Description
Make show-stopping Deviled Egg Christmas Trees — a festive holiday appetizer that’s easy to prepare and crowd-pleasing.
Ingredients
Scale
- 24 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or 1/3 cup Greek yogurt + 2 tbsp mayo)
- 1 ripe avocado (or 1/2 cup blanched spinach puree or 1/4 cup basil pesto)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives (plus extra for garnish)
- 1/2 small red bell pepper or jarred pimentos, finely diced (for ornaments)
- 1 small yellow bell pepper or a small piece of cheddar (cut into small stars)
- Smoked or sweet paprika, for dusting
- Optional: pinch of sugar to round acidity (if needed)
Instructions
- Hard-boil the eggs: Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover, remove from heat, and let sit 10–12 minutes (10 minutes for just-done yolks, 12 minutes for fully firm).
- Chill and peel: Transfer eggs to ice water for at least 10 minutes to stop cooking and make peeling easier. Peel under cool running water to remove stubborn membrane.
- Halve and remove yolks: Slice eggs lengthwise. Gently pop yolks into a bowl; set whites on a platter with the cavity facing up.
- Make green filling: In a bowl or small food processor, combine yolks, mayonnaise, avocado (or spinach/pesto), mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Blend until very smooth. Add chopped chives and diced red pepper; pulse just to combine.
- Adjust texture: If filling is too thick for piping, add 1 tsp water or lemon juice at a time until it reaches a pipeable consistency. Taste and adjust salt/acid.
- Fill piping bag: Fit a piping bag with a large star tip and fill with filling. Pipe tall cones inside each egg white cavity — start in the center and work outward in a spiral, then build height by piping additional concentric layers.
- Garnish: Dust lightly with paprika for contrast. Lay chive pieces across the tree as garlands and press tiny red pepper/pimento pieces as ornaments. Top each tree with a small yellow pepper star or tiny cheddar star.
- Chill: Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served within 24 hours of assembly.
Notes
To save time, hard-boil eggs the day before and assemble the same day. For a brighter green, use a small amount of green food coloring or more avocado.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Boiling, Piping
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 half
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 190mg
Keywords: deviled eggs, christmas trees, holiday appetizer, festive food, party food