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Never battle tough-to-peel boiled eggs again. Learn how to hard-boil eggs so the peel just slides right off and the hard-boiled egg is perfectly cooked underneath.
Hard-boiled eggs are an all-star breakfast, fantastic snack, and a great start to your next party spread. Whether you eat them plain, “devil” them, or add them to salads, you can’t really go wrong with this tiny powerhouse.
Learn how easy it is to make perfect, flawless hard-boiled eggs and enjoy them all week long.
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Eggs: It’s a myth that all older eggs are easier to peel than fresh eggs, although sometimes that may happen. Adding eggs to a hot environment fast will definitely break the bond between the egg white and membrane, though, and that is the secret that makes hard-boiled eggs easier to peel.
Step-by-step instructions
- Fill a medium saucepan with about 1 inch of water (about 2 cups) and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Place eggs in a steamer basket and lower into the saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 13 minutes.
- Set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. When eggs are done, use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water and submerge them under the cold water.
- Cool the eggs in the ice bath for 5 minutes, then peel or store in the refrigerator.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 eggs but can easily be doubled or tripled.
- Storage: Store cooked eggs unpeeled in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Make ahead: Unlike omelets or scrambled eggs, you can absolutely whip these up in advance. Boiled eggs are your best bet if you’re seeking a make-ahead egg recipe.
- Mark your eggs: To distinguish them from uncooked eggs, I always make a mark on the hard-boiled egg shell. Use a pencil instead of a marker; the latter can soak through the porous shell and tint the boiled egg white.
- Steamer basket: If you don’t own a steamer basket, use a spoon or tongs to gently place the eggs in the water. It doesn’t matter if the eggs are above the water or partially submerged. This will work for up to 6 eggs without changing the timing.
Recipe FAQs
Use the multi-cooker to hard-boil up to 12 eggs at once. Add 1 cup water to a 6-quart Instant Pot. Place the appliance’s metal trivet inside the pot, then add the eggs. Select “Manual,” adjust pressure to HIGH, and set time for 6 to 7 minutes. When finished, quick-release the pressure, and cool the eggs in a bowl of ice water for 1 minute. Drain well and peel.
Depending on the altitude, the capacity of the pan, and the size of the eggs you bought, the process can take a few minutes longer, but 13 minutes tended to work well in our test kitchen trials.
Egg Salad
This classic Egg Salad recipe is perfect for sandwiches, lettuce wraps, and crackers. If you have hard-boiled eggs on standby, you’ll be eating in 10 minutes or less! Hard-boiling eggs easy enough as it is,…
View Recipe
Bonus egg ideas
Appetizer Recipes
Deviled Eggs
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Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing
Salad Recipes
Cobb Salad
Entertaining
Bagel Bar
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How to Hard Boil Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 eggs (see note 1)
- water
Instructions
- Fill a medium saucepan with about 1 inch of water (about 2 cups) and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Place eggs in a steamer basket and lower into the saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 13 minutes.
- Set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. When eggs are done, use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water and submerge them under the cold water to cool, about 5 minutes.
Notes
- Eggs: It’s a myth that all older eggs are easier to peel than fresh eggs, although sometimes that may happen. Adding eggs to a hot environment fast will definitely break the bond between the egg white and membrane, though, and that is the secret that makes hard-boiled eggs easier to peel.
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 eggs but can easily be doubled or tripled.
- Storage: Store cooked eggs unpeeled in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Make ahead: Unlike omelets or scrambled eggs, you can absolutely whip these up in advance. Boiled eggs are your best bet if you’re seeking a make-ahead egg recipe.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
VERY good and easy recipe! Will definitely make this regularly. So much better than store bought – and so easy.
Thank you, Liz! They really are so easy! Take care! – Meggan
Very good post. I’m facing many of these issues as well..
Thanks Keven! – Meggan
I was super skeptical of this method, but also desperate. I don’t know how it worked, but I don’t care! These are the easiest eggs ive EVER peeled! Thanks so much! You’ve changed my life! barb