If you want hard boiled eggs that peel clean every single time, the air fryer is my favorite way to make them. These eggs come out consistent, easy to peel, and great for egg salad sandwiches, deviled eggs, meal prep, salads, Scotch eggs, or a quick high protein snack.
There are so many ways to cook eggs. You can boil them on the stovetop, steam them in an Instant Pot, or even bake them in the oven. All of those work, but the air fryer method is the easiest and most hands off for me. No pot to watch and no guessing if the water is boiling enough. You will be amazed at how simple it is to make perfect hard boiled eggs in this little appliance that looks a bit like Darth Vader's helmet.
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- The air fryer creates a consistent heat environment which leads to evenly cooked eggs every time.
- There is no water to boil which means no pot cleanup and no waiting for water to heat up.
- The eggs peel surprisingly easily which is ideal for deviled eggs or egg salad.
- This is a great method for meal prep. Cook a batch on Sunday and use them throughout the week.
- It works with any style of air fryer including basket, oven style, and dual zone models.
- You can use hard boiled eggs to make to make my Healthier Greek Yogurt Egg Salad, Aunt Carol's Potato salad, and Weight Watchers Deviled Eggs (0 Smart Points), top them on a Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad, place them on Air Fryer Avocado Toast, or use them to make Cool Whip Dyed Easter Eggs with. So many options and different egg recipes to try! They are great for meal prep or for snacks.
Ingredients Needed
Large Eggs - Use large eggs straight from the carton. They do not need to be at room temperature and you do not need water or ice cubes inside the air fryer. You will need an ice bath after cooking which helps them peel easier.
Substitution Tips
- If your air fryer tends to run hot, reduce the cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes.
- If you have extra large eggs, add 1 to 2 minutes.
- If you prefer jammy yolks, try 12 to 14 minutes.
- For very firm yolks, go up to 17 or 18 minutes.
- You can also use silicone egg bite molds if you want to keep the eggs from rolling around in the basket.
How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs in Air Fryer
Step 1: Place some cold eggs in a single layer in the air fryer basket, set the timer to 16 minutes and temperature 250 and let the air fryer cook them. So easy and simple to make.
Step 2: When they are done instantly transfer the eggs to an ice bath or cold water bath to stop the cooking. Then peel and enjoy!
Use some Everything But the Bagel Seasoning to top the eggs with, or eat them however you like. Make some deviled eggs or an egg salad sandwich with these.
Pro Tips
- Older eggs peel easier than very fresh eggs. If yours are brand new, the ice bath is even more important.
- Do not skip the ice bath. This is what makes the shells slip off cleanly.
- Every air fryer brand cooks slightly differently. Test one egg the first time you try this method and adjust.
- Store cooked eggs in the refrigerator for up to one week
Serving Suggestions
Hard boiled eggs are incredibly versatile. Use them for:
- Egg salad sandwiches
- Crispy Chicken Cobb SaladCobb salads or meal prep bowls
- Weight Watchers Deviled Eggs (0 Smart Points) or Air Fryer Scotch Eggs
- Breakfast protein snacks
- Tuna salad or chicken salad for extra protein
- Sliced on avocado toast - Air Fryer Avocado Toast
How to Store
Keep cooked hard boiled eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If you store them unpeeled they tend to stay fresher longer.
Overcrowding: Do not overcrowd the basket. Place items in a single layer in the air fryer basket or some food will not cook properly or all the way through.
What air fryer do I use? Cosori 4 Qt Air Fryer- This air fryer doesn't require any preheating and has several different functions for cooking chicken, meat, frozen foods, etc. There are 5 different functions.
Recipe FAQs
Always store leftovers in clean, food-grade containers. The type of container doesn’t really matter. Use zip lock, glass, plastic, whatever! Make sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container before putting it in the freezer or fridge.
An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around the food using the convection mechanism. It is a downsized version of the convection oven.
Yes. You can fill the basket as long as they sit in a single layer. Overcrowding can lead to uneven cooking.
