Pickled Eggs Recipe (Dill and Mustard)
- Preparation 15 min
- Refrigeration 3 days
- Cooking 25 min
- Servings 6
- Freezing I do not suggest
Ads
🥚 Old-school bar pickled eggs, with a maple twist!
Pickled eggs are a real tradition in Quebec. The big jar on the tavern counter, the late-afternoon snack, salt and pepper on the side. I kept that spirit and added one thing: maple syrup. Why? Because it tastes SO good! It rounds out the vinegar without making the eggs sweet, and with mustard seeds and fresh dill, it’s unreal.
🫙 An all-vinegar brine, on purpose
Not a drop of water in my brine. White vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and that’s it. You get pickled eggs with real punch and a nice firm white. If you like them mild, this isn’t your recipe. If you like them bold, you’re going to love these.
🧂 My favourite snack, on a cracker
I eat them whole, with a little salt and pepper, on a cracker. Snack, appetizer, late-night bite. I make a small batch of six, but double or triple it, it’s super easy. Three days of patience in the fridge, and they’re ready!
Ads
Ads
🥚 Twelve minutes at a full boil
I don’t use the method where you bring the water to a boil and let the eggs sit off the heat. I boil them for real, 12 minutes. That gives you a fully set yolk, which is exactly what you want in a pickled egg.
🧊 Ice water is the peeling secret
This one really matters. Let the eggs soak in ice water until they’re completely cold, then peel them gently. Go too fast and the white tears, and a beat-up egg in a jar just doesn’t look as good.
🍁 Why maple
Because it tastes really good. Two tablespoons is just enough to round out the vinegar without making the eggs taste like dessert.
🧂 Non-iodized salt, always
Iodized salt can cloud the brine and leave an off taste. Use coarse sea salt or pickling salt.
🌿 Fresh dill looks better
I suggest fresh dill: the sprigs in the jar look so much better. In a pinch, dried dill does the job.
🫙 Use a big jar
Six large eggs in a 750 ml (3-cup) jar is a snug fit. If you double or triple the recipe, use two or three jars instead of cramming one. And the jar leaves the counter after 10 minutes: straight to the fridge.
📅 Make-ahead prep
This recipe is make-ahead by definition: plan it at least 3 days before your party. The day before cooking, measure your spices into a small dish and slice your onion into a labelled container. On the day, all that’s left is the eggs and the brine. The jar keeps up to a month in the fridge. Don’t freeze the eggs, the whites turn rubbery. Once the jar is empty, the brine can pickle onions, but never a second batch of eggs.
✅ What to serve with my pickled eggs recipe
Whole, with salt and pepper, on a cracker. And if you have extras, chop them into my egg salad: so good. For a pickle platter, add my quick pickled red onions and my homemade pickled beets. And if you love eggs as an appetizer, try my hamburger-style deviled eggs.
Ads
Eggs
- 6 large eggs
Brine
- 1 cup (250 ml) white vinegar
- ½ cup (125 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup
- 1 ½ tsp (7 ml) coarse non-iodized sea salt
- 1 ½ tsp (7 ml) yellow mustard seeds
- ½ tsp (2 ml) black peppercorns
- ½ tsp (2 ml) coriander seeds
In the jar
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced into rings
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Ads
Preparation
- Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then boil for 12 minutes.
- Transfer right away to a bowl of ice water and let soak until completely cold. Gently roll them on the counter and peel them slowly: if you go too fast, the white tears.
- Empty the saucepan. Add the vinegars, maple syrup, salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns and coriander seeds. Heat, stirring, until the salt dissolves, then simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- In a glass jar of at least 750 ml (3 cups), washed in hot soapy water, layer the eggs with the garlic, onion, bay leaf, dill and pepper flakes.
- Pour the still-warm brine over the eggs, spices included, until they are completely submerged. If an egg floats, press it under the liquid with a small clean lid.
- Let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, no longer. Close the lid and refrigerate right away.
- Let pickle in the fridge for at least 3 days before tasting.
Up to a month in the fridge, in a tightly closed jar, with the eggs always covered in brine. Don’t freeze them: the whites turn rubbery.
At least 3 days in the fridge. Before that, the brine hasn’t had time to get into the egg.
Yes, always. Pickled eggs can’t be canned and shouldn’t sit at room temperature. Let the jar cool for 10 minutes, no longer, and keep it in the fridge from start to finish.
Let them soak in ice water until completely cold. Roll them gently on the counter, then peel slowly. If you rush, the white tears.
Yes, to pickle onions. But never for a second batch of eggs: start with fresh brine every time.
Ads
Ads
Ads
Ads
Ads