Whether you’ve just made a delicious batch of deviled eggs, or prepared for Easter with a colorful collection of hard-boiled Easter eggs, you may find yourself questioning how long this yummy goodness will last. Boiling eggs is a phenomenal way to keep them cooked and ready for easy access, without the need to plop a raw egg onto the stove for frying first. Then how long do hard boiled eggs last?
The answer isn’t always a straightforward solution. Keeping your hard boiled eggs fresh may be as easy as storing them in the fridge, though it may also require some additional precautions to ensure you aren’t eating something that could potentially make you sick.
Learning how to keep boiled eggs fresh and ready to eat is easy, as long as you follow the steps and information provided below. If you’re prepared to discover just how long do cooked eggs last, these helpful pieces of advice will point you down the right path.

How Long Do Cooked Eggs Last and Other Helpful Advice
Before you get started with your boiled egg endeavors, there are a few critical areas about safety and health to consider when storing and eating boiled eggs. Raw eggs may contain traces of a bacteria called salmonella.
Improper handling, storing, and cooking of the egg may lead to consumers getting severely ill. Make sure you follow instructions accurately and take no chances when it comes to your health.
It’s important to know safe preservation methods and times to ensure that you are always consuming the freshest food and avoiding foodborne illnesses.
Do eggs need to be refrigerated?
The answer to this question stems from where you’re getting the eggs from in the first place. Most countries don’t refrigerate their eggs in stores or at home, which may give you pause to eating them when you travel abroad. It may also cause you to question why we refrigerate them here, which comes down to how the eggs are processed.
In places like the U.K., the eggs are not washed, which is a requirement of eggs in the United States as part of the Food and Drug Administration regulations. The process of cleaning the eggs makes them more susceptible to bacteria like salmonella, which means refrigeration is the only way to go in this case.
If you purchase farm fresh eggs that have never been refrigerated or washed and come from a source you trust, these don’t need to be refrigerated. The only disadvantage is that most eggs have a shorter shelf life when kept at room temperature, versus when you keep them in the fridge.
One day at room temperature is generally considered the equivalent of one week of storage in the refrigerator. Either way, USDA regulations state that once an egg has been refrigerated, you should continue to refrigerate it.
What can happen if I eat an egg past the expiration date?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caution against eating expired or raw eggs due to the possibility of salmonella in the eggs. If you forget to label your eggs, then the one thing you want to look out for are any warning signs and symptoms you may have salmonella poisoning.
Symptoms you may experience include diarrhea, stomach pains, vomiting, and even fever. In most cases, the bacteria will work its way out of the system.
Even with a healthy immune system, it may take a few days to relieve symptoms. For children or adults with compromised immune systems, consider seeking medical treatment if symptoms arise.
How to Keep Boiled Eggs Fresh
Eating eggs that have been hard boiled provides a dense resource of powerful nutrients with relatively low caloric intake. In addition to being tasty and packed with vitamins, eggs are also gluten-free.
Learning about proper storage includes knowing how long does egg salad last, as well as other dishes that contain fresh boiled eggs.
How to Keep Boiled Eggs Fresh Once Peeled
The best way to keep your eggs fresh even longer is to keep the egg shell on before eating. If you’ve already removed the egg shell, however, there are other ways you can preserve the egg. Both methods require using water, and you will also need to change out the water daily.
The first method is to place the peeled eggs in a bowl of cold water, then cover the eggs. The second method requires wrapping the eggs up in a damp paper towel and sealing them inside an air-tight container.
In this method, the only water needed is the one on the paper towels. However, just as with the bowl of water, swap out the damp towels daily to prevent bacteria and mildew from forming.
How Long Do Cooked Eggs Last?
Most foods benefit from refrigerator storage. The time frame, though, depends on the food.
While boiled eggs are considered cooked, there are other types of cooked eggs to consider when storing. If you’ve just made a mouthwatering batch of scrambled eggs and can’t eat them right away, you have approximately four days to eat them before they go bad.
This time frame goes for both the yolk and egg whites, depending on how you make your eggs. If you’ve opted for a fried egg instead, you have a little less time.
Fried eggs only last about two to three days. Whichever cooked egg you’re trying to keep fresh, ensure that you’ve closed them up tight in a sealable, glass container.
It’s recommended to only freeze the yolks of hard-boiled eggs rather than freezing the entire egg, as the whites get unpleasantly rubbery.
Keep Hard Boiled Eggs from Smelling up the Fridge
So you’ve made your boiled eggs, but now you have a horrible odor permeating throughout your kitchen. This pungent smell has nothing to do with spoiled eggs but is just one frequent casualty of making boiled eggs.
One simple ingredient will help with neutralizing this odor, though, both inside and outside the fridge: vinegar. One way to prevent these odors from taking over your refrigerator is by adding a few teaspoons of vinegar to the water when boiling.
Even after cooking, you can place the eggs in water with vinegar and bring them to a boil. If the smell persists in the kitchen itself, boil vinegar water on the stove.
