Learn how to make hard boiled eggs perfectly every time! With this easy method, they'll be easy to peel and have vibrant yellow yolks.
Here’s the good news: perfect hard boiled eggs are easy to make. …And the bad news: so are less-than-perfect ones. I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly cooked my fair share of the latter. When you try to peel away the shell, half the whites come along with it, or when you cut it open, the yolk is slightly green instead of brilliant yellow. Pretty disappointing, if you ask me.
See, cooking perfect hard boiled eggs is easy, but that doesn’t mean that the process you use doesn’t matter. After years of trial and error, I’m happy to say that this method for how to make hard boiled eggs works every time! The yolks are always sunshine yellow, and the shells slide right off. Whether you’re getting ready for Easter, prepping for Passover, or just on the hunt for a protein-packed snack, this easy hard boiled egg recipe is guaranteed to please.
How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs
Follow these simple steps to make perfect hard boiled eggs every time:
First, boil the eggs. Place them in a pot and cover them with cold water by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
Then, let them sit in the hot water. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Leave the eggs in the hot water for anywhere from 10-12 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. The 10-minute eggs will have vibrant, creamy yolks, while the 12-minute yolks will be paler and opaque, with a chalkier texture.
Finally, move them to an ice bath. When the time is up, drain the eggs and transfer them to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Leave them in the ice bath for at least 14 minutes before you peel the eggs.
If you’re not planning to eat the eggs right away, feel free to leave them in the shells and store them in the fridge. But even if this is the case, don’t cut the ice bath short! It’s crucial for stopping the cooking process and making the eggs easy to peel later on.
See below for the complete recipe!
Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Tips
- Buy the eggs in advance. If I’m cooking sunny side up eggs, fresh eggs will yield the best results every time. But if I’m hard boiling them, the opposite is true! Boiled farm-fresh eggs are more difficult to peel than older eggs. If you want to make perfect hard boiled eggs, it pays to buy them in advance and cook them after a few days in the fridge.
- Store the eggs upside down. This tip comes from Jack’s mom, who makes the BEST deviled eggs for family gatherings. In order for the yolks to land right in the center of the hard boiled eggs, she recommends storing the raw eggs upside down before you cook them.
- Don’t skip the ice bath! Overcooked hard boiled eggs have an unappealing greenish ring around the yolks. We want our yolks to come out sunshine-yellow, so transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process as soon as they come out of the pot. This step is also crucial for making hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel. The ice bath helps separate the egg membrane from the shell, so you’ll be able to peel away the shell without ripping off chunks of egg white.
- Peel them carefully. The ice bath should set you up for success here, but that doesn’t mean the shell will all come off in one piece. Gently rap the egg on the counter to break the entire shell into small pieces. Carefully peel it away along the fractures, leaving the egg whites as intact as possible.
Storing and Serving Suggestions
Peeled or unpeeled hard boiled eggs will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy them as a protein-packed snack with salt and pepper or Everything Bagel Seasoning, slice them into salads, add them to grain bowls, or top them onto avocado toast. I also love to make hard boiled eggs to turn into deviled eggs, pickled eggs, or healthy egg salad!
How do you like to eat hard boiled eggs? Let me know in the comments!
How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place eggs in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the eggs cook, covered, for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on your desired done-ness (see photo).
- Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill for 14 minutes. This makes the eggs easier to peel. Peel and enjoy!
I make this all the time. Best ever. Then I make egg salad for sandwiches, using Hellman’s Mayo and dijon mustard. Thank you for this.
Hi Julie, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it!
My eggs came out perfect following this recipe!! Thank you!
Turned out PERFECT! First time making hard boiled eggs. The soft yolk are delicious. Followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
Did you try boiling the water?
How do you stop the cooking process if you don’t have ice for the I e bath???
Hi Elizabeth, you can run the eggs under cold water.
Always perfect at 12 minutes! ♥️
What time should I leave them if I want the yolk to be a jelly consistency??
I don’t actually eat eggs but use this recipe to make hard-boiled eggs for my dogs. They’re not too picky. ?
Today, though, a human friend sneaked one of the dogs’ eggs and was shocked at how perfectly done they were – especially for having been made by someone who doesn’t eat them. Best hard boiled egg she’d ever had. So, thanks for the recipe!
