A simple method for Perfect Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs. Cooked perfectly (no gray-green yolks) and shells just about slide off!
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Post was originally published 2/14/15. Updated 1/30/25.
Rethinking Hard Boiled Egg Cooking Method
This post all started when I made a few dozen of red beet eggs. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong.
Here’s that recipe for my Red Beet Eggs !
Peeling the eggs turned into a total nightmare. Who would think such an easy task could turn out to be so complicated. Hard boiled eggs were one of the first things we learn how to cook and many of us have been taught all so wrong.
I’ve had the same method for cooking hard boiled eggs for years. Tried, true and they turn out perfectly cooked. Yellow, creamy yolks – no grayish greenish ickiness. So being properly cooked is wonderful – but they end up peeling and looking like a horror story. Then there’s method I was taught growing up – it’s the total opposite. The eggs peeled effortlessly but were rubbery and had gray-green, dry crumbly yolks.
So I needed the best of both worlds – perfect easy peel hard boiled eggs with yolks cooked properly. Here we go…..
Finding The Perfect Egg
The first thing I’ll say is the perfect egg comes from a happy chicken. My hens free range & happily forage their day away. Besides nutritious feed, we also offer them an assortment of veggies, berries, fruits, table scraps & even butchering scraps.
If you don’t have your own chickens, find someone that does! A local farm, farmers market. Fresh, local, pasture raised / free range chickens produce the most delicious eggs! If local is impossible, search for pasture raised or free range eggs at your grocery store.
Older eggs peel better. Eggs straight from the coop are not good hard boiled – they peel horribly. Wait at least 3 days before hard boiling fresh eggs. Anything you’re buying in the store is way older than 3 days, so you’ll always be good to go on cooking them up right away.
Cooking Methods – Perfect Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
The experiment is simple. A dozen eggs – same batch – and two different methods. These eggs were about a week old & refrigerated – very similar to what would be purchased at a grocery store.
I’ll explain the results at the end though the pictures pretty much speak for themselves.
Method 1
Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover an inch over the eggs. Over high heat, bring water to a full boil. Remove pan from heat, cover and let sit for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove eggs from sauce pan and cool eggs in a bowl of ice water.
Method 2
Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover eggs by one inch, but do not add eggs yet. Bring water to a full boil. Add eggs. Reduce heat to medium and maintain a low boil/simmer for 11 – 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove eggs from sauce pan and cool eggs in a bowl of ice water.
Results
Wow. Pretty crazy, huh?
Method 1 was perfectly cooked – egg whites and yolks. The problem with my prior preferred method is painfully apparent – they don’t peel well. Chunks of egg whites comes off with each fleck of shell. It’s a mess.
I now officially feel guilty for all the Easter Eggs made with this big no of a method.
Method 2 is clearly the winner. The eggs peel effortlessly – the shell almost slides off. The eggs yolks and whites are cooked perfectly. You couldn’t ask for anymore on your quest for Perfect Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs. End of story 🙂
Hope you found this helpful. Thanks for stopping by!
Amanda ♥
Perfect Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 – 12 Eggs Whatever amount you need
Instructions
- Fill an appropriate sized saucepan with enough water to cover eggs by one inch. Do not add eggs yet.
- Bring water to a full boil. Gently add eggs – I lower them in with a spoon.
- Reduce heat to medium and maintain a low boil/simmer for 11 – 13 minutes. 11 minutes for a smaller egg to 13 minutes for a larger egg.
- After 11 – 13 minutes, remove eggs from sauce pan and cool eggs in a bowl of ice water.
- Peel immediately or refrigerate until ready to peel and use.
Notes
Genius, pure genius. Method 2 is amazing. Thanks Amanda! I stumbled across your egg-speriment (lol) while looking for a new red beet recipe (I tried yours btw, in fridge now) and gave it a try. Beyond impressed. I have the hardest time with farm fresh eggs, the closest I could get to perfect was baking them, but these instructions are far superior. I’ll be using it again, that’s for sure!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear this method worked for you! I’ve found it foolproof as long as the eggs are over 3 days old. Interesting, I noticed the whites are much softer, almost silky, on “fresh from the coop” hard boiled eggs. They’re difficult to peel but absolutely delicious! Have you ever noticed it? I hope you enjoy the red beet eggs – they’re a permanent staple in my fridge all summer. Thanks so much for stopping by Brandy 🙂
Back again and it still works like a charm! Red beet recipe was also great! And yes, I do agree that the eggs whites are softer on fresh from the coop!
