It’s no secret that I’m an egg fanatic (check my logo). Hard-boiled eggs are inexpensive, easy to cook, and so extremely versatile. In fact, my favorite budget meal hack has always been to just “put an egg on it.” So follow this easy, fool-proof tutorial on how to make hard-boiled eggs so you can keep a stash in the fridge and add an egg whenever you need to make a meal or snack more hearty. And don’t worry, we’ve included plenty of tips for peeling hard-boiled eggs and a long list of recipes that use hard-boiled eggs!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Let’s just get right to the nitty-gritty of what everyone wants to know…
How to Hard Boil Eggs
There are several ways to make hard-boiled eggs but I like the hot water bath method the best because it doesn’t require a lot of attention and it’s pretty forgiving if you can’t tend to the eggs right when your timer goes off. Here are the basic steps for hard-boiling eggs:
- Add cold eggs to a pot and cover with water: Place cold, large eggs straight from the refrigerator into a saucepot in a single layer. Add enough water to cover the eggs by one inch.
- Bring to a boil: Place a lid on the pot and bring the water up to a boil over high heat.
- Turn off the heat: When the water reaches a full rolling boil, turn off the heat and leave the pot on the burner (lid still on). Let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 12 minutes. The water will slowly cool as they sit, which helps give you some flexibility before the eggs overcook (green-tinged yolk=over cooked egg).
- Cool the eggs: After 12 minutes, transfer the hard-boiled eggs to a bowl of ice water for about 5 minutes.
- Peel and enjoy!
How Long to Hard-Boil Eggs
The easy answer: boil large eggs for about 12 minutes to make hard-boiled eggs.
The long answer: The amount of time needed to hard boil an egg can vary depending on several factors including:
- The size of the egg
- The type of cookware and stovetop used
- The starting temperature of the egg
- The boiling method used (cold start, hot start, steaming)
- Your altitude
You can start with our time guide below, but you may need to experiment a little to find the exact time needed to make perfect hard-boiled eggs using your equipment, your eggs, and your altitude.
The image above shows results after boiling eggs for 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 minutes.
- 6 minutes: nice jammy yolk
- 8 minutes: yolk is half set, half jammy
- 10 minutes: mostly set with a bit of wetness in the center of the yolk
- 12 minutes: completely solid yolk
- 14 minutes: solid yolk, not yet overcooked to the point of a green yolk
Hard Boil Eggs Using Steam
I also like to steam my eggs, as seen in my tutorial for 6-minute soft boiled eggs. This method is super fast because you only use about an inch of water, which comes to a boil very quickly. To make hard boiled eggs using the steaming method, simply let them steam for about 10-12 minutes. I also find that steamed eggs tend to peel very easily. See the steaming tutorial here.
How Long Are Hard-Boiled Eggs Good?
A hard-boiled egg will stay good for about a week when refrigerated in its shell. A peeled hard-boiled egg should be eaten within two days.
Tips for Peeling Hard-Boiled Eggs
There’s nothing more frustrating than a hard-boiled egg that is difficult to peel, so here are some tricks that may help make your hard-boiled eggs easier to peel:
- Old eggs peel easier than fresh eggs
- Add cold eggs to boiling water instead of bringing them to a boil together (this is the method used in our steaming method listed above)
- Tap the egg on a solid surface, then gently roll to crack the shell on all sides before peeling rather than just crushing one part of the shell
- Peel eggs under running water (the water flow helps separate the white from the peel)
- After removing part of the shell, slide a spoon between the shell and the egg white to separate them
- Place the eggs in a covered container and gently shake to crack the shells until they fall off
- Add baking soda to the water (about ½ tsp per pot)
Have you had success with any of these methods? Share which one works best for you in the comments below.
Recipes Using Hard-Boiled Eggs
I love adding hard-boiled eggs to just about everything, but if you need a little inspiration for how to use your hard-boiled eggs, here are a few hard-boiled egg recipe ideas:
- Deviled Eggs (or Sriracha Deviled Eggs)
- Egg Salad
- Meal prep lunch box
- Add them to a breakfast bowl
- Add to Salads
- They make an interesting addition to guacamole or avocado dip
- Use in potato salad
- Add to a bowl of ramen
- Chop and stir into tuna salad
- Slice and add to avocado toast (I like to top with everything bagel seasoning and sriracha)
- Slice and add to a veggie sandwich
- Add to a bowl of savory oatmeal
What Causes Green Yolks?
