For Hard Boiled Eggs That Peel Easily Every Time, Steam Them (2025)

Table of Contents

Why Steaming Hard Boiled Eggs Make Them Easy To Peel Best Way to Hard Boil Eggs for Deviled Eggs More Ways to Make Hard Boiled Eggs Got Hard-Cooked Eggs Aplenty? Make These Recipes! How to Steam Hard Boiled Eggs Ingredients Method FAQs

Brunch
Eggs

To make hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel, steam them! Here's how.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated January 23, 2024

80 ratings

In This Recipe

Why Steaming Works
Best for Deviled Eggs
Other Methods
Using Hard Boiled Eggs

Why Steaming Hard Boiled Eggs Make Them Easy To Peel

Some of the air from the hot steam permeates the egg shell making the egg more easy to peel.

For Hard Boiled Eggs That Peel Easily Every Time, Steam Them (3)

Now I love my tried and true method for cooking hard boiled eggs, mostly because I can space out on the timer and the eggs will still turn out fine, not green and overcooked. But sometimes they're hard to peel.

Best Way to Hard Boil Eggs for Deviled Eggs

If I truly must have easy to peel eggs (for making deviled eggs or something else that requires beautiful peeled eggs), then I steam them, and pay attention to the timer. Even with perfectly fresh farm eggs, I've never had difficulty peeling a steamed egg.

For Hard Boiled Eggs That Peel Easily Every Time, Steam Them (4)

More Ways to Make Hard Boiled Eggs

Another way to make easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs is to use the Instant Pot. For more tips on hard boiled egg perfection, check out our how-to.

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled EggsREAD MORE:

Got Hard-Cooked Eggs Aplenty? Make These Recipes!

Spinach Gratin With Hard Boiled Eggs
Quick and Easy Egg Salad Sandwich
Mixed Green Salad With Honey Mustard, Eggs, and Toast
Buffalo Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs
Niçoise Salad

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

How to Steam Hard Boiled Eggs

Prep Time0 mins

Ingredients

6 large eggs

Method

Prepare the pot and steamer basket:
If you are using a steamer basket, fill a saucepan with as much water as needed to reach the bottom of the steamer basket (about 1 inch or so).
If you are not using a steamer basket, just fill the bottom of a saucepan with 1/2 inch of water.
Heat the water to boiling and add eggs to pot:
Heat the water on high heat until it is boiling and producing steam.
Turn off the heat and gently place the eggs at the bottom of the steamer basket or the bottom of the pan.
Turn the heat back on again to medium high, and cover the pot.
This method works best if the eggs are in a single layer, but you can double them up as well, you'll just need to add more time to the steaming time.
Set your timer and steam the eggs:
Set your timer for 6 minutes for soft boiled, 10 minutes for hard boiled with a still translucent and bright yolk, or 12 to 15 minutes for cooked-through hard boiled.
If you have doubled up the eggs in the pan and they are not in a single layer, you may need to add a couple minutes or so to the cooking time for hard boiled.
The size large eggs used in these photos were cooked to my satisfaction after 15 minutes when I cooked 6 in a single layer, and 17 minutes when I cooked 12 in the pan.
Note that many things will influence the steaming time, including altitude and the size of the particular eggs you are using. I recommend removing one egg a couple minutes before you think it should be done, rinsing it with cold water, and breaking it open to see if it is done enough for you.
Remove the eggs to a bowl of icy cold water:
Remove eggs with a spoon to a bowl of cold water or ice water, or run cold water directly into the pan to cover the eggs and quickly cool them down.
Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
72	Calories
5g	Fat
0g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	72
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g	6%
Saturated Fat 2g	8%
Cholesterol 186mg	62%
Sodium 71mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 28mg	2%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 69mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

FAQs

For Hard Boiled Eggs That Peel Easily Every Time, Steam Them? ›

Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the eggs cook, covered, for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on your desired done-ness (see photo). Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill for 14 minutes. This makes the eggs easier to peel.

Should I peel boiled eggs immediately? ›

For maximum freshness, leave them in their shells until you are ready to eat or prepare. The shell will help to protect the egg from bacteria, and can help prevent them from absorbing odors from other foods in your refrigerator.

Learn More Now ›

What to add to water when boiling eggs? ›

It's not necessary to add anything to the water. Some people also swear that adding a bit of salt, vinegar or even baking soda to the boiling water makes eggs easier to peel and/or makes them taste better. We, however, prefer the simplicity of plain ol' water.