeños.
• Add some cheese:  You can mix soft crumbled cheese such as feta or goat cheese directly into the filling. Finely shredded sharp cheddar or Gouda would also be delish.
• Topping Ideas:  Bite size small shrimp seasoned with Old Bay Seasoning or Cajun seasoning, smoked salmon, salmon roe, lump crab meat, bacon jam, radish slices, microgreens, pickles, pepperoncini, olives, tapenade, capers, candied jalapenos, crispy fried onions, fried pickles, fried jalapenos, crumbled feta, goat cheese, blue cheese, etc.

Recipe Flavor Combinations