Hard Boiled Eggs (+ Easy Peel Tips)
Learn how to make hard boiled eggs so that they’re easy to peel! It’s the sequence of steps that’s most important. And with a few extra tips, you’ll always have beautiful, perfect hard boiled eggs.
Perfect hard boiled eggs are a frequent ingredient in many meals. They can be cut in half for deviled eggs, diced into egg salad, or eaten on their own with a dash of salt. And when it comes to prepping, there’s nothing more satisfying than peeling the shell off with no sticking or divots.
But I know the struggle as I’ve been there before. You’re peeling your eggs and chunks of egg white pull off with the skin, leaving you with ugly pocketed eggs. So after testing many tutorials online, I’ve adopted a series of steps that brings perfect results every time.
Hard Boiled Eggs Video
Before we dive into the individual steps, watch this quick video below!
How To Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
There’s not just one single things that makes hard boiled eggs easy to peel. Instead, it’s a combination of how you cook the eggs, how you cool them, and how you crack the shell afterwards.
So if you’re thinking of adding eggs to a pot of cold water first, then boiling it – scratch that. The key is to have a hot boiling start, time it correctly, then shock the eggs in an ice water bath. I describe this in more detail in my soft boiled and hard boiled eggs post, but here’s the process.
Prep The Hot And Cold Water
First, you’ll bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Make sure there’s enough water to cover the eggs by about an inch. And while you’re waiting for it to boil, remove the eggs from the fridge (set them on the counter) and prep an ice water bath in a large bowl.
Cook The Eggs Until Hard Boiled
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and use a skimmer to gently and slowly add the eggs into the water. Then, turn the heat back up to a boil. Here, you’ll want to be conscious of how long you cook the eggs for. So, set a timer and cook for 12-14 minutes. 12 minutes has a little more softness to the yolk, 14 minutes is a fully hard boiled egg. See my egg timer chart.
Put The Eggs In The Ice Water Bath
Once the eggs have cooked to your preferred time, use the skimmer to remove the eggs and immediately submerge them in the ice water bath to stop them from cooking. You’ll let the eggs sit here for about 10-15 minutes before peeling.
Tap, Roll, Then Peel The Eggs
Ah, the final peel test is here. Here’s what I do:
- First, tap the egg on the bottom.
- Then, gently roll the egg on your countertop with the palm of your hand. Cracks will start to form and loosen the outer shell.
- Start peeling from the bottom first (always), as there’s a little air pocket and you’ll be able to get under the membrane. The shell should come off easily from there!
Tips To Prevent Cracking
Your eggs shouldn’t crack when placing in the water. If they do, here’s a few extra tips to ensure that won’t happen.
- Allow the eggs to warm up. As you’re waiting for water to boil, don’t forget to take the eggs out of the fridge to let them sit on the counter. This will allow them to come to room temperature.
- Reduce the heat to low. This is important. Reduce the heat to low while “slowly” placing the eggs in the hot water. The water should not be boiling or bubbling. Otherwise, the eggs will bounce around and likely crack.
- Don’t crowd the pan. You want to make sure your eggs have enough room in the pan, so that they’re not stacking or touching.
- Buy a different brand. Sometimes different brands have different thickness of shells. If you’ve done all of the above, switching brands might be the clincher.
How Long Can You Store Hard Boiled Eggs
According to Foodsafety.gov, you can store hard boiled eggs (with the shell on) for up to a week in the fridge. But from my experience, you can also store peeled eggs in the fridge for up to three days in a storage container without any issues.
Hard Boiled Egg Recipes
So you’ve made the perfect hard boiled egg – hooray. You can of course eat them plain with a sprinkle of salt for a snack. Or you can enjoy some of my favorite hard boiled egg recipes, such as:
More Ways To Cook Eggs
If you’re like me and love eggs, you’re in luck. I have a ton of delicious egg recipes on the website. But here are a few other methods to keep up your sleeve:
- Create the perfect poached egg
- Get crispy edges with this fried egg recipe
- Bake into egg muffins
Hard Boiled Eggs (+ Easy Peel Tips)
Ingredients
- 1-6 large eggs
Instructions
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Ensure there's enough water in the pot to cover the eggs by about an inch.
- While you're waiting for the water to boil, remove the eggs from the fridge (set them on the counter) and prepare ice water bath in a large bowl.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and use skimmer to gently and slowly add the eggs to the water. Then, turn the heat back up to a boil.
