Cooking times and temps
Hard-Boiled Egg Time Calculator
For hard-boiled eggs, cover the eggs with cold water, heat just to boiling, then take the pan off the heat, cover it and let the eggs stand: 12 minutes for large eggs, 9 minutes for medium and 15 minutes for extra large. Drain and cool them in cold water straight away.
Stand in hot water for
Enter an amount to see the result.
Hard-boiled egg time chart
| Egg size | Stand time |
|---|---|
| Medium | 9 minutes |
| Large | 12 minutes |
| Extra large | 15 minutes |
The method
The timings on this page belong to one specific method, published by the American Egg Board. The eggs are not boiled for the whole time. They are brought to a boil and then left to finish in the hot water.
- Put the eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer.
- Add cold water to cover the eggs by 1 inch.
- Heat over high heat just to boiling.
- Take the pan off the burner and cover it.
- Let the eggs stand in the hot water: about 12 minutes for large eggs, 9 for medium, 15 for extra large.
- Drain at once. Serve warm, or cool completely under cold running water or in a bowl of ice water, then refrigerate.
Start your timer at step 4, when the pan comes off the heat, not when you put it on.
Why the times differ by size
A bigger egg has further for the heat to travel before the center of the yolk is set. The three times are spaced three minutes apart for that reason:
- Medium: 9 minutes
- Large: 12 minutes
- Extra large: 15 minutes
The size is printed on the carton. If you buy eggs loose or from a neighbor’s hens, sizes will vary within the batch, so use the time for the largest ones.
Why the pan comes off the heat
Eggs that are boiled hard for the whole time knock against each other and the pan, and the white turns tough. Taking the pan off the heat lets them cook gently in the water as it slowly cools, which gives a tender white and fewer cracked shells.
It also makes overcooking less likely. The green-gray ring that sometimes forms around a hard-boiled yolk comes from cooking too long or too hot. Standing in hot water and then cooling quickly both help to avoid it.
Cooling and peeling
Cooling the eggs straight away stops the cooking and makes them easier to handle. The American Egg Board’s peeling advice:
- Peel right after cooling. That is when the shell comes away most easily.
- Tap the egg gently on the counter until the shell is finely crackled all over.
- Roll it between your hands to loosen the shell.
- Start peeling at the large end, where the air pocket is.
- Hold the egg under cold running water as you peel to help ease the shell off.
Older eggs peel more easily than very fresh ones. If you are planning deviled eggs or dyed eggs, buy the eggs a week to 10 days ahead and keep them in the fridge.
Storing hard-boiled eggs
Leave the shells on until you are ready to eat. The shell protects the egg, and a peeled egg dries out and picks up fridge smells.
What this page does not cover
The American Egg Board method and times are for hard-boiled eggs, with a fully set white and yolk. This page does not give times for soft-boiled or jammy eggs, because those depend on a different method and we have not found a source for them that meets our standard.
Cooking a large batch
The method scales up as long as two things stay true.
Keep the eggs in a single layer. Stacked eggs heat unevenly. Use a wider pan, or cook in two batches.
Keep the water an inch above the eggs. More eggs need more water, and more water takes longer to come to a boil. That is fine. The stand time starts only when the pan comes off the heat.
A large pot holds its heat longer than a small one, so for a big batch, check one egg at the low end of the time before draining the rest.
Tips and common mistakes
Start with cold water. Dropping cold eggs into boiling water is a common cause of cracked shells.
Do not let the water boil hard for long. Take the pan off the heat as soon as it reaches a full boil.
Use a timer. The difference between a just-set yolk and a dry, crumbly one is a few minutes of standing.
Cool them properly. A quick rinse is not enough. Leave the eggs in ice water or under the cold tap until they are cold all the way through.
Mark them. If hard-boiled and raw eggs share a carton, pencil a cross on the cooked ones so nobody cracks the wrong egg into a pan.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I boil large eggs for hard-boiled?
With the American Egg Board method you do not keep them boiling. Bring the water just to a boil, take the pan off the heat, cover it, and let large eggs stand for about 12 minutes.
How long for medium or extra large eggs?
About 9 minutes for medium eggs and about 15 minutes for extra large, standing covered in the hot water off the heat.
How long do hard-boiled eggs last in the fridge?
In the shell, up to one week in the refrigerator. Once peeled, the American Egg Board says they should be eaten that day.
Why are my hard-boiled eggs hard to peel?
Very fresh eggs are harder to peel. The American Egg Board suggests buying eggs a week to 10 days before you plan to cook them, and peeling them right after cooling.
Can I hard-boil eggs at high altitude?
It gets harder as you go up, because water boils at a lower temperature. The American Egg Board notes that it is almost impossible to hard-boil eggs above 10,000 feet.