Have you ever peeled a hard-boiled egg only to find that the yolk has turned green? Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean the egg is rotten! Egg yolks turn green when overcooked due to a chemical reaction that occurs between the sulfur in the egg white and the iron in the egg yolk.
To prevent green yolks, make sure to not boil the egg longer than needed and transfer the eggs to an ice bath directly after cooking to prevent carryover cooking.
Hard Boiled Eggs
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Add cold eggs to a saucepot. Add enough water to the pot to cover the eggs by one inch.
- Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat on to high. Allow the water to come up to a boil.
- Once the water reaches a full rolling boil, turn the heat off and leave the pot on the burner (with the lid on) for about 12 minutes.*
- After 12 minutes, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water. Chill the eggs in the ice water for about five minutes. Peel and enjoy.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
More WAYS TO COOK EGGS
Looking for other ways to cook your eggs? Check out these other recipes:
Perfect and complete instructions.
Thank you! This was the perfectly delicious boiled egg. Mine have always turned out too dry but not anymore.
I don’t even like hard boiled eggs but I was needing some extra protein in my diet. I couldn’t believe how perfect these turned out, I might change my mind now that my yolks aren’t dry, chalky and green!
Easy to follow instructions
I’ve always been hit and miss boiling eggs (rolling boil for several minutes – usually resulting in overcooked eggs). I’ve used the hot water bath method the last couple of times and the eggs came out perfect, once at around 12 minutes and once at 14 minutes (for a completely solid yolk). It really does seem to be forgiving within the last couple of minutes.
Thank you for posting “basic” how-to articles like this. My mom and grandmothers were all good cooks, but I didn’t exactly take time to learn from them when I was younger.
Hey Beth,
Your recipes are amazing and I have become a great cook now! I can feed my family and it’s a hit every time :) I actually enjoy cooking now! Thank you!!!!!!!!
Thank you!! I feel ridiculous but my husband and I could never do these right. Neither of us were taught how to cook by parents, much less boil eggs. We tried before to make hard boiled eggs using a different method and horribly failed and wasted a dozen eggs. This worked like a charm!!!!! My husband thanks you for his deviled eggs.
If water is boiled first and then eggs added, 12 minutes produces very runny eggs not hardboiled at all
Hi Lu, the instructions say to put the eggs in the water before it’s boiled so they heat up along with the water. This means that the total cook time is longer than 12 minutes. 12 minutes is just how long the eggs sit in the water after it reaches a boil.
Thanks for the instructions
12mins rolling boil?!? That’s like double the right time. Bleh
No, William, you read that incorrectly. The instructions say to turn off the heat as soon as it reaches a boil. The water stops boiling and the eggs just sit in the hot water bath for 12 minutes. ;)
Men🙄🤭 😆
I was surprised to see Ramen as an idea to add eggs to. I’ve done this since childhood only raw. I’d cook Ramen till boiling, drain most of the water amd crack an egg or 2 and mix while the egg cooks in the boiling Ramen. Comes out so good amd turns Ramen into a protein rich meal instead of just bad carbs. If you only have 5 bucks to eat than Ramen and eggs will keep you going strong. Great recipes, thanks for the helpful tips.
Brought eggs to a boil. Removed from heat. Covered pan for 6 minutes. Placed in ice bath 5 minutes. Perfection! No green. Delicious. Used duck eggs.
I add the eggs after the water boils, as you suggested in the easy peel tips. Use the same cook times you suggest. Then immediately put them in an ice water bath to cool, and I’ve NEVER had a hard to peel egg. I can almost remove the shell in 2 peices!
To peel the egg easily, peel off a tiny amount at the skinny top end, perhaps no more than a 1/4″ diameter. Softly tap the fatter end to crack the shell bottom. Put your mouth up to the skinny end and blow hard and be ready to catch the egg through the fatter end as the egg will easily come out of the shell.
Thanks
I have used your method and Julia Childs method. The eggs always cooks perfectly but can never peel them easily. even when trying baking soda. Shaking in a mason jar, running under water,rolling on the counter. The whites continue to stick to the shell. I use Wal Mart eggs as a disclaimer.
Thanks! Probably the best explanation on hard boiled eggs I have come across.
