Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs

Air fryer hard boiled eggs need no prep and are done in minutes. They’re so easy, you may never cook them any other way! 

You may already be using your air fryer for things like Air Fryer Asparagus, Air Fryer Chicken Breast, and Air Fryer Mushrooms, but have you used it to make hard boiled eggs?

You know how much I love Instant Pot hard boiled eggs, but wow, air fryer hard boiled eggs are worthy of the same attention. You can literally do next to nothing, and get perfect, easy-peel, hard boiled eggs in a matter of minutes.

How do you boil eggs in an air fryer?

Technically, you are gently baking the eggs which achieves the same results as the stove version of hard boiled eggs. There is NO water used to cook eggs in the air fryer. In fact, the dry heat circulates, also called convection heating aka air frying, and cooks the eggs, resulting in soft or hard cooked eggs.

Why we love this method

• You don’t have touch the stove. And there’s no trying to guess when the eggs are ready.
• Any size or style of air fryer will work. Basket or air fryer oven is just fine.
• Easy-to-peel. Like really easy, which makes them ideal for meal-prep or snacking on the go.
• You can make as many or as few eggs as you like. But the temperature and time remains the same, so you don't have to do any math!
• Cook them exactly to your liking. Do you want a mix of hard and soft boiled eggs? My recipe below gives instructions for doing both in the same batch!
• Great for other recipes! Soft boiled eggs are great for ramen and avocado toast. When they're hard boiled, the yolk pops out of the white easily, making them perfect for deviled eggs. You’ll also love them for egg salad, my Easy Dill Potato Salad, or simply for snacking or breakfast on-the-go.

Oh, and I should mention that air fryer hard boiled eggs are also excellent (or egg-celent) for all your Easter holiday meals and egg dyeing needs!

What you'll need

eggs - That's it! You only need eggs to make the perfect air fryer hard boiled eggs! You can use any color and you can use as many as will fit in your cooker, or as few as you like.

salt and pepper - this is optional, of course.

ice water or cold water - this is ONLY used to cool the eggs in a large bowl of water after they have cooked.

How many eggs can you air fry at once?

This really depends on how many eggs you can (and want) to fit in your air fryer. In my basket air fryer, I'm finding that 6-12 eggs is the sweet spot for perfect air fried eggs using the recipe below. Any less than 6 (using said time and temp) and the hard boiled eggs are overcooked and impossible to peel. I haven't tested more than 12 eggs, but if you have, let me know in the comments below!

Which air fryer is best for cooking eggs?

Any air fryer can be used to hard boil the eggs. I'm using my pod-shaped air fryer for the photos you see here, but you can use a large toaster oven style fryer, or this smaller oven.

Please note: Not all air fryers are not created equally, so your cook times may vary from mine listed here. If you're new to the fryer, it helps to keep notes to self while you're warming up to your awesome equipment!

How to make air fryer hard boiled eggs

There are only two steps to making hard boiled eggs in an air fryer! Here’s what you’ll need to do:

To air fry the eggs. Place the eggs in the air fryer basket or tray. I prefer to keep the eggs from rolling and cracking with an egg rack or trivet, but it’s not required.

Set the air fryer to 250ºF and air fry for 13 minutes for soft boiled eggs, or 15 minutes for hard boiled eggs. It's not necessary to preheat your air fryer to hard boil eggs.

To cool the eggs. Remove eggs from the fryer and gently transfer them to an ice water bath, or cold tap water if you don't have ice on hand.

How long do you leave eggs in cold water after boiling?

You should leave the eggs in the cold water bath for at least 5 minutes to fully top the eggs cooking. After this, the hard boiled eggs can be dried off and stored for later use or enjoyed immediately.

Do you peel hard boiled eggs before refrigerating?

It’s up to you, but I recommend leaving the shell intact because it allows you to store them a little bit longer and helps prevent the eggs from absorbing flavors/odors from other items stored in the fridge. This can yield better taste and quality.

How to store

Refrigerate air fryer hard boiled eggs for up to a week if they’re unpeeled, or up to 5 days if they’re peeled.