Wonderful to hear, Brandy! I just made over 3 dozen red beet eggs for a Memorial Day cookout. I’m gonna sneak one tomorrow but they’ll be perfect eating by Monday. Glad you enjoyed the red beet eggs – they’re one of my favorites! I’m experimenting with some dill pickle style eggs – we’ll see how all that turns out lol 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
How long to cool the eggs ??
Hi Mike. I usually throw them in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes or so & then move them to the fridge if we’re not eating them right away. Hope this helps 🙂
Hello, I just came across your page, I want you to know you saved my dinner, I had just tried to fix a dozen of eggs trying to make deviled eggs, I totally ruined the first ones, I tried your second option and it worked perfectly, Thanks
I use hard boiled eggs in the food I make for my cats and always experienced the same thing you did in method 1.
I grew up with parents who kept chickens for eggs & food. I learn
Ned the same way that you did.
Time to make cat food again, need to boil 3 dozen eggs (I am making 40 pounds of turkey thighs into cat food)
So I decided I needed to find out to make it easier.
Found your info right away on google.
Thank you so much for the info. Very helpful indeed especially for 3 dozen eggs.
Hi Kari! So glad that you found the information useful! It’s so cool that you make your own cat food – I have 3 big dogs and often think about making them homemade food.
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’m so happy I came across your red beet egg recipe, and especially the directions for making easy to peel eggs, that are not overcooked! I was thinking I had lost my mind/memory about how to boil eggs! Now I know it was that they were so fresh! Also, I was starting the eggs in room temp water, bringing to a boil and cooking for 8 minutes. Now I am realizing that most of my life I boiled the water first, and I remember them sometimes breaking. We used to poke a hole in the air pocket end. There were even kitchen utensils that did a neat job of that for you! Also tried putting salt, or vinegar in the boiling water to ‘seal’ an egg that cracked! I’m excited to try your Method #2 and make the eggs with beets. I wonder if it would be good to add a bit of thinly sliced red, or sweet onion? What do you think?
Glad to help! There are so many methods out there for perfect hard boiled eggs – I think this one is it 😉
Yes – many folks love adding sliced onion to their red beet eggs – it will be delicious!
Thanks for stopping by Rodijah 🙂
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Yay! Glad to help 🙂
My hard-boiled eggs turn out perfectly and are easy to peel, and they don’t require ice water.
I put the eggs in a sauce pan, making sure they are all covered with plenty of water. I bring to a full boil, then keep them boiling for seven minutes at least. I live at 3000 feet above sea level so times may have to be adjusted.
After they have boiled long enough, I turn on the cold water in the sink and let it get good and cold. Then I carefully tip the pan to drain the hot water from the eggs, using a half-circle pasta drainer or a slotted spoon to keep the eggs from falling out. The remaining water in the pan and on the egg shells will quickly evaporate. Then I shake and rattle the eggs around the pan, bashing them into each other and the side of the pan so that they all become cracked all around. Then, I immediately put the still hot pan and eggs under the cold running water. I let the water spill over the top of the pan until the pan is good and cold. Then I peel the eggs under the running water, letting the shells fall into the pan in the bottom of the sink.
The shock of the cold water on the cracked shells seems to make the shells contract and pull away in such a way that it is very easy to get your thumb under the membrane that connects the hard-boiled egg to the shell. It might take some practice to get your thumb under that membrane but if you do, keep that place directly under the water stream. The the eggs under the membrane will be very slick, and often I can remove the entire shell in one piece, even though it’s cracked into dozens of small pieces, held together by that membrane.
The jagged shell can be hard on your thumb if you’re not careful, but this system works perfectly for me every time.
I agree with Dan, one hundred percent, I have doing this for my whole life, although I am only 37.He took all the words right outta my mouth. Kinda scary. Lol
I add eggs, add water, add salt and bowl for 10 minutes. I take from stove and put in the sink and add ice cubes. Cracking each egg a little. I let them sit for about 10 minutes and easily peel
Do the eggs need to be room temperature before dropping in boiling water?
Hi Ruthie. No, use eggs straight from the fridge.
I added directly from fridge, and they crack as soon as they go into the water. What does this mean. I gently lower with spoon too. Help!
Hi Paul. From my experience (I keep & raise chickens for pets, for fresh eggs and to breed) when eggs crack as soon as they hit boiling water it’s an imperfection on the egg. Either a tiny hairline crack or a shell that’s not hard enough. That would mean issues in handling or issues with a chickens diet.
Except for starting them in boiling water, this is how I usually do my eggs.I tried starting them in boiling water experimenting with new and old eggs. They ALL peeled easily! Also the yolks were more centered for perfect deviled eggs. THANK YOU!
