basketball deviled eggs

March Madness Deviled Egg Basketballs (High-Protein Game Day Appetizer)

These March Madness Deviled Egg Basketballs are a playful, protein-forward twist on a classic game day favorite. Smooth, sculpted yolk spheres are dusted to resemble basketballs and finished with clean black tahini seam lines for a graphic, elevated presentation that feels both nostalgic and refined. They’re the kind of appetizer that wins the party before tip-off.

Prep Time

30 Mins

Cook Time

20 Mins

Serves

12

Ingredients

For the Eggs

  • Large Eggs (8)
  • Ice Water (for shocking)

For the Egg Yolk Filling

  • Cooked Egg Yolks (8)
  • Thick Greek Yogurt (¼ cup)
  • Cream Cheese (1 tablespoon,
    softened)
  • Dijon Mustard (1 teaspoon)
  • Fresh Lemon Juice (1 teaspoon)
  • Kosher Salt (½ teaspoon)
  • White Pepper (¼ teaspoon)

For the Basketball Color

  • Smoked Paprika (3 teaspoons)
  • Sweet Paprika (1 teaspoon)

For the Black Tahini Seams

  • Black Tahini (1 tablespoon)
  • Thick Greek Yogurt (1 teaspoon)
  • Kosher Salt (pinch)
  • Water (2–4 drops, as needed)

Preparation

To Hard Boil the Eggs
To sous vide

  1. Using your sous vide, heat the water to 194º. Add in cold eggs using a slotted spoon and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
  2. Using your slotted spoons, transfer your hardboiled eggs into an ice bath. Let cool for 3-5 minutes.
  3. One at a time, crack your eggs on their tops and bottoms. Roll so that the middle cracks. Place back in the ice bath for 30 seconds and then peel off the shell.

To Hard Boil Without a Sous Vide

  1. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring your water to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover for 11 minutes.
  2. Transfer immediately to an ice bath and chill for 3-5 minutes.
  3. One at a time, crack your eggs on their tops and bottoms. Roll so that the middle cracks. Place back in the ice bath for 30 seconds and then peel off the shell.

Continue Here After Whichever Method you Used

  1. Using a paring knife, slice a small bit of egg white off of the side of your egg (this way when your egg white is halved, it sits on a flat bottom which keeps it from rolling all over the place) Flip your egg 180º and cut a small bit of egg white from the exact opposite side. Directly in the middle of your cuts, slice your egg in half.
  2. Separate the yolks from the egg whites. The egg whites get stored in an air tight container in the fridge. The egg yolks go in your food processor.

To Make the Egg Yolk Filling

  1. In a blender or food processor, combine the egg yolks, greek yogurt, cream cheese, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and white pepper. Blend until completely smooth and glossy. The mixture should resemble soft frosting that’s thick but pipeable.
  2. Fill the silicone hemisphere molds with your egg yolk mixture. You can pipe or scoop it in. Smooth the tops with an offset spatula. Chill for 40 minutes, until firm.
  3. Press two hemispheres together gently to form smooth spheres. Use your fingers to press the seam together. You can also gently roll in your hand to remove creases. Return to the refrigerator to stay chilled. (If you’re struggling to un-mold, try freezing your egg yolk hemispheres for 20-30 minutes)

To Dust For Basketball Color

  1. In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika and sweet paprika.
  2. Add the chilled spheres to the bowl one at a time and gently swirl the bowl so the ball rolls through the spice mixture. Continue until the yolk sphere is evenly coated. (For the photos, I coated them more heavily for a deeper color. If you prefer a lighter paprika flavor, roll the ball gently for a thinner layer that allows hints of yellow to show through.)
  3. Place each egg yolk ball onto a lined baking sheet or cooling rack and refrigerate briefly before piping the seams.

To Make the Black Tahini Seams

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the black tahini, greek yogurt, and salt. Add water drop by drop until the mixture reaches toothpaste consistency. It should hold a line without spreading. Strain through a fine sieve if needed for an ultra-smooth texture. Transfer to a parchment cone or a piping bag with a fine piping tip.
  2. Pipe one horizontal curved seam and two vertical curved seams. Keep the lines thin and continuous. Wipe the tip between passes for clean edges.
  3. Chill again briefly before assembling.

To Assemble

Place each sphere gently into an egg white half. The sphere should sit slightly proud for tension and visual clarity. Serve chilled.

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