Soft-boiled eggs are my new obsession. The whites of the eggs are firm, but the yolk stays silky, creamy, and in a liquid gold state. It’s a little like a cross between butter and melted cheese. They’re seriously divine. And they’re not just for breakfast! I enjoy soft-boiled eggs with toast, as an addition to bowl meals, as a topper for salads or soup (hello, ramen!), or just as a quick snack. I pretty much add soft-boiled eggs to everything I eat, no matter what time of day. Are you ready to see how easy it is?
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Why we Love Soft Boiled Eggs
Soft-boiled eggs are my new obsession. The whites of the eggs are firm, but the yolk stays silky, creamy, and in a liquid gold state. It’s a little like a cross between butter and melted cheese. They’re seriously divine. And they’re not just for breakfast! I enjoy soft-boiled eggs with toast, as an addition to bowl meals, as a topper for salads or soup (hello, ramen!), or just as a quick snack. I pretty much add soft-boiled eggs to everything I eat, no matter what time of day. Are you ready to see how easy it is?
How Long Does it Take TO Soft Boil an Egg?
The short answer is that it takes six minutes to soft boil an egg with fully set white and a liquid yolk, or 3-5 minutes if you prefer softer, slightly unset whites near the yolk. The long answer is that the time for soft boiled eggs also depends on the size of your egg and the technique used to boil the egg.
The recipe below is formulated for large eggs that are still cold from the refrigerator. In the U.S. large eggs weigh approximately 56-62 grams. You can use this method for other-sized eggs, just be aware that you will need to adjust the time up or down, depending on the size of your egg. Other factors that may affect the cooking time include high elevation, the type of cookware used, adding the egg to cold water vs. hot water, and the starting temperature of your egg. Start with six minutes for large eggs and adjust the time until you find the exact amount of time needed to achieve your perfect soft-boiled egg.
The diagram above shows how long to cook large eggs (cold) to achieve soft or hard boiled eggs and everything in between.
- 3-5 minutes: liquid yolk with soft, whites not fully set
- 6 minutes: liquid yolk with fully set whites
- 7 minutes: jammy yolk with outer edges set
- 8 minutes: half set yolk
- 9 minutes: half set yolk
- 10 minutes: mostly set yolk
Using the steaming method, I find 12 minutes to be perfect for a hard boiled egg with a fully set yolk. If you prefer to use a full water bath instead of the steaming method, check out my tutorial for hard boiled eggs.
How to Boil Eggs Fast
Half of the time spent when boiling eggs is just waiting for the water to boil, so I like to use a combination of boiling water and steam. To create the steam you only need one inch of water in the pot, which comes to a boil in just a few quick minutes instead of several minutes for a full pot of water. The steam from the boiling water is then trapped under the lid, it surrounds the egg and cooks the egg just as quickly and evenly as a full pot of water. The quick steaming method allows you to cook your soft-boiled egg in just six minutes, or about the amount of time that it takes to start making your coffee or toast a piece of bread.
If you want to see how to make soft or hard-boiled eggs using a full pot of water, check out my tutorial for how to make hard-boiled eggs.
How to Make Perfect Soft Boil Eggs – Step by Step Instructions
Add one inch of water to a sauce pot. Yes, you only need ONE INCH of water. Use the smallest pot you have that will house the number of eggs you’re making, so they’re in a single layer in the pot. I usually only do one or two eggs at a time, but this same technique can be used for any number of eggs. Place a lid on the pot and bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, gently place the large egg(s) into the pot. Tongs or a slotted spoon makes this easier to do without burning your finger tips.
After adding the egg(s) to the pot, put the lid back on top, and set a timer for six minutes. The lid holds in the steam, which surrounds the eggs with even heat, cooking them quickly and evenly.
After exactly six minutes, turn off the burner, and use the tongs to transfer the eggs to an ice bath. Allow the eggs to cool until they’re no longer too hot to handle, or let them sit in the ice bath until you’re ready to eat. Just make sure you don’t let them sit at room temperature after steaming, otherwise they will continue to cook with their residual heat, and the yolks will continue to solidify.
Carefully tap the egg on a hard surface to crack the shell, then gently peel it away. You’ll need to be gentle because the inside is still liquid and the egg will be somewhat soft and wobbly. Begin peeling on the fat end, which often has an air-bubble that separates the shell from the whites, and makes an easy spot to separate the two. Give it a quick rinse after removing the shell to get rid of any shell fragments.
And now it’s time for that magic moment… OMG the runny yolk is liquid perfection! *squeal* Just so you can see a close up of the awesome results… The whites are completely solid and the yolk is ALL liquid. How perfect is that? I feel like I won the lottery.
