I NEED to tell you about this super 100% fool-proof way to make easy peel boiled eggs that you HAVEN’T heard of. Adding olive oil to the water ensures perfect boiled eggs EVERY SINGLE TIME! Because the eggshells are porous, the oil seeps into the shell and creates a barrier. The eggshell just slides right off every time!! It’s nothing short of a miracle.
Let me guess: you’ve probably tried already a million ways to hard boil the perfect, easy to peel egg only to be disappointed and frustrated, standing over the trash for what seems like hours trying to peel that accursed egg and ending up with a lumpy, ripped up mess instead. We’ve all been there.
Here’s what you’ve probably tried in the past.
You’ve tried adding the eggs to cold water, bringing them to a boil for a certain amount of time, and letting them sit covered.
Or, you’ve tried adding baking soda to the water when you are boiling.
You’ve used an ice bath to “shock” the eggs back into the shell.
And maybe you’ve even tried this nifty as-seen-on-TV “Eggstractor” to peel your eggs. Old eggs, new eggs, brown eggs, white eggs…
Nothing seems to work.
Except THIS Perfect Hard Boiled Egg Recipe!!!
The SECRET to making PERFECT Easy Peel eggs!
The simple secret to making easy to peel eggs is adding a special ingredient to the water when you are boiling them. Are you ready? This is going to sound weird, but I promise it works…
ADD OLIVE OIL TO THE WATER! Or canola oil, vegetable oil, or any other kind of oil.
Just add a tablespoon or so to the water and you’ll get easy-to-peel eggs EVERY time!
Why does using oil to make easy peel eggs work?
Here’s the thing about eggs: their shells are porous. They have tiny holes about one-thousandth of an inch apart (it’s how oxygen gets in for the chick while it grows!).
The porous nature of the eggshells is what causes this method to work: the oil seeps inside the shell right in-between the egg white and the shell/membrane, causing a slippery barrier that makes peeling the egg VERY easy.
How exactly to make easy to peel, perfect hard boiled eggs using oil:
- First, boil water (enough to completely submerge the eggs) with a tablespoon of olive (or other) oil.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the water to a gently boil. If it’s too vigorous, the eggshells may break.
- Gently add the eggs one at a time using a spoon to the water.
- Set your timer to 13 minutes. This is the magic number for hard boiled eggs that aren’t overcooked (you won’t get a gray line around the yolk) but are 100% solid.
- While the eggs are boiling, prepare an ice bath with plenty of ice and water- enough water to cover the eggs and enough ice (about one tray’s worth) that it will stay cold for a long time.
- At the end of the allotted time, spoon the eggs directly out of the boiling water and transfer to the ice bath. I’m actually not sure of this is necessary in terms of the eggs being easy to peel, since it never helped with other boiling methods I’ve tried before. Some people swear by it for this reason, but I like it because it cools the eggs down to where you can handle them almost immediately, rather than waiting.
- After about 5 minutes in the ice bath, remove from the water and either store in the fridge, or peel.
- When you are ready to peel, roll the egg on the counter to crack the shell and start the process, and peel under running cold water. The water helps rinse off any lingering tiny pieces of shell and makes it a bit easier to peel.
FAQs about boiling eggs
- Can I make these soft boiled? Sure! Just cook them for less time. For medium boiled, try 10 minutes, and for soft boiled, anywhere from 3-6 minutes, depending on how runny you want the yolk. Be extra gentle when peeling them.
- Can I dye these eggs? Good question. My initial thought was that the dye wouldn’t stick quite as well because of the oil, one reader commented below that she had success with the dye sticking after wiping them off with a paper towel! Hooray!
- Are there any other ways to make easy peel eggs? Boiling with oil is my favorite way to ensure easy peel eggs every time, but steaming them in a steamer basket over boiling water, rather than submerged, is my second favorite. Same time- 13 minutes once the water is boiling!)
- Should I use old or new eggs? Some people say that using old eggs instead of new eggs helps with them being easy to peel- I have not found that to be true, at least with this method. In fact, if your eggs are old, the yolk may have sunk to the bottom of the eggs, making them more difficult to use for deviled eggs and such. Old or new eggs work with this.
Try out these Hard Boiled Egg Recipes:
Did you try this hard boiled egg hack? Comment and rate below and tell me how it went!
