How to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs every time!
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Whether you’re cooking a batch of boiled eggs for salads, snacking, or for Easter egg dyeing, you want to make sure you end up with perfectly cooked eggs no matter the occasion. Even though classic boiled eggs have been a common recipe for who knows how many generations, it can still be a little tricky to come out with perfect, easily peeled, hard-boiled eggs.
Lucky for you, I’ve been mastering my cooking and baking skills for many years now and have learned a thing or two about cooking perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs every time! What’s my secret? I don’t really have one actually. It’s all about knowing proper cook times, and the ice bath trick after cooking.
Once you get the hang of it, you never have to worry about tearing up your beautifully boiled eggs again! To make things even easier on you, I will break down cooking times not just for perfect hard-boiled eggs, but also for any yolk softness you desire. Here’s how I cook perfect hard-boiled (or soft-boiled) eggs:
To cook hard-boiled eggs, all you need is: a large pot, a large bowl, eggs, water, and ice. First, lay the eggs in the bottom of the pot and cover with water until water is 1 inch above the eggs. Cover and bring to a boil. Then, remove the pot from the heat and keep it covered for 14 minutes. Then transfer the eggs to a large bowl of ice water and let them chill for 15 minutes. Then, crack and peel the eggs under the cold water. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Easy Egg Equipment
First, let’s go over my short equipment list needed for this simple, classic recipe. I only need the help of 3 kitchen tools to get the job done. Here are the tools I use to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs:
Boiled Egg Ingredients
Now let’s talk about super simple ingredients. Another shortlist here also, as I only need 3 ingredients for this easy egg-y recipe. Here are my ingredients for perfect hard-boiled eggs:
- 12 eggs -room temperature
- water
- 3 cups ice cubes
How to Cook Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
Now, let’s get crackin’! Egg crackin’ that is! Once you’ve got your equipment and ingredients gathered, it’s time to get busy. Here’s how to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs:
- First, measure out the ingredients with the measuring cup.
- Next, place the eggs in the bottom of the large pot.
- Cover the eggs with water until the water is about 1 inch above the eggs.
- Cover the pot with the lid and bring the eggs to a boil over high heat.
- Then, remove the pot from the heat and keep it covered for 14 minutes.
- Prepare a large glass bowl with the ice and water. Transfer the eggs to the ice water bowl to cool for another 15 minutes.
- Keep reading to see different cook times for different levels of yolk softness.
- Then, crack the eggs.
- Peel each cracked, boiled egg under the water.
- Finally, slice, serve, and enjoy!
For a much quicker method, or if you want a large batch of boiled eggs, check out my Instant Pot No-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs!
Egg Boiling Times
For different yolk softness preferences, check out my breakdown of cook times and how to best serve them:
| Hard-boiled egg state | Time to keep in hot water after boiling | Good for what recipes |
|---|---|---|
| very soft yolk | 2-3 minutes | soup, for dipping toast |
| softer yolk | 6 minutes | soup, for dipping toast |
| soft yolk | 8 minutes | soup, open face egg sandwich, salad |
| soft/hard-boiled yolk | 10 minutes | open face egg sandwich, egg salad, salad, soup |
| hard-boiled yolk | 14 minutes | deviled eggs, egg salad, Easter eggs, salad, open face egg sandwich, soup |
Storing Boiled Eggs
To store hard-boiled eggs: transfer the eggs to an airtight container lined with a damp paper towel. Cover the eggs with another damp paper towel and seal the lid tightly. These hard-boiled eggs will stay good stored like this in the fridge for 3-4 days. Label the date on the outside of the container to keep up with freshness.
More Egg Recipes
Egg-y Essentials
Looking for more egg-cellent dishes to try or other ways to serve these delectable eggs? I’ve got you covered with some of my favorite eggy recipes and serving suggestions. Here are some of my favorite egg-y recipes:
Serve Hard-Boiled Eggs for:
- Egg salad
- Egg sandwiches
- Deviled eggs
- Cobb salad
- Potato salad
- Tuna salad
- Chicken salad
- Avocado toast
More Egg Recipes:
- Instant Pot No-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Italian Easter Bread
- Italian Mini Easter Breads
- Bacon and Cheese Egg Muffins
- Spinach Frittata
- Macaroni Salad with Chicken
Hard Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 eggs room temperature
- water
- 3 cups ice cubes
Instructions
- First, measure out the ingredients with the measuring cup.
- Next, place the eggs in the bottom of the large pot.
- Cover the eggs with water until the water is about 1 inch above the eggs.
- Cover the pot with the lid and bring the eggs to a boil over high heat.
- Then, remove the pot from the heat and keep it covered for 14 minutes.
- Prepare a large glass bowl with the ice and water. Transfer the eggs to the ice water bowl to cool for another 15 minutes.Keep reading to see different cook times for different levels of yolk softness.
- Then, crack the eggs.
- Peel each cracked, boiled egg under the water.
- Finally, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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