Whether you’re meal-prepping or planning a massive Easter egg hunt, knowing how to make dozens of boiled eggs quickly saves time and effort. But first, you need to forget everything you know about making hard-boiled eggs.
The Secret to Quickly Making Dozens of Boiled Eggs
The trick is not to boil them at all — make them in your oven or use your Instant Pot! Using an oven means you can make dozens of hard-boiled eggs all at once, while the Instant Pot is perfect for 6-12 at a time.
Use Your Oven to Make “Boiled” Eggs
This method is perfectly timed, so you’ll never get that nasty gray ring around the yolk that comes from overcooking.
If you’re worried about messing up your oven, you can use a muffin pan to hold the eggs. I’ve never had them crack using this method, but you do you.
How to Make “Hard-Boiled Eggs” in the Oven
Equipment
- Oven
- Muffin tin (optional)
- Tongs or silicone oven mitts
Materials
- 24 eggs
Instructions
- Start with a COLD oven.
- Arrange eggs on your oven racks so they are at least 1 inch apart from each other. (Alternative: place them individually in the cups of a muffin tin.)
- Shut the oven door and turn the temperature to 325°F. Immediately start a 30-minute timer.
- While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath in the sink or a large bowl.
- The instant the timer goes off, transfer the eggs to the ice bath. They’ll be extremely hot, so use tongs or silicone gloves.
- Wait until the eggs are cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes) then pat them dry and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Instant Pot “Hard-Boiled” Eggs
While the oven is perfect for making dozens of boiled eggs at the same time, when I need a smaller amount, I use the Instant Pot. If you haven’t used a pressure cooker before, take the time to read the manual and follow all safety precautions.
It is especially important that you don’t move the unit while it’s cooking, that you stand at a distance while releasing the valve, and that you open the lid away from you.
Instant Pot Boiled Eggs
Equipment
- Instant Pot with trivet insert
- Tongs or slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 12 Eggs
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of COLD water to the bottom of your Instant Pot. (Use 1.5 cups if yours is the 8-quart size.)
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot and arrange eggs on top of it. Put the lid on and set it to "sealing."
- Use the manual setting and high pressure. Adjust the time to 3 minutes (for jammy eggs) to 5 minutes (for firm yolks and whites).
- While the eggs cook, fill a sink or large bowl with lots of ice and some cold water.
- Once the cooking time is up, wait 3 minutes then carefully do a quick pressure release. Open the lid away from you and use a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs to transfer the eggs to the ice bath.
- Wait 3 minutes for the eggs to cool and then peel them. (They’re easiest to peel if you do it right away.) If you don’t want to peel them immediately, be sure to run them under warm water before peeling and the shell will slip right off.
Notes
Nutrition
Hard-Boiled Egg Uses
- Recipes using hard-boiled eggs.
- What to do with leftover eggshells.
- How to naturally dye Easter Eggs using food.
Margi Lowry says
Genius! Thanks!
Katie B. says
You’re welcome! Don’t forget to save
those egg shells and reuse them, too. 😉
Dave Van De Cappelle says
Have ever had a smoked egg? I make smoked egg salad all the time, It is huge crowd pleaser
Katie B of HousewifeHowTos.com says
I’ve never tried that, but it sounds delicious!
Bridgid says
I’m frustrated…. i just did exactly as you posted – with 3 dozen eggs that i was responsible for cooking to dye this evening with 4 children. I just opened one to test after cooling in ice bath –it is SOFT BOILED!!!!! Squishy yolk that I’m sure not one of the kids will eat (nor myself)!
Please tell me there is a way to fix this….
Katie Berry says
I’m so sorry you had a problem! For an immediate solution, you could boil them for a couple of minutes.
The bigger concern, though, is because there are literally dozens of posts and Pins from other blogs with these exact same instructions and dozens of “Tried it” successes. So I’d encourage you to get an oven thermometer to make sure it’s heating to the temperature you’ve set it for.
Lynda Sheffer says
Should eggs be at room temperature before placing in oven? That may have been the problem for the lady with soft boiled eggs.
Katie Berry says
I put mine in the oven straight from the refrigerator and haven’t had a problem. I really do think it’s possible her oven runs hot.