Filled with creamy egg yolks, smoky bacon crumbles, and zesty horseradish, these Bacon Deviled Eggs are a fantastic appetizer for game day, New Year’s Eve, or any occasion that calls for a snack with a little extra “oomph”.
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Bacon and Eggs. They belong together like bread and butter. Peanut butter and jelly. Strawberries and cream. Steak and béarnaise! I could go on and on.
For a lightly spicy and smoky twist on the classic appetizer, these Bacon Deviled Eggs have become a fast favorite among my family and friends. A touch of horseradish in the filling adds a little “zip” to the bite, and snipped chives bring a fresh, mild onion flavor.
These are deviled eggs to devour.
Bacon Deviled Egg Filling
As in my recipe for Classic Deviled Eggs, I start this filling with a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream, with a touch of mustard. I kept the Dijon in the recipe for its acidity, but reduced the quantity to introduce the heat of the horseradish (more on that below).
A nice hickory or applewood smoked bacon is perfect for this deviled egg filling. I cook the bacon crisp in the oven, let it cool, and then cut it into a fairly fine crumble. We find that smaller, more uniform bits of crispy bacon are more pleasant than larger pieces when mixed into the creamy egg yolk base.
I always like to make an extra strip of bacon to crumble over the tops of the filled eggs for garnish. More bacon is never a bad idea in my book!
Adding Horseradish to Deviled Eggs
I like to use cream-style horseradish in this recipe, as opposed to fresh or the refrigerated prepared versions. My reasoning for this is that a.) cream-style horseradish tends to be a bit smoother in texture than prepared, and b.) prepared horseradish needs resting time in a recipe to fully develop its flavor and heat.
While you can make the filling for these deviled eggs ahead of time, I don’t want to have to. Deviled eggs are the kind of recipe that I like to be able to whip up with short notice.
Cream-style horseradish (my favorite brand is Inglehoffer; I buy it online or in the regular grocery store) is made from grated horseradish root and mixed into a creamy base. The horseradish’s spicy qualities are evident as soon as you taste it.
Since this style of horseradish can vary significantly across brands, taste the one you’re using and add it conservatively, to taste, until you reach your desired heat level. Spicy horseradish can have a sinus-clearing quality, so I don’t like to to bombard my guests with a heavy hand.
Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance?
Yes and No. You can boil the eggs up to a week in advance, if you want to get a jump start before a party.
We like bacon deviled eggs best when we serve them pretty close to making the filling. The bacon will lose some of its crispiness and the chives wilt as they sit. The longest I’ve held them in the refrigerator successfully is 6-8 hours. After that, they’ve become a little lackluster.
So, making them earlier in the day? Sure. Just hold the garnishes on top for right before you serve them. Prepping a day or two before? For the best flavors and textures, I don’t recommend it with this particular recipe.
Read more about storing and transporting deviled eggs (as well as other tips for success) in my How to Make Deviled Eggs guide.
More Deviled Egg Recipes
- Truffled Deviled Eggs
- Chipotle Deviled Eggs with Chorizo
- Italian-Style Deviled Eggs with Garlic and Basil
📖 Recipe
Bacon Deviled Eggs with Horseradish
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (I use Maille or Fallot)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons cream style horseradish (or more or less, to taste)
- 2 tablespoons crisp bacon , finely crumbled (plus additional for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives (plus additional for garnish)
- kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place eggs in a heavy-bottomed pot and cover with cool water by 1 to 2 inches. Vent lid and bring just to a boil. Cover pot completely, lower heat, and simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let stand for 10 minutes before peeling under cool running water. Slice eggs in half lengthwise.
- Gently scoop out egg yolks and add to a bowl. Whisk together with mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and cream-style horseradish until smooth (or use a hand mixer for a very smooth base). Stir in bacon and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding additional horseradish if you prefer a spicier filling.
- Fill each egg with some of the yolk mixture and garnish with additional bacon and chives.
Sean says
Fantastic idea! Dijon is wonderful to work with, but you’re definitely right about losing the heat with it. Bringing horseradish into the mix is a wonderful and very complimentary idea! And as for bacon and eggs – well, how can you go wrong there? Great advice on splitting up the work flow too – always good to know how best to do that with a recipe like this! Cheers.
Dana says
My husband and I are so obsessed with horseradish that sometimes, while perusing the fridge, we’ll see the jar and just open it to take a whiff. SO GOOD. Haha. Naturally, these deviled eggs had me at hello. My husband won’t eat deviled eggs, but hey. More for me. Can’t wait to bring these to a potluck sometime. Deviled eggs have always been on of my favorite appetizers and it seems like people have forgotten about them over the years. I don’t see them around that often! Guess it’s up to me :)
Daniela says
My husband is going to love these deviled eggs! He’s a huge fan of horseradish, so I can already see him asking me to make these over and over again. And chives and bacon are such a classic combination for deviled eggs. Yum!
Sarah says
Woah.. I love everything with horseradish, but my husband is OBSESSED with horseradish! I just bought a new jar of horseradish last week– I can’t wait to try these! I’m loving this deviled egg series– you always make cooking so much easier :D