NEW!! See how to make runny yolk poached eggs in the microwave in just seconds!
Whether you want soft or hard boiled eggs, you can easily and quickly make them in the microwave. If you have limited space like a microfridge, you can buy a 6 pack of eggs and boil them all together. Then, it’s just a matter of pulling 1 or 2 out for a meal.
Personally, I like my eggs sliced opened, medium boiled with a sprinkle of salt. But, my college age daughter loves tuna salad and egg salad sandwiches. These are both easy to whip up in your room with ready made boiled eggs. Plus, with 4-6 boiled eggs, you can make enough to last a few days.
Can you Boil Eggs in the Microwave?
I’ve seen lots of advice on boiling eggs in the microwave from not doing it at all to poking a hole in the bottom of each egg with a thumbtack before boiling to prevent eggs exploding. I have never poked a hole in the bottom of the eggs, but I use salt in the water. I haven’t had an egg explosion yet.
It’s very important you either add the salt OR you poke holes. Otherwise, there is a very real chance your eggs could explode. Wet egg and shell splattered all over the microwave does not sound fun at all to clean up.
I tend to like medium boiled eggs where the yolk is not completely firm but also not runny. They are perfect for breakfast. It’s almost like eating fried eggs. I love them sliced up and put on top of a couple slices of sourdough toast.
However, if you want to make some tuna salad or egg salad or chop a boiled egg in just a regular green salad, I recommend boiling your eggs until they are hard boiled with firm yolks.
How to Boil Eggs in the Microwave
You’ll want to use a microwave safe bowl and place the eggs in the bottom. Then, fill with hot water (if you can find hot water) about 1/2 inch over the eggs.
Next, add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt per egg, so if you have 6 eggs, that would be 3 teaspoons of salt. DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP! This helps prevent egg explosions.
How do you want your eggs?
- For soft boiled eggs with runny yolks, remove them from the hot water immediately as soon as they come out of the microwave and plunge into ice water.
- For my favorite, medium boiled eggs, when the eggs are done in the microwave, I let them sit for 1 minute in the water. Then, I immediately put them in a bowl with ice water.
- If you want hard boiled with eggs with firm yolks, allow the eggs to sit in the hot water for 2-3 minutes.
How do you store boiled eggs?
- Eating the boiled eggs immediately? Peel them after they’ve sat in the cold water for 2-3 minutes.
- Storing in the fridge to use later? Dry the eggs, keep them unpeeled and put them in a zipper baggie with a paper towel and seal it up.
- Still have the paper egg carton? Just put them back in it, and mark on the carton that these are boiled eggs and the date.
*Microwaves can vary, so you might need to experiment on your microwave to see what time works best. These times were based on a 1500 watt microwave.
How to make Boiled Eggs in the Microwave
Make boiled eggs ahead of time and keep them in a fridge for a easy snack or to make something quick like tuna or egg salad.
Ingredients
- 2-6 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt PER egg
- enough water to cover 1/2 inch above the eggs
Instructions
- Add 2 to 6 eggs in the bottom of a microwave safe bowl.
- Cover the eggs with water at least 1/2 inch above the eggs.
- Add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each egg such as 1 teaspoon for 2 eggs and 3 teaspoons for 6 eggs.
- Microwave for 4 minutes for 2 eggs, 5 minutes for 4 eggs, 6 minutes for 6 eggs.
- Fill another bowl with ice and water or cold water.
- If you want soft boiled eggs with runny egg yolks, immediately remove the eggs from the water and plunge in a ice cold water.
- If you want hard boiled eggs, allow them to stay in the hot water for 2-3 additional minutes. Two minutes will give you just slightly creamy egg yolks. Three minutes will give you firm egg yolks.
Notes
- It's safest to store boiled eggs unpeeled in the shell.
- Store HARD BOILED EGGS in the shell in a closed container with a paper towel up to a week.
- Store SOFT BOILED EGGS in the shell in a closed container for 1-2 days.
Recipe Ideas for Boiled Eggs
Once you have some boiled eggs, there’s a few things you can make:
- tuna salad
- deviled eggs
- egg salad sandwiches
- tuna melt surprise
Here’s quite a few recipes you could make for quick lunches or dinners with just a few boiled eggs you made in the microwave.
You did not say how long to microwave them. You said everything but. Please update this
If you look at the recipe instructions it gives minutes per number of eggs. 4 min for 2 eggs, etc.
Isn’t the idea of a microwave to make things faster and easier? Boiling eggs in water on the stove takes maybe 2 minutes more and works just fine. No fear of explosion and probably cooks better that way also.
Hey Chip, thanks so much for the comment. Believe it or not, some places, like college dorm rooms don’t have stoves or allow hot plates for boiling. So, often, the microwave is all you got. Thanks for stopping by! 😉
This did not work. I followed the instructions and my eggs were still liquid inside.
I tried it for 6 large eggs, but it wasn’t long enough for large eggs.
Using a 1600 watt microwave, I tried cooking four eggs as instructed. I let them set afterwards for three minutes. Parts of the egg whites had started to cook. STARTED. Even if the composition of the bowl is a factor, I don’t see how five minutes of cooking could possibly work.
