Easy-to-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs [The Trick!] | Elizabeth Rider (2024)

Want to make perfect easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs recipe to make deviled eggs or your favorite egg recipe?

After a lot of trial and error, I finally figured out the secret to making the shells fall right off of hard-boiled eggs. No more tiny shell pieces or hard-to-peel eggs!

Watch this video to learn how to make the shells practically fall right off of your hard-boiled eggs! 👇 Or, keep reading below…

Let me be the first to tell you… we’ve all been led astray on how to boil eggs.

Who else has been told to put the eggs in a pot, cover them with an inch of cold water, then bring them to a boil? Yeah, me too. But that’s where we’ve been doing it wrong.

Follow this process for boiling eggs on the stovetop (you can also watch this recipe on YouTube or print it out in the recipe card below), and I guarantee you will have the easiest-to-peel hard-boiled eggs you’ve ever made. You can also make hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot if you prefer.

#1: Easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs are the result of a boiling hot start.

I think this “cold start” egg myth came from the fact that potatoes actually do need a cold start. When you give potatoes a cold start—meaning that you put the chopped potatoes in a pot, cover by an inch with cold water, then boil—you wind up with a better texture and a more even cook. (Tuck that away for the next time you make mashed potatoes!)

Because this cooking method is tried and true for potatoes, people have assumed the same with eggs. But that’s not the case! To make sure your hard-boiled eggs turn out perfect, you want to boil the water first, then reduce it to a simmer and gently lower in the eggs.

#2: Making easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs requires shocking them in cold water.

After 13 minutes at a low simmer (not a boil—see full method below & read the tips to prevent cracking), immediately put the eggs in ice water to make them easy to peel. Shocking them in ice-cold water stops the cooking process.

This not only yields more tender whites and a perfectly cooked yolk (no weird dark lines here), it immediately cools the eggs which makes them easier to peel.

My friends over at one of my favorite blogs, Serious Eats,go into the science of it, but you can just trust me that it’s true.

You can shock them in a bowl of ice water like I do in this video, or if you’re feeling brave strain the hot water from the pan and add ice and cold water to cover the cooked eggs (but you might crack them this way).

#3: Easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs require a specific cooking time.

You don’t want the water at a full rolling boil for 13 minutes or they will be overcooked (and they may knock together and crack). The best method is to bring the water to a full boil and then reduce it to a simmer, carefully lower the eggs in (a slotted spoon, fine mesh strainer, or spider-skimmer work well), cover the pot, then keep them at a low simmer for 13 minutes.

After the water boils, turn the burner to low and keep them at a very gentle simmer.

None of these tips really take much effort—and trust me—it’s worth it for shells that practically fall right off the eggs.

In summary, bring the water to a boil, then reduce it to a very gentle simmer and gently lower the eggs in. Put the heat back up to high for 30 seconds, then reduce it to the lowest setting and put a lid on the pan. Cook for 13 minutes, then shock them in an ice bath at the end to make perfect, easy-to-peel, hard-boiled eggs.

BUT, there are still a few mistakes that will mess up your easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs.

What about making a tiny hole at the top of the egg?

In my experience, making that tiny hole in the shell with a thumbtack actually does help—but only a little. If you don’t have a thumbtack handy, you don’t need to drive to the store to get one just to make easy-to-peel eggs.

However, if you already have one, use a thumbtack to make a tiny hole at the top of the big end of the egg before boiling (gently press and it will go right through the shell). The shells will be that much easier to peel.

Do I need to cover the pot?

I generally do cover the pot, but I’ve forgotten to cover it before and they still turn out great. There are other methods that call for turning off the burner while the eggs sit in the hot water. If you turn off the burner you definitely want to cover the pot to trap the heat in. But, if you do it as I explain on this page and keep the burner on the lowest setting, it’s not always necessary.

There are other methods out there that call for salt or vinegar in the water. I tried both (multiple times!) and didn’t find that either trick made a difference. So, save your salt and vinegar for other recipes.

Tips to Prevent Cracking

Post update: Since publishing this blog post last year, it’s quickly become a top Google search result. And, while an overwhelming majority of you have commented that this method works perfectly, a few of you have commented below that your eggs cracked.

This can be for two reasons:

Mistake #1: The pan is either crowded or it’s too big.

Be sure to not overcrowd the pan. Your eggs need a little room to groove. They should not be on top of each other nor be packed in tightly. There needs to be enough room to allow a single layer of eggs in your pan while they cook, but not so much room that they’ll roll around. Watch this video to see how to choose the right-sized pan.

If they crack while cooking, it may be because they are too crowded.

Mistake #2: Super fresh eggs crack more easily.

And finally, don’t use super fresh eggs for your hard-boiled eggs.

This is probably the only time in the kitchen that day. Fresh isn’t best. Shells like to really stick to just-laid eggs. If you have your own chickens or buy directly from a farmer, use those eggs for a glorious scramble or poach ’em up.

If you buy your eggs at the grocery store, they’re already a few weeks old so they’ll work great. In the US, eggs are refrigerated because they are power-washed before packing. Of course, don’t use expired eggs.

No need to bring them to room temp; you can use this method with eggs straight out of the refrigerator.

How long do you boil eggs?

The general rule of thumb to make hard-boiled eggs is to (simmer) them for 13 minutes. A roaring boil can crack your eggs, so yes, first bring the water up to a boil, then let the eggs simmer for 13 minutes before transferring them to an ice bath. You can also turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid for 13 minutes to trap in the heat.

The size of the eggs can also be a factor. Smaller eggs might take 11-12 minutes, while extra large eggs might take 14-15 minutes. I almost always simmer for 13 minutes and they always turn out great.

Depending on how you want your yolk:

• Hard-boiled yolk: 13 minutes (extra large eggs will need 14-15 minutes)
• Medium soft yolk: 9 minutes
• Soft yolk (a soft-boiled egg): 6 minutes

After boiling, let the eggs sit in the ice bath for at least 15 minutes, then peel them or refrigerate them (unpeeled) for up to seven days.

The ice bath quickly cools the eggs, which prevents them from overcooking and prevents the dark ring from appearing on the outside of the yellow yolk. The ice bath also helps the shells separate, making them much easier to peel.

To peel, gently tap the egg at the big end first, then the small end, then all around.

I prefer not to roll them because it’s easy to break the white. Just gently tap all around to crack the shells everywhere and they will peel with ease.

Need to learn how to make deviled eggs? You can do that right here with my deviled eggs tutorial.

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Looking to use your easy-peel eggs?

Check out a variety of deviled eggs recipes:

Or, use your easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs for a delicious egg salad:

What do you think? Have you tried this method or others? Let us know how they turn out in the comments below.