Another way to keep boiled egg odors at bay in your fridge is by placing a small case of baking soda inside, as this is an excellent way to absorb most food odors. If your eggs have just started to stink, however, this may be a sign that your eggs have spoiled.
These techniques work best when you’ve only just made your boiled eggs. If you’ve gone a week or so without a horrible odor, though, and suddenly the sulfur smell emerges, it’s time to throw out the eggs.
One way to ensure you don’t eat a spoiled egg is to label the shells with the expected expiration date. Once you’ve made them, place the date on the shell one week away.
Check that Eggs are Fresh Enough to Hard Boil
So you know what to check for when a hard-boiled egg starts to spoil. How can you be sure the eggs you want to boil aren’t rotten before cooking them? A straightforward way to check the quality of your eggs is to do a float test.
This test allows you to check whether the egg is still good enough to boil, giving you the peace of mind you need without having to break open a single egg.To use this trick, start by placing the egg in a bowl of cold water.
Ideally, a good egg lands on its side, sinking to the bottom of the pot. If the egg drops but stays propped up on one side, it’s generally still okay to eat. If the egg floats, however, toss it out and head to the store for a new batch.
How Long Do Eggs Last in the Refrigerator?
This answer depends on which way you prepare the eggs. If you want to store fresh eggs that haven’t been cooked yet, these will last much longer than their cooked counterparts. Raw eggs last anywhere from three to five weeks in the fridge before cooking.
Another way to ensure they last even longer is by placing them on an inside shelf in the fridge. The temperature on these shelves remains much more consistent than the rest of the fridge. It also keeps them away from foods with foul odors, which may affect the eggs themselves.
Another helpful idea to keep in mind when keeping raw eggs in the fridge is leaving them there once they’ve already been refrigerated. Don’t leave any eggs out of the refrigerator for an extended period, either. The United States Department of Agriculture adds that any eggs left out longer than two hours should be thrown away.
How Long Do Hard Boiled Eggs Last?
So we’ve finally come to the final question: how long are hard-boiled eggs good for anyway? This answer depends on the type of hard-boiled eggs you have in your fridge. If you’re talking about whole eggs, these generally last about one week, whether peeled or unpeeled.
If you peel hard-boiled eggs and place them in an egg salad, then they will only last about five days. Deviled eggs, on the other hand, only have a shelf life of about two days, so eat those yummy morsels up as quickly as possible.
The Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Recipe
You already know everything you could ever want to know about how to store and keep your boiled eggs fresh, but do you also know the best recipe for cooking the perfect eggs? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with this fabulous recipe for the perfect hard-boiled eggs you could ever hope to eat.
Place the eggs in the pot with enough water to cover the top of them. Depending on how many eggs you plan on boiling, increase the height the water should be over the eggs. If you’re only boiling six eggs at a time, then one inch above the eggs should be plenty of water.
When making more than six eggs, cover with at least two inches.Next, stir in that teaspoon of vinegar and half a teaspoon of salt, and bring your pot of water and eggs to a boil.
Once they’ve moved to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and allow them to sit on the slowly cooling stovetop for about ten minutes. Some batches may require a little longer to cook, so for best results, test one after ten minutes to determine if it meets your approval.
Perfect Deviled Eggs Recipe with Avocado
Of all the new egg recipes you could try, why not start with a unique twist on an old favorite. If you’re like most Americans, you love deviled eggs. This tasty hors d’oeuvre is a must at most dinner parties and family gatherings.
Toss in some avocado and bacon to that mix, and you have one mouthwatering treat that’s sure to make your family’s tummies rumble with anticipation.
You want to start by frying up the bacon, then dice it up into little bits. Next, boil eggs by placing them in a large pot, with at least one inch of water covering over the top of them. Bring the eggs to a boil, then let them sit in the boiling water for a cooking time of one minute.
After the minute has passed, move the pot from the heat, cover with a lid, and allow the eggs to soak in hot water for another eight minutes. Once they’ve cooled, peel the eggs and cut them in half. In a separate bowl, scoop out the yolks and mix them with the avocado.
Blend in the freshly chopped cilantro, lemon juice, and lemon zest. For best results, use lemon juice freshly squeezed from the lemon themselves.
Your avocado should be cut in half ahead of time, seeded, and peeled. Add in the salt and pepper as needed, then sprinkle pieces of bacon, cayenne pepper, and chives for a lovely garnish. Enjoy a beautiful food & wine pairing.
Now you know how long hard boiled eggs last and the best ways to store them. You even have a yummy new dish to try out at your next party. But don’t let that stop you! Enjoy those hors d’oeuvres whether you hit the town or enjoy a night in. We won’t tell.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed learning how to keep boiled eggs fresh and how long they last when cooked. If you enjoyed these helpful boiled egg storage tips, then don’t forget to share how long do hard boiled eggs last with everyone you know on Facebook and Pinterest.