Perfect Air Fryer Eggs – Hard or Soft Boiled
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Air fryer eggs, my new favorite way to “boil” eggs for meal prep! It’s as easy as can be to make either hard boiled, soft boiled, and jammy eggs in the air fryer. Learn how to do it right, with all the tips and tricks to get your eggs exactly how you like them!
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My air fryer has become my new kitchen best friend. I use It for everything from roasted potatoes to homemade tortilla chips to pork tenderloin! I even put together an Air fryer cook times chart to reference whenever I’m cooking.
And now I’m using my air fryer to take my weekly meal prep to the next level, by making perfect “boiled” eggs. Now it will definitely take some experimenting to master air fryer eggs, but once you do, you’ll be able to make them exactly the way you like them, every single time!
Learn how to cook anything in your air fryer with our free cook time chart!
Cooked one brown and one white egg exactly as described for hard boiled, 270 degrees F for 15 minutes, and both came out perfect! I was a little apprehensive about putting cold eggs in a preheated air fryer for fear of my eggs breaking from extreme temperature change, but they came out great! Thanks for a new a way of cooking eggs. This is a game changer.
–Laura
Air frying cooks the eggs evenly and without any work or mess at all, making my weekly meal prep a breeze! I like to keep a dozen in my fridge for quick breakfasts or Deviled Eggs on the fly.
But best of all, air fried eggs are incredibly easy to peel. I’ve tried EVERY SINGLE trick, and these eggs are by far the easiest to peel… It’s almost like they peel themselves. I don’t know the science behind this, but I suspect it’s because the dry heat and convection naturally pulls the shell from the membrane as they cook.
And I’m showing you how to make soft boiled, jammy, and hard boiled eggs, so whatever way you like them, you can make them!
🍳 Instructions
First, preheat your air fryer. I set my air fryer to a low temperature to mimic a simmering pot of water, like what you’d set eggs in when boiling eggs.
Next, add your eggs to the air fryer basket or rack. As best you can, leave space between each egg. It’s normal if they roll a bit, but this allows the air to circulate properly. Place the basket back into the air fryer and cook.
⏱️ Cook Times
- Soft Boiled Eggs: 9-10 minutes
- Jammy Eggs: 11-13 minutes
- Hard Boiled Eggs: 14-15 minutes
Last, remove the eggs and set them immediately into an ice bath. What’s an ice bath? An ice bath is just a bowl filled with ice and cold water. Submerging the eggs in the ice cold water stops the cooking process quickly, that way you have full control over the doneness of your eggs.
Lastly, when the eggs are cool but not yet chilled, remove them, crack the shells and peel. I recommend starting at the bottom/fattest part of the egg, because that’s usually where the air bubble forms.
💡 Tips
- Leave some space: Because the air fryer uses convection to cook, the air needs to circulate in order to cook evenly. As best you can, leave a little space between each egg and don’t overfill the air fryer. My air fryer basket has grooves that the eggs sit in nicely to keep them from rolling around.
- Experiment with cook times: There are a lot of factors that influence air frying cooking times! The strength of your air fryer, its temperature settings, the size and fullness of your basket, as well as the size of the eggs you use will all play into the equation.
Use this as a reference to guide your cooking, but do expect there to be a learning curve. Plan to experiment a bit to find the ideal cook time for the eggs you like, so start by cooking one or two eggs until you get a handle on it.
- If the yolk has a green ring around it: That usually happens when eggs are cooked too long or at too high of a temperature. It’s not appetizing but they are totally safe to eat. Next time, shorten the cook time a bit.
- To get centered yolks: Turn your carton of eggs on its side in the refrigerator for about a day. When they cook, the yolks will stay more centered, which is perfect for presentation in recipes like deviled eggs.
🥚Storing
Peel the eggs, but do not cut them until you’re ready to eat them. Transfer the cooked eggs to an airtight container or bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, per USDA.
