How Long Are Hard-Boiled Eggs Good For?
Hard-boiled eggs are highly nutritious and great to have at hand as a healthy snack or to use as part of a balanced meal.
Still, perhaps surprisingly, they have a shorter shelf life than fresh eggs.
This article explains for how long hard-boiled eggs are good and how to keep them fresh the longest.
During boiling, the protective layer that coats the shell is removed, making the eggs more susceptible to air and harmful microorganisms (
1).
Therefore,
refrigeration is imperative when it comes to preventing hard-boiled eggs from contaminating or spoiling.
Storing them in your fridge helps to slow bacterial growth, as potentially dangerous bacteria grow slower in temperatures below 40°F (4°C) (
2Trusted Source,
3Trusted Source).
Avoid keeping the cooked eggs at room temperature for long and refrigerate them within 2 hours of cooking (4).
It’s also best to store them in the carton or an air-tight container. Keep them on an inside shelf rather than in the door, as frequent opening and closing of the fridge may cause the temperatures in this spot to fluctuate (4,
5Trusted Source).
Initially, you may notice a gassy odor in your refrigerator when storing hard-boiled eggs. This is caused by hydrogen sulfide that forms when eggs are boiled (
6).
However, this is normal and harmless, and the smell usually dissolves within a few hours.
Lastly, it’s not recommended to freeze hard-boiled eggs, as both the egg white and yolk become tough and watery, making them less enjoyable to eat (
2Trusted Source,
7).
Peeled hard-boiled eggs
For the best quality, it’s best to wait to peel
hard-boiled eggs until you’re ready to eat them or use them in a recipe.
If the eggs have already been peeled, it’s recommended to keep them in an air-tight container along with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.
Just like unpeeled hard-boiled eggs, peeled ones should not be left at room temperature and should be refrigerated as quickly as possible.
