Vegetarian Recipes

Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs

Confession time: I made these Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs out of lazy desperation one day in the studio when I was testing other recipes. I was starving but didn’t want to eat anything super processed, so I decided to try cooking some of my farm-fresh eggs from home in the air fryer. I’ve used this method tons of times now, and they come out perfect every time! If your stove is occupied, or if you can’t be bothered to wait for a pot of water to boil, this kitchen hack is a game-changer!

On my farm, we have 5 hens, with 5 more on the way! We have some fun breeds that lay every color egg, from dark brown and pink to blue and olive. Did you know the color of eggshells is dictated by the breed of chicken laying them, but the depth of color of the yolk is determined by the chicken’s diet? Pretty cool, huh? So, you can only imagine how many eggs we go through in a week!

While making hard-boiled eggs on the stove is a fairly simple process, it can be hands-on and requires constant attention. But with this air fryer method, I can press a button and walk away until the timer goes off. It’s so easy, so simple, and the eggs always come out perfectly hard ‘boiled!’

Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs

Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs are the ultimate kitchen hack! Get perfectly cooked eggs every time with this effortless method.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine General

Total Cost $2.22 recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 17

Total Time 22

Servings eggs

Calories 63kcal

Author Jess Rice

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

6 large eggs, chilled $2.22

Instructions

Preheat air fryer to 250°F.
Carefully place as many hardboiled eggs as you’d like in the air fryer basket. (I made 6.)
Cook for 17 minutes at 250°F.
When done, transfer to an ice bath before peeling.

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Notes

I like to prepare an ice bath (a bowl filled with cold water and ice) while my eggs are cooking. As soon as the timer goes off, I transfer the eggs to the ice bath and let them cool for a few minutes.

The total cook time can depend on the size of your eggs, the starting temperature of your eggs, and your air fryer. I specifically use large chicken eggs that are cold from the fridge. If you use room-temperature eggs or eggs that are a different size, you’ll likely have to adjust the cooking time to account for this.

If you want soft boiled eggs, try reducing the cooking time by a few minutes.

Nutrition

how to make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Air Fryer step-by-step photos

Preheat your air fryer to 250°F. Once it’s preheated, carefully place as many eggs as you like into the air fryer basket. Be sure not to overcrowd the basket. I used 6 eggs. Air fryers work by circulating hot air, so you want to make sure there is enough room for the air to circulate around each egg.

Cook the eggs for 17 minutes. While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with cold water and plenty of ice.

Air fryer hard boiled eggs in an ice bath.

As soon as the timer goes off, use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs from the air fryer basket to the ice bath. This not only stops the cooking process but also makes peeling easier.

Air fryer hard boiled eggs sliced in half on a plate.

Peel your air fryer hard boiled eggs once they have cooled enough to handle.

Serving Suggestions

Aside from eating them as a snack, added to wraps, or chopped on top of salads, you can use these air fryer hard boiled eggs just like you would use regular boiled eggs! Here are some ideas:

To make deviled eggs
On top of a grain bowl
On top of avocado toast
In an egg salad
In a potato salad or pasta salad
To make pickled eggs
In a Niçoise salad
In a breakfast burrito
On top of homemade pizza

Storage Instructions

Unpeeled hard boiled eggs will last up to a week in the refrigerator. Peeled eggs can also be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week, but they’re best if eaten within 2 days.

Poached Eggs

Scrambled Eggs

$0.83 recipe / $0.41 serving

A sunny side egg being fried in a skillet.

How to Fry an Egg

Egg Muffins

$2.01 recipe / $0.34 serving

The post Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Don’t you just love it when a recipe is as simple as ‘mix + bake’? No pre-cooking, no unnecessary extra steps – just mix together all of the ingredients, and pop it in the oven. And that’s just the case for these vegetarian lentil meatballs (lentil balls? vegeballs? meatlessballs?). They couldn’t be easier.

Other easy ‘mix and bake’ recipes → easy nut roast; baked fajita rice; Boursin pasta.

Vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs served with spaghetti and tomato sauce.

I served my lentil balls with spaghetti and tomato sauce – spaghetti and meatballs is such a classic that’s hard to improve on. If you prefer, you could equally serve these vegetarian meatballs with couscous and tzatziki, stuffed into pitta bread, or even just eaten straight from the oven (no judgment here). They’re packed with Mediterranean-inspired flavours, and they’re super versatile.

Mediterranean lentil meatballs on a baking tray.

What’s in these Lentil Meatballs?

The basic recipe for these lentil meatballs is canned lentils + flour + egg (the same base I used for my cheesy lentil burgers). Once you’ve got that far, you can jazz things up however you like. I added:

black olives
sun-dried tomatoes
parmesan-style cheese
fresh basil
garlic

If you like, you could easily switch things up to bring a different flavour profile to your meatballs – maybe you could make a Tex-Mex version, or use some Indian spices, for example.

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these vegetarian meatballs. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

cooked lentils. I used lentils from a can, because they’re so convenient – just drain them well, and they’re ready to use. If you can’t get canned lentils, you can boil dried brown or green lentils until they’re soft, then continue with the recipe as written. I would not recommend using red lentils for this recipe, as they will not give quite the same end result.
eggs
plain flour (I used wholemeal for extra fibre)
sun-dried tomatoes
black olives
parmesan-style cheese. ‘Real’ parmesan isn’t vegetarian, but there are plenty of vegetarian alternatives, which are very similar. Often, supermarkets sell a generic ‘Italian hard cheese’, which is usually vegetarian.
fresh basil
garlic granules

Spaghetti with tomato sauce and Mediterranean lentil meatballs.

Printable Instructions

Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Easy vegetarian lentil meatballs, made extra tasty with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients. These are so simple – just mix and bake!

Course Main meal

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings meatballs

Calories 216kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

2 x 390g tins green lentils, thoroughly drained (470g, or ~ 2 2/3 cups, in total when drained)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, roughly chopped
5 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
50 g (~ 1/2 cup) finely grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
1 teaspoon garlic granules
Few sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped
85 g (~ 2/3 cup) plain flour (I used wholemeal)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). Add all of the ingredients, except for the flour, to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the ingredients thoroughly. It’s fine if the lentils get a little mashed up.
Add the flour, and mix well to combine.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. Use clean hands to form the mixture into ball shapes, and place them on the tray. The mixture will be quite sticky – they don’t have to be perfect balls. I managed to get 25 balls from the mixture.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the lentil balls are slightly crispy and just firm.
Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce, if desired.

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare these lentil balls in advance?

You could certainly mix together the ingredients in advance, and then store the mixture in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or so, until you’re ready to shape and bake the balls. The meatballs are tastiest when freshly baked, but if needed, you could even bake them in advance, and then reheat when you’re ready to eat them.

Can I freeze these lentil meatballs?

I didn’t experiment with freezing these balls, but it’s the sort of recipe I have had luck with freezing in the past, so I definitely think it’s worth a try.

How should I reheat leftover vegetarian meatballs?

The easiest way to reheat these lentil meatballs is in the microwave. They do dry out a little and lose their crispiness when reheated, but they’re still tasty. Alternatively, you could re-crisp them in the oven or air fryer.

How should I serve vegetarian lentil balls?

I served my meatballs with spaghetti and tomato sauce, which worked beautifully. You could alternatively serve them stuffed into pitta bread with some tzatziki, or alongside some mashed potato.