I don’t recommend freezing boiled eggs, although it’s possible to do, and I’ve heard of some people doing it with success. But I’ve found that once you defrost frozen eggs, the whites tend to get mushy and watery, and the yolks get very mealy. Instead, I recommend air frying a fresh batch weekly or whenever you run out.
👩🍳 Recipes
Now that you’ve got all these boiled eggs, what to do with them? Well there are just So. Many. Options!
Of course boiled eggs are fabulous all on their own, with just a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning or sea salt. But I’d also recommend trying my Egg Salad with Bacon (pictured above!), Chicken Caesar Salad, or Smoked Salmon & Eggs Platter, or maybe try a fun Potato Salad recipe! As a bonus, all of those recipes are Whole30 compatible and Keto friendly.
Okay, all that’s left now is to grab your air fryer and start cooking!
Let me know what you think: Drop a star rating below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom!
Air Fryer Eggs – Hard or Soft Boiled
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs for small, medium or jumbo eggs, see notes
Video
Instructions
Preheat Your Air Fryer
- Preheat your air fryer to 270° F to 275° F (132-135°C) for 5 minutes. If your air fryer doesn't go lower in temperature than 300° F, set it to 300° F (148°C). Important note: We find that testing 1 egg first will help you to find the exact time that works for your air fryer and preference.
Cook the Eggs
- Add the eggs to the basket, leaving a little space between each one. Close the air fryer.
- Cook at 270ºF (132ºC) for your desired time and doneness. For soft boiled eggs, cook for 9-11 minutes. For jammy eggs, cook 12-13 minutes. For hard boiled eggs, cook for 13-15 minutes. If you set your air fryer to 300° F (148°C), subtract about 1-2 minutes from your desired cook level listed above.Remember, you'll need to practice a bit to figure out how long to cook in your particular air fryer.
Ice Bath
- While the eggs cook, prepare the ice bath. Fill a bowl halfway with ice, then add cold water until the bowl is ¾ filled.
- Remove the eggs from the air fryer with tongs and set them in the ice bath for about 4-5 minutes, until cool to the touch but not ice cold (this makes them easier to peel).
Peel Eggs
- Gently crack the egg shells, rolling them a bit along a hard surface to make cracks along all sides. Peel and enjoy right away or store for later. Be sure to refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.
I have to say that I don’t understand why most people use the airfryer to “boil” eggs… With pre-hearing and then cooking it took me almost twice the time I normally use.
If u have an induction stove or gas there is no pluss in using the airfryer instead.
Normally it takes me a total of 8min to get a soft boils egg. 2min to get the water boiling and 6min for the egg. And to prevent the egg shell from breaking, put some salt in the water.
And come on… Washing up? U cooked some water… The pan is clean 😝
Nope. Airfryer cooked eggs… Not gonna replace the pan here 🤪
Hi Angela, thank you for the feedback. I totally understand your point of view- I sometimes cook my eggs on the stovetop, sometimes in the Instant pot, and sometimes in the air fryer.. It just depends on what’s going on that day. I will say a lot of people I’ve heard from choose to air fry traditionally boiled or steamed foods, because many places in the country are experiencing drought and they’re looking for ways to cut back on water in any way they can. There are others who don’t have access to cooktops and want to find versatile ways to use plug-in appliances like an air fryer. Hope that’s helpful! 🙂 -Laura
It’s great for us. We have an Aga that we try to turn off over summer – so this allows us to have eggs without waiting for the Aga to reheat – that saves us an hour and loads of energy. Thank you to the author for the instructions.
Followed your instructions. 2/4 burst. The other 2 were delicious. Help!
Hi Laura. I’m glad half of your eggs worked out well and I’m surprised to hear that about the other 2 eggs!! I wonder if they were chilled or at room temperature before you started cooking the eggs?
