How to Boil Eggs in air fryer

I'm not sure boiled egg is the correct term when done in an air fryer, yet its a term we can all associate with, and know exactly what we're getting in terms of hard cooked eggs.

How to make hard boiled eggs in an air fryer involves preheating the air frying for 5 minutes, at 400°F/205°C - along with a ramekin/dish to stable your eggs in. Set the time to 16 minutes and temperature to 400°F/205°C, to produce a proper hard boiled egg, actually made in the air fryer.

Lots of things to consider before air frying one or several eggs at a time, of which I expect the final results to remain near identical to mine.

I carried out this experiment of air frying all boiled eggs at the same temperature, in one minute increments. Never attempt to air fry eggs under 6 minutes, as all rendered raw, inedible eggs. In fact, I would go as far to say, air fried boil eggs are edible from 7 minutes and above - beginning with a runny egg for dipping toast.

What you must know about air frying boiled eggs, is that during the time it takes to air fry to your preferred doneness, the yolk will begin to set on one side of the shell.

Unfortunately, that means your egg yolk will be pushed against the inner shell, with no set egg whites creating a barrier.

Taste isn't effected yet the look of air fried boil eggs is a bit off, and won't feel like you can't boil eggs in an air fryer at all.

To remedy the off-centred egg yolk, begin to rotate/spin the egg as it cooks in the air fryer, with use of silicone tongs to gently turn over, periodically.

What the difference is between an air fried boiled egg to a proper boiled egg done in a pan of boiling water, is colour and texture.

Air fried boiled eggs will turn brown on the egg white - where it touches the inner egg shell - and where the outer whites surface will be a little rubbery. In addition, bear in mind, air fried boiled eggs can by quite difficult to peel - even with the shell expected to air fry to a brittle-like texture.

INSIDE LOOK: Take a look at my ENLARGED air fryer boil egg picture chart which takes you through the process of air frying eggs in their shell, from the first minute all the way to 16 minutes of cooking time, in one minute increments.

How long to air fry Boiled Eggs

Following times are based on air frying eggs which begin with a 5 minute preheat at 400°F / 205°C. All while the dish the eggs were air fried in, was sat in the air fryer during the 5 minute preheat.

So here is a 17 minute process of what actually happens to the egg still in its shell, as it air fries over time.

Notice how 6 minutes and under, all eggs remain uncooked and therefore inedible.

Its only on the 7th minute mark, is IT SAFE TO EAT AIR FRIED EGGS. Egg whites can remain a little translucent and a bit raw at this time, yet remain safe to eat when air frying an egg for egg and soldiers and to pop on toast.

About the 10th minute mark, eggs begin to set to a jammy texture which is great for all kinds of dishes, including a recipe that calls for a posh scotch egg - where a jammy egg will also go great for adding to a ramen dish.

Within 12-13 minutes of air frying eggs in their shells, you will begin to see what an air fried boiled egg looks like. Still a little wet in the centre, this is what I would call a soft boiled egg.

Soft boiled eggs can of course be made into deviled eggs and scotch eggs. Scotch eggs can be made with all doneness of egg yolks, which is just a matter of taste and preferences.

Air frying eggs between 14-15 minutes will render medium hard boiled eggs. And finally, 16-17 minutes of air frying time will actually produce hard boiled eggs - where the egg whites should appear light and fluffy.

NOTE: None of the seventeen eggs it took to carry out this boiled eggs in an air fryer experiment, were wasted. All eggs were eaten as soon as I was done photographing them; with raw, inedible eggs finished off in a pan to make a quick omelette.

Preparation

Boiling eggs, if we can call it that, begin by preheating your air frying for 5 minutes, where the dish you need to stable your rolling eggs in, is heated during the preheating process.

• STEP 1: Sit small Dish in air fryer - I air fried two eggs in individual ceramic ramekins, of which a cereal bowl or glass dish can be used if you wish
• STEP 2: PREHEAT air fryer: 5 Minutes - With the ramekins positioned inside the air fryer, I am allowing the ramekins to heat up for the 5 minute preheat

• STEP 3: Carefully sit egg in dish - With silicone tongs, I lowered one egg into each of the ramekins, being careful not to drop the eggs
• STEP 4: Set temp: 400°F / 205°C; time to 16 minutes - As soon as the eggs are in the dish and the drawers closed, set the temp and time immediately to begin air frying the eggs - with any waiting time effecting the outcome

NOTE: While eggs can be allowed to roll around inside a naked basket, bear in mind, this could cause the egg shells to crack if you are too heavy handed with the basket.

