EigenLayer Restaking Guide 2026: Earn Extra Yield on Staked ETH
EigenLayer lets you restake your ETH or liquid staking tokens to secure additional protocols and earn extra rewards. This guide covers how restaking works, the risks, and how to get started.
EigenLayer is a restaking protocol on Ethereum that lets ETH stakers "restake" — extend their ETH security to secure additional protocols (called AVSs — Actively Validated Services) and earn extra yield on top of native ETH staking returns.
How Restaking Works
You deposit stETH (or native ETH) into EigenLayer. Your stake now secures both Ethereum AND one or more AVSs. If you misbehave on any secured service (equivocation, malicious validation), your stake can be slashed by that AVS. In exchange for this additional risk, AVSs pay additional token rewards to restakers.
Liquid Restaking Tokens (LRTs)
- EtherFi (eETH): largest LRT; auto-restaking with DeFi composability
- Renzo (ezETH): second largest; multi-AVS strategy with automatic rebalancing
- Kelp DAO (rsETH): multi-asset restaking aggregator
- Puffer Finance: native ETH restaking with anti-slash insurance mechanism
Restaking Risks
- Additional slashing: restaked ETH can be slashed by AVSs independently of Ethereum
- Smart contract risk: EigenLayer + LRT protocol smart contract exposure
- AVS default risk: if an AVS fails or has bugs, restakers supporting it may lose stake
- Liquidity risk: LRT token depeg potential during market stress