Hi Laura, I’m glad 2 of your eggs were delicious, and I’m sorry and surprised that 2 of the eggs burst! What type of air fryer are you using? -Laura
l just tried it and it’s LOVELY, the perfect boiled eggs l ever cooked. the eggs were evenly cooked and softer than usual
l was surprised by the temperature of the air fryer, l thought 270 F (130C) is so low. because l measure mine with celsius l miss calculate it and set it on 230F (110C) for 14 min lol, however it turned out great
Hi Tedi! I’m thrilled to hear you had such a great experience with the recipe, and thank you for sharing how you did it! 🙂 -Laura
Cooked one brown and one white egg exactly as described for hard boiled, 270 degrees F for 15 minutes, and both came out perfect! I was a little apprehensive about putting cold eggs in a preheated air fryer for fear of my eggs breaking from extreme temperature change, but they came out great! Thanks for a new a way of cooking eggs. This is a game changer.
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m thrilled to hear your eggs came out perfectly!!! 🙂 -Laura
Thanks cook at home mom, your recipe was so accurate, thanks to others who reply I’m very new at this only got my fryer yesterday.
Hi Brenda, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind words. 🙂 -Laura
LOVE your tip about hitting the egg at bottom first. I’ll never do it any other way! 🙂🙂🙂
Hi Carrina, I’m so glad it was helpful!! That’s the only way I do it too! 🙂 -Laura
This is the most perfect way to boil eggs. I won’t be boiling them in a pot with water ever again. Simple, easy, and delicious.
Hi Leora, Thank you for sharing your experience! I prefer cooking my eggs this way to boiling them, too! 🙂 -Laura
I FINALLY tried eggs in the air fryer. Your tips helped a lot, my air fryer only goes down to 300ºF. I wanted to make sure that my yolks were cooked well enough as it was for egg salad. I overdid them a little, so you definitely have to do some test runs. My yolks were good, but my whites got a little brown. Next run I’ll take the time down a little more, by another minute or two. But this is seriously the best and easiest and fastest way to do it.
Thank you for the recipe and the tips Laura!
Hi Sharla, Thank you so much for sharing this information! I’m glad to hear the method worked well for you! 🙂 -Laura
I tried this and found the egg shells broke into a million pieces as I peeled them. The membrane seemed stuck to the egg. Shame, as I wanted it to work as well as it did from the instant pot where they peeled so easy every time. Sorry, but that you for the information.
Hi Phillip, I’m sorry the eggs were difficult to peel. It sounds to me that it may have to do with the freshness of the eggs. Using very fresh eggs will almost always result in difficult-to-peel eggs. It’s best to wait a few weeks if you’re using fresh eggs. Hope that helps! -Laura
How long does the preheat take?
Hi Patti, I have a few different air fryers and it tends to take about 5 minutes. 🙂 -Laura
6 eggs at 275 for 12 minutes delivered uncooked whites and still as difficult to peel, after a 10 minute cold bath, as when I boil them. Wonder what I did wrong ??
Hi Liz, Did you preheat your air fryer first? -Laura
Not sure what kind of magic air fryer you have, but I followed the directions for soft boiled eggs to a T and had to throw all 6 away….Impossible to peel. Just made a mess.
Hi Kathy, I’m sorry your eggs were so difficult to peel! In my experience, when eggs are especially hard to peel that usually has more to do with the eggs themselves than with the cooking method I use. If you’re using fresh eggs from a farm, you should wait at least 2 weeks before boiling them. Fresh eggs are notoriously impossible to peel. -Laura
Hi Laura
We go thru a dozen soft-hard cooked eggs weekly and your techniques are the BEST. Aftrer many frustrating efforts with the Insta Pot, I went back to cooking them steamed on the stove, per America’s Test Kitchen. (a fool-proof method but a bit time-consuming).
I have to asume that your times reflect using cold eggs. I get mine form the fridge, so 11 min. jam eggs are perfect (our favorite- so tender!). Thank you for doing the good, hard work. I appreciate you!
