The information in this post will change your life.....well, it did for me and a few of my friends. Keep reading to learn how to boil farm fresh eggs so they peel easily.
I never knew there was a difference between hard boiling farm fresh eggs and hard boiling eggs that you buy in a supermarket. All I knew is that I wasn't very good at hard boiling eggs... period.
Up until about 2 years ago, I really didn't know how to hard boil farm fresh eggs or any kind of eggs for that matter.
I was boiling my eggs and usually throwing away half of the whites because they would be stuck to the shell. I finally got fed up with it and decided there must be a better way.
And so I began my search to find the best way to hard boil farm fresh eggs.
So I sat at my computer, probably like you did to get here and typed into the all knowing google search engine "how to boil farm fresh eggs."
Let me tell you, I ran across a bunch of different ways claiming to know the secrets on how to boil eggs so they peel easily.
Most of them were pinterest fails. Yup. The eggs were either cooked too long, or I lost half of the egg when I went to peel them.
So this Wednesday I got my hair done (thank you Mel, I was in dire need) and I asked my hair dresser if she had any extra eggs. She has the cutest little chickens in her back yard and they are super kid friendly.
I was in luck. She had a couple extra dozen eggs, so I gladly took a dozen off her hands 🙂
Aren't these the cutest chickens you've ever seen! They aren't even bothered by the cat and the kids love them!
The picture below is of the eggs from the hen house put directly into the egg carton without being washed off to make them last longer. You need to wash them when you are ready to cook them.
Are you ready yet for my secret on peeling hard boiled farm fresh eggs?
It works flawlessly!
BUT.....with my method you need to peel all of the farm fresh eggs. You can't leave them in the fridge with the shell on after they've already been cooked. You'll lose half of your egg!
How to Boil Farm Fresh Eggs
- First get a large sauce pan with a tight-fitting lid. Next put desired eggs in the saucepan. Then fill the saucepan with room temp water about 1 inch above egg.
- After that, add 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar. You may also substitute for white vinegar. Next, cover saucepan and turn on high. Then bring to a boil (covered) and boil for 1 minute.
- Next, completely remove from heat for 1 minute (Leave you burner on high and place saucepan off to the side). Then add the saucepan back to heat and boil for 1 minute.
- Next, turn the heat down to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Still don't remove lid.
- After 10 minutes remove the saucepan from the burner and drain off the water. Put cold water and ice in the saucepan.I tend to put 3-4 cups of ice, just enough to cool the water down so the ice isn't completely melted
- After about 10 minutes, remove the eggs from the ice bath and start shucking, and shuck them all immediately or they will be full of craters.
How to peel hard boiled eggs
For amazingly easy peel hard boiled eggs, soak them in a cold water bath after boiling. After about 10 minutes, gently tap the eggs on a hard surface to crack the shell. Now, your hard boiled farm fresh eggs should be super easy to peel!
How long to cook hard boiled eggs
With my method to cook hard boiled eggs, it takes about 13 minutes.
Hard boiled egg calories
A large, plain hard boiled egg contains about 78 calories.
How long are hard boiled eggs good for?
Before drying out and becoming tough, the best hard boiled eggs are eaten within a week of boiling.
How long do farm fresh eggs last?
Farm fresh eggs can sit out at room temperature for about a month before they need to be refrigerated. But if it’s maximum flavor and freshness you want, I would recommend eating them within the first 2 weeks.
Do farm fresh eggs need to be refrigerated?
If they have been washed, farm fresh eggs should be refrigerated to keep them fresh and protect them from bacteria. This is because when washed, the protective natural coating (bloom) on the eggs is stripped, leaving the fresh eggs vulnerable.
If your farm fresh eggs have not been washed, they can sit at room temperature until you are ready to eat them, or about a month before refrigeration is recommended.
******UPDATE********
Since I originally wrote this post, I bought an Instant Pot - and wow is it a life changer!
How to hard boil farm fresh eggs in an Instant Pot
You can actually cook farm fresh eggs perfectly in the Instant Pot! It's way easier than this stove top method if you have one or a different pressure cooker.
I use the 5-5-5 method.
You first cook the eggs for 5 minutes under high pressure. Then you let the Instant Pot perform a 5 minute natural pressure release.
Next you carefully release the rest of the pressure. After that place the eggs in an ice bath for 5 minutes.
Then peel all of your eggs. I've noticed if you don't peel the eggs before transferring them to the fridge that they sometimes stick to the whites.
I also bought an air fryer! I wrote a whole post about how to make hard boiled eggs in an air fryer as well!
