Hard boiled eggs are a healthy snack for kids all year round. This is our favorite method for making perfect hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel – every time.
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My kids love hard boiled eggs, and I am glad that they enjoy this healthy snack. This is my favorite hard boiled egg solution so far – and it’s simple!
Tips for Making Hard Boiled Eggs that Peel Easily
What You'll Find on This Page
First, put the eggs in a pan of cold water. Bring the eggs to a rolling boil, remove from the burner, and let sit, covered for 15 minutes.
Next, transfer them to a bowl of cold water. This is key to making easy to peel eggs! I add ice to the bowl to keep the water cold. I also remove some of the water as it warms up, adding more ice (hence the photo). Mike prefers to keep swapping the water until the eggs are cold to maximize the “shock” effect.
A Fun Way to Decorate Hard Boiled Eggs
Of course, I usually roll a few of the hot eggs in crayon shavings first, which makes them harder to peel, but very pretty!
Want a mini science project for the kids? Have them watch closely as you transfer the eggs into the ice water. You can see the heat rising from the eggs in the water!
These eggs taste great. They are never green. My kids adore them – so much so that, the first time I made them this way, Emma actually cried because I wouldn’t let her have more than two for lunch!
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Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs - Easy to Peel!
My perfect hard boiled egg technique, adapted for instant pot use. This is the only way we make hard boiled eggs, now!
How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs that Peel Easily
Hard boiled eggs are a healthy snack for kids all year round. This is our favorite method for making perfect hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel – every time.
Simple Easter Craft
Simple foam eggs for kids to decorate and hang on the wall leading up to Easter. This works well as a party activity.
Do you have a favorite way to decorate hard boiled eggs that we should try? How about a favorite egg salad recipe? Please share photos as well as suggestions and ideas on my Facebook page, or tag me on Instagram.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
I’m trying to decide if we’ll dye eggs this year. We didn’t last year and no one seemed to mind, but I have such fond memories of dyeing eggs as a kid…….. Maybe we’ll make egg shaped cookies and decorate those.
We didn’t decorate eggs last year. I think we will this year…
I read that old eggs peel better. They can not be farm fresh. A week old egg seems to be a good age.
Going to try this today! I tried baking them in the oven and they got bumps all over them (liquid oozing out and hardening). I thought it was gross… my kids thought it was cool!
I’ve never tried baking eggs, although I’ve seen it done on Pinterest. After your description I think I’ll stick with this method – hope it works for you as well!
This works for fresh eggs too but you need to add 2 more steps to have them come clean. While eggs are cooling in the first ice bath for 15 min,re-heat your water to boiling. After 15 min, add the eggs back to boiling water for 10 seconds (if you have more than 3, do a few at a time) and go into a second ice water bath.
This makes the eggs constrict from the shell in the 1st ice bath and the re-heat makes the shell expand making freash eggs far more likely to peel easily. Thanks Julia Childs!
So THAT is the trick – thanks, Melissa!
This method worked great. Beautiful perfect deviled eggs for Thanksgivukkah! Thanks!
Hooray! Thanks for letting me know!
I have always used this technique, but I also add white vinegar to my boiling water. Maybe about half a cup for a dozen eggs. Perfect peel each time!
I’ll give that a try this year – thanks for the tip!
Followed instructions to a “t” and eggs were not totally cooked and they weren’t easy to peel:(
That’s very strange that they weren’t thoroughly cooked. You started with the eggs in cold water, brought it to a full rolling boil, and then had them sit in that water, covered for 15 minutes before transferring them to the ice water?
I dyed yarn instead of eggs this year. But I’m going to keep this in mind for the future.
for everyone regarding the difficulty peeling, i heard that it’s a sign of fresh eggs when they’re hard to peel. doesn’t help but at least you know they’re good… good luck
Thanks, Sharon! I had always heard the opposite, but Wired magazine at least agrees with you! http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/eggs-hard-to-peel/
Is that the trick?! Will HAVE to try!!!
I hope it works for you!
This is mostly how I make them, too. Except that I only let them sit for 10 minutes. Longer for me and they get that gross grey color around the edge of the yolk which I hate.
Oh, and thanks for the link to the baked eggs – I had never heard of that but I am sure it will come in handy!
I recently discovered a similar method that I have been using, but yours is a bit easier (the other involved 3min boiling and 8min sitting covered – it will be easier just to time 15min!). Sometimes I use ice and sometimes just cold water, but I usually peel them within around 10min of cooling, which works easiest for me. Most difficult is if I let them cool in their shells in the refrigerator.
The good thing is, the kids enjoy peeling their own eggs, which lets me have a few minutes peacefully eating my own lunch while they are occupied! :)
Yes, I have 10 dozen to bake tomorrow! We’ll see how the large batches go! I also put them in a cold/ice bath after baking them.
I have also tried another pinterest method… after they are completely cool, pour off all but about 1/2-1″ of water then let the play bumper cars. It loosens the shells and they pretty much peel themselves. Make sure they are REALLY completely cool before attempting this.
Thanks for the tip!
I do this and my eggs turn out great, problem is I can never peel them. Sorry cold water, ice water, this water, that water, they always are all torn apart by the time I am able to peel them. That’s what I’m waiting for a hint on. :)
Do you have access to really fresh eggs?
Probably not. I just get them from the store
Might not be much you can do about it, then, unfortunately. One reader suggested having the eggs play bumper cars right after shocking them with the cold water. Helpful if you’re making your eggs for egg salad, less useful if you plan to dye them.
AND I just read an article yesterday that says OLDER eggs are better! They suggested adding baking soda, but tried that as an experiment and my eggs were if anything harder to peel. There seems to be a consensus that peeling sooner rather than later works best, but that doesn’t work too well if your kids are dying them for Easter!
The trick to easy peel eggs is actually really easy…bring the water to a full boil first…then use a metal spoon to drop your eggs into the boiling water. That’s it! Then you can proceed with the ice water and such. Works even with your pesky peeling but yummy fresh eggs.
Thanks for the tip! How long do you boil them for?
Older eggs peel much easier.
I was just going to hunt for the perfect way to boil our Easter eggs after I finished my blog reading. Now I don’t have to! Thanks so much!
Interesting idea! I usually just shock them in cold water after they are done.
Awesome!
I have never made perfect boiled eggs…no one ever complains…but I am always winging it!
I am going to do this ….tomorrow….for our egg dying!
So glad you posted this! I didn’t realize about putting the eggs in cold water but I’ve heard about putting them in ice water after they’ve boiled.
My kids love hard boiled eggs too. They will easily eat two each when I make them.
I saw this on pinterest and I’m trying to decide if I want to do this……….
Oh and to answer your question on Natalie’s blog. Scholastic online has sales on their teaching books occasionally and if you subscribe to their emails you’ll get an announcement. It’s for downloadable books only.
Thanks, Ticia! I’ll watch for those emails – I think I’m subscribed.