So, when you put the cover on the pot and let the eggs cook do you also take the pan off the heat? I did it that way yesterday. The eggs were good! The first was easy to peel, the s3cond was was messier. Ty for this recipe
Hi Tammy, I leave it on the burner and just turn the heat off. If you have an electric burner you might want to take it off the hot burner – if the inside of your yolks was cooked to your liking, I’d do what you did!
I have made this recipe SEVERAL times and this is what I have learned through trial & error and tricks:
High Altitude: I just made these at high altitude (8400 ft) on an electric stove with no adjustment and they turned out just as perfectly as when I make them in Chicago using a gas stove.
Boiling: This means a strong rolling boil—those eggs better be bouncing around. Big bubbles on the surface like when I’m boiling noodles.
Remove from the hot burner: When it reaches that strong rolling boil and it is time to turn the heat off and put the lid on—PULL IT OFF THE HOT BURNER as someone else mentioned. This is how you can use the 10-12 min formula for the yolks. If you keep it on the hot burner, they are guaranteed to get chalky and overcook.
Crack the shells: After being in the ice bath for 14 mins, I pull each one out and whap it on the counter on the end with the air pocket (at the least) and on the sides. I then throw it back in the ice water. I start peeling them after I’ve cracked them all. This helps the ice water get under the shell and helps a ton with peeling the shell and the membrane.
Thank you, Kristen! I live at 7,000 feet, so I’ll follow your directions.
Good question,…I do not know, sorry…
Follow up from yesterday: the first egg peeled perfectly on 4-17. Today, the second egg with a slow, gentle peel in a bowl of water,… left c. 50% albumin in the shell fragments. Sooo,… between ice bath and today,… how do we keep the white part intact??
Thank you?
The eggs may be “too” fresh.
Are you using fresh eggs? It’s a little different process to peel farm-fresh eggs. The trick is to get water between the membrane and the egg white.
When you take them off the stove, drain them and place under cool running tap water. Then, one at a time, crack and roll each egg and place back in the bowl to soak. Once you’ve cracked them all, start peeling.
Any adjustments for high altitude?
Hi Meg, I’ve never lived at a high altitude, so I’m not sure.
The most perfect HB eggs ever!! For the past 55 years, I have tried too many inadequate recipes. One comment: Please mention in your recipe to REMOVE the pot from the hot turned-off stovetop burner, after boiling. This does make a huge difference… And thank you for the tip of upside-down fridge storage of raw eggs! Who knew!?! And the time of ice bath is crucial!! Thank You??
Hi Mary, I’m so glad your eggs have come out perfectly!
Which direction is upside down?
Wow, it seems everyone is so focused on hatred instead of what they possibly did wrong. Gracious. I’m fairly sure (being polite) I’ve seen this exact recipe all over the web. I don’t think it’s her fault the eggs didn’t turn out right. Mine were great.
Mine as well! The second time?
Read the instructions carefully. My grandmother used this method for decades. So does the whole family. It works.
Also Try 5-5-5 method for eggs. 5 minutes pressure cooking, 5 minutes natural pressure release, 5 minutes in an ice water bath to chill. Done.
Thank you. It worked perfectly, just like you said.
I’m glad your eggs were perfect!
I use the egg timer app off the Play Store. You can select eggs are cold from fridge, or room temp and how many you are cooking. Start the water to boil, prickly the egg bottom to release the air pocket and put them in the water. Press timer start. It is flawless and the eggs peel.
In the past pre egg timer app, I put 1 tbs of baking soda in the boiling water. Eggs always peeled perfectly!!
Hard boiled Egg Perfection,
Inside & OuT
Simply best way i have made.
Peel very very easily
Thank you
The first few eggs peeled easily. The last few ripped the white off the yolk with the shell. I prefer using the Instant Pot for perfectly peel-able boiled eggs. But the timing for the yolks doneness is already perfect.
I have a question. I have a gas stove not electric. When I turn the burner off there is no heat. I know that electric takes tie to cool. Does the type of stove you have make a difference with the timing?
I think so, yes. I’ve used this method on both stove types, and on gas stoves, I let the pot remain on the same burner for the 10-12 minutes (no heat as you mentioned). On an electric stovetop, I move the covered pot to a cold burner for the 10-12 minutes, and the outcome is the same. Basically, you want to achieve ‘off-heat’, letting the hot water finish the eggs.
Hi Susan, I have a gas stove too, so it’s totally fine, just leave the pot covered.