These stunning Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs use both Mediterranean Za’atar spice blend and tahini in the filling for an unforgettable standout dish!
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Year before I started my blog I catered a co-worker’s baby shower. It was my gift to her, though, in retrospect, I had bitten off more than I could chew. I made everything out of my tiny kitchen, feeding a party of 50+ people. I made mac and cheese, deviled eggs and cupcakes along with a number of other dishes that I can’t even remember. I’m not really made out for catering, and though I survived the experience, I can’t say I really enjoyed it or wanted to revisit it.
But one of the dishes, a beet-pickled deviled egg stuck in my head. I found the recipe online years ago and I can’t remember what the filling consisted of, though I think it had caraway seeds which I am not a huge fan of. But ever since then I’ve been wanting to revisit the egg because it’s really quite stunning, with its vibrant pink color from the beet juice.
So, when I opened up the kiln at my ceramic studio recently and pulled out a baby-blue textured plate that I had recently made, I knew that I wanted to make those eggs again. I’ve been spending more and more time in the ceramic studio, and it in turn has inspired me to spend more and more time in the kitchen. Each piece I pull out of the kiln makes me think of the food I want to make to put in them. It’s so funny how all my interests overlap and feed into each other (pun intended).
Once I figured out that I wanted to make those beet-pickled deviled eggs, it was just a matter of revisiting the filling. The sweet acidic beet juice not only turns the eggs a beautiful vibrant pink color but adds a distinct flavor that I wanted to highlight. I landed on both tahini and zaatar spice in the filling as a perfect compliment. This is the sort of vivid flavored deviled eggs that matched the stunning color, perfect for Springtime and Easter!
Make ahead
You can make components of these deviled eggs ahead of time if you want! Pickled beets will last up to 1 month in the fridge. Feel free to pickle them and eat them in whatever dish you want, saving the pickling brine for the eggs. If, at any point, the brine starts to look cloudy or smell off, toss and make some fresh pickling brine.
You do need to pickle the eggs at least 8 hours (overnight) and up to 48 hours (2 days) to infuse the eggs with flavor and color. The longer you pickle the eggs the more flavor and color the eggs will have. I pickled my eggs for 24 hours because I wanted to keep an inner white part of the egg and I didn’t want the pickled beet flavor to overpower my deviled eggs.
You can make the filling of the deviled eggs up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just combine all the ingredients and save them in the resealable freezer plastic bag or an airtight container. You can even just snip off a corner of the bag with a scissors and pipe the eggs right before serving making it super easy! The eggs, once assembled, are best eaten the day of.
What are watermelon radishes?
I use watermelon radishes as a garnish on these deviled eggs. Watermelon radishes are a mild flavored radish with a stunning pink center and green white edge (which is what gives them their name). You can find them seasonally at Farmers markets or at upscale and well-stocked grocery stores. If you can’t find them, any radish will do for a garnish for these eggs. You can even omit them as a garnish, though I think they not only look great on the egg, but add a crisp peppery bite that helps compliment the tahini za’atar filling and the pickled beet eggs.
Easy Shortcut for Pickled Beets
If you don’t making your own pickled beet, feel free to use the brine from a store-bought jarred or canned pickled beet of your choice! Just make sure you have enough brine for the eggs. You need at least 2 cup of brine to pickle the eggs.
What is a good substitute for Za’atar?
Za’atar (sometimes spelled zaatar) spice blend is a middle eastern spice blend that can be found in well-stocked grocery stores or online. You can even make your own version of it if you want or just substitute another spice blend like dukkah (and Egyptian spice blend), harissa (a Tunisian spice blend) or your favorite Italian spice blend. To make a simplified homemade version of za’atar, just blend equal parts dried thyme, sesame seeds, and mix in half the amount of fresh lemon zest together, then add salt and pepper to your taste. Keep in mind the homemade version won’t taste quite like actual za’atar spice blend, which often uses wild thyme and other herbs and seasonings.
What is good substitute for Tahini?
Tahini is a ground sesame seed puree, a vital ingredient in hummus. I adore it in this deviled egg and don’t really recommend any other substitutions, though some folks say you can try peanut butter or another nut butter in its place. If you try that, leave me a note in the comments and tell me what you think of it!
What’s the best way to hard boil eggs?
I like using the pressure cooker to make my hard-boiled eggs because the eggshells practically slide off. You can use a pressure cooker like the Crock Pot Multi-Cooker or the Instant Pot for easy hard-boiled eggs. I pressure cook on high for 4 minutes, then do a natural pressure release for 5 minutes then quick release and move the eggs to a cold water bath to stop the cooking. Or you can steam them, which also makes them easier to peel than traditional boiling. I have directions on steaming eggs for soft-cooked eggs in this post. Just steam them for 12 minutes total instead of the recommended 7 minutes for soft-cooked.
Other Egg Recipes on Eat the Love
If you like these beet pickled deviled eggs, check out these other egg recipes:
- Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs
- How to Make Ramen Eggs
- Bacon, Mushroom, Spinach & Cheese Frittata (in a pressure cooker)
- Chard and Cheese Tart
Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs with Za’atar and Tahini
Ingredients
Beet pickling juice
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 large beet peeled and cut in half
Eggs
- 6 hard boiled eggs peeled
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- 1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon za’atar spice blend
- 2 teaspoon tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
To assemble
- Radish slices for garnish
- Additional chopped chives
- Za’atar spice blend
Instructions
- Make the beet pickling juice by placing the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Turn the heat on high, until the solids dissolve, then add the beet. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the beet is tender and cooked. Remove the beet and save for another use. Let the brine cool. Place the peeled hard-boiled eggs in a large bowl, then pour enough of the brine to cover the eggs. Then cover and refrigerate overnight (8 hours) up to 2 days (48 hours).
- Once the eggs are done marinating in the brine, remove them and slice them in half. Place the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl. Add the chives, yogurt, mustard, za’atar, tahini, salt and pepper into the bowl as well. Mash all the fillings ingredients together until smooth,
- Spoon the filling into the egg white shells.
- Garnish each deviled egg with a radish slice, a sprinkling of chives, and some additional za’atar spice blend on top.
Mimi says
Keep up the ceramic work – you’re so talented! These eggs are also really beautiful, and styled perfectly. I catered for 8 years. I mostly really enjoyed it, unless people were rude, which happens. That was my biggest complaint, besides standing for days and not getting paid enough! Oh well. All those years taught me even more about cooking.
Irvin says
Thank you so much! I’m sure catering can be a totally rewarding career. I just realized that I am just not cut out for making food in large quantities like that! My tiny apartment kitchen is not meant for that sort of thing, and (to be honest) I don’t think I have the stamina for it! It’s hard work and props to you and to all the folks who do work back of house/cater!
michelle says
Do you peel the boiled eggs before marinating?
James McNulty says
Yes you peel the eggs. If you don’t, only the shell will color.
Irvin says
Yes, What James said! Peeled hard-boiled eggs. My apologizes for any confusion. I’ve updated the recipe above to clarify that detail.
Rachel Shimon says
I just made these, and they are quite festive looking for our Christmas meal tomorrow. They are nice a spicy which I love. The one thing I’d do differently is to put less mayonnaise in them, but that might be a personal preference.
2pots2cook says
Absolutely amazing. za’atar is soooo good …