An air fryer is a cracking bit of kit. One of these small kitchen appliances can rustle up quick meals using little to no oil. Giving you healthier food that’s still packed full of flavour. But best of all, air fryers can cook a bunch of different stuff — from vegetables and meats to desserts. They can even boil eggs!
In this guide, we’ll teach you how to make soft, medium and hard-boiled eggs in your air fryer. You won’t have to wait around for water to boil or need to wash up a sticky pan again. Result. Cooking eggs in an air fryer is super easy and it should only take you 15 to 20 minutes to whip them up.
What you'll need:
An air fryer (ideally one that’s rated between 1400 and 1800 watts).
A few eggs (probably 4 to 6).
A bowl or container filled with cold water.
Important: Do not pour any water into your air fryer. You’ll only need a bowl of water to cool down your eggs with after cooking. Putting water in your air fryer could cause serious damage and even be a fire hazard.
How to make air fryer boiled eggs: step-by-step
Hard-boiled eggs in air fryer
Want to make air fryer hard-boiled eggs that are perfect for protein-rich sandwiches or salads? Or maybe some deviled eggs for next week’s dinner party? Here’s how to do it:
Preheat your air fryer to about 120°C (248°F).
Place the eggs in your air fryer's basket.
If they were in the fridge, let the eggs cook for about 15 minutes (or 12 minutes if they were room temperature).
Carefully put your eggs into a bowl of cold water (use some tongs or a tea towel so you don't burn your fingers).
Let your eggs cool in the water for a few minutes.
Take your eggs out and peel off their softened shells when they’ve cooled down.
Soft-boiled eggs in air fryer
Making soft-boiled dippy eggs in an air fryer is even easier. Just put a few eggs in your air fryer’s basket and cook them at 120°C (248°F) — then take them out after about 10 minutes. This way, it’ll boil the egg whites but keep the yolk in the middle nice and runny. Perfect for dipping in your buttery bread soldiers! And for medium-boiled eggs, you’ll need to let them cook for around 12 minutes instead.
Tips for air fryer boiled eggs
Like microwaves, air fryers have different wattages and aren’t all the same. They can use anywhere from 800 to 2000 watts of power depending on the make and model, with some big dual air fryers using even more. This means that our boiled egg in air fryer instructions should only be treated as a rough guide. Our specific time and temperature tips might not work for yours.
If you’ve given our air-fried boiled eggs recipe a go and noticed some brown spots on your eggs — don’t worry. This can happen if you haven’t cleaned out your air fryer for a while. Your eggs will still be completely fine to eat.
FAQs
Can you boil an egg in an air fryer without water?
Yes, absolutely. You don’t need to use any water to cook air fryer soft-boiled eggs or hard-boiled eggs. You only need to use cold water to cool them down after cooking. Just fill up a bowl or a container that you can carefully place your eggs in.
What temperature should I set my air fryer at for boiled eggs?
This depends on what model of air fryer you have and its wattage rating. Not all air fryers are the same, so you might need to set your air fryer at a higher or lower temperature than the 120°C (248°F) we suggested for the best results.
Try 1 or 2 eggs to start with so you can experiment with the temperature and timings. And once you’ve found the right balance, then you can boil more eggs in one go. Just don’t put all your eggs in one basket to start with!
Why are my air fryer hard-boiled eggs so hard to peel?
If your air-fried boiled eggs are difficult to peel, you probably haven’t given them enough time to cool. Cooling your eggs in a bowl of cold water should help their whites to harden, which will allow you to peel their shells away more easily. You could also try putting ice cubes in the water to speed up the cooling time.
What are the best air fryer brands?
Loads of top kitchen tech brands make air fryers with user-friendly features like one-touch control panels and dishwasher-safe parts. We’re talking household names like Ninja, Tower, Tefal, and Salter. And we can’t forget Philips either — they designed the modern air fryer just over a decade ago.
Any more questions?
We weren’t yolking around, were we? Boiling eggs in an air fryer is really easy and should give you plenty of mouth-watering meal ideas. Why not learn how to make bread in an air fryer too? Or check out our tips on how to make a toasted sandwich in an air fryer for a delicious lunchtime snack.