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:
Dressed up a bowl of maggi noodles and stir fry veggies with one of these suckers…it was a divine way to eat breakfast :9
I have been having a soft cooked egg with leftover veggies and a tiny potato for breakfast. I love the meal, but have been experimenting with the perfect way to cook the egg. Tried this method this morning and it was indeed perfect! Quick, easy, with no guesswork. I was a bit skeptical with boiling the egg for 6 minutes. Seemed too long to me. But the egg was wonderful. I was even able to crack the shell and peel it with no problem.
Also: Use a pin to poke a hole in the big end of the egg. This allows the air bubble to escape, which prevents it from cracking.
Thank you! Just tried this and they came out perfect. So yummy.
made these last night to go on my risotto and they were PERFECT. Thank you!
Just found you earlier this week and LOVE your site. Made these tonight and oh my goodness. So easy, delicious, and probably pretty versatile as my imagination has run wild with ideas to put these on!
Tonight had them over two pieces of multi-grain toast with some sriracha.
Cracking the cooked white and watching the liquid yolk run out feels kind of magical.
Right? That’s my favorite part!
I absolutely love your site. I will be trying this method of soft boiled eggs very soon. I just thought I’d share a tip that my mom taught me to easily peel a soft boiled egg: tap the side of the egg with a spoon, Use your thumbs to push gently into the cracked part of the eggshell, then pull the halves apart with both hands (as if you’re cracking open a raw egg). Then use your spoon to scoop out the egg by inserting it just between the shell and the egg, just like you would with an avocado. Easy peasy with no stubborn shells to deal with.
Thanks for the great, easy to follow recipe! I made soft boiled eggs for the first time ever today, to have over ramen… divine! I’m now kicking myself for not having done so earlier… five plus years of crappy semi-poached eggs… sigh.
I can poach eggs perfectly but I’ve never been able to do the soft boiled…until this morning!!
This method worked perfectly for me. I made 2 eggs – because I get very fresh eggs, I did the salted vinegar water which I see another commenter recommended for very fresh eggs. They peeled easily – I peeled both immediately.
Also used your Jasmin rice spices with leftover sprouted brown rice, a spoon of cranberry beans (a Rancho Gordo heirloom bean) and a handful of spinach — all warmed up together with the eggs on top.
Just discovered your blog and bought your book. I am 58 and an experienced cook but there are always things to learn and I love your easy-breezy style.
Another winner Beth – had this tonight over risotto, and it was incredible. Also enjoying the cookbook!
This looks amazing. I love a good runny egg, but I always dread how long it takes to boil the water… I never though of “steaming” them! I’m definitely having this for Sunday breakfast tomorrow
Also, if you’re ever trying to make perfect sunny side up, crack the eggs into a hot pan, add a tablespoon or two of water, and cover. I usually test the done-ness by jiggling the pan, and seeing if the whites are firm. The steam will cook the tops a bit so the whites are not gooey and gross, but the egg will still be perfectly runny :)
Thank you so much!!! My grandma used to make the perfect soft boil eggs, and I could never get them quite right, so eventually I just gave up. Already did this twice this week. I like to just remove 1/4 of the shell on the top and scoop the egg out with a spoon :)
I love sunny side up eggs, but hate hard yolks. I’m going to try this for breakfast this weekend. Looks like the perfect way to cook eggs!
Additional note – I’ve made these several times over the last week and a half and they have turned out perfect every time. Great way to cook a fabulous, quick breakfast.
This post has changed our lives! We are fans of soft boiled eggs, but, like you, always a little icked out over the soft edges/whites (I won’t call ’em snot, ‘cuz I’ve spent years talking them up to the kids so they will eat them without gagging!).
We had soft boiled eggs for breakfast that very morning just before I read this post — and we’ve had them every day since then.
We are EGG FANATICS already (with chickens in the backyard). Now we are even more so.
I have a few tips to share with you that I’ve picked up for hard boiled eggs (and my years long search for perfectly hard boiled eggs that I can peel!):
Add a dash of vinegar to the boiling water (chemical effect with egg shells, illustrated best by the famous how-to-make-a-naked egg experiment, found here:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/naked-egg-experiment).
Add a shot of salt (brings water to higher/hotter boil, very slightly).
Peel just when cool enough to handle easily and under a TINY stream of cool water (can do this underwater, too, if you want to conserve water).
Finally, since we have an electric stove (yuck), we have found that we need to stop at 5 minutes for a perfect egg.
Our favorite NEW soft boiled egg dish for breakfast? Saute onions, deglaze with a shot of water while topping with fresh spinach (will create JUST ENOUGH steam to soften spinach perfectly). Plate, top with cottage cheese and two soft boiled eggs (my kids like cottage cheese cold atop the spinach/onion mix, but my husband and I toss it in the pan before plating and, although it’s slightly runny ‘cuz the cheese produces a lot of liquid, it’s nothing a piece of toast or eating with a spoon won’t solve).
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
PS — I’m getting your book as a gift for my daughter when she heads out to college.