How to Hard Boil Eggs in air fryer

Lots of ways you can boiled eggs in an air fryer, with these directions showing you specifically how to air fry HARD BOIL EGGS, which can be used for many dishes and snacks, and is a safe bet for cooking an egg in its shell, to a hard doneness.

• STEP 1: Air fry for full 16 minutes; rotate eggs several times - After 5 minutes, rotate the eggs to the opposite side, whilst sporadically flipping the eggs over to a new position, in an effect to force the yolk to set centrally in the egg whites
• STEP 2: Decant eggs with tongs - With time up, gently grab the eggs one at a time, out of the ramekin with use of tongs only

• STEP 3: Dip HOT EGG SHELL in cold water - Lower hot eggs into a bowl of cold tap water, so you can handle the shell to crack open
• STEP 4: Peel shell away to reveal hard boiled eggs - Once the shells are cooled enough, you can attempt to peel what will be difficult to peel air fried eggs; which will have a brittle texture yet risks pulling the hard egg whites apart

NOTE: Before air frying, check eggs in shell for quality control, ensure there's no cracks prior to air frying - which can cause eggs to burst open. With that, clean any bird poop off the shell exterior with a cold damp piece of paper towel.

Air fried vs. pan boiled eggs

Where appearance and quality matters, I recommend you absolutely boil eggs the way they're suppose to be cooked, in a pan of boiling water.

Why that is, because genuine boiled eggs will produce a bright white, clear egg white finish, which is both easier to peel, and looks better on the eye.

You see, an air fried boiled egg will produce a brown egg white exterior - almost like its burnt but it isn't - which doesn't look at all nice. Air fried boiled egg taste and texture is inferior when compared to a traditional pan boiled hard egg.

Air fried boiled eggs can cause you problems, like the shell can be very difficult to peel, and will adhere to the egg whites which will cause a messy peel.

Pan boiled eggs can be difficult to peel once in a while, yet the air fried equivalent will always be hard to peel.

Its also worth noting, while eggs will JUMP ABOUT IN BOILING WATER, this allows the egg yolk to set more evenly. Whilst an air fried hard boiled egg yolk is likely to set on either side of the shell, thus causing an uneven positioning of the yolk, which can unfortunately effect the taste. To correct that, simply rotate air fried boil eggs frequently.

Expect the unexpected

Many people who attempt to boil eggs in an air fryer, often complain about their eggs exploding in the basket, leaving a mess of yolk and whites splattered inside the air fryer.

I have air fried 17 boiled eggs in a row, over several days, which all appeared to air fry unscathed. Cause of exploding, bursting open eggs can be attributed to many reasons, among them - perhaps the egg shell had a crack in it before air frying.

In addition, very thin, poor quality egg shells would cause the egg to burst, thus quality eggs like Free Range varieties would be a better option.

Explosions can also be caused by air frying boiled eggs for too long - longer than 17 minutes - when they don't need to be. Furthermore, never air fry boiled eggs exceeding a temperature of 400°F/205°C.

Other issues to arise when air frying boiled eggs, will mostly be in regard to how air fried eggs look and feel.

Don't expect air fried boil eggs to cook like proper boiled eggs, which are done in a pan of water. Boiled eggs done in an air fryer will take on a brown colouring which can change the taste a little. Unfortunately, what's worst about air frying boiled eggs is, the texture is a little rubbery, due to the shell heating up in exposed heat inside the air fryer.

Summary

Making a boiled egg equivalent in an air fryer will ask for a 16 minute cooking time, which will render a genuine hard boiled egg, with a light and fluffy yolk.

Temperature to air fry boiled eggs must always be a high of 400°F/205°C, which is set to replicate a pan of boiling water. Never air fry eggs in their shell above this temperature, as you'd risk the egg exploding at any point.

Get your air fryer preheated for 5 minutes at a temp of 400°F/205°C, along with a small dish or ramekin which must heat up during the preheating process.

Idea is, to replicate exactly what I've done to air fry eggs 17 times, with a littlest change effecting the outcome. Pop the eggs in the dish/ramekin which is used to stabilise the eggs - which risk cracking open if they're allowed to freely bounce about in the basket.

Once the first 5 minutes of air frying time has elapsed, continue to rotate/turn the eggs in an effort to set the yolk in the middle of the whites. I did this once and it fixed the yolk centrally, exactly.

When times up, pop the eggs in a bowl of cold tap water to stop the eggs continuing to cook internally.

Demonstration is for how to air fry a hard boiled egg with times adjusted to boil a runny/dippy for egg and soldiers - to making a jammy egg which as many uses -  including for making scotch eggs, to popping a jammy egg into a ramen.

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