How to make Easy Peel, Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs EVERY TIME!
Ingredients
- 6 eggs or however many you want!
- water enough to completely submerge the eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or other oil
- ice
Instructions
- Bring water and oil to a gentle boil in a pot large enough to lay the eggs in one layer.
- Add the eggs one at a time gently to the boiling water using a spoon.
- Boil for exactly 13 minutes for hard boiled eggs, or 10 for medium, and 3-6 for soft (depending on how runny you want the yolk.
- Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath with about a tray's worth of ice and enough water to completely submerge the eggs.
- Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place immediately in ice bath.
- Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes in bath.
- Peel gently, preferably under running cold running water.
Video
Notes
- I used large eggs for this. If you use smaller eggs, you may need to cook for less time (or more for extra large eggs).
- Nutrition information is for one egg with no oil, since most of the oil stays in the water.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This Easy Peel Egg Recipe first appeared on Bowl of Delicious in November 2015. It’s been updated to include a video, process shots, answer some FAQs, and provide other tips and tricks for making the perfect easy peel hard boiled eggs.
Christie
Just made about a dozen eggs….and not a single egg shell was stuck!!!! Took me about 3 minutes to peel them all. I’m so excited because I’ve literally tried every other method online and nothing has worked this well. Thanks for sharing ???
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw, YAY! So happy this worked out for you :-)
Allene Tanner
Thank you sooooo much!!! Finally the cure that worked!!! I have literally tried dozens of “methods” for easy to peel eggs and was amazed that this one actually worked!!!!..Back to deviled eggs at parties again!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
SO glad this worked for you! Bring on all the deviled eggs!
Kathy
This worked great!!!
Easiest eggs I’ve ever peeled ?
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy it worked for you!
Dan
How is the oil getting to the shells, if it’s busy floating on top of the water. This is a joke.
Elizabeth Lindemann
First of all I’d like to say, hi! My name is Elizabeth, and I’m the food blogger behind Bowl of Delicious. I’m a real person, a human being, who has taken a lot of care to write the recipes on here. This is my business, and I treat it as such. I take great care that the recipes on my blog are functional and help my readers cook successfully at home. So no… it’s not a “joke.” And given the multitude of reviews from people who have tried it, it’s pretty clear that it works most of the time. On a more technical note, you’re right: oil floats on top of water. However, because you add the oil in before adding the eggs, the eggs get coated in the oil as they enter the water, and then again as they are scooped out. I can’t really dive into more detail than that, other than this technique works really well. Hope that helps answer your question!
Christie
Or you try it before taking the time to write a rude comment….
Gregory Hunt
I could share an amazing story of what happened when I basically followed your recipe today, but I won’t . The recipe is great. My eggs came out of the water bath rather oily (slippery) but I may have overshot the oil amount. Eggs were great!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay, so happy this worked for you! Yes, the eggs do become very slippery, even if you only use a little bit of oil. Thanks for the comment!
Oscar
discovered this by accident boiling macaroni and eggs at the same time to make tuna-mac salad, with a bit of olive oil in the water to keep the macaroni from sticking
need to put the oil in the water first, then put the eggs in, so they pass thru the layer of oil on the top
Elizabeth Lindemann
What a great accident! Great tip about putting the oil in first, thanks!
anne
I can’t believe how well this worked!!!
Susan Sostack
First egg peeled great, all the rest…not so much
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! So sorry to hear that. I will say that while this method works the the best for me as compared to other methods I’ve tried, I definitely still get a frustrating egg every now and then. Make sure you run them under cold water when you peel them- that always helps me. Also, making sure the eggs are completely cooled all the way through helps too. I’ve also noticed that since moving into a new house that has hard water, I’ve had worse luck with it. I’ve been meaning to try it with the water from my reverse osmosis filter to see if that helps (just a theory so far, but once I test it I’ll post the results here). Better luck next time!
CNC-Abkantpresse
Super-Duper blog! I am loving it!! Will be back later to read some more. I am taking your feeds also.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks!
nancy
I TRIED PRINTING THIS AND O GOT PAGES UPON PAGES OF COMMENTS BEFORE I GOT IT. MY PRINTER IS PROBABLY OUT OF INK!!!!!!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Uh oh! Sounds like you didn’t click the “print” button on the recipe card. If you click that button (it’s bright blue, right under the recipe description near the top of the recipe card), it will open a new window with a printer-friendly page, which should show the recipe on only 1, or maybe 2, pages in a printer-friendly format. I just double checked that it’s working for this post and it’s all good to go. Hope that helps for next time!