How to Boil Farm Fresh Eggs So They Peel Easily
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 6 cups water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
- Lots of ice cubes
Instructions
- First get a large sauce pan with a tight-fitting lid
- Put desired eggs in the saucepan.
- Fill the saucepan with room temp water about 1 inch above egg.
- Add 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar. You may also substitute for white vinegar.
- Cover saucepan and turn on high
- Bring to a boil (covered) and boil for 1 minute.
- Completely remove from heat for 1 minute (Leave you burner on high and place saucepan off to the side).
- Add the saucepan back to heat and boil for 1 minute.
- Turn the heat down to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Still don't remove lid.
- After 10 minutes remove the saucepan from the burner and drain off the water.
- Put cold water and ice in the saucepan
- I tend to put 3-4 cups of ice, just enough to cool the water down so the ice isn't completely melted
- After about 10 minutes, remove the eggs from the ice bath and start shucking, and shuck them all immediately or they will be full of craters.
Nutrition
Annmarie
I have had the same issues peeling hard boiled fresh eggs!!! Thanks so much for the tips, you're a life saver!
Lara
No problem! I hope this helps!
Linda
I have tried your method and it does not work! I haven't found anything that does besides leaving them in the fridge for a month after washing first.
Lara
Hi Linda, I'm so sorry you had this experience. It's always worked for me and it works for farm fresh duck eggs as well.
Claire
I tried this and it was amazing how easily my eggs from my chickens peeled. Perfectly cooked as well. Thank you
Lara
I'm so happy to hear that!
R.E.W
Try steaming. You will need a large stock pot, or a Veg. steamer and/or a colander. Place enough water in the stock pot to barely reach the bottom of the colander when it is placed inside the stock pot. Bring the water to a full boil, and place the eggs in the colander inside the stock pot. Steam for 20 minutes, and plunge the eggs into ice water. When cold, refrigerate until needed.
To peel, roll the egg gently on the counter top. Start with the large end, pick open the shell (tearing the membrane inside.) Peel a strip down one side, shell and membrane, all the way to the bottom. The rest of the shell will slip right off like a jacket. Works every time!
Nancy B
didn't work, but made perfect soft boiled eggs!
Mary Stroud
Mine didn’t work either- fresh farm eggs are a pain to peel.
Teddy D
Didn't work for me either, eggs were full of craters and worse than any other time I've tried it.
Kim
Followed to the T....still have a train wreck of a mess!
Kristen
It's hit or miss. I've tried all kinds of ways and sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. I even get some that peel well and some that don't when cooked in the same kettle. Also, older eggs seem to peel better. If you can just get under the membrane they will peel but that is hard to do. I used the cook-and-put-in-ice-water method and wound up with a mess. 4 eggs and 4 failures. For some reason, our 20 chickens love hard-boiled eggs, so the failures go to them.
Lisa
Trying it now girl
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home
I use this method to boil any kind of eggs. If I"m diligent, it works great!
Cutest ever puppy!
erin
I cannot wait to try this method- I too struggle with my fresh eggs. Darling puppy, goodness I want to snuggle that puppy face 🙂
Lara
It's the eyes...those puppy eyes are to die for!
Crystal
I may not have the required focus for this process, but I will have to give it a try. We have an ENTIRE fridge of eggs that we can't get sold fast enough and I need to do something with them!
Lara
I know it is a bit of a hassle but they are worth the trouble 🙂
Marie Drew
I have the same issue and today I started making and freezing "egg rounds" to make breakfast sandwiches. I may have to start selling 'breakfast for dinner' to passing motorists. My tag line can be "McDonald's stopped serving at 10:30 am, but you can get a better sandwich here any time of day." lol
Lara
hahaha love it!
Elle
I start my eggs in cold water that barely covers them with some white vinegar added to it. I bring them to the boil and then turn off the heat and leave them for about 15 minutes. Perfect every time and very easy. Store bought or farm fresh... they all work the same way.
Cute pictures!
Lara
Awesome! I will have to try that. Sounds so much simpler!
Janet cross
Wow I am trying this right now!! Thank You!
Lara
Awesome! Let me know how it works.
Jh
Covered or non covered jh
Janet
How do you cool them
courtney s ruckel
Do you still soak them in cold water after the 15 minutes?
Lara
I do an ice bath 🙂
AJ @ NutriFitMama
Sounds like the perfect way to boil eggs 🙂 CUTE puppy btw!
Margo
PUPPIES!!!!! Sorry those picture are so darn cute I am just "squeeing" like crazy here. 🙂
Ange @ Cowgirl Runs
I hadn't heard of the ACV trick. I add in baking soda to the water and that also helps when I'm peeling eggs after hard boiling them. I hate it when I lose half the egg.
