Sure, it seems easy to make hard boiled eggs. But, if you’re looking for perfect hard boiled eggs every time, this How To Make Hard Boiled Eggs post is for you. This fool proof method will give you beautiful yellow centers and fully cooked egg whites every time. Plus, you’ll find out how to make some fancy hard boiled eggs too.
For more cooking tips, check out all of our recipes.
Everyone has their own method for hard boiling eggs. But some methods don’t get the egg yolks completely cooked, so you’re left with runny yolks. And some overcook the egg yolk and leave a grey ring on the outer edge of the yolk. Neither is ideal.
So, after lots of hard boiled egg making, I have the best method for hard boiled eggs. You’ll end up with a perfectly cooked yolk and beautiful egg white every single time.
This is for actual boiled eggs, cooked in a pot of water, on the stove. Pete’s favorite way to make hard boiled eggs is in the air fryer. And I know some people like to do them in the Instant Pot. Both of those options will give you delicious eggs that look like hard boiled eggs, but they’re technically not hard boiled.
So, this cooking process is for the purists.
Now that you know how to make the perfect hard boiled egg, you’re gonna want to use them in recipes all the time. Check out our list of hard boiled egg recipes for some different ways to use them — especially if you just made a bunch of Easter eggs and need something to do with them all.
There are recipes for egg salad, adding eggs to salad, and more.
How To Make Hard Boiled Eggs
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Take cold eggs out of the fridge. Cold eggs is key. You don’t want to boil room temperature eggs with this method.
Put the eggs in a single layer a medium sized pot. If they don’t all fit, upgrade to a large pot.
Carefully fill the pot with cool water to completely cover the eggs. You want just enough water to cover the eggs. Nothing more.
Cover the pot and put it on the stove.
Set the burner to high heat and leave the eggs there for 16 minutes. This time includes the time it takes for the water to come to a boil.
Don’t leave your covered pot unattended because a full rolling boil may cause water to bubble over the sides. You should be fine as long as your pot is large enough for all your eggs. I’ve done eight in a medium sized pot no problem. But just in case, watch the pot because you don’t want the water to boil over.
When the 16 minutes is over, move the eggs off the heat.
Immediately run cold water over the eggs while pouring out the warm water.
When the cold running water completely replaces the cooking water, you can start peeling the eggs.
To peel them, gently bang the egg shell on a hard surface (a plate works best, but a napkin on top of the counter works too).
Gently roll the egg until the shell is cracked all over.
Put the egg back into the cold water to let some of the cold water get between the shell’s membrane and the egg white.
Then, peel the shell.
Because the egg is cold now, it makes for easy peeling.
Hard Boiled Eggs: Frequently Asked Questions
Honestly, it doesn’t matter. An old wives tale says that it’s better to hard boil older eggs rather than farm-fresh eggs because they peel easier. But, realistically, as long as you peel your eggs after when they’re cool, the egg shell will peel easily.
Sometimes, your eggs explode when you’re hard boiling them. If you add a sprinkle of salt to your water before boiling the eggs and the egg does start to ooze out, it will solidify when it hits the salted water, so it won’t ooze out all into your water.
You want to cool hard boiled eggs in cold water. I run cold running water over them and let them sit for a minute. That’s good enough. You don’t need to transfer them to a large bowl of ice water before you peel them. But, you do want to cool them down before peeling. That makes it easier.
You want to cool hard boiled eggs in cold water. I run cold running water over them and let them sit for a minute. That’s good enough. You don’t need to transfer them to a large bowl of ice water before you peel them. But, you do want to cool them down before peeling. That makes it easier.
Store leftover hard boiled eggs in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll last up to a week that way, regardless of if they’re peeled or still in their shell.
Shaping Hard Boiled Eggs:
The easiest way to shape your hard boiled eggs is to use a plastic egg mold. When the egg is still warm, peel the shell and place eggs into the molds. Put the entire mold in cold water and when the egg has cooled, it will form the shape of the mold. It’s really cute. We have these molds and you get the best results from large eggs, so keep that in mind when you’re buying eggs at the grocery store.
If you don’t want to buy molds, you can make heart-shaped hard boiled eggs using cardboard and chopsticks.
Hard Boiled Eggs
Sure, it seems easy to make hard boiled eggs. But, if you’re looking for perfect hard boiled eggs every time, this How To Make Hard Boiled Eggs post is for you.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Water
Instructions
- Take cold eggs out of the fridge. Put the eggs in a single layer a medium sized pot.
- Carefully fill the pot with cool water to completely cover the eggs.
- Cover the pot and put it on the stove. Set the burner to high heat and leave the eggs there for 16 minutes.
- Move the eggs off the heat. Immediately run cold water over the eggs while pouring out the warm water.
- Peel the eggs.
Notes
This cooking time includes the time it takes for the water to come to a boil.
Nutrition Information
Yield
1Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 72Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 186mgSodium 80mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 6g
Do you have any other simple tips for making hard boiled eggs? Let us know in the comments.