I did 8 eggs and 12 minutes and then let them sit for another 5 minutes. Didn’t work at all
I tried it and worked for me. Maybe it’s not the way it’s cook, maybe it’s the cook themselves.Anyway thank you for sharing the information and a new way to cook eggs..
Fantastic!! Thank you ! Cooked 4 eggs for 5 minutes and… perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs!! Yummy 😋!
Thank you for posting this info! I attempted to boil 6 eggs in the microwave for 6 minutes. I then let them sit in the hot water for about 4 or 5 additional minutes. They weren’t hard, and they were soft….somewhere in the middle but perfect for my tuna salad! I didn’t have access to a stove, so I was thrilled to fine I could boil the eggs in the microwave without them exploding!
Making these now
Your method sucks! For those who have never cooked, you should put a disclaimer at the first place, if you are trying to hard boil more then two eggs, you must increase the time! I’m sticking to the Julie Child’s method found in her book. “Julia’s kitchen wisdom” page 70. Poke a 1/4” hole in large end, place in deep saucepan, Cover with 3 1/2 quarts of cold water. Bring just to a rolling boil, remove from heat, cover the pan, and let sit for exactly 17 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice and water and let chill for a few minutes to shrink the egg body from the shell. Meanwhile reheat cooking water to boil. Lower six chilled eggs at a time into the boiling water and let boil for exactly 10 seconds to expand the shelf from the egg body. Let’s chill for 20 minutes or more. Well chilled eggs are easier to peel. I’ve used this method, works very good, maybe not 100% perfect, and takes awhile, but at least this method produces eggs that are cooked, not runny to the point of having to throw them out, and you don’t have any explosions in the microwave. Your method is not as long, but at least Julia’s method produces eggs you can eat! Wasted 3 eggs, thanks for nothing… I mean, who prepares hard boiled eggs 1 or 2 at a time anyways?
So i am an avid fan on boiled eggs. But this may have just ruined it for me. I put 4 eggs in a bowl with salt, and put them in the microwave for 6:30. Then let them sit in the hot water for another 4 minutes. Just in case. But when I cracked them open the egg white was still runny. I was incredibly disappointed.
You should change, ‘egg explosion’ to ‘egg-splosion’ simply because that’s what my mind read each time lolol! Thanks for the recipe, works great for making a couple eggs on the run, definitely not intended for a large batch at once.
6 minutes for six eggs did not cook them, so I put them back in the microwave and they exploded. Been cleaning up vaporized egg from my kitchen for the last 2 hours. Never doing this again. Will always use the stove top.
Tried with two eggs and they were perfect. Tried 6 eggs and perfect. I added salt AND pricked the bottom with a needle. Thanks.
Made them this morning to have for lunch. I just went to peel the egg, and is almost completely raw! Thanks for ruining my lunch, it is totally inedible! 😡
Once again…..did not work. Eggs ruined.
Did not work! Egg exploded.
This does not work. I did what it said for 4 eggs and they were barely cooked at all. Left them in the water for 4 minute.
Don’t waste your eggs.
This post should be taken down!!!!!
Did not work, I poked holes and now have exploded egg all over my microwave. UGH!
OK I read the reviews and I would like to say what I have tried that worked. I have a 1000w microwave. I started out by putting bowl of hot water in microwave and cooked on high 3 minutes. I poked hole in eggs and put 2 in bowl. Covered with plastic wrap and cooked for 4 minutes. Left eggs in water for additional 3 minutes then put eggs in ice water bath to cool. Eggs came out hard boiled and very nicely. Shell removed completely without fighting it. Obviously if you cook more than 2 eggs time will need to be adjusted as an cook knows.
It worked for me:
800w Microwave
6 Medium Eggs
3 Tbs Salt
11 Mins 15 Secs in Microwave
3 mins in warm water
This was for firm yolks
That should have been tsp not tbs of salt
My eggs exploded. now my microwave is a huge mess and my kitchen smells like eggs. Would not recommend.
I have tried this and adjusted my times based on the size of my microwave. Perfection. Thank you. I can now boil eggs in the morning while getting ready for work without worrying about the pot boiling over. I appreciate your blog and I am someone who doesn’t like to use a microwave except to reheat my coffee. LOL.
For those of you who insist on leaving negative and mean replies: please read the “about” information. This blog was started to help her child be able to cook some things in the microwave in the dorm where there is NO STOVE. I applaud this mom for taking time to do this. And then sharing with all of us. Be kind. If it doesn’t work for you, just say it didn’t work and move on.
Am using 800watt microwave. How long do you think that should take???
This comment section is full of morons. It works.. it clearly works. Idiots complaining on here as if the its going to solve there problem. There are many variables in this that effect cooking time because of the way a microwave cooks… SO If overcooked, start again, less time… If its not cook – DO IT LONGER. Jesus Christ what morons
If overpopulation becomes too much of an issue we should use this as the test for euthanasia. If you can’t boil an egg in a microwave. Bang.
