Making egg salad? Here’s how long to boil eggs for egg salad, along with some delicious and easy recipes for making it at home.

How long to boil eggs for egg salad?
It’s not a simple answer, because the eggs don’t actually sit in the boiling water! As soon as the pot of water comes to a boil, turn off the heat! Large eggs sit for about 15 minutes to let them cook fully through. Here’s a chart showing the timing for different sizes of eggs.
Qty | Size | Timing once boiling (see below) |
12 | Small | 13 minutes |
12 | Large | 15 Minutes |
12 | Extra Large | 17 Minutes |
After the eggs have finished cooking, drain the pot and add the eggs an ice bath, which is a bowl of ice water. This will stop the eggs from cooking. After the eggs are in the ice bath for 15 minutes, you can peel them to make your egg salad! Below is a video showing exactly how to boil eggs and peel eggs for egg salad.
Related: If you have an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, here’s our method for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs!
Video: How to boil eggs for egg salad
Egg salad recipes
Egg salad is a delicious way to enjoy eggs, one of the most nutritious foods on the planet! Eggs have only 75 calories each, and are packed with nutrients and protein. They’re especially helpful for vegetarian diets as a natural source of B12. Recent research has found that instead of avoiding boiled eggs for cholesterol reasons, eggs actually increase the good cholesterol the body needs. They’re recommended as an affordable and easy-to-eat source of high quality protein.
Here are a few of our favorite egg salad recipes, and a few other ways to use hard boiled eggs:
- Classic Egg Salad
- Basil Egg Salad
- Best Egg Salad Sandwich
- Easy Deviled Eggs
- Smoked Cheddar & Boiled Egg Grilled Cheese
- Roasted Two-Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- Vegetarian Cobb Salad
- Easy Salad Bar Ideas

Related hard boiled egg links
Here are some common questions related to hard boiled eggs! Let us know if you have any other questions in the comments below.
- Why Buy Eggs at Farmers Markets?
- How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs Easy to Peel?
- How Long Do Hard Boiled Eggs Last?
- How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs?
- How Much Protein in a Hard Boiled Egg?
- How Many Calories in a Hard Boiled Egg?
Looking for more essential recipes?
Whether it’s how to make homemade teriyaki sauce or perfect boiled eggs, our essential recipes are easy DIYs to make at home! Here are few more of our essential recipes:
- Everything Bagel Seasoning (which incidentally, would go well on these hard boiled eggs!)
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing
- Pressure Cooker Chickpeas
- Pressure Cooker Sweet Potatoes
- Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe
- Best Tahini Sauce

How Long to Boil Eggs for Egg Salad?
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 eggs 1x
Description
Making egg salad? Here’s how long to boil eggs for egg salad, along with some delicious and easy recipes for making it at home.
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs (older eggs peel better than fresh)
- Ice
Instructions
- Place the eggs in the bottom of a large pot and and cover with water 1 inch above the eggs.
- Bring the water to a boil, gently stirring the eggs several times.
- As soon as the water boils, remove the pot from the heat and cover it. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 15 minutes (13 minutes for small eggs or 17 minutes extra large eggs). Prepare a bowl of ice water.
- After 15 minutes in the hot water, place the eggs in the ice water and allow them to cool completely, about 15 minutes. Peel immediately. Store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
- Category: Essential
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: How long to boil eggs for egg salad, how to hard boil eggs, hard-boiled egg recipe, how to boil eggs, boiled eggs, egg salad
You can add the eggs to boiling water and keep it boiling. We’ve always done it that way. 8min for hard boiled. 4.5min for a perfect soft boil every time.
Delicious recipe
Microwave method. No, your microwave won’t blow up and your eggs won’t explode, but you’ll need to put them in a microwave safe bowl with enough water and a little salt to cover them. Depending on how powerful your microwaves are, you should microwave them for about 5-7 minutes. After the bell has rung and your house is still standing, go ahead and throw in some ice water! As much as I like jammy, soft-boiled eggs, there is a time and a place for everything and sometimes I want a regular old, perfectly perfect, hard-boiled egg. Whether it’s making devil eggs, dying an Easter egg, or wanting to boil eggs as a quick, healthy, protein-packed snack, it’s a good idea to know how to boil an egg tightly. I’m lucky to have that strategy perfect! I need six eggs, some ice and a slotted spoon to make the best hard-boiled egg.
★★★★★