Hi D, I’m so thrilled to hear this method worked so well for you!! Thank you so much for the kind words and review. 🙂 -Laura
Wot do you put eggs in to cook
Hi Kevin! You can place the eggs directly in the air fryer basket. 🙂 -Laura
I plan on trying this in a day or two, but just out of curiosity (& if you know) do these peel as easily as Instant Pot eggs? I’ve never gotten the timing down on Instabt pot eggs (probably because I bought an 8. Qt) but they peel amazingly well. I’m trying to find the best cooked, easiest peeking eggs 🙂
Hi Jeff! I’ve found they peel easier than eggs in the instant pot. Fresh eggs are notoriously hard to peel so if you’re using farm fresh eggs, be sure to wait a while before cooking them. 🙂 -Laura
When you say you set the air fryer to a low temperature, what do you mean? What temperature do you set it to?
Hi Kathy! Great question. It’s a little complicated to explain, but read the instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post so you can determine how long to cook at what temperature. Because different air fryers have different lowest temperatures, there are a few different ways to make these eggs based on the air fryer you’ll be using. 🙂 -Laura
Worked out great. Easiest boiled eggs ever! Hubs said they were very tasty. Thanks
Hi Lori! I’m so excited to hear that- thank you for sharing! 🙂 -Laura
Can’t wait to try this just got my first air fryer these things are awesome! Thanks for the instructions!
Hi Matt! Yay, that’s awesome! Let me know if there’s anything I can help with. And have you seen my printable air fryer cheat sheet? It’s good for quick referencing/rule of thumb cooking. 🙂 -Laura
I tried that with 3 eggs. The first one was a bit difficult to peel, the second one easy and the third one was so bad I nearly threw it out. Shell went into what felt like a million pieces and took parts of the egg with it. I’m going back to buying the eggs already hard cooked and shelled from the grocery store they aren’t that expensive and much easier to deal with.
Hi Judi, It definitely takes some experimenting. If you find something that works for you, then that’s great. 🙂 -Laura
Only a couple week old eggs peel easily. The ones that don’t peel are very fresh. No cooking method will change the fact that a fresh egg has not had time to absorb air to make the membrane come away from the shell. I have chickens and only use eggs that were set aside for 2 weeks to make any kind of cooked in shell eggs.
Thank you! My mom has hens at her farm she is always giving me fresh eggs. Great tip!
Hi Lonnie! I’m so glad you can use this recipe!! There’s nothing like farm fresh eggs. Farm eggs are notorious for being hard to peel – usually waiting 1-2 weeks after laying helps make them easier to peel after cooking. -Laura
What’s 375 – mine only goes up to 200
Hi Donna! I’d recommend double checking your air fryer because it should have a max temperature of at least 400F, with a lowest temperature setting of somewhere between 250-300°F. Let me know if that helps at all! 🙂 -Laura
Hi Donna
Your air fryer is in Celsius and not in Fahrenheit.
You need to convert from F to C.
I have a worktop midi oven with airfryer option on the temperature control, it is either on or off only the traditional oven settings have a Temperature option, going to just try airfrying some eggs with other items which I know will cook in there
Hi Bear, I’d guess that the air fryer setting is the same as the convection setting some ovens have, meaning it will circulate the air with a fan as it cooks. Please let us know how it turns out! 🙂 -Laura
Hi Donna,
It sounds like your air fryer is in celsius, not fahrenheit (I think fahrenheit is more common in the USA) – 375F is equivalent to around 190C
The temperatures on this recipe are in Fahrenheit. My guess is that your air fryer goes up to 200 degrees Celsius. So 375 in Fahrenheit would be 190 celsius!
I suspect your air fryer is in Celsius versus Farenheit. As reference, 350 F is 180 C.
When eggs are very fresh, they are difficult to peel. Older eggs are easyer to peel
Do you leave the eggs out of the fridge for a period of time before placing in the air fryer?
Hi Martha, Great question! I do not leave it out first. 🙂 -Laura