Making perfect hard-boiled eggs is surprisingly challenging, and one of the biggest challenges is peeling them.
If you want them to peel easily, you should use old eggs. The closer they are to their expiration date, the easier it will be to peel them.
Eggs are delicious and satiating. I often have them for breakfast, lunch, or a meatless dinner. I enjoy poached eggs, fried eggs, soft-scrambled eggs, and soft-boiled eggs. I don't think I ever tried an egg recipe that I didn't like.
I make hard-boiled eggs often because they make a convenient snack. The problem? Peeling them is one of those theoretically easy tasks that can quickly go wrong.
And when it does, you're left with deformed eggs, big chunks of the whites coming off as you try to peel them. Unless you follow this recipe, of course!
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Why Hard-Boiled Eggs Are Difficult to Peel
Eggs have an outer shell and an inner thin membrane. When the thin membrane sticks to the egg, peeling becomes difficult.
We aim for a cooking method where the thin membrane would adhere to the outer shell instead of the egg. This way, the membrane would easily peel off when we peel the shell.
In the image below, you can see that as I peeled the egg, the inner membrane stuck to the egg white, so chunks of egg whites were removed when I tried to peel the egg:
The result was deformed eggs; still tasty, but not pretty to look at:
The cooking method outlined here aims to prevent this from happening. The reason it happened was that I used very fresh eggs. I should have used older eggs, but I didn't have any! We go through eggs fast in my house.
Ingredients
You'll only need three ingredients to make this recipe: large eggs, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Variations
You cannot do much to vary this basic recipe except experiment with different spices to season the cooked eggs.
In addition to salt and pepper, I sometimes use a pinch of red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, or dried oregano.
Instructions
Making perfect, easy-peel eggs is easy once you learn how to do it. The recipe card below lists the detailed steps for making this recipe. Here's an overview:
- Your first step is to remove the eggs from the fridge. Allowing them to warm slightly helps prevent cracking when lowered into hot water.
- Next, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Carefully lower the eggs into the water. (Photo 1).
- Bring the water back to a boil. Allow the eggs to cook for 1 minute. (Photo 2).
- Turn the heat off, remove the pot, cover it, and set your timer for 10 to 12 minutes. (Photo 3).
- Carefully drain the hot water from the pot and immediately fill it with cold water. Allow the cold water to run over the eggs for 2 minutes. (Photo 4).
- Gently crack the eggs and peel them under cold running water. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later use. (Photos 5,6).
Expert Tips
It took me a while to learn how to cook perfect eggs that are easy to peel. Now that I've finally mastered the technique, I have five tips for you:
- Use old eggs. Not so old that they're past their "use by" date. But the closer they are to that date, the easier it will be to peel them. So, I use the freshest eggs when frying and poaching, saving the older ones for boiling.
- Boil your water first, then lower the eggs into the water. This helps loosen the thin membrane that tends to stick to the eggs, making them impossible to peel.
- Cool the eggs immediately after they are done cooking. Do this by pouring the hot water and filling the pot with cold water.
- Use eggs with a thick shell. If the eggs you use have very thin and fragile shells, they could crack when you put them in hot water. This method works best with thick-shelled eggs. Even with a thick shell, the first egg you lower into the hot water might slightly crack. But this method is so effective, I think it's worth it.
- Removing the eggs from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking them is another way to prevent cracking.
Recipe FAQs
I've tried adding vinegar to the cooking water. I also tried adding salt. None of these methods made any difference. Vinegar does help poached eggs keep their shape. But in my experience, it's ineffective at making hard-boiled eggs easier to peel.
You should keep them in the hot water for 12 minutes. If you set your timer for 10 minutes, the yolks will be slightly soft in the center. 11 minutes should yield fully cooked yolks, and 12 minutes should result in well-cooked, dry yolks. Those are best for deviled eggs.
This ring is a chemical reaction between the sulfur in the egg whites and the iron in the yolks. It's harmless but unattractive and is caused by overcooking the eggs.
Serving Suggestions
Hard-boiled eggs make an excellent snack, and that's how I usually enjoy them. But here are a few more ideas for how to use them:
- Make them into a creamy egg salad.
- Use them to make egg-stuffed meatloaf or Scotch eggs.
- Slice them and use them in a Cobb salad.
- Fry hard-boiled eggs in butter. It's delicious!
- Make deviled eggs. This is my favorite way to use them.
- Or make lazy deviled eggs and top them with a dollop of sriracha mayo!
- Have them for breakfast on thick, buttered slices of almond flour bread.
- Use them to make chopped liver.
Storing Leftovers
According to the USDA, hard-boiled eggs can be kept in the fridge for up to one week, whether peeled or unpeeled.
I don't recommend freezing them. Their texture won't survive the process of freezing and thawing.
More Egg Recipes
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Recipe Card
Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs not fresh
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the eggs from the fridge 30 minutes before boiling the water.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water one by one.
- Bring the water back to a boil and allow the eggs to boil for 1 minute.
- Turn the heat off, remove the pot from the heat, cover the pot, and set your timer for 10 to 12 minutes. 10 minutes for yolks that are still slightly soft in the center, 11 minutes for fully cooked yolks, and 12 minutes for well-cooked, dry yolks (best for deviled eggs).
- Drain the hot water from the pot, and fill it with running cold water. Allow the cold water to run over the eggs for 2 minutes.Â
- Gently crack the eggs and peel them under cold running water. Season, if you wish, with salt and pepper.
Video
Notes
- Use old eggs. Not so old that they're past their "use by" date. But the closer they are to that date, the easier it will be to peel them. So I use the freshest eggs when frying and poaching, saving the older ones for boiling.
- Boil your water first, then lower the eggs into the water. This helps loosen the thin membrane that tends to stick to the eggs, making them impossible to peel.
- Cool the eggs immediately after they are done cooking. Do this by pouring out the hot water and filling the pot with cold water.
- Use eggs with a thick shell. If the eggs you use have very thin and fragile shells, they could crack when you put them in hot water. This method works best with thick-shelled eggs. Even with a thick shell, the first egg you lower into the hot water might slightly crack. But this method is so effective, I think it's worth it.
- Removing the eggs from the fridge 30 minutes before you start cooking is another way to prevent cracking.
- The nutrition info does not include salt and pepper.Â
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Sonya
I'm so glad I stumbled across this recipe! I'm a powerlifter - I eat a lot of hard-boiled eggs - this method is life-changing. Thank you!
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Sonya!
Kevin
One of my eggs cracked on contact with the hot water, but the rest of them were fine and so easy to peel! This will definitely be my method from now on.
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad this recipe worked for you, Kevin!
Rob M.
Finally I was able to peel my hardboiled eggs! Thank you for this recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Rob!