How to hard-boil eggs

Learn how to hard-boil eggs that are easy to peel and perfectly delicious! All you need are a normal pot and a bowl of ice water.

Carbs in eggs - Less than 1 gram per egg

Hard boiled eggs are perfect for meal prep. You can eat them whenever you need a quick, low-carb snack, appetizer or protein for your meal.

🎥 Watch this video on how to hard-boil eggs

👩🏻‍🍳 Table of contents

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

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• Carbs in eggs - Less than 1 gram per egg
• 🎥 Watch this video on how to hard-boil eggs
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Table of contents
• How to hard boil eggs
• 🥚Ingredients
• 🍳 Equipment you'll need
• 🔪 Instructions
• How to peel hard boiled eggs
• Farm fresh eggs vs old eggs
• How long to boil eggs
• Overcooked hard boiled eggs
• Easy peeled hard boiled eggs
• 🧂 Seasoning ideas
• 🍽 How to serve
• Meal prep
• 🥡 How to store
• How to freeze
• 💭 Top tips
• Frequently asked questions
• Recipes with hard boiled eggs
• How to hard-boil eggs (recipe card)

How to hard boil eggs

There are so many ways to make hard boiled eggs:

• Boiling - The classic way is to boil eggs in a normal pot.  
• Steaming - The best way to cook easy to peel, perfect hard boil eggs in a normal pot is to use a steamer basket. Here’s the recipe for ♨️ steamed hard boiled eggs.
• Instant pot - My favorite and easiest method is to make hard boiled eggs in a pressure cooker. They come out perfectly and are easy to peel. If you have an Instant pot, try Instant pot hard boiled eggs! 
• Air fryer - You can also use an air fryer to hard boil eggs with no water! It’s convenient, but not my favorite way because the eggs are not that easy to peel.

The method below cooks eggs in a boiling pot of water on the stovetop.

🥚Ingredients

• 6 large eggs 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚
• water
• ice

When buying eggs check uncooked eggs for cracks before buying. If you find any raw cracked eggs after you get them home, throw them away.

🍳 Equipment you'll need

• Medium-sized pot with lid
• Slotted spoon or tongs
• A large bowl for ice bath
• Clean towel

🔪 Instructions

An ice water bath also makes the eggs easier to peel by helping to disconnect the shell from the egg membrane.

How to peel hard boiled eggs

A perfectly cooked hard boiled egg has a solid, yellow yolk. Peel eggs only if you plan to eat them within the next couple of days.

Farm fresh eggs vs old eggs

For perfect hard boiled eggs go for quality and use farm fresh eggs that are organic and pasture raised. These will give you eggs with bright colored, creamy yellow yolks. Fresh eggs have the best flavor, are the most nutritious, and last longer in the refrigerator.

It is a myth that old eggs peel better than fresh eggs. Boiling eggs, then rapidly cooling eggs immediately in ice water is what makes them easy to peel.

How long to boil eggs

Cook eggs for 10-15 minutes depending on how well done you want them. Start with cold eggs straight from the fridge.

There is no need to add salt, baking soda or vinegar. Boil eggs long enough for the water to reach a full rolling boil - about 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat, cover and set a timer for 12 minutes. You'll get delicious, perfectly hard boiled eggs with a creamy yellow yolk. No need to watch water boil.

Overcooked hard boiled eggs

If you've ever had a smelly, sulfurous hard boiled egg with a green, chalky yolk, it's probably because it was boiled for too long. A green yolk means that the egg was overcooked. Overcooked hard boiled eggs look and smell like rotten eggs. To avoid this, don’t over cook the eggs and don't skip the cold water bath.

Easy peeled hard boiled eggs

To get perfectly smooth, easy peeled hard boiled eggs cook them gently and don’t skip the ice water bath!

🧂 Seasoning ideas

• Salt and pepper
• Herb salt
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Japanese - a dash of shichimi togarashi, Japanese 7 spice blend, adds a burst of flavor
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Hot sauce
• Curry - sprinkle a bit of curry powder, turmeric or garam masala. The aroma is amazing!

🍽 How to serve

Hard boiled eggs are delicious plain, sprinkled with seasonings, as deviled eggs, sliced over toast, or added to soups, stews and salads.

Meal prep

You can make hard boiled eggs ahead of time for meal prep and use them in all kinds of recipes for meals and snacks throughout the week.

🥡 How to store

Hard boiled eggs keep well in the fridge, so long as you don’t crack the shells. Store them unpeeled, in a covered container or plastic bag, in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Hard boiled eggs should not be consumed if they have been sitting at room temperature for over two hours.

How to freeze

You can freeze unpeeled eggs for up to 3 months.

• Do not peel.
• Allow eggs to cool completely.
• Place in a single layer in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze.

💭 Top tips

Follow these cooking tips for best results:

• Stop the cooking process by transferring eggs straight into a bath of ice cold water, so that you don’t overcook the eggs.
• If you don’t have ice, the next best thing is to place them in a bowl under cold running water.
• Transferring eggs to an ice bath helps the shells slide off easily when peeling.
• For delicious eggs that taste great, don't overcook them.
• An ugly green ring around the yolk means that the egg is overcooked.
• A smelly egg means that it was overcooked.
• This recipe calls for large eggs, but you can use eggs of any size, just adjust the cooking time -/+ a minute. For medium eggs, try 10 minutes. For jumbo eggs, try 12 minutes. Add more cooking time when adding more than a dozen eggs.

Frequently asked questions

Recipes with hard boiled eggs

Here are a few of my favorite keto and low-carb hard-boiled egg recipes:

• deviled eggs
• chopped egg salad
• scotch eggs
• avocado toast with eggs
• cobb salad
• tuna niçoise salad

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