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’m 46 years old and using this recipe I was able to make the perfect hard boiled eggs for the first time in my life!!! Thank you!
I’m so glad they were perfect!
Yeah, this method gives consistently perfect hard boiled eggs every time. Thanks!
This hard boiled recipe works every time for me!! Thank you!
I used this and I went to have a nice hard boiled egg just now, cracked open 3 so far, insides are like a soft boiled egg. I booked them yesterday! My rating is 0 stars. Just wasted a dozen eggs.
You didn’t do it right. This method is perfect and is the accepted method everywhere. It’s not specific to this recipe or author.
any chance you recently moved to a high altitude and haven’t yet adjusted to high altitude cooking?
Right on the nose, Nina! It isn’t the “boil” that cooks the eggs; it’s the temperature of the water. The boiling point is a rough indicator that varies considerably with
1. Hard vs. softened water
2. Mineral content of various types of hard water
3. Salting the water
4. Altitude you’re cooking at (folks in Denver on most days would need longer cooking times than those in Miami
5. Barometric pressure (weather front coming in?
Most people most of the time will get “similar” results. But combine enough factors above, or change one of them severely from what others are doing, and the water boils at a different temperature than theirs. And a different temperature means you’ll need to lengthen or shorten cooking time.
Just… experiment. Learn what time you need for *your* situation.
Add baking soda to the water boiled for 14 minutes
What does the baking soda do? Shoulda it be used with EVERY method for hard boiling eggs? Please lemme know, thanks so much! ?
This recipe always works! I have tried other methods but not had the success I do with this. I have pinned this so I will not lose it again. Thank you thank you!
I’m so glad you loved the method!
I enjoy a good old pickled eggs for lunch or a snack.
6 eggs
1 cup of vinegar
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp mixed pickling spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove
1tsp sugar
1 small onion, slided(do not boil)
I love to make pickled eggs too. My recipe is similar to yours but I add jalapenos to the mix as well. 🙂
Perfect
I love to eat my hard boiled eggs chopped up with salt and pepper and a little vinegar
I’m making the eggs for my giblets dressing. Thank you for the tips
Do you leave the eggs on the same burner? Or take off? I have an electric stove.
You can leave them on the same burner.
Lately no matter what I do, the yolks are not done all the way?? I follow these directions exactly too! I have a gas stove. Maybe it cools off too soon? What am I doing wrong??
Hi Laurie, heat can vary based on your stove and cookware – if you’d like your eggs more done, just add a minute or two longer to your timing. The longer they’re in the hot water, the more done they’ll be.
Just leave it on for a extra 5 to 10 mins they should be perfect
Followed the directions exactly and they turned out perfect!!
First time making hard boiled eggs and they turned out PERFECT!!!
Hardboiled Eggs?; Excellent Recipe! Who knew the perfect yellow yolk trick! THANK U.???
I can cook anything but for some reason, I never took the time to learn to cook the perfect boiled egg until now. Watching others make this and you’ll be lost wondering what went wrong lol.
Works great!
Thank you soooo much! After I followed the directions completely (kinda cheating on keeping the eggs in room temp for 2 hrs, I kept for 40 min) I got perfectly beautiful brown colored eggs!! They tasted amazing!! I would also like to note that I used regular eggland’s best WHITE eggs!! Will be using this recipe weekly!!!!!
As a vegan, I didn’t know where to start, when assigned the task to make boiled eggs for an event. THANK YOU for posting your recipe! I was told the eggs were perfect, and the ladies asked me how I made the eggs. Imagine that! Its your recipe: I shared your link, while sending thoughts of gratitude your way
I’m glad the method worked out so well for you!
30 years of making eggs and this is the best way I have found to do this.
I raised chickens on my farm . Store brought eggs should be on rapid boil for at least 10 minutes. Farm fresh eggs a few minutes longer. Actually fresh egg yolks are really reddish orange because they are fresh. The color of the yolk changes as eggs age one of the reasons store brought egg yolks look yellowish orange.