Why You Should Start Adding A Little Lemon Juice To Your Deviled Eggs

If you've never tried deviled eggs before, it's easy to guess what they're going to taste like even before you take a bite. In their simplest form, deviled eggs are fancy hard-boiled eggs with some extra seasoning and a pretty piped-on filling. While they certainly are a classic and tasty hors d'oeuvre, sometimes it's worth mixing things up in terms of flavor. If you want a new way to experience deviled eggs, try introducing a new ingredient next time around. Instead of reaching for just the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar, add some lemon juice, too.

According to Real Simple, mixing in a splash of lemon juice with your egg yolk mixture is an easy way to incorporate another layer of flavor. The sweet and sour tang adds just the right amount of brightness, while the acidity cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise. As a result, your deviled eggs can taste more fresh and delicious.

Lemon juice is not exactly a subtle flavor, so if you're planning to add it to deviled eggs, it's best to not be heavy-handed with it. In a recipe for sour cream, lemon, and herb-deviled eggs, Bon Appétit recommends just 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice per six hard-boiled eggs. That may not seem like a lot, but remember there are other ingredients in deviled egg filling — the Bon Appétit version includes cayenne, parsley, and thyme — and you want their flavors to shine, too.

If you're worried you might overpower your deviled eggs with the taste of lemon juice, Katie Lee Biegel shared on an episode of "The Kitchen" (via Food Network) that lemon zest can be substituted. In her recipe, she uses the zest of a whole lemon, per dozen eggs, and skips the lemon juice entirely. Whether you use lemon juice or lemon zest, adding lemon is a great way to liven up your deviled eggs.