Dear Amanda, Thank you so much for your hard boiled egg recipe. It’s the first time I’ve prepared hard boiled eggs that were flawless to peel!! I’m seventy-one years old. I would break into a cold sweat if one if any of my friends asked me to bring deviled eggs to a party. Now I would easily volunteer to do the eggs in a moment. Thank you, Diane
You have made me want to eat Hard-Boiled Eggs all the time now! I have tried all the tricks of the trade and you have the key that has unlocked Hard-Boiled Egg magic! I have followed this recipe several times now and every single time the eggs turn out perfectly. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
I have chickens and have found fresh eggs peel just as easily as “old” eggs if they are at room temperature. I put about an inch of water in a pan, add my steamer insert and bring the water to a boil. Then, I add my eggs, cover with the lid and cook over medium heat for 10-13 minutes depending on the size of the eggs. When they’ve finished cooking, I put them in a bowl of ice water. After cooling for a few minutes, I crack them, roll them on my countertop, and peel! Easiest method for peeling eggs that I’ve found in my 55+ years of cooking.
Thank you soooooo much! I LOVE hard boiled eggs but often get discouraged on making them because every recipe I tried I always lost half the egg when peeling it. Finally decided to give it another try and find a different recipe, came across your method and it worked like a charm. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it, I truly appreciate it!!
Thank you soooooo much! I LOVE hard boiled eggs but often get discouraged on making them because every recipe I tried I always lost half the egg when peeling it. Finally decided to give it another try and find a different recipe, came across your method and it worked like a charm. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it, I truly appreciate it!!
I can not email the recipe to my gmail and have not been able fix it
Hi Cheryle. I’ll try emailing it to you ♥
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I meal prep on the weekend, and that includes about 2 dozen hard boiled eggs. We pre-peel and bag them up for quick protein during the week. I have always used method one, with the same frustrating results. My huaband has lent his hand to help with the weekly meal prep–he was my “egg peeler” and about to quit his job! Lol. I needed a solution and your method was perfect!
You can just bring to a boil, cook for 8 minutes, then immediately run cold water over for 2 minutes or otherwise use the ice bath… Same outcome: Easy to peel eggs!
You’ve changed my life!! Thank you so much! This worked perfectly.
So happy to help Christa ♥
I love how simple your hard boiled egg method is!Just cooked six hard boiled eggs like you said..best luck ever peeling.no more frustration sq.method worked like a dream.
I used farm fresh eggs and your method two is amazing!! They are cooked perfectly and the shells come off in sheets! The eggs are beautiful! We also tested it with eggs from the store and they peeled super easy also but cracked when put in the boiling water. Thank you so much for recipe!
I never thought I would ever peel an egg perfectly, let alone 2 dozen. I have MS and my hands have trouble as it is, let alone trying to peel eggs. I followed this yesterday and made 2 dozen eggs so I could make Deviled Eggs for a BBQ today. All 24 came out PERFECT. I will always do them this way. TyTyTy. You have no idea how much you’ve helped me.
I have MS and peeling eggs is hard enough let
alone when the shell sticks. I’ve used your method
2 several times now and can’t TY enough for
sharing how perfect this is.
Thanks so much.
So just an FYI for those who don’t need the egg to stay whole, and are still in the process of perfecting this boiling method… Just chop the egg in half, and scoop out the insides with a small spoon. Done. To avoid small shell bits, just do only a slight chop on the shell, insert a sharp knife, cut the egg inside and pull the cut halves apart. Then scoop 2 perfect halves out
Thank you sooo much!!! Worked like a charm, but I wanted to add a tip… If you are cooking a large amount of eggs, it can be a challenge to put them in one by one. I have 2 large pots (I think 8 quarts). I filled one with water and started the boiling process. In the other pot, I very gently set the 18 eggs in a single layer. Once the first pot started boiling, I poured the pot of boiling water over the eggs and placed that pot back on the burner. Worked like a charm. The past 20+ years of saving old eggs to boil them only to have them fail the float test has been replaced with this method. I used fresh eggs just bought today and they were extremely easy to peel. Now they are on the smoker for “Smoked Deviled Eggs”. Thanks Again!!!
I have used this method for years now with great success! However, I just tried using it again because I was going to make your red beet eggs. Guess what? Three eggs were perfect; three eggs were horrible! So I tried making three more – still a failure! This has never happened to me before and I wonder if you have any idea what I did wrong. Or could it be the eggs themselves? Thank you!