It’s fun to color hard-boiled Easter eggs. But why not punch up the insides, too? Here’s an easy way to turn the whites a lovely magenta by simply soaking the peeled eggs in juice from canned beets. Beet-dyed deviled eggs turn a classic crowd-pleaser into a centerpiece. As they say, we eat with our eyes.
Beet-dyed deviled eggs first bowled us over at Lulu’s, a cozy restaurant in Allston, Massachusetts known for draft beers and comfort food. They turned the humble deviled egg downright seductive, with the vibrant color and a caper-studded sweet-and-tangy filling.
And to add to the allure, Lulu’s presented the eggs on a kind of porcelain pedestal. They cut eggs crosswise—so the halves were round, not oval—and served them in an adorable white ceramic egg carton. Each half-egg sat poised on a crisp leaf of baby arugula, slightly elevated so it was easy to lift out.
So enamored was I with these sweet little egg crates (BIA White Porcelain Half Dozen Egg Crates), the first thing I did when I got home was to order two. (We have no affiliation with Amazon or this product, so there’s nothing in it for us.)
So with these cute egg crates and an adaptation of our favorite deviled-egg recipe from sister-in-law Judy, we have a lulu of an appetizer. Feel free to make hard boiled eggs whatever way works for you, and go ahead and mess with the proportions or use different condiments to your taste.
And while you can color the outside of the white by dyeing the eggs for just a couple of hours, the entire white will explode into magenta when you soak eggs overnight. So here are our words of greatest advice: Start the day before.
Beet-Dyed Deviled Eggs
Makes 12 servings. For best results, start the day before.
- 6 eggs
- Juice from 1 can of plain cooked beets
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard of your choice
- Prepared horseradish to taste (See Quick Homemade Horseradish)
- 1 teaspoon capers, minced
- 1 teaspoon whites of scallions, minced
- Baby greens or arugula for garnish
- For easy peeling, steam the eggs in a basket over boiling water for 12 minutes. Then plunge them into an ice bath for 5 minutes. Shells should peel off without much sticking.
- Drain the juice from a can of plain beets into a large glass bowl or container. Add peeled eggs and let soak for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
- Slice eggs in half and mix the yolks with mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard, horseradish, capers and scallions. For extra smoothness for piping, blend with an immersion blender or Miniprep.
- If piping filling, use a large star tip. Otherwise, just spoon in the filling.
- Place eggs on a bed of spring greens or arugula. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