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running
Thanks for sharing these tips! My husband is a huge fan of hard boiled eggs, so I'll definitely be sharing this post with him.
Mar @ Mar on the Run
always helpful to know how to perfect egg boiling! oh and cutest puppy in the world!
Marcia
Great, simple tip for boiling eggs! OMG Stella is SO cute! All the best with her!
Farrah
Thank you for this! <3 I'm planning on getting pet chickens once I'm done moving all around the country, so this will definitely come in handy! 😀
Larisa Dixon (@0to26point2)
Wow. Great tips. Thanks! We have chickens and I can't wait for them to start producing eggs. 😉
jill conyers
I didn't realize there was a difference between store bought and farm fresh with hard boiled eggs. Probably because I don't have the opportunity to buy farm fresh. I'm still mastering the art of boiling eggs. Sometimes the shell sticks and sometimes it comes off perfectly and I can't figure out why.
Amy
The older the egg the easier it is to peel. Which is also why the difference in farm fresh eggs and store eggs. Store eggs are anywhere from 1-2 MONTHS old before you buy them. Therefore easier to peel.
Starla J @ Pressing In and Pressing On
wow! I needed this!! 🙂
GiGi Eats
LOVE ME some hard boiled EGGS! I have a ton in my fridge! 🙂
Anna
I'm glad I stumbled upon your post, my Easter is coming up (Orhodox) and I can definitely use these tips for making Easter eggs.
Lara
Awesome! I hope my tricks work for you!
Rachel
Yum! Great tips. Thanks for sharing.
I am totally jelly of your farm fresh eggs... in yoru back yard! 🙂
Lara
Not my back yard, I wish! My hair dresser hooks me up though 🙂
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth
I usually boil mine for a minute and remove from the heat for 6-7 minutes. I'll have to try this way the next time I make boiled eggs though. Thanks for the tips!
Lara
Does this work on super fresh eggs?
Sharon Rowe
Great tip! Thanks for sharing on Monday Madness link party 🙂
Lara
Thanks!
Janna
AMAZING! I've dreaded the egg boiling/peeling sessions with my free range chicken eggs. I've gone so far to buy store eggs for hard boiling because I always end up loosing my egg whites! Today I tried your method and I ended up with a dozen perfectly peeled eggs.
Amanda
Good to know! Trying this for Deviled Eggs this weekend! 🤞🏼🤞🏼
Elynn c.
Thanks so much for this post. My eggs never turn out right
Kathy
Worked perfectly..thank you so much..my friend has been supplying me with fresh eggs from her chickens..so many that I have to boil some..God bless you
Lara
I'm so glad it worked great for you!
Amanda
Trying this in 2021! Thank you!!
Lara
you're welcome!
Emily Green
Wow! My silkie pullet started laying and I had 9 of her eggs saved up (I hadn't eaten a single one because I wanted to do something special!) I was so scared of messing them up by hard boiling but I followed your directions exactly (except I only simmered for 6-7 mins because they are banty eggs) and they were PERFECT. Thank you!!
Amanda
Great to hear this too!! I have lots on silkie eggs☺️
Holly
Wow! This worked beautifully. I’m so happy to have a fool proof method now. THANK YOU!
Lara
So glad it worked great for you too!
ROBIN HOLT
I tried this method of hard boiling my very fresh organic chicken eggs and they mostly all came out great. I did boil 2 dozen because I have my own flock of hens and a lot of eggs and refuse to buy eggs from the store to hard boil them so they peel good. Well I'd say out of 24 eggs, 3 were a bit harder to peel and some of the white came off with the shell but not much (maybe this method works best with 1 dozen not 2 like I used). So all in all, I'd say this worked for me far better than other methods I tried in the past. I recommend giving it a try on your FRESH eggs. Thank you for sharing this "remedy" to easily peel very fresh organic eggs without destroying the egg whites. Take care, God bless and be safe.
Aundrea Dee Dee Feezell
It worked !!!
Lara
Glad it worked for you too!
keri
i had to come and write a review because i have tried so many different methods to boil fresh eggs and this one worked AMAZING!! every egg came out perfect! highly reccomend!! thank you!
Lara
I'm so happy it worked great for you!
Janelle Wilkinson
OH MY GOSH!!! IT WORKED!!!! I’m so happy. For sooo many years, I’ve been bringing deviled eggs to friends with horrible looking whites. These will be perfect!! Thank you! This is amazing!!!
Lara
YAY! It's a life changer!
Lori
I use this method every time now and it works!! Thank you for posting this - made my life a bit easier! 😊
Lara
Hi Lori! I'm so glad it worked great for you!
Betty
It really works! Thank you!!