- Set a timer and cook the eggs for 12-14 minutes.
- Use the skimmer to remove the eggs and immediately submerge them in the ice water bath to stop them from cooking.
- To peel the eggs, you can either roll them on the countertop gently or tap the egg all around against the countertop to create cracks. Then, peel from the bottom to remove the shell.
Lisa's Tips
- I love this skimmer as it can easily add and remove multiple eggs at the same time.
THANK YOU! I have always made hard cooked eggs according to Joy of Cooking (start with cold water, bring to boil then let simmer). They are always a mess to peel and frequently undercooked. With this method the shells practically fall off! You’re my new hero.
Happy to hear your boiled eggs turned out perfectly with this recipe Mike :)
Thank you! I have tried many methods as well, and this is, by far, the best! I boiled 14 eggs and every one peeled perfectly.
Glad your boiled eggs turned out perfectly Tim :)
I love how there is no green ring around hard boiled egg yolks! Great easy recipe.
Glad your boiled eggs turned out perfectly Cindy :)
I have tried EVERYTHING regarding peeling eggs and nothing has been successful. This however worked. The eggs were unpeeled in seconds. No salt or vinegar needed in your water, no putting the eggs in before the water is boiled, no swirling the cooked eggs in the empty pot after boiling to pre-crack the shells. Just put the eggs in the water once boiled, cook to desired time, then plop in a 15 minute ice bath. SUCCESS!!
PS I never have ice on hand so I put cold tap water in a bowl in the freezer while water was boiling and eggs were cooking. Then once eggs were done, straight to that bowl of water, back in the freezer for 15. After that, same process as above, taps the larger end of the egg to get the peeling started and those shells came right off!
PSS – I made 6 eggs in case you were thinking my success was a one egg fluke.
SIX PERFECTLY PEELED EGGS PEOPLE!!!
Thrilled to hear you’ve found a winning hard boiled egg recipe Michele!
Hi Lisa, I did all the steps and it was a bit easier to peel but somehow the eggs were still difficult to peel. Then I stumbled on accident over a solution: Add some butter to the water. I steam my asparagus always with water that has some butter added and after the asparagus was done I just decided to cook my eggs in that water, since, why not. To my surprise, the eggs peeled really easily. I thought it is a coincidence even though I even had eggs from 2 different brands. I have been testing this now out several times (its asparagus season here in Vienna, Austria, jej) and it has always worked. Drawback is that one has to add fairly a lot of butter, like half a cup or so on 1.5 litres of water. So I find it ideal after steaming some veggies with the butter water. Now that I can get my eggs to peel beautifully, I can finally do all your deviled eggs recipes that look so good!! Just wanted to share in case it helps someone else.
Thanks for sharing your tip Celine! I haven’t tried this method before but will definitely give it a try next time.
Today is the first time in my life that I made perfect hard boiled eggs! I made six and there is not a mark on any of them- they peeled perfectly! Thank you!
Happy to hear this method was a success Rosalyn!
Your easy to do hard boiled direction were outstanding!! Best ever, after going thru a dozen or so other people instructions. You made me one happy man!! Thanks!!
Glad this method was super easy Bob!
I have tried every “hint” without success. This really works!
I live in the Midwest and have used Meijer and Egglands Best brand eggs.
They both turned out PERFECT!
Thank you so much for sharing.
Glad this worked out perfectly!
Thank you! Finally a recipe that actually works and the eggs are perfectly cooked and easy to peel! I have tried so many recipes…..
Glad you found a winning hard boiled eggs recipe Shila!
I’ve been making eggs wrong for 40 years! This is amazing, easy, and foolproof!! I’m sharing with everyone I know. Wow.
Happy to hear this came in handy Michelle! Thanks for sharing :)
Since I don’t make hard boiled eggs very often, I have come back to your recipe several times to remind myself of the instructions. The result is Perfect eggs every time! Thank you!
Happy to hear this method comes in handy when you need a reminder Molly :)
I need some clarification, do I start the cook timer once the water comes back up to a boil, or once the eggs are in the water?
Hi Brandon, once you turn the knob up to a boil, then you can start your timer.
