Food Cooking Tips & Techniques I Tried That Viral Hack for Making Hard-Boiled Eggs in the Air Fryer, and My Life Is Changed Spoiler alert: Yes, it DOES work! Here’s how to try it yourself. By Maki Yazawa Maki Yazawa Maki Yazawa is a food writer at Well+Good and a former food writer at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 1, 2023 Fact checked by Isaac Winter Fact checked by Isaac Winter Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated. Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department. Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala, for two years. Our Fact-Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email Real talk: Making perfect hard-boiled eggs can feel like too much of a hassle, especially first thing in the morning. (Undercook them, and they're runny. Overcook them, and they smell sour.) Instead of having to complete the tedious steps for making them from scratch, you may end up splurging on the overpriced bag of already-prepared eggs to spare yourself the effort. However, what if we told you that we tried an incredibly easy viral TikTok hack for making them that actually works and saves you time? Shockingly, we discovered that the secret to making these protein-rich snacks in under 15 minutes and completely hands-free is enlisting your air fryer! How to Make Viral Baked Oats, the Healthy TikTok Breakfast Trend That's Basically Cake Getty Images Forget waiting for a pot of water to come to a boil to make your hard-boiled eggs. As we learned from many TikTok users, all you need is your air fryer and some ice-cold water to cook them to perfection—and, best of all, there's essentially no clean-up involved. TikTok user @kortneyandkarlee says to place the egg in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 270 F. Then immediately remove the egg and put it in an ice bath (bowl with water and ice) to stop the cooking process. After the egg has had a chance to cool down, peel it completely, and voilà: A perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg. We Tested The Air Fryer Trick—Here's What Happened We must admit, the hack sounded too good to be true, so we had to put it to the test. We experimented using two different air fryers at different temperatures that both yielded surprisingly accurate and satisfying results every time. We set the first air fryer at its lowest temperature setting of 300 F and cooked the eggs for 9 minutes, 12 minutes, and then 15 minutes. As each egg was completed, they were soaked in an ice bath for about 3 minutes or until fully cooled. We recommend using the back of a metal spoon to lightly tap and crack around the egg's exterior to make peeling easier. If you're having trouble removing the shell, soak the egg in the water as you go to help release the small shards. We found that this method yielded deliciously runny, slightly creamy, and then completely set centers at the 9, 12, and 15-minute marks. We also ran through the same process with a second air fryer set at 270 F for 9 minutes, 11 minutes, 13 minutes, and 15 minutes. This resulted in very runny; runny but set; set but slightly creamy; and fully cooked centers. See here for delicious visual evidence—then choose your ideal amount of cook time based on which egg appeals to you most. Maki Yazawa 8 Genius TikTok Food Hacks That Will Save You Tons of Time Through the testing, we concluded that the temperature could be modified to plus or minus 30 F without risking burning or undercooking the eggs. However, time acts as the most critical variable for determining the doneness of each egg. If you add more time, you'll end up with ones suitable for your favorite deviled egg recipe; ones cooked for less time would be ideal for avocado toast. With the simplicity and minimal clean-up factor of this hack, it'll be very difficult to go back to cooking hard-boiled eggs the traditional way. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit