How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs (Easy!)

Looking for the perfect hard-boiled eggs recipe and want to know how long to boil eggs? Look no further! This no-fail stovetop method is the easiest method for making hard-boiled eggs. It takes less than 15 minutes and produces perfectly cooked eggs every time.

Watch the Video

Hard Boiled Eggs Recipe Video

We’ve used this method for making hard-boiled eggs for years. I love to keep a batch in the fridge for snacks throughout the week. I also use them to make Classic Egg Salad, Deviled Eggs, Avocado Toast with Egg, and my favorite Potato Salad.

You won’t believe how easy it is to cook hard-boiled eggs. Follow my tips, and you’ll make perfect boiled eggs in no time! If you have an Instant Pot, we also have this easy recipe for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs.

How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs on the Stove

Step 1: Place eggs in a single layer on the bottom of a saucepan. You don’t want to pile them on top of each other. Keeping them in one layer, reduces the risk of cracking the shells when they come to a boil.

Step 2: Pour in water and cover by about two inches. Some hard boiled egg recipes have you bring water to a simmer and then tell you to add the eggs. I don’t like doing this since adding a cold egg to very hot water risks cracking the egg.

How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs -- Cover the eggs with about two inches of room temperature or cold water.

Step 3: Bring the water to a boil. The moment the water begins to boil, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, move the pan off of the heat then set a timer for 10 to 12 minutes (I’ve shared suggested cooking times below).

How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs -- After boiling for 30 seconds, I move the pan off of the heat, and then set a timer for 10 to 12 minutes (depending on how large my eggs are).

Step 4: Transfer the cooked eggs to an ice bath so they stop cooking. I use a slotted spoon to remove each egg from the hot water and then carefully drop them into a big bowl filled with cold water and ice. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, you can peel them.

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

How Long to Boil Eggs

The perfect cook time for hard-boiled eggs depends on a few things: the size of your eggs, your altitude, and how firm you want the yolks. After lots of experimenting, here’s our guide to the most accurate cook times:

  • Medium eggs: Cook for 9 to 10 minutes
  • Large eggs: Cook for 11 to 12 minutes
  • Extra-large eggs: Cook for 13 to 14 minutes

These cook times will result in fully set yolks. If you prefer a slightly softer yolk, reduce the cooking time by a minute or two. When making a large batch of eggs, I like to “sacrifice” one egg at around the 10-minute mark and check for doneness. If it’s underdone, I’ll keep the eggs in the water a minute or two longer.

Higher altitude: If you live at a higher altitude, you may need to cook the eggs slightly longer than we mentioned above (I’d start with three to four additional minutes of cooking time).

My Tips For Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

If you’ve made hard-boiled eggs before, you’ve probably experienced the occasional stubborn shell that refuses to peel cleanly. Want the secret to easy peel hard-boiled eggs? There are lots of tricks, but here’s what works best for us:

  • Try not to use the freshest eggs. Fresher eggs don’t peel as easily, so buy them a week in advance, especially if they’re for deviled eggs.
  • Cool the eggs completely before peeling. This is a big help! If you’re still struggling with peeling hard-boiled eggs, crack the cooled egg and place it back into an ice bath. Water will work under the shell, making peeling a breeze after about 5 minutes.

How to Store Unpeeled Hard-Boiled Eggs

Unpeeled hard-boiled eggs are your best bet for longer storage. Simply refrigerate them in their shells for up to one week. You can store them in a bowl or an airtight container.

How to Store Peeled Hard-Boiled Eggs

Peeled hard-boiled eggs are more delicate. Here’s how to store them:

  • Refrigerate the eggs immediately: Cool eggs completely after cooking and refrigerate within two hours.
  • Keep them moist: We want to prevent our eggs from drying out by submerging them in a bowl of cold water (change the water daily) or wrapping them in slightly damp paper towels and storing them in an airtight container.
  • Eat within a few days: Enjoy your peeled hard-boiled eggs within 5 days for the best quality and safety.
How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs

How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs (Easy!)

  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Here’s our foolproof stovetop hard-boiled eggs recipe. The recipe assumes four eggs, but you can increase or decrease them as you see fit (as long as the eggs can sit in the saucepan in one layer).

4 or more eggs

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

4 or more large eggs

Water

Directions

    1Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 to 2 inches. Heat over high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil.

    2Cover the saucepan with a lid, cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and let stand for 12 minutes.

    3A minute or so before the eggs finish cooking, prepare a bowl of ice water.

    4Transfer the cooked eggs to the ice water using a slotted spoon and leave for 5 minutes (or longer).

    5Crack egg shells and carefully peel them away. If the shells are not easily peeling away from the eggs, place them back into the ice water and try again in 5 minutes.

    6**Cooking time can range from 10 to 14 minutes, depending on the size of your eggs, altitude, and how firm you want them to be. If you are cooking a large batch of eggs, it might be a good idea to “sacrifice” one egg and check doneness.

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 egg / Calories 71 / Protein 6 g / Carbohydrate 0 g / Dietary Fiber 0 g / Total Sugars 0 g / Total Fat 5 g / Saturated Fat 2 g / Cholesterol 185 mg / Sodium 62 mg
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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20 comments… Leave a Review
  • Susan S April 5, 2023, 1:25 pm

    These turned out perfect! Thank you 😊

    Reply
  • Cathryn June 19, 2022, 10:32 am

    Wow, perfect eggs. Lovely yellow yolks. I’m impressed, but I added maybe a tablespoon of salt before cooking a dozen eggs, which I’ve always done.

