How long do Hard-Boiled Eggs last?
Hard-Boiled Eggs last 1 week (shell or peeled) in the fridge. Spoilage signs to check, storage tips, and cited food-safety sources.
Quick answer
Can I still eat it?
Use this as a conservative screen before you rely on the storage window. If anything seems unsafe, discard it.
Use whole days since it was opened, cooked, or bought.
Sealed / unopened: N/A
Signs Hard-Boiled Eggs has gone bad
- Sulfurous rotten-egg smell.
- Slimy whites or abnormal pink or iridescent discoloration.
Still good if
- A green-gray ring around the yolk caused by cooking is not by itself a spoilage sign. It does not override the storage-time and temperature limits or other discard signs.
Discard immediately if
- Any sulfurous smell when cracked
- Visible cracks in the shell with any seepage
- Pink or iridescent discoloration, or green discoloration other than a green-gray ring around the yolk caused by cooking
Why guidance varies
Cooked food safety depends on how quickly it was cooled to 40°F, container depth, and whether it stayed under the 2-hour danger zone limit before refrigerating.
Get a heads-up before it expires. Search the full database instead.
Frequently asked questions
How long do Hard-Boiled Eggs last?
In the fridge: 1 week (shell or peeled). Sealed / unopened: N/A. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Use hard-cooked eggs—in the shell or peeled—within 1 week (FDA/FSIS). Store peeled eggs in a covered container; do not rely on submerging in water. Do not freeze hard-cooked eggs.
How can you tell if Hard-Boiled Eggs has gone bad?
Signs that Hard-Boiled Eggs has gone bad: Sulfurous rotten-egg smell; Slimy whites or abnormal pink or iridescent discoloration. Still good if: A green-gray ring around the yolk caused by cooking is not by itself a spoilage sign. It does not override the storage-time and temperature limits or other discard signs.
What does the date label on Hard-Boiled Eggs mean?
Hard-Boiled Eggs usually doesn't carry a printed date label — judge by storage time and the spoilage signs above.
Sources for this answer
- A FDA — Use or eat hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within 1 week after cooking.
- A USDA FSIS — Hard-cooked eggs refrigerator 1 week; do not freeze.
- A USDA FSIS - Green ring around a hard-cooked yolk — A cooking-related green ring forms from sulfur and iron reacting on the yolk surface and is not by itself a spoilage sign.