Published . Last updated By Elizabeth Lindemann   /  This post may contain affiliate links.
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4.89 from 85 votes
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:
- Greek Deviled Eggs
- Greek Yogurt Egg Salad with Dill
- Jalapeño Deviled eggs
- Mixed Greens Salad with Egg, Avocado, and Creamy Lemon Dill Dressing
- Salad Niçoise
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!
This is the BEST egg hack for perfect hard boiled eggs EVERY SINGLE TIME! Add oil to the water- The eggshell just slides right off every time!
4.89 from 85 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Eggs
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes
Resting time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 62kcal
Author: Elizabeth Lindemann
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 thiscalculatoror by adding the recipe toYummly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1egg | Calories: 62kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 60mg | Vitamin A: 240IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.8mg
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:
My Fitness Pal Recipe Nutrition Calculator
Tried this recipe?Mention @BowlofDelicious or tag #BowlofDelicious!
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.
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Comments
Anon Bowfinger
I was extremely skeptical about this method after trying a couple of other ways to make sure the egg shell would peel easier. I’ve had “decent” success with only one other way so didn’t know if this would be anything to it. I’d love to do some type of test kitchen on this method because I have never had egg shells sloth off so effortlessly than doing this. I will definitely be doing this several times to determine if this is really the holy grail to getting egg shells off but for this moment…. this is the best method hands down. I could not believe how clean the eggs came out. Kudos to you!
Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So glad you had success with this method!
Reply
Rose Theis
This really works – I just boiled eggs to make deviled eggs for a potluck & they peeled so easy. 1st time I ever had such an easy time peeling eggs!!!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
Woo hoo! So glad to hear that!
Reply
HappyCamper
Such a simple approach, and it worked like a charm! Don’t overlook step 2 (turning down the heat to get the water off of a rolling boil). I overlooked step 2 the first time around and three eggs cracked. But when I followed the steps carefully, this worked flawlessly. I chose this post based on the 4.9 rating and am adding in a 5-star vote!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked well for you!
Reply
Debra
I don’t care what anyone says about it not being necessary to anything to water;
Except oil!! In my many years of fighting with trying to peel HB eggs this was an absolute genius of adding oil to the water AND it makes so much sense AND I had no problem peeling these! Thank you so much!!!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked well for you!
Reply
Nora
Great tip , Thanks
However , eggs cheap ? not here in Canada ( wish they were ) 7$ a dozen, for free range.Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
I first published this post in 2015… and egg prices have changed a lot since then!
Reply
Heather VDM
I have tried EVERYTHING in my 53 years on this planet to master the “art” of hard boiled eggs! Thank you so much! I made 13 eggs and didn’t lose a single iota of egg white to the peeling process. Thank you!!! Guess I can start making deviled eggs now. Yum!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
Woo hoo!! So glad to hear this method worked well for you!
Reply
Ole
It’s not air that gets INTO the Eggs that makes them float, it’s the gas being developed inside the Eggs ;)
Also, turn your Eggs upside down in the fridge, they go from lasting the average 4 weeks for up to 4 months, being that gas then sits in the bigger place (The bottom of the Egg) :)
Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
You’re right! I edited the post to reflect this. Air DOES get inside the egg through tiny holes in the porous shells (it’s how oxygen enters for the growing chick!) but that is not what causes the egg to float once it goes bad. I appreciate you pointing this out, and thank you for your tips!
Reply
Ole
There is no point in adding Oil, it’s like people adding Salt, absolutely no effect, and simple logic, Oil floats ON water, it doesn’t mix with it…
Also, start in cold water, it keeps those “accidents” of Eggs cracking away…
Easy to peel, just use half inch of water put on a lid, and shake for 5 seconds, and the peel is most likely all fallen off :)
Also, save water, energy, money, time, just steam them in a half inch of water, instead of filling the whole pot :)
Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oil floats on water, and then coats the eggs as they descend through it into the water. They are recoated after taking out of the water. Simple logic 😉
But in all seriousness – have you tried it?! It works so well for me (and for tons of other people here leaving rave reviews of this method!). I find that whatever little oil gets into the eggs through the shell, and/or coats the shell and your hands when you are peeling the eggs, has a wonderful effect on ease of peeling. Give it a try!
(As a side note, I have had trouble with this oil method when I had very hard water once – it’s my personal theory that hard water effects egg peeling, which may explain why people have good outcomes with salt or baking soda, which helps soften the water).
Who knew egg peeling could be so complicated? Thanks for sharing your method of peeling!
Reply
Cd
I have always started eggs in cold water to start, therefore I was hesitant to try this. Well I didn’t let the water come to a boil but it was close. Best method by far! I’m curious if I would get the same result starting out with cold water. Next time I boil eggs I will let you know.Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad it worked well for you! I think it would work well with the cold water technique, too.
Reply
Mary Meyer
Always hate to peel hard boiled eggs till I found and tried this method. Easy peel. Thanks so much for the help!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked well for you!
Reply
Debbie Swenson
It worked perfectly! Finally, can have beautiful, deviled eggs! Thank you!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So glad this worked for you!
Reply
Chuck
DAMN! It worked! At 76 years old I just had my first hard boiled egg that the shell almost fell off the egg by itself, and these eggs were fresh… Thank you!!!!!!!!!Reply
Elizabeth Lindemann
SO glad to hear this worked for you!!
Reply
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