Cindy
Yes! Worked perfectly!
I made a couple changes, but came out just as you said!
My mom always placed eggs in saucepan, filled w cold water, placed on med hi heat & brought it to a boil. Removed saucepan from heat, covered for 12 min. Cooled eggs w cold running water. Perfect eggs, every time!
I added the oil & they peeled without any issue! Hooray!!!
I have hens & usually eat an egg or two a day. I save the shells for calcium for the girls, raw or cooked. This has made it a lot easier!
Thank you!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw yay! So happy this worked for you!
Crystal
I have tried all the things. Nothing works like “they” say. Until THIS! You’re a genius. I used olive oil and it worked like a charm. Thank you for giving me the gift of pretty eggs! Haha
Elizabeth Lindemann
YAY! So glad it worked out for you!!
Jessica
(Cue angelic choir music) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! A trick that actually works. At this moment my kids are enjoying hard boiled eggs that actually look like eggs and not mangled mush. ?
Elizabeth
Hahaha I can hear the choirs of angels right now! SO glad this worked for you and that your kids are enjoying it too :-) I tried giving my almost one-year-old some after I made these the other day and she spit it out… I’ll have to work on that with her haha! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Lisa
Amazing! I’m not sure how you figured this out but it really works. Thank you for this!!
Elizabeth
Isn’t it so cool? My husband’s aunt first suggested it to me and it’s the only thing I’ve done ever since!!
Christine
This is the solution I have been looking for to be able to peel hard-boiled eggs! Elizabeth, THANK YOU so much for sharing this. You have alleviated all frustration of peeling hard-boiled eggs! My first attempt of making deviled eggs was for a backyard bbq when I was newly married. I was already nervous as it was our first time hosting such an event. As luck would have it, my aunt showed up early as I was nervously peeling the most horrible eggs. I can still remember my hands shaking while trying to salvage the most “devilish” of eggs. I have avoided hard-boiling eggs like you wouldn’t believe. Now, after 25 years, I am happily making hard-boiled eggs about once a week for salads, etc. I am thrilled that you shared this. Believe me, I tried everything. You are the best!
Elizabeth
I’m SO happy this worked out for you!
RandomGoogler
holy moly so happy I randomly came across this. first batch on xmas eve a total disaster, tried the oil and worked a charm. appreciate the tip.
Elizabeth
Happy it worked out for you!!
Debbie
Gonna try it! Nothing else works & your way makes sense!!! Thanks!
Elizabeth
Hope it works for you!! It’s the only thing that consistently works for me.
Dom
You are awesome!!!, and you made my day. This is the first time ever I’ve been able to peel eggs and not end up with over half a them becoming a mess. I saved this under favorites and will print and save so I never forget. Thanks again.
Elizabeth
Yay! I’m so happy this was helpful for you :-) It’s the only thing that’s worked for me as well (steaming works pretty well too, but not quite as reliably).
Michelle
Wow! I didn’t think that it was possible to have perfect boiled eggs that peel well! I have tried so many different ways over the years! THIS ACTUALLY WORKS! My eggs peeled so easily and they were cooked to perfection! Thank you so much for sharing!
Elizabeth
Yay! So happy this was helpful for you!
Reesa
I didn’t have too many to do but enough that I didn’t want to end up throwing the pot through the closed window. First batch re-introduced me to rage that I didn’t realize was still sleeping within me. After finding this and using it on the 2nd batch, the b is back to her slumber. I don’t care if you’re peeling 6 eggs or 60, NOBODY has time to pick at eggs all day. This is – you know what, there isn’t a suitable adjective in the English language. Bravo!
Elizabeth
I’M SO happy this worked out for you! I get soooo frustrated when it’s hard to peel them. This trick has saved me from many a fury, too :-)
Sally
I boiled 18 eggs for Father’s Day to make deviled eggs and none of them peeled well. I read your instructions and follow them and the next 18 peeled like a breeze. I love your aunt too!
Elizabeth
So happy this worked out for you!