If you don’t have a deviled egg tray on hand, there are a few easy household items you can use instead to help keep your deviled eggs upright and presentable.
Baking Sheet with Cupcake Liners
Lining a baking sheet with cupcake or muffin liners provides the perfect little holes to place your deviled eggs in. The liners help keep the eggs from sliding around on the pan. This is one of the most popular “tray substitutes” because most people have these ingredients on hand.
Steps:
- Take a baking sheet and line it with 12-24 cupcake or muffin liners depending on how many deviled eggs you’ve made. Space them out evenly.
- Once your eggs are stuffed and topped with garnish, carefully place each deviled egg into a liner, keeping it upright.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. The liners will help keep the eggs from tipping over.
Empty Egg Carton
For a quick and easy deviled egg tray, just use an empty egg carton! The indents that once held whole eggs now perfectly cradle your deviled egg halves.
Steps:
- Save your egg carton after using the raw eggs for your deviled eggs. Separate the top from the bottom half.
- Place your finished deviled eggs into the carton indents. You can either use the top or bottom half – both work great.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Muffin Tin
A 12-cup muffin tin can easily transform into an improvised deviled egg tray. The tins provide a flat sturdy base and built-in holders for the eggs.
Steps:
- Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- Gently place your stuffed deviled eggs into the muffin cups, one per indentation.
- For extra stability, you can even place a small piece of lettuce or paper towel under the eggs to keep them propped upright.
- Cover the tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Ice Cube Trays
Silicone ice cube trays make great impromptu deviled egg trays with their oval shaped slots. Metal ice trays also work in a pinch.
Steps:
- Lightly grease a silicone or metal ice cube tray with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil.
- Gently place your deviled eggs into the ice cube slots, one per opening.
- You can fill any empty slots with cubes of Styrofoam or crumbled parchment paper to hold the eggs upright.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make Your Own Egg Crate
For a fun DIY option, you can create your own egg crate tray at home with some simple materials.
Supplies Needed:
- Cardboard box or cardboard pieces
- Scissors or craft knife
- Marker
Steps:
- Cut out a square or rectangular piece of cardboard to desired size. This will be the base.
- Cut strips of cardboard about 1-2 inches wide. These will be the dividers.
- Arrange and glue the strips vertically and horizontally across the base, forming egg sized squares about 2.5 inches wide.
- You can make a grid of 6-12 squares depending on your needs.
- Allow glue to dry completely before using. Place deviled eggs into the DIY cardboard egg crate.
Platter with Surrounds
For a pretty presentation, arrange your deviled eggs on a serving platter and surround each one with small decorative items to hold them in place.
Small Decorative Items You Can Use:
- Fresh herb sprigs (rosemary, thyme, parsley)
- Olives
- Pickles
- Cherry tomatoes
- Stuffed olives
- Dill pickle slices
- Lemon wedges
- Small fresh flowers like pansies
The possibilities are endless for creative surrounds to help prop your deviled eggs in place. Get fun with your presentation!
Conclusion
With a little creativity, you can easily improvise a deviled egg tray using common kitchen items like muffin tins, ice cube trays, baking sheets, and cardboard. Or skip the tray altogether and serve your stuffed eggs in an egg carton or on a platter surrounded by edible garnishes. However you choose to present them, the flavor of homemade deviled eggs is sure to be a hit!