Kaila
I followed the instructions exactly, and unfortunately it just didn't work for me. The shells stuck terribly. Not to say this won't work for someone else but it just didn't for me. Thank you for the effort, it was worth a try!
Bill
same results here. Room Temp farm fresh eggs from yesterdays nest ox and I followed the directions to a T! Unfortunately, Almost every single egg had the whites stick to the shell, nit even 1 perfect egg...lol. Back to the drawing Board i go;)
Judith Munson
it worked! only 2 out of 10 didn't peel easily -- thank you!
Lara
so glad!
Susie
My grandma was an old fashioned farm woman. She always said the weather had a part in the success or failure of hard boiling eggs. Her method was as you describe, she never bought a store egg as she always had chickens.
I learned years ago with store bought eggs to buy at least a couple of weeks before Easter so they would boil and peel easier, and give the kids ample time to have fun dyeing them!
Elizabeth Moroney
Worked perfectly thank you
Lara
So glad!
Lockard
But who? who? who? would want an icy cold egg for breakfast? Not me lol Sooo I just boil it and cut the top end off and scoop it out with a spoon 🙂
Lara
Haha, eggs aren't just for breakfast! But when you give them an ice bath you aren't keeping it in there for long and the eggs are still warm. But, I mainly use hard boiled eggs to make egg salad, or eat them cold as a snack with a dash of salt and pepper 🙂
DN
Highly disappointed. This method did not work for our chickens’ eggs. Guess I will keep searching for a method that actually works.
Lara
I'm sorry it did not work for you! It's worked for me over 20+ times as well as for many others. Have you tried making them in the Instant Pot? That's another good method as well.
Carrot
Hi I am interested in trying your method, with farm fresh eggs. Are the eggs at room temperature or are they from the refrigerator before you start?
Lara
I've done them both ways before 🙂
Amber
This recipe was gold! It worked perfectly like a charm! I was really nervous because I heard how fresh Eggs usually break apart and you lose the white. I had beautiful eggs!
Lara
I'm so glad it worked for you!!
whit_sick
It was a cold winter day in late January in the year of our lord 2022. I was having a discussion with a co-worker, bordering on friend, when he made the ridiculous statement that farm fresh eggs don't hard boil the same as store bought.
I didn't believe his ridiculous statement, so I naturally moved to google. Sure enough he wasn't bluffing.
Next was the search to find a method that made them hard boil like they should.
I found this recipe to fix the problem. 36, 5 star reviews. I'm in.
As we reviewed the recipe, the excitement began to heighten as he had never tried this method.
We moved to the review section of the recipe, where doubt began to flood my psyche. The reason why I gained doubt on the subject was because of all the reviews that either they hadn't tried the recipe at all, or they only commented on the cuteness of the chickens and or puppies.
There were some actual anecdotes of the usefulness of this recipe so we decided to give it a go. Just for clarity this recipe should have about 12, 5 star reviews.
My co-worker/friend tried the recipe 2 days ago, and I couldn't believe that these eggs were berthed on a farm.
They appeared to be EGGactly the same as store bought eggs.
He will also provide a review about his experience. I recommend checking out his review.
I also recommend trying this recipe. And I give this 5 Stars.
Joe
Lara, Lara, Lara... I found your recipe slightly more than moderately useful. I completed the task of boiling 7 farm fresh eggs in a time of 33 minutes. I found it to be impossible to complete the task in the time you stated it should take. Also, it produced what I am going to estimate to be 92% of egg white remaining to shell removal efficiency. Obviously, one would hope for a 100% removal of shell with no damage done to the egg white. With that being said, I may be responsible for some of the damage done to the egg white. I had a bad day at work, my children were annoying me, and I was a few beers in. If I were performing this task under optimal conditions, I assume the percentage of undamaged egg white would go up, which is the reason I gave you 4 generous stars. Thank you for your help.
CJ
Sorry, this did not work at all for me. Followed recipe to a tee.
My eggs were about a week old also.
Melissa
Hi Lara! Great technique! Worked a charm on fresh store bought eggs. They don't usually peel easily for me but, this worked! I used regular white vinegar. The eggs had the perfect colour and texture just like the ones in your photo. I will use this system from now on. Thank you many times over!
Jenni
My eggs were between 1-2weeks old and turned out ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!!
Lara
So happy it worked for you!
Kristy
A gentle boil? A rolling boil? A temperature perfect boil?
Kathy Dumas
A game changer!! This worked better than any method I have tried in the past! Thank you!!
Lara
So glad you loved this method!
Patricia
Lara,
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first time my eggs were flawless. It’s so Easy to follow and the results were wonderful. This will be my go to from now on. I am also sharing with my friends. Thanks again.
