Boiled eggs are a nutrient-filled, satisfying, budget-friendly snack. And whether you prefer yours hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or devilish, the air fryer is an efficient, precise way to cook them. It also saves you the trouble of boiling, draining, and subsequent dishwashing. Best of all, air-frying eggs make their stubborn shell a bit easier to peel if you play your cards right.
A note on air fryers. If you don't own an air fryer but your oven has a convection setting, the two are one and the same. An air fryer is simply a small, standalone convection oven, where a fan circulates the hot air which speeds up cooking times. Convection cooking has been a standard in restaurants for decades. Retail air fryers now offer the same technology in a small footprint for the home kitchen (and I say it's about time!). Cooking times may vary (but that's even the case among different air fryers).
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The Story
If you are guilty of buying pricey, prepackaged hard-boiled eggs to save yourself the dreaded peeling (🙋🏻♀️), this one's for you. As a culinary professional (and Chef Mom) who's boiled thousands of eggs, I've noticed eggs are easier to peel when dropped into hot water (as opposed to starting with cold water). And the instant heat of an air fryer acts the same way.
Most importantly, older eggs are easier to peel. Fresh eggs have a lower pH which causes the white to bind to the inside of the shell (see Harold McGee's book). An egg's pH rises with every passing day, so the whites eventually give in and let it go. Finally, chilling boiled eggs before peeling allows the cooked white to firm up and shrink back from the shell membrane.
So to sum up the trifecta for easy-to-peel eggs:
Older eggs.
Immediate heat.
Cool completely.
Cooking Times
The cooking times for your eggs in your air fryer will likely differ slightly from the ones below. The times listed for each level of doneness are based on cold, large eggs cooked at a preheated temperature of 270° F in my Instant Pot Vortex Plus model. You can certainly cook the eggs at a higher temperature. But I recommend not going above 300° F and adjusting your cooking time accordingly. For a traditional hard-cooked egg, air fry for 13 to 15 minutes at 270° F.
- Coddled, 8 minutes. Just-set outer whites, milky inner white, runny yolk. Traditionally served in an egg cup.
- Soft-cooked, 9 - 10 minutes. Firm outer whites, semi-liquid yolk.
- Medium, 10 - 12 minutes. Firm whites and soft, viscous, or "jammy" yolk to varying degrees of doneness.
- Hard-cooked, 13 - 15 minutes. Firm whites and completely set yolk.
The Method
- Preheat the air fryer. Set your air fryer to 270° F and preheat it for five minutes.
- Cook and prepare an ice bath. Place the eggs in the fryer basket, leaving at least an inch between eggs, more if you can. Fill a medium bowl with ice and enough water to barely submerge it. Cook the eggs to your desired doneness. Aim for 12 to 13 minutes for traditional hard-boiled.
- Carefully remove the eggs. Remove the eggs from the air fryer carefully, I like to use long tongs. Bonus if your pair boasts rubber around its claws. You may notice tiny bubbles speckling the shells, which is moisture that tried to escape through the egg's microscopic pores during cooking.
- Cool in an ice bath. Drop the eggs immediately into the ice bath to stop the cooking process and let them chill for at least 15 minutes. Then put them in the refrigerator to cool completely. You can certainly dive right into peeling the eggs once they're cool enough to handle. But an overnight trip to the refrigerator allows the white to set and makes peeling even easier.
- Peel. Regardless of how you cool the eggs, peeling them in a bowl of water or under a trickling faucet makes the work more tolerable. Tap the top of the egg with a chef's knife or against the side of the bowl to crack the shell. If you use a knife to tap the narrow end of a hard-cooked egg, you will likely hear a little pop of air (trapped steam) releasing.
On Peeling
The longer an egg cooks the firmer the white becomes and the easier it is to peel. And the longer the egg cools the easier the shell peels away cleanly. If you prefer the soft-boiled stage, prepare yourself for a bit of elbow grease when it comes to peeling. The easiest way to enjoy a coddled or soft-boiled egg is to eat it warm out of an egg cup.
Chef's Tips
- On centered yolks. For perfectly presentable hard-cooked eggs with a yolk smack in the middle, you want to start with fresh eggs. But older eggs peel easier. Since you can't have it both ways, one method for centering the yolk of older eggs is to store them on their side. To do so easily, flip and prop the entire carton of eggs onto one of its long sides.
- Leave at least an inch between eggs. In order for food to cook evenly in any medium, it needs equal access to the heat source. Crowding the eggs in the air fryer basket to the point that they're touching will prevent each egg from getting even heat on all sides. So use your best judgment as to how many eggs fit happily in the basket.
- Preheat the air fryer. Certain brands and models claim their air fryers don't need to be preheated. And while I'm not about to argue with mechanical engineers, I preheat mine anyway. It ensures the tray and cavity of the air fryer are hot before you lay the eggs inside.
- Cool the eggs before peeling them. Opinions abound on whether a quick dip in an ice bath or slow cooling in the refrigerator works best. But the bottom line is that boiled eggs are easier to peel when cooled. So if you lack patience, an ice bath is your friend. If you are a planner, you can cook the eggs the day before and let them cool overnight in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Seven days, full stop. That's the professional party line when it comes to how long any cooked (ready-to-eat) food is safe to eat if stored properly. Now the rules that fly in your own kitchen are of course up to you. Hard-boiled eggs that were stored properly before cooking, and cooled within four hours will most likely survive a little longer than a week in the refrigerator. But use your eyes and nose to know if an egg is past its prime. Any sliminess or funky odors should be a one-way ticket for the offender to the compost bin.
