Oven Baked Hard Boiled Eggs
Ditch the pot of boiling water over the stove and try this oven baked hard boiled eggs recipe instead! No need to monitor your pot, no worrying about when to pull them out of the water—just pop your eggs into a mini muffin tin and into the oven. (Or, you can even put them straight on the oven rack!) I’ll show you how to make hard boiled eggs in the oven that are super easy to peel.
In my own life, it’s safe to say I’m a FREAK for eggs. I eat at least two or more eggs every day, and hard boiled eggs in particular are a go-to option that I always have on hand in my fridge. Of course, sometimes I opt for the convenience of pre-boiled and packaged eggs from the grocery store. But, more often, I opt to save some money and make my own oven baked hard boiled eggs at home.
Over the years of running my YouTube channel, I tried countless times to master the art of boiling eggs in water. And, with enough tries, I did get pretty good at it! But I’ve gotta say, nothing is quite so convenient or fool proof as this easy peel baked boiled eggs recipe. When I say easy peel I mean EASY—the shells really just slipped right off.
A close second to this method is my instant pot hard boiled eggs recipe, as the eggs always turn out tasty and they’re awesomely easy to peel. BUT, even my instant pot isn’t 100% fool proof. After testing it out a few times, cooking hard boiled eggs in the oven is now my method of choice! I’ll give you my tips for best results and some variations to make this method work for you at home.
How Do You Cook Boiled Eggs So They Peel Easily?
Personally, one of the big downfalls of the traditional boiled eggs method is that my eggs always turn out so dang annoying to peel. When I first made instant pot boiled eggs, I thought the steam worked some magic that made the eggs super easy to peel. Turns out, making hard boiled eggs in the oven ALSO results in shells that are easy to peel! It’s a super convenient method with excellent results.
After baking and then cooling in the ice bath, I simply dried off the shells, then I’d tap an egg on the counter so there was a crack all the way around the shell, and the shell literally slipped right off. For easiest peeling, I recommend peeling your baked hard boiled eggs immediately after the ice bath! But, you’ve also got the option to store them in their shells to peel later—they may just be a bit tougher to peel after chilling in the fridge.
How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven
Cooking hard boiled eggs in the oven is about as easy as it sounds. You put the eggs into a muffin tin, pop them into a preheated oven for 30 minutes, then ice bath and peel! But, every oven and environment is a bit different, so it helps to test out your method on a few eggs first until you’ve got the perfect temperature and time for your kitchen. Here are a few best practices:
- Cook anywhere from 2-12 eggs in the oven at a time. Of course, you can try baking even bigger batches than this—just know that you may need to cook for a longer time with more eggs in the oven at once.
- Interestingly, older eggs seem to work better for this oven baked boiled eggs method. By “older” I just mean 1-2 weeks since purchase (not expired, of course). So, if you’ve got eggs that have been sitting in your fridge for some time, this is a great way to use them up!
- Generally, most recipes recommend letting the eggs come to room temperature before baking them. Personally, I’ve also made baked boiled eggs with eggs straight out of the fridge, and they turned out great!
- Bake in a mini muffin tin to prevent the eggs from rolling around, or even a regular muffin tin with liners.
- Test 2-3 eggs first to gauge the oven temperature. I’ve found that baking for 30 minutes at 325°F (160°C) is perfect for hard boiled eggs in my oven, but others have found that 350°F (180°C) worked better for them. Try it out at 325°F first and adjust if your eggs turn out underdone.
How Long Do I Bake Hard Boiled Eggs vs. Soft Boiled?
As with any method, you can make baked boiled eggs that are hard boiled or soft boiled! All that you need to adjust is your cooking time. With my eggs on the middle oven rack at 325°F (160°C), I find that baking for 30 minutes is perfect for hard boiled eggs.
For soft boiled eggs, bake for only 20 minutes. Or, go anywhere between 20-30 minutes to your desired doneness!
Do You Put Eggs in Cold Water After Boiling?
Short answer: yes! After cooking your boiled eggs in the oven, use tongs to transfer them directlyinto an ice bath. To make an ice bath, simply add some ice into a large bowl and then fill it up with cool water—enough to cover your eggs. Leave them for only 5 minutes,until they’re cool enough for you to handle safely. (Longer than that and they’ll become harder to peel.) Finally, simply remove from the bath and dry the shells. You can store your baked boiled eggs in their shells in the fridge for later, or peel them immediately for easiest peeling!
Tips for Baking Hard Boiled Eggs in Muffin Tin
As mentioned, a mini muffin tin is your best option because the small cavities will prevent your eggs from rolling around. My recommendation is to place your eggs onto each mini muffin cavity sideways, so there’s less surface area touching the tin. You can use a regular size muffin tin, just know that they may still roll around a bit, so it helps to use cupcake liners.
Now, in some cases, due to the heat that transfers onto your muffin tin, your baked hard boiled eggs may end up with some brown markings on the shells. Have no fear—these are harmless! And, more often than not, these brown spots disappear after putting your eggs into the ice bath. But, if you want to prevent these spots altogether, simply use mini cupcake liners or even place your eggs into silicone molds to bake.
Cooking Hard Boiled Eggs without Muffin Tin
Now, what to do if you don’t have any kind of muffin tin? Another option is to place your eggs onto a wire rack on top of a baking sheet, then pop that tray into the oven. Or, if you’re feeling even more minimalist, try cooking your baked hard boiled eggs directly on the oven rack!
Simply place your eggs straight onto the oven rack so they’re secure, carefully slide the rack back into the oven, and bake for the same time and temperature as described. Keep in mind, the oven rack will get very hot so you may end up with some brown spots on the shells, but again—they’re harmless!
Whatever way you choose to get your eggs into the oven, the method is the same. Simple, convenient, and with consistently great results. My oven baked boiled eggs always turn out light and delicious, with shells that are super easy to peel! A great method to use for meal prep or when you want to prep large batches of boiled eggs.
To see how this recipe is made—along with the rest of this breakfast bento box—check out my Bento Box Breakfast & Lunch video!
Baked Hard Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 eggs, older eggs are best for this method, about 1-2 weeks since purchase
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Place eggs in a mini muffin tin to prevent from rolling around. Optional: use mini cupcake liners or silicone molds to prevent browning on the shells.
- Place muffin tin on middle (or mid-to-top) oven rack and cook for 30 minutes. (20 minutes yields runny soft-boiled eggs, 30 minutes yields firm hard-boiled eggs. Go anywhere in between that suits you.)
- Remove tin from oven and transfer eggs directly into an ice bath (a bowl filled with water and ice). Leave 5 minutes, until cooled enough to handle safely. (Don’t leave them in the water for longer or they’ll become harder to peel!)
- Peel immediately for easiest peeling, or keep stored in shell to peel later. (If you notice brown spots on the shells, these should disappear when you put them in cold water.)
- Note on egg temperature: Most recipes recommend letting your eggs come to room temperature before baking, but I’ve also made these with eggs straight out of the fridge and they turned out great.
4 Comments on “Oven Baked Hard Boiled Eggs”
Was super surprised by the outcome!
I agree, Joe! I thought oven baked hard boiled eggs would turn out over hard or too dry, but somehow they turned out perfectly cooked, moist, and flavorful! Thanks for trying the recipe 🙂
I didn’t even know baked hard boiled eggs was a thing until a few days ago, but now this is my favorite method. They turn out perfect and so easy to peel! Thanks!
Marla, YES. Until I’d tried cooking hard boiled eggs in the oven, I had no clue they’d turn out so perfect! Way simpler and more consistent than cooking them in a pot on the stove. Thanks for giving the recipe a try 🙂