Lara
I'm so glad you loved it!
Tina
Worked awesome!! All 2 doz of them peeled like a charm! I’ve tried many methods with our farm fresh eggs. This worked the best! Thanks so much for the recipe! 😁
Roxanne
I boiled 13 fresh eggs (yesterdays) and thought I followed the directions, 9 peeled well but 4 ended up to be used for egg salad. Not all bad, but not what I wanted them for. I'll try again and hope.
Erica
This is perfection!! I rarely hard boil my fresh eggs because it always a hot mess 😭. This recipe worked perfectly!!!!! Thank you!!!!!
Lara
So glad this worked for you! It was a game changer for me as well :
)
Carolyn
Did not work following this method. Had to garbage 20 eggs 😞. I was very disappointed it did not work. I won’t be trying this method again.
Lara
I'm sorry it did not work for you! It's worked for me and others countless times. An Instant Pot or Air Fryer are other options too.
Bonnie
Lara, just tried this and it worked perfectly!
Lara
So glad it worked well for you!
Jennifer Smith
Used this method and it worked on the green eggs, but not the brown. I followed directions but alas, I still lost a lot of egg. Next time, my daughter needs to bring me only the green colored eggs for hard boiled!
David
I just boiled a dozen fresh eggs using this method and it worked like a charm. Now I have fresh chicken salad and egg salad 👍🤠
Lara
That's great! So glad you had success with my method!
Sarah Glass
Vinegar is the key! However, fresh eggs have a natural protective coating called a “bloom” and washing eggs removes the coating and can actually cause bacteria to be pushed into the egg. Safest practice is never wash fresh eggs (or store bought eggs) before cooking with them. Nature has already taken care of everything!
Mary Litchfield
Thank you!!!! This is a game changer for sure! I followed your instructions and my jumbo farm fresh eggs peeled beautifully. With egg prices skyrocketing…. Farm fresh eggs are cheaper and better for you! They taste amazing 😋
Lara
So happy it worked for you! And yes super market eggs are skyrocketing! About $5 a dozen here in MI, but you can get farm fresh eggs for around $3 and they taste wayyyy better too!
Christy
Curious about your Instapot version - do you add the water and cider vinegar before pressure cooking or just put eggs in there? Thanks! Trying your stovetop method now.
Lara
For the instant pot you put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the instant pot. then put a trivet in the pot and put the eggs on top. then put the lid on and make sure it's sealed. then set the timer to 5 minutes. then let it natural release for 5 minutes then ice bath for 5 minutes.
Marie Drew
I just used the Instant Pot method to make devilled eggs for the football game today. Worked perfectly!
Cindy
I struggle with hard boil eggs! Came across this and gave it a try with my fresh farm eggs. AMAZING!!! I don't normally comment on things but this is a life changer for me! Thanks Lara
Samantha
Every one of the 8 eggs I did cracked. Definitely will not be using this method again...
Marie
I wished that worked. I followed the detailed instructions accordingly and accurately.
Lara
I'm so sorry it did not work for you! It's worked for most people but not all that have tried it. Using the Instant Pot is another method. I have it on my blog and it's called the 5-5-5 method if you want to give it a try.
Theresa Kaul
Marie get an egg steamer. They have them at Walmart and many other places. They work like a charm!
Theresa Kaul
Another way along the same lines that I discovered by accident is to buy an egg cooker/steamer from Walmart or wherever. It has a piercing tool that you use for the larger side of the egg and it steams them. Simple, fuss free and the shell comes off so easily.
Kay Crisler
This does not work. I followed the directions to the minute and every detail as stated. Of the 17 I cooked, one exploded and only 5 peeled well. The rest were a mess. We have had laying chickens since 2007 and I am always interested in new recipes for hard boiling. The most trusted way to get good hard boiled eggs is leave them in the fridge for about two weeks or longer before hard boiling.
Pat
Was excited to try this method for hard boiling my farm fresh eggs and sticking when peeling is always a problem unless they are older eggs and even then, I still have issues. Funny thing, with the brown eggs the shells practically fell off the eggs once I cracked them. Worked like a charm. The white eggs the shells still stuck and were a pain to peel. Not a smooth one in the bunch. But this works well enough to try again. Thanks.
FK
I just tried it! Works amazing! Thank you! I wasted a whole dozen last week 😩 they weren’t cooked all the way in the middle!
Lara
So glad it worked for you!
Bill Barr
Followed exactly didn’t work don’t waste time on this idea
Ellen
Thank you, it worked perfectly!
Lara
So glad it worked for you! Such a game-changer!