Well, there are certainly worse things you could eat! Whether or not a certain food should be considered "good for you" depends on you. But for the average, healthy individual, the latest research shows eggs can be a healthful, delicious addition to your diet. It's worth mentioning that unbiased, nutritional studies in humans are notoriously hard to conduct for many reasons. So ingest every new headline with several grains of kosher salt (a chef's best friend).
The outer edges of an egg yolk turn green due to a reaction between the natural sulfur and iron in the egg white and yolk, respectively. Especially with longer cooking at higher temperatures, this ferrous sulfide forms easily. It's also more likely to occur with older eggs. To prevent the ominous green ring, cook the eggs at a lower temperature and for less time.
Edible Epilogue
Classic egg salad is a great dish for boiled eggs that keeps on giving during a busy week. I tend to enjoy boiled eggs in their natural state with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Or I whisk up a dijonnaise for a quick and easy dipping and drizzling sauce. It is also a quick and easy appetizer to set out for an impromptu gathering. It sounds fancy and no one has to know how easy it is to make. They don't have to know you air-fried the eggs, either.
📖 Recipe
Perfect Boiled Eggs [Air Fryer]
A complete yet brief guide to making boiled eggs in an air fryer. A simple dijonnaise dipping sauce can be stirred together while the eggs cook. Cook as many or few eggs as you like, the amount given is purely for calculating the nutrient content.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 cooked eggs 1x
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs (not so fresh, if possible)
- sea salt and/or ground black pepper, to season the cooked eggs
For Dijonnaise Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup of mayonnaise (one made with olive or avocado oil recommended)
- ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt (less if using table salt in the sauce)
- 5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 3 dashes of Sriracha or other hot sauce, optional
- 1 teaspoon of fresh, chopped herbs such as chives or Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer. Set your air fryer to 270° F and preheat it for five minutes.
- Cook. Place the eggs in the air fryer basket, leaving at least an inch between eggs in the fryer basket, more if you can. Cook the eggs to your desired doneness, 9 minutes for soft-cooked, 11 minutes for medium, 12 for medium-well, and 13 minutes for hard-cooked. Prepare an ice bath while the eggs are in the fryer.
- Remove and cool the eggs. Immediately remove the eggs from the air fryer carefully. I like to use long tongs, bonus if your pair boasts rubber around the claws. Drop the eggs immediately into an ice bath for at least 15 minutes. Then peel them, or put them in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- Peel and serve. Regardless of how you cool the eggs, peeling them in a bowl of water makes the process quicker and easier. Simply tap each egg against the narrow end of the egg with a knife (or use the bowl) to crack the shell. Slice each egg in half and sprinkle a little salt and ground black pepper to serve. Or continue on with your chosen recipe.
- Store chilled. Keep boiled eggs in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can freeze the cooked, peeled eggs, but their texture may suffer a bit upon thawing.
For the Dijonnaise
- Whisk until smooth. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, and stir or whisk until smooth.
- Store chilled. Store the dijonnaise in the refrigerator for one or two weeks.
Notes
Egg Cooking Times
You can certainly cook your eggs at a higher temperature for faster cooking. But adjust accordingly and I don't recommend cranking the heat past 300° F. Egg whites especially prefer a gentle heat since the proteins coagulate (become tough and rubbery) at higher temperatures. The times below are for air frying at 270° F.
- Coddled, 8 minutes. Just-set outer whites, milky inner white, runny yolk. Traditionally served in an egg cup.
- Soft-boiled, 9 - 10 minutes. Firm outer whites, semi-liquid yolk.
- Medium, 10 - 12 minutes. Firm whites and soft, viscous, or "jammy" yolk to varying degrees of doneness.
- Hard-cooked, 13 - 13½ minutes. Firm whites and completely set yolk.
Chef's Tips
- On centered yolks. For perfectly presentable hard-cooked eggs with a yolk smack in the middle, you want to start with fresh eggs. But older eggs peel easier. To help center the yolks in older eggs, flip and prop the entire carton of eggs onto one of its long sides in the refrigerator.
- Leave at least an inch between eggs. Crowding the eggs in the air fryer basket to the point that they're touching will prevent each egg from getting even heat on all sides.
- Preheat the air fryer. It ensures the tray and cavity of the air fryer are hot before you lay the eggs inside.
- Cool the eggs before peeling them. The bottom line is that boiled eggs are easier to peel when cooled. So if you lack patience, an ice bath is your friend. If you are a planner, you can cook the eggs the day before and let them cool overnight in the fridge.
On the Nutrition Information
The amounts below are for enjoying one egg with a couple of teaspoons of the dijonnaise sauce. An egg by itself contains about 72 calories, five (5) grams of fat (split between monounsaturated and saturated fat), and a little over six (6) grams of protein.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Side Dish, Breakfast
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Classical
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 Cooked Eggs with Dipping Sauce
- Calories: 106
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 400.1 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.9 g
- Protein: 6.3 g
- Cholesterol: 191 mg
Keywords: boiled eggs air fryer, air fryer hard boiled eggs, air fryer soft boiled eggs, easy peel boiled eggs
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About Chef Christina
Chef Christina is a classically trained private chef who's worked at award-winning restaurants. She loves sharing recipes and simple techniques to help home cooks and families nourish their bodies without breaking the bank.
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Elizabeth R.
When I try to make boiled eggs they are either under or overcooked and difficult to peel. This method is easy, delicious and fool proof.
Chef Christina
Definitely less of a chore in the air fryer! Thanks for reading. 🙂