After I added the eggs and turned the heat up and it didn’t come to a boil I finally got around to reading the “Tips” and realized that I crowded the pot with eggs. There was two layers, the pot was too small, it was a mess, lol. It still turned out PERFECT! But I ended up having them in the water for about 20 minutes total after turning up the temp because of the time it took them to get back up to a boil. Next time I’ll either use a larger pot, or fewer eggs…. or both! Thank you!
The key here is to not crowd the eggs, which I’m glad you caught! But, happy to hear your eggs still turned out perfectly :)
I followed the directions exactly as listed. The eggs were out for at least an hour and were room temperature. I turned the boiling water down to low. When it was no longer boiling I used a slotted spoon to gently lower the eggs into the water. 2 of the 6 “popped” then minute they hit the water. I have been doing the ice bath thing for a while but won’t be trying this method again.
Hi Connie – sorry to hear that! Some people have mentioned that certain brands of eggs seem to have weaker shells. You might want to try this with a different brand of eggs next time. :)
Hallelujah it WORKED! My eggs peeled perfectly. I love hard boiled eggs, eggs salad, deviled eggs and hardly ever make any of it. I tried so many different ways to cook them and I end up so mad when the process is over and I have ugly hard boiled eggs. Not to mention all of the egg white I end up tossing out with the shells. Thank you for all of your tips and taking the time to perfect these :)
Happy to hear you found a method that works for you Rachelle! :)
14 minutes and OMG! I got through eight eggs without swearing once! The shell just fell off and the eggs were perfect. I will never go back to the old way.
Amazing! Glad this method worked out perfectly Joseph :)
I’m getting ready and excited to try this method as peeling to make deviled eggs for parties has always been a nightmare. I often I end up chuckng or feeding to kids. Curious to know why or what is the purpose of bringing them to room temperature and then back to ice bath prior to boiling?
Hi Tammy – you do that to help prevent the eggs from bouncing around and cracking when you first place them in the water. :)
The ice bath is for after you have boiled the eggs :) Bring to room temperature, boil, then ice bath!
You will never go back to any other recipe!
I am a good cook, but the magic of the perfect hard boiled egg has always eluded me. I’ve tried numerous methods but nothing has worked for me until this method. I’ve passed it on and everyone raves about it. It’s a simple thing but really makes a difference. THANK YOU! Marlene Cooper
I just made hard boiled eggs for my avocado toast and they turned out PERFECTLY! I did 14 minutes for the perfect hard boiled egg. Thanks Lisa!
Hi Rania- Glad this method worked out for you to create the perfect hard boiled egg!
The easiest and most foolproof way of boiling eggs! Works every time and so easy to peel! Thanks Lisa 😍
Do you have to peel right after the ice water bath? My kiddos want to dye the eggs.
Nope, they can dye it if they want :)
You have the best tips! A little off topic but can you prep soft boiled eggs for the week? How would you heat them up if you didn’t want them cold?
Hi Kristin – Great question! You can re-heat them either running under hot water until it reaches your desired temperature. Or you can also heat them in a microwaveable safe bowl for about 1 minute.
Thank you Lisa! I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of meal prep thanks to your YouTube channel!!!!
So glad to hear that Kristin!
Hi there Lisa! Great tips as always. Do you have any suggestions for storing boiled eggs once they are cooked?
Hi Cristina – I normally just store mine in the fridge!
Hi. When making the hard boiled eggs, do you cook them in boiling water? I have always removed mine from heat after they begin to boil. I just want to make sure I am understand the instructions.
Thank you
Hi Sabrina – Technically yes, you will cook them in boiling water but at a gradual pace. Once your water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and use a skimmer to gently and slowly add the eggs into the water. Then, turn the heat back up to a boil to cook them.
Thanks for the tips! Exactly what I was looking for. It’s all the simple things I tend to need tips for 😂😂
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the post helpful. :)
I always have trouble peeling eggs, so this is perfect for how to get the smoothest egg white first go! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jeannette- It can definitely be a struggle sometimes, so these tips will hopefully do the trick!
These definitely do like the most perfect hard boiled eggs! We’ve been eating them a lot recently, they’re the perfect snack with all of us at home.
Hi Bintu- Wonderful! I’m glad this tutorial has worked out for you :)
Love the tip for using an ice bath! Works like a charm!
Hi Suzy – Definitely is a crucial step to this whole process!
This recipe worked great! The eggs turned out perfectly!
Hi Kristen – Wonderful! Glad this method worked out :)