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.
Pappyjack
Unbelievable. Perfect peel. Just amazing
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked well for you!
Nancy Hucker
YEAH! Worked perfectly, followed recipe exactly & results were fantastic!
This is definitely my favourite way to get perfect hard boiled eggs with easy peeling.
Thank you,
Nancy H. 🤗
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So happy it worked well for you!
Barbara
Try steamng them as well. You can use the steam setting on the instant pot or steam them on the stove top. Steam is much higher heat than boiling, so the inner membrane is released from the egg.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes! Steaming is my other go-to method. I have yet to try it in an Instant Pot but I hear good things! Thanks for the tip :-)
Sue B
Thanks for the awesome boiling tip!!!!! I have tried some many different techniques and this one is, hands down, the BEST! I have chickens and use very fresh eggs and they peel perfectly every time. Hooray!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this works for you, and good to know it works well with your fresh eggs (which are usually a bit harder to peel!).
Martha Chesney
Eggs have always turned out perfect, only question is do you set 13 min timer once eggs are put in boiling water or timer starts once water begins to boil again. I’ve stared timer about 1 min after I dropped them in the water and waited about 1 minute after the timer went off. Just to be sure
Elizabeth Lindemann
I just set the 13 minute timer right after all the eggs are in, even if the water isn’t back to boiling yet. Great question! You probably will be fine either way, but I personally like to err on the side of underdone with my eggs than overdone.
Cindra Simpson
Or just buy an egg cooker ($20), so much easier & can make soft, med, hard! Perfect every time, just sayin! But your receipe is good too!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I admit, I’ve never used an egg cooker! I’m pretty old fashioned with my cooking and don’t like a lot of gizmos and gadgets, but I may have to try it out since I love hard boiled eggs. Thanks for the tip!
Sandy Denzel
The most perfect hard-boiled eggs I’ve made in my whole long lifetime. Thanks so much.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! I’m so glad this method worked for you!
EKF
Total failure despite following directions to the letter! So disappointing 😡
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! So sorry you had a frustrating experience. I’ve noticed that other factors can come into play as well- age of eggs, etc., but the one major thing I noticed is that this method doesn’t work as well if you have hard water. At least, that’s my theory based on anecdotal evidence :-) If you by any chance have hard water, adding some baking soda to the water, or using another method like steaming the eggs may be more effective. Hope that helps and better luck next time!
Kathleen Carroll
Sad to say this method didn’t work for me. No method ever has. My friends report the same problem—perhaps it is the high altitude or maybe thin quality of the egg shells here in Mexico.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. I have a few troubleshooting suggestions. First, have you tried steaming them? That’s my other favorite way to boil eggs, and I do it when I don’t feel like cleaning the oil from the pan using this method. Place eggs in a steamer basket over cold water, bring the water to a boil and steam for 13 minutes (about 16 minutes total with coming to a boil). I also have another theory that hard water makes eggs really hard to peel. I found eggs harder to peel, even with this method, when I moved into my house that has hard water. I would suggest using filtered/bottled water, just as an experiment to see if it works (and I think this is why steaming works better, since the eggs aren’t submerged in the water). Hope that helps a bit!
Jan
Thank you Elizabeth for this incredible recipe that I found last year. It’s the only one that has ever worked for me. We went to Indiana to visit my son-in-law’s church that he pastors, and he was doing a brunch for a church of about 450 people. He was serving boiled eggs, and I shared this with him. His response: best thing ever!!! Eggs peeled in record time, with no waste! You are so gracious to try to help those that it has not worked for. My experience is that it’s not the recipe. Thanks again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
SO happy to hear this works for you!!
Cj
Oh my goodness!! This ACTUALLY worked!! I’ve tried so many things and never have I had so much ease peeling eggs!! Thank you for this hint!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh yayyy! So happy it worked well for you!
Brie Cook
Worked perfectly!!! Bought eggs today from the store and cooked them tonight and I’ve never had eggs peel any easier! This will be our recipe for perfect, easy to peel, hard boil eggs from now on. Thank you SOOO much!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So happy this worked out for you!
Susie
I was skeptical but I tried this method along with all test that I’ve tried and failed, but to my delight this really works!! Every egg peeled so easy and cleanly. Thank you for the post!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked out for you!
JT
This method worked better than any I’ve tried. I used avocado oil and cooked the eggs for 7 minutes. I let them rest in a bowl for a minute then set the bowl in the sink with cool water running on it for several minutes. They were very easy to peel and the inside was just right! The yolk was not completely runny and was not hard boiled. Thanks for the tip!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So glad this method worked for you :-)
Beth Parisi
Eggs turn out perfect– EXCEPT i always seem to lose at least three eggs each time i do this as even after i let the water come to a low boil the eggs crack when i dip in the water
Elizabeth Lindemann
This method certainly isn’t 100% foolproof, but I find it a lot better than other methods! Glad it mostly worked out for you :-)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh and one other thing- you may find that your eggs crack if the water is boiling too hard. Try turning the heat down a bit so it’s more simmering than boiling and see if that helps!
Robin
I’ve tried many varieties and methods of boiling eggs and this was by far the worst. A waste of oil and the shells stuck more than ever. I’ve had good success with other methods but was intrigued by the potentially faster method. Nope, just a bigger mess than it needs to be plus extra fat on your eggs from the oil. Nice thought, but definitely not worth it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh man, sorry you had a frustrating experience! I will admit this method isn’t 100% foolproof- I’ll get a difficult egg here and there, but I’ve had a lot of success with it as have so many other people who have tried it. That said, I think there are a lot of factors that go into easy to peel eggs, such as freshness of eggs, type of water (I don’t have any actual data to back this up but I believe the hard water at my house makes it super hard to peel eggs), etc. I recommend steaming them in a steamer basket over boiling water, so they aren’t submerged- this works for me, when I don’t feel like dealing with the mess the oil creates. Better luck next time!
B
I have such trouble peeling eggs. This method actually worked. I did have a couple uncooperative eggs but I will remember this method.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked for you!
Lori
I tried this and it worked great! Who would’ve thought that somethings so hard could be so easy. Thank you for the great advice and keep the tips coming.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked for you!
Clint
It works!!! Fresh organic free range eggs and the shells came off perfectly! No more beat up looking deviled eggs.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yayyyy so glad it worked for you!
MichaelB
I have seen all the other steps you have done and do them myself except the oil so I am going to do this next time. If it works – you are my newest
Super Hero! In the light of sharing, I found that cooking jumbo eggs takes 16 minutes for a perfectly cooked yolk. This works with 6 eggs however, with 12-18 I go up to 19 minutes. Hope this helps folks and “cookeriestas” like me:)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope this method works for you! And thanks for the tip on cooking times!
Jack
It works ?
I made a dozen boiled eggs for deviled eggs tonight and about 1/2 were really hard to peel and looked awful. This was after adding salt to the water and then giving them an ice bath after.
I boiled another 6 eggs using this method adding olive oil and all of them came out clean.
Great tip
Thanks.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So happy this worked for you!