I love your steaming method for soft boiled eggs! It has worked fine everytime Imake them. The peeling part was kind of a pain so i take mine out of the cold water bath and just whack them in half in the middle with a dull knife and then scoop egg out with the knife or a spoon. It’s the first time in years I’ve gotten to make my soft boiled eggs and they come out perfect with no big hassle! Thank you!
The method of boiling the water, then turning the heat off and covering the pot with eggs has never, ever worked for me. I am curious about the steaming method and would like to try it!
For years I made hard boiled eggs in a pan on the stovetop. Last year I bought a “My Mini Egg Cooker” made by Nostalgia at Wal-Mart for around $9. It steams up to seven eggs in a couple ounces of water from a premeasured tiny cup. You pierce the egg with the pointed end of the cup. A little alarm beeps when the eggs are done. It also makes soft boiled eggs as well. The best part is the eggs are so easy to peel. The egg maker is small and retro cute so I leave it out on my counter. Best $9 I’ve spent.
I recently heard about adding baking soda when boiling eggs. When should it be added? Before, during or after boiling the eggs?
Before, you can stir it into the water. :)
Absolutely use OLDER eggs. I was glad to see you stating that! If you look at the end sale date of eggs, you will see they keep for a long time. No method really works for fresh eggs. I keep an extra dozen eggs in the bottom of my fridge so I always have some older ones. and use a push pin in the round end …. and have never had a problem pealing eggs.
Most of my life I’ve used the cold start, making them hella hard to peel, as testified to here. Now I bring water to boil before adding cold eggs. Start timer immediately and remove after 12 to 14 minutes of gentle boil. Cool in ice water and peel effortlessly with perfect results.
I recently tried hard-boiled eggs by steaming with a method very similar to Beth’s. It worked out tremendously well! I started the water to boil in my steamer pot, put the eggs in the steamer basket, and turned the heat down to medium low. Let them steam for 13 minutes and then put them in ice and water for 5 minutes. I then cracked them and rolled them between my hands. I’ve never had eggs peal so easily. The shells just fell off with very little effort. I’ll never use another method now.
When I worked in catering I often had to cook and peel 200 plus eggs. No time for fancy stuff, put in cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 10-12 minutes (depending on what else you were doing at the time!). Pour out the hot water, add cold and using both hands grab eggs and crack against the side of the pan. Change water again. Leave a while and then peel. Cracking the shells when warm make them much easier to peel.
Please don’t peel under running water, unless you save it to use for something else. I have been told that the water they’re boiled in is good for house plants once it’s cooled.
If you want to make egg mayonnaise, the easiest way is to grate them rather than trying to mush with a fork (traditional UK method) – a fork is OK if you’re just doing 1, but any more than that and a grater is much quicker and easier.
A second advocate for the Instant Pot method. They cook perfectly with little effort and peel super easily. I think this is because the pressure separates the membrane from the shell, but just my thought.
I put any number of eggs on the rack (I’ve done up to 24 for Easter and it still works). Add 1 cup water, close and seal, set for 7 minutes high pressure. Release immediately and put in cold water. Perfect eggs every time.
I poke the eggs with a sewing pin, at the top for a microscopic hole. helps it for peeling Then I do 12 minutes from a cold start, at around having 5 minutes left on the clock, is when the water starts to be at a rolling boil. I’ll turn it down to medium until the timer goes off, then scoop the eggs out to cool.
I do mine in the instant pot and have never looked back. The 6-6-6 method works every time smile
I make them in my instant pot all the time. It’s the easiest method. I use the 5-5-5 method (I’m at elevation), this keeps me from getting the dreaded gray/green ring around the yolk.
I add a splash of white vinegar to the water before boiling eggs. It seems to help keep the membrane stuck to the shell rather than the egg white, which makes peeling simpler.
Adam Liaw shows the correct way to boil an egg to get the shell to come off easily every time. Puncture the round end of the egg with something no bigger than a push pin or tack, you don’t need to go in very far just break the shell. The shell shouldn’t crack when you do this. Then place the eggs into boiling water and cook for the desired time, stirring them for the first 20-30 seconds as you put the eggs in, in order to let the boiling water circulate into the small hole you’ve poked. When your timer dings place them into an ice bath and stir the ice water some as you place them in, this once again allows for the water to push into the egg, which will help pull the membrane away from the shell. I’ve used this ever since seeing Adam’s video and it’s 100% reliable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9IepMO2DIc The video in which he covers the technique