    Reply
  • Sharon Taylor September 5, 2021, 1:30 pm

    I put baking soda in my water before cooking the eggs. After they are done,rinse eggs before putting into ice bath.

    Reply
  • Alyssa August 11, 2020, 5:23 am

    I’m so curious to know what is in the seasoning shaker you put on the eggs after! I see like black sesame and that and it just sounds like something I would lovveee to know.

    Reply
  • Nadine Verbesey October 9, 2019, 11:21 am

    Thanks so much! Your directions were fantastically specific!!

    Reply
  • Travis May 1, 2019, 2:55 am

    You only say “bring to a boil”, the recipe doesn’t specify whether that should be done on low, medium or high heat. That should make a considerable difference…

    Reply
    • Joanne May 1, 2019, 12:11 pm

      Hi Travis, the eggs need to come to a boil over high heat. It is at this point that we cover with a lid and cook for 30 seconds then we take the pan off of the heat completely so that the eggs can finish cooking.

      Reply
  • Kathleen Larrabee November 18, 2018, 12:35 pm

    I used your method for hard boiled eggs. It worked beautifully. The yolks were nice and yellow, no green. The whites done to perfection. I am 72 and I learned something new. Ha Ha!!!! Thanks so much. I made deviled eggs for Thanksgiving at church. Everyone raved. No leftovers. I just use mayo, salt ,pepper and curry powder. They were delicious. Thanks again

    Reply
  • Brandon Becerra November 14, 2018, 6:14 am

    To peel the eggs I use a spoon. It’s been the easiest and most effective way to peel an egg for me.

    Reply
  • Steve Elves July 28, 2018, 2:48 pm

    Nobody seems to have mentioned the effect of altitude on boiling water. Every 500 ft. of altitude above sea level decreases the boiling point of water by about 1 degree F.

    Adding salt to the water will partially offset this decline.

    I suspect that the commenter who had trouble with eggs not completely cooked may have 3 possible issues:
    a) very large eggs, and/or
    b) cooked right out of a cold refrigerator, and/or
    c) higher altitude.

    Reply
    • Helena O’Kekai January 8, 2023, 3:20 pm

      Having lived at 6,000 feet elevation my entire life, this recipe DOES mention elevation. You need to go back and read ENTIRE article!

      Reply
  • david jones October 16, 2014, 12:57 am

    I like using a teaspoon. I just crack the egg and poke the teaspoon under the shell and rotate.

    Reply
  • Tom August 22, 2014, 12:28 pm

    Everybody seems to make a “process” out of peeling hard boiled eggs– this tip works with ALL Boiled eggs, Hot, ,Cold, ,over boiled – whatever! Ready? Here it is, Simply tap/crack shell all the way around and hold under COLD RUNNING TAP WATER While peeling the shell– a lot of times it will simply come off in mostly one piece without all the mess!! Water gets into the cracks and literally puffs out the shell away from egg. If the egg is broken, again simply run the tap water on the opposite side of the break and Wa – La, a perfectly peeled hard boiled egg

    Reply
  • Marty July 3, 2014, 1:40 pm

    A hint for some one making potato Salad with hard boil eggs. When potatoes are boiling put your eggs in i use a spoon and time it for 10 minutes and take them out putting them in a bowl of cold water or running water it stops the cooking process. Making Devil Eggs, Hard Boil Eggs the same way use boiling water also. The yolks come out with a beautiful yellow color. Have also mention this method to chefs many times also. No Gray yolks for me.

    Reply
  • Lorae July 3, 2014, 12:47 am

    I Loved all your tips and tricks! Very helpful :)!

    Reply
  • Marsha Z May 16, 2014, 6:06 pm

    I don’t have a problem with the cooking method. I have difficulty peeling the shells off the eggs. They come off in itty-bitty shell fragments. Am I not letting the eggs cool down enough? Are the eggs too fresh? Also, since I’m now disabled, a lot of my prep work is done at the dinette table, instead of standing at the countertop. Anything to make the task easier, right?

    Reply
    • Joanne May 19, 2014, 10:54 am

      Hi Marsha, We’ve just added a little note about peeling hard boiled eggs in the article above. (Your question inspired us to add a few tips). Here’s what we’ve added:

      “If you’ve made hard boiled eggs before, you’ve probably experienced the occasional stubborn egg that just doesn’t want to peel nicely. There are lots of tricks out there for easy peel eggs. We’ve tried a few, but have found the following tricks to work best for us:
      Try not to use the freshest eggs. Fresher eggs don’t peel as easily so if you have the chance, buy eggs for deviled eggs a few days in advance. (This is not necessary, it just makes things a little easier)
      Cool the eggs completely before peeling. We find this helps a lot, but if you’re still having trouble, crack the cooled egg and place it back into the ice bath. The water sneaks underneath the shell where you cracked it and makes it easier to peel after 5 minutes or so.”

      Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Theresa July 8, 2014, 12:10 pm

        Put a spoonful of vinegar in the water while coooking and the eggshell will come off nicely!

        Reply
        • Joanne August 7, 2014, 1:20 pm

          Great tip!

          Reply
      • Nancy July 19, 2015, 6:31 pm

        After cooking and pouring in cold water I smash each end of egg against something and put it back into the water. That lets water seep in to make peeling easier. Hold egg under tepid water while peeling.

        Reply

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