How to Make Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs
Servings 1Ingredients
- 1 large egg, chilled
Instructions
- Add 1 inch of water to a sauce pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, add an egg (or however many you’d like as long as they are in a single layer in the bottom of the pot), straight from the refrigerator into the pot. Replace the lid and let it continue to boil for exactly six minutes.
- After six minutes, remove the egg(s) from the pot and place them in an ice water bath or run under cool water until they are cool enough to handle. Peel, and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How Long do Soft Boiled Eggs Last?
Soft boiled eggs in the shell will last in the refrigerator for about two days. To reheat the refrigerated soft boiled eggs, just repeat the initial cooing process with half the time. Bring about an inch of water to a boil in a small saucepot, add the egg, and let steam for 3 minutes instead of six.
What to Serve with Soft Boiled Eggs
Soft boiled eggs go well with so many different foods that I find myself adding them to almost all my meals (“put an egg on it!”). I add soft boiled eggs to everything from noodles and rice bowls to salads and toast. When you break open that liquid gold yolk is like adding a deliciously rich sauce to your meal. Here are a few recipes where a soft boiled egg can really take your meal to the next level:
I have been looking for a way to cook perfect soft boil eggs for ages. I’ve tried numerous recipes, but this one is perfect!
Well done!
Finally got a soft boiled egg and easy to follow.
cl
My egg was perfect. Hadn’t had one of these since my childhood and I’m 70. I needed an egg without any butter and I remembered having a soft boiled egg. Hit the spot even with unbuttered toast! Delish.
Sorry it did not work. Not only did yolk all run out but white was runny too.
P.S. Jenny again.
I always used to get perfect soft boiled eggs my own way but it does not work anymore either. Think the farm where I buy my eggs, they are larger then ever. Same farm for 10 yrs now. Sure was hoping. Maybe a minute longer be enough?
Yes, if your eggs are larger, as you stated, they will need more time. :)
I tried (a few times) to sign up for ‘eat more spend less’ deal and it just keeps spinning…won’t open ?
Hi Lucille, here is a direct link to the sign up page. Can you see if that works for you? Thanks!
absolutely not. six minutes was not enough. so gooey that they wouldnt even stay whole for peeling. wasted so many eggs. i followed every step exactly
Hello, I moved from America to Colombia. Here no government forces egg sellers to scrub off the protective covering and as a result we can store our eggs in the cabinet instead of the refrigerator. Do you have a suggestion on the time modification for warm eggs not cold.
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this with room temperature eggs so I’m not sure what the modified cook time would be.
Hint: add salt to water to make peeling boiled eggs MUCH easier!
These turned out beautifully, thank you so much!
Thank you, Beth! Your recipes and methods never disappoint.
Now my hubby’s #1 favorite egg recipe!
I did 2 things wrong, my fault, not yours 😀
I picked up my first egg with my fingers, then grabbed it with my tongs. Either there was a hairline fracture or I grabbed it too hard, because it cracked. So with the other 4 eggs I was more careful. None cracked in the water!
I had XL eggs, and I should have let them cook another 45 to 60 seconds because the whites were a little undercooked for my (but my hubby loved them just the same).
Served over toast they were great. I like them more than fried eggs over easy – less fat from butter.
Thanks for the recipe – it will be a keeper for sure 😋
When I first saw 6 minutes minutes I thought they would be too hard-but I followed your instructions-and the whites were just firm enough-not gooey and the yolks were creamy enough to dip my soldiers in-perfection-thank you-im doing my eggs this way from now on and setting my timer for 6 minutes
😂 saw part of page & i made it! 6 minutes steamed was perfect!
Perfect!!! Used extra large eggs straight from the fridge. Steamed for 71/2 minutes. Did not do the ice bath. I let them run under cold water for about 2 minutes. Very easy to peel. My go to recipe from now on.
Terrible recipe – the egg cracked as soon as it touched the water, even though I lowered it gently in.
That’s a you problem, not the recipe. There’s no other way to make boiled eggs, you have to put them in boiling water. Maybe try a slotted spoon next time? Regardless, rating another person’s recipe a 1 star because you screwed up is very rude
Cold eggs from fridge in boiling water that too with a lid 🤣 of course it will crack. Its basic science for brittle nature of objects. A video of this recipe would be great where you take the egg from fridge n put in boiling water.
Eggs don’t crack, you are cracking them with the flimsy way you are putting them into the hot water …or your eggs are already cracked from the store…
Agreed. Very rude! That’s not the recipe’s fault
I just got done making three eggs following this recipe. None of them cracked. Sorry you couldn’t figure it out, maybe stick to cereal haha