Once you learn how to make Steamed Hard-Boiled Eggs and see how easy they are to peel, you'll never go back to boiling eggs again!
Have you been struggling with peeling hard-boiled eggs? For a long time, I was too. But, friends, those days are over!
I tried all the tricks with little success. The one exception was Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs. It works like a charm, and it's usually my go-to method.
BUT I realize that not everyone has an Instant Pot, so I wanted to share this easy stove-top method of steaming the eggs because it works every bit as well!
The steam causes the membrane that lines the shell to shrink and pull away from the egg white. And voilà...the eggs peel with incredible ease.
Since they're not actually boiled, I guess these should probably be called hard-steamed eggs or steamed hard-cooked eggs. Call them whatever you like, but just try them. I bet you'll never look back!
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Why I Love This Recipe (And You Will Too!)
- Easy to make and easy to peel: The method is simple, and the shells practically slide right off...even when I use super-fresh, one-day-old eggs from my chickens!
- More even cooking: Steaming is more gentle than boiling, so the eggs cook more evenly. And they don't overcook as quickly.
- No special appliances required: All you need is a pot with a lid and a steamer basket.
- Great for meal prepping: If you enjoy hard-boiled eggs on the regular, you can make several ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for up to one week.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make steamed hard-boiled eggs.
Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Eggs - I use large eggs, cold and straight from the refrigerator
- Water - creates the steam that cooks the eggs, and we need some for the ice water bath
- Ice cubes - for the ice water bath, which quickly cools down the eggs to prevent overcooking (and helps make the eggs easier to peel)
Special Equipment Needed
- Stainless steel steamer basket (a silicone steamer basket will also work)
I use and recommend a stainless steel steamer basket because it's sturdy, durable and inexpensive. Plus, it's flexible and can expand to fit into a skillet or fold up to fit inside several different sized pots.
How to Make Steamed Hard-Boiled Eggs
This is brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
Put enough water in a pot to come just below your steamer basket, then put the basket in the pot. Put the lid on the pot and bring to a boil, then add the eggs and steam for 15 minutes.
Immediately transfer the eggs to an ice water bath and cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Peel the eggs.
Rinse the eggs under cold water to remove any pieces of shell.
Peeling Instructions
Here's the best way I know to peel hard-boiled eggs:
- Tap the bottom and the top of the egg on the counter until it's well cracked.
- Turn the egg on its side and tap it on the counter all the way around until it cracks in several places.
- With the egg still on its side, roll it back and forth on the counter while applying light pressure to crack the shell even more. At this point, you will probably start to feel the shell pulling away from the egg in spots.
- Now remove the shell. It should come off easily in large pieces. I like to start peeling wherever the shell is most loose or at the bottom where there is often a pocket of air that lets you easily get under the membrane.
Top Tips
- I always use large cold eggs straight from the refrigerator. With the gentle cooking of the steam, they are much less likely to crack.
- The water in the pot should come just slightly below the bottom of the steamer basket so it won't touch the eggs but will be enough to not evaporate completely before the eggs are cooked.
- Use this method to cook as few or as many eggs as you need. Just try to put the eggs in a single layer in the steamer basket for the most even cooking.
- Cooking time can vary depending on the size and temperature of the eggs and your altitude (higher = longer). Adjust the time as needed.
- To avoid the dreaded gray/green ring around the yolk, don't overcook the eggs, and don't skip the ice water bath.
Storage
Store hard-boiled eggs, once completely cooled, in the refrigerator (if not using immediately).
I recommend storing them unpeeled for maximum quality and freshness. The shell acts as a protective barrier. Put the eggs in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
For peeled eggs: put them in an airtight container with a damp paper towel covering them to prevent them from drying out, and store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days for the best quality (although they can be kept for up to one week).
Either way, keep the eggs in the middle and closer to the back of the fridge where it is colder and a more consistent temperature. Don't put them on the door; the temperature fluctuates too much there.
Hard-cooked eggs are not suitable for freezing, as the texture will change significantly. The whites will become tough, rubbery and watery.
Different Ways to Use Them
Here are some of my favorite ways to use hard-cooked eggs:
- Add them to salads, such as a classic chef salad or tuna Niçoise salad.
- Add them to a classic potato salad or a creamy macaroni salad.
- Make egg salad sandwiches (my favorite is an egg salad BLT).
- Slice or halve them and put on cottage cheese toast or avocado toast.
- Use them to make deviled eggs, such as my Classic Deviled Eggs With Butter or Cajun-spiced deviled eggs.
- Or just enjoy them for breakfast, lunch or as a healthy snack.
I hope you try this Steamed Hard-Boiled Eggs recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Easy Egg Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Steamed Hard-Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, cold, straight from the fridge
- water, as needed
- ice cubes, as needed
Special Equipment
- stainless steel steamer basket (a silicone steamer basket will also work)
Instructions
- Fill a pot with enough water so that it comes just below the bottom of your steamer basket so it won't touch the bottom of the eggs (usually, this will be about an inch of water). Put the steamer basket in the pot, put the lid on the pot, and bring the water to a full rolling boil over high heat.For this quantity of eggs, I use a 3-quart pot.
- Using tongs, carefully put the eggs in the steamer basket in a single layer. Put the lid back on the pot and let the eggs steam, still over high heat, for 15 minutes.
- When there is only a few minutes left of the cooking time, prepare an ice water bath by putting ice cubes and water in a medium to large bowl. For this quantity of eggs, I use a medium bowl, 8 ice cubes and 2 cups of water.
- Once the eggs are done steaming, use tongs to immediately transfer them to the ice water bath and allow them to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the ice water bath and peel if using immediately. Here's how I do it:Tap the bottom and the top of the egg on the counter until it's well cracked.Turn the egg on its side and tap it on the counter all the way around until it cracks in several places.With the egg still on its side, roll it back and forth on the counter while applying light pressure to crack the shell even more. At this point, you will probably start to feel the shell pulling away from the egg in spots.Now remove the shell. It should come off easily in large pieces. I like to start peeling wherever the shell is most loose or at the bottom where there is often a pocket of air that lets you easily get under the membrane.
- If you won't be using the eggs right away - like within a day - I recommend keeping the shell on and storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them, then peel. See Notes below.
Notes
- I used 3 eggs for this recipe, but you can use this method to cook as few or as many eggs as you need. Just try to keep them all in one layer in the steamer basket for the most even cooking.
- Cooking time can vary depending on the size of the eggs, the temperature of the eggs, and your altitude (higher = longer). Adjust the time as needed.
- To avoid the dreaded gray/green ring around the yolk, don't overcook the eggs, and don't skip the ice water bath.
- Store any hard-boiled eggs not being used immediately, once completely cooled, in the refrigerator in the middle towards the back where it is colder (not on the door).
- I recommend storing them unpeeled for maximum quality and freshness. The shell acts as a protective barrier. Put the eggs in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- For peeled eggs: put them in an airtight container with a damp paper towel covering them to keep them from drying out, and store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days for the best quality (although they can be kept for up to one week).
Michelle says
This is the best way to make hard-cooked eggs on the stove top that are super easy to peel. It's a must-try!