Yes, but they are harder to peel. Make sure the ice bath is cold and give them a full 10 minutes to cool.
More Great Recipes to Try :
If you tried this Air Fryer Hard Boiled Egg or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Recipes Diaries.
Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs
- Prep Time: 2min
- Cook Time: 16
- Total Time: 16
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Air Fry
- Cuisine: American
Description
Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs - are so easy you'll never make them on your stove top again!
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs (cold)
Instructions
- Set your wire rack that came with your air fryer inside the basket and place the eggs on top of the wire rack. If your air fryer didn't come with a wire rack then just place them in the bottom of the air fryer basket. I've done it with and without that and both methods work. I just find that the wire rack is easier to lift them all out of the basket at once.
- Set the temp to 250 (121 C) and the timer to 16 minutes. After the eggs are done in the air fryer take them out and put them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Peel the eggs and enjoy!
- Disclaimer: Unfortunately, not all air fryers work the same. If your eggs don't turn out you will have to adjust the time and temperature accordingly. I have this listed in multiple sections on this page. Adding it to the instructions as well just in case people miss this.
Notes
myWW Blue 0 Green 2 Purple 0
WW points are calculated using the recipe builder and not the nutrition info calculator
This method works for a 1400 to 1700 watt air fryer. Might have to cook longer for smaller air fryers. Please check the wattage on your air fryer before cooking the eggs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large egg
- Calories: 77
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 62mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6g
- Carbohydrates: .6g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 6.3g
Nicke says
I am sure it's because my air fryer is different and on no way the posters fault but I wished I had read this week the way to the bottom before I made. First I followed the directions as stated and put 1 egg in ice bath. Ripped the egg to shreds during peel and yolk was still runny. So I started the remaining eggs back up for another 4 minutes. Ice bathed and impossible to peel. Too embarrassed to serve these for Thanksgivingb so they got thrown away. Here's hoping I can get to the store to get more before tomorrow if in doubt or don't have the extra eggs to spare, do it the way you know how! Mighty be my first Thanksgiving ever without deviled eggs
Jenna says
You gotta do french fries! They are life-changing in the air fryer. lol
Glad you liked the eggs. 🙂
Tina says
Followed instructions. First thing I've cooked in my new air fryer. I know... you'd think I'd do french fries or something. Anyway, the process was super easy. Bqased on my results for hard boiled I should probably go 1 minute longer. The yolks were set but not firm.
Thanks for the easy peel instructions. Getting arthritis in my hands and this will make things so much easier.
Jenna says
Not every air fryer works the same! Have to adjust the time and temperature.
Erika says
this did not work at all
Barbara says
Reply to Bonnye:
I know you posted your question almost a year ago, but I hope this answer will be helpful to you if you haven't already solved your problem. This has been a game-changer for me.
When my eggs are done (I cook 5 at a time at 250°F for 18 minutes), I drop them one at a time into a bowl of iced water, making sure they hit hard enough to crack the shell a bit. If any don't crack, I tap them gently against the side of the bowl until they do. My purpose is to let water in, breaking the seal between the shell and the egg. I leave them in the iced water for 10 minutes, per the recipe instruction.
Then I put a bit of cold water (just an inch or two) into a small glass jar, drop in one egg, replace the lid, and shake vigorously, top to bottom and side to side, for 20-30 seconds. It is quite amazing to watch the egg basically peel itself! Sometimes the entire egg is peeled, sometimes some shell remains, but it is very easy to remove. I have used a pint-sized canning jar as well as an old small pickle jar. Both work, but the smaller jar seems to require less effort on my part. I pull out the egg, finish peeling if necessary, remove the large chunks of shell, and toss the next one in.
I'm thrilled with this method and hope it works for you, too.
Junetta says
This is even easier than the pressure cooker....They came out perfect.
Sheron Ireland says
Perfect and 6 is enough in my 3qt.
Deb says
I followed your instructions and my eggs came out perfectly.
Libi says
I cooked a dozen in my Power XL at 360 for 25 minutes. They came out fantastic.
Thank you!