I did two eggs, one minute and 30 seconds into it, they both exploded and caused a huge mess. 1000w LG microwave.
BEWARE!! Well i put 4 eggs in salted water in the microwave for 1.5 mins after my eggs were too softboiled and runny on the stovetop and they EXPLODED in my face, i have burn marks and my kitchen is covered in eggs ceiling to floor. Lessons learned. Ugh, stop reading crap on the internet and thinking it’s tried and true. Visit the cooking network or a reputable website instead would have been the wiser.
Maybe the elevation has something to do with it.
THIS TOTALLY WORKED!
Haters need to chill. I put two eggs in a microwave safe glass pyrex measuring cup. I added one teaspoon of salt. I added hot water from my electric kettle so that the eggs are really submerged and there’s like a little less than an inch above them. I microwaved them for about 3 minutes before adding plastic wrap on top. I microwaved off an on for about 5 minutes, but my microwave wattage is 900. I let my eggs sit for a while (didn’t check the time) because I was busy. They peeled super easy and they are even a little bit overcooked! (which is my bad, not the instructions’ fault)
It works just follow the recipe. Thank you. Cooktop not working after electrician visit yayh…given all the negative reviews I was wondering..so I put a heavy lid over my Pyrex jug as did not want to have to clean up..
Very sad that people are not kind. I wasted 3 eggs, but I am not angry. I am learning something. The eggs were not done enough for me. I wish I knew why (1100 watt microwave 4 1/2 minutes- 3 eggs- 3 more minutes sitting in the hot water). But oh well, I think it will work if I increase the time. 😉 Patience everyone! 🙂
Microwaves are so different, If the time shown is too slow on your micro, add another minute to the cooking time. And keep adding until you “hit” the right time.
4 mins for 2 eggs, placed immediately in cold water afterwards…i like my eggs runny but not raw…hadn’t even started to cook! What are you using for 4 mins to cook them, a nuclear reactor?
I tried this today for lunch as I had forgotten to boil eggs for my husband’s and my salads. It worked well. I prepared two medium boiled eggs. I included 1 tsp of pink salt, hot tap water covering at least a 1/2 inch over the eggs, used a microwave safe soup bowl, cooked for 4 minutes, covered with press and seal and cooked for an additional two minutes (at one minute increments). I allowed the eggs to sit while I crafted our salads, then placed in an ice bag. They were perfectly prepared. Thank you for this information.
I put 3 eggs in a dish, covered with 1/2″ of water, 2 T. salt and cooked for 3 min. Nothing…
cooked for another 3 min., still runny. Finally gave up and put them in a kettle and cooked them.
Perhaps it should be specified if the eggs were room temp., if you add hot water, etc. Poor directions as far as I’m concerned.
This site shld get taken down! Microwave eggs can and will explode in your face!
Why not just fry them in the frying pan! ARRRGGGGHHHH!
Tried for 1 egg. – microwaved 4 minutes and let set for 3. Was mildly suspicious, so cracked it on a paper towel. It was still liquid.
I boiled 2 eggs as instructed. They were both so runny I threw them out! Last time I do that. 😕
Thanks for this! Worked great for me, first try.
My microwave is 750 watts. I cooked 6 eggs [with 1 T salt] in a clear glass bowl that has its own tightly fitting glass cover: 12 minutes. [I looked up a chart that said to double the time, since the time of 6 minutes was for a 1500 watt microwave]. Let them sit in the warm water as directed = Perfect and delicious
I have 700 watt microwave. I used hot water from my tap and microwave it three minutes alone. Added 2 tea spoons salt for two eggs. Put my two eggs inside the bowl which submerged under water and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave eggs 8 minutes, let them sit in hot water 4 minutes more. The result was perfectly boiled eggs. Thank you so much for this amazing instructions.
Complete GARBAGE of a recipe! Eggs were still completely raw after following directions to a T for 4 eggs. Shame on me for not wanting to get out my steamer like I always do for perfect eggs!!
Useless, you didn’t give the time for one egg. i’m not going to read through your long winded page, I want to know now, right now, one egg how long.
Fortunately there are dozens of other sites thar just give me the info i want to the question I googled, ‘How long to microwave a boiled egg’ not ‘What’s everything i can do to an egg in a microwave?’ or ‘How long for 4/5/6 a dozen eggs’ Just one fecking egg woman!!!
Won’t try this again. 2 eggs, cooked 4 minutes, left in hot water 3 minutes… and what did I get? Soft-boiled eggs. Waste of time.
I did this today at work. 6 eggs in a hot salty water (did not count the tsp) for 7.5 minutes. Turned out to be very nice. not hard egg yolk but that creamy nice one.
Thank you very much
This didn’t work. Four uncooked eggs was my result.
I tried to boil 5 eggs for 6 minutes following the instructions. After waiting 3 minutes and submerging them in cold water the eggs were sticking to the shell like demons to a soul. They were also not cooked. At least they didn’t explode. I suppose some trial and error will be necessary depending on the type of bowl you use and the wattage of microwave and the temperature of the water before it goes in.