How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
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Fail-proof hard boiled eggs recipe for how to boil eggs so they come out perfectly every time. Perfect for appetizers, snacks, salads, and more!
There are a few things I learned in my home economics class in high school that I still remember: how to balance a checkbook, how to care for a baby made out of a five-pound flour sack, and how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs. Come to think about it, that’s probably three more things than I remember from many classes I had in high school and things I use routinely. Well, not the five-pound flour sack baby, but you get the drift.
How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard boiled eggs are one of the things that I could do at least once a week. My family enjoys them in any number of recipes or just to have on hand for a quick snack or to add to salad.
Many times I use the method I’ve shared previously of preparing hard-cooked eggs in the oven or Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs, but I still love cooking them the time-tested way that Mrs. Dickerson showed me in home economics – boiled. Over the years, I’ve slightly adjusted from her teachings as I’ve found how my family prefers them.
Age Your Eggs
I’ve found that hard-boiled eggs are easier to peel if they have been aged for about 5-10 days in the refrigerator before boiling. It’s best to buy your eggs early and store them to make perfect hard-boiled eggs that you won’t have difficulty peeling. Additionally, if you find that once you’ve boiled your eggs and they are difficult to peel, you can simply place them into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and then attempt peeling them again.
Use Baking Soda for Hard Boiled Eggs
For those of you who use fresh farm eggs, I also recommend adding about 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water as you cook your eggs in addition to aging them. This will cause your eggs to have more of a smell when cooked but will make them easier to peel.
How Long to Boil Eggs
It can be confusing to know how long it takes to boil hard-boiled eggs, but there is a simple method that works every time for me.
Single layer. Place eggs in a single layer in a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a Dutch oven. If you have too many eggs in your pan, they will not cook perfectly or peel as easily.
Start cold. Cover the eggs, plus add about 2 inches, with fresh cold water and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
Boil. Set the pan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Boil for one minute. Make sure that you time this very carefully.
Remove from heat. Remove your pan from the heat and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. Allow to sit for 12 minutes exactly.
Plunge. Plunge the cooked eggs into a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking any longer.
Peel. Peel the eggs and enjoy!
How Long Will Hard-Boiled Eggs Last in the Refrigerator?
Hard-boiled eggs will last for up to a week in the refrigerator – peeled and unpeeled. I like to go ahead and peel them for easier use and store them in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid.
For travel, you can also store them in a zip-top container and remove as much air as possible from the bag as you seal it.
Recipes Using Hard-Boiled Eggs:
Here’s how I make perfect hard-boiled eggs. I hope you love them!
How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- water
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- To boil eggs, place eggs in a single layer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Do not add more eggs than a single layer or they will not produce the perfect hard boiled egg.
- Cover the eggs with fresh water, plus about 1 to 2 inches of water. Add baking soda. Place saucepan onto stovetop at medium-low heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Cover and remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to sit for 12 minutes.
- Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop all cooking.
- To peel eggs, simply tap them on their sides onto a hard surface such as a counter top. Then, carefully peel the shell away. If the eggs seem hard to peel, I've found peeling them under a slight stream of running, cold water to be helpful. Eggs, once peeled, may stay in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days.
Notes
How Long Will Hard-Boiled Eggs Last in the Refrigerator?
Hard-boiled eggs will last for up to a week in the refrigerator – peeled and unpeeled. I like to go ahead and peel them for easier use and store them in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. For travel, you can also store them in a zip-top container and remove as much air as possible from the bag as you seal it.Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
I just tried this (using 1/2 tsp baking soda) and it worked very well. The eggs were cooked just right with no green. Tasted great! THANKS!!
I just did this trick today. I always forget how to do it and didn’t want to bother my hubby about reminding me. I was a little nervous since a few people seem to have this not work but it worked like a charm. They came out beautifully. I think I will always do it this way from now on. And now I don’t have to always rely on my hubby to remember. Thanks!
PS: Low-Medium heat does not work for me. They never boil on my stove at that temperature. I have to turn up to a little hotter than medium.
i was a terrible hard-boiled egg boiler, until I found your article. I used to be a home economics teacher. But you get away from things and forget. What we had taught was that they are hard-cooked eggs, not hard-boiled, that hard boiled eggs are green. But whatever. The amount of water, and the single layer are crucial, and that I had forgotten. I pour a little vinegar in the water, maybe achieving the same effect as the baking soda, since my eggs are always fresh. Thanks for reminding me how to make them again. They are coming out great.
Worked like a charm, Robyn! Thanks, once again! 😉
Yay! I’m so glad! xo
Yep…I do mine the same way….always come out perfect with NO YUCKY green edges!
I love a good hardboiled egg – for breakfast, on green salads, in egg salad! So much protein in that little thing. I have at least one every day!
This seems like a foolproof way to get perfect hardboiled eggs every time! Thank you!
Conversation with my husband while he was home from TX last weekend:”Honey, how do you hard boil eggs?” Then he looks me in the eye and says “never mind.” Out of everything that I can cook/bake I CANNOT hard boil an egg. My last attempt was about 3 years ago for Easter. We had soft boiled dyed eggs. I don’t know what I do wrong, because I’ve cooked them for 20 minutes before and still got mushy eggs. I told him to just buy them form the grocery store already cooked. I’m going to send him your instructions in case he ever wants to attempt them himself.
Thanks for the “how to” on boiling eggs, we all need a refresher course from good old home “ec” days…now known as consumer science in some circles believe it or not. We made pizza bites with weenies and chili sauce on Ritz crackers in mine…how gourmet! This is good info for all the upcoming Easter recipes…eggzactly what we need!