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:
OMG! I love eggs any way shape or form except for the white to be runny. That’s gross! Trying this tomorrow for breakfast =) Yum…
I watched the video on America’s Test Kitchen where they cooked 1000s of eggs to perfect it, and it really does work amazingly well! :)
Just tried this technique and oh man, the yolk was perfect & delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this one, I tried it and… perfect, I will even go a little less time on the next because my induction burner seems to do everything with a little more zing, it was amazing on the rice bowl recipe, I substituted collards for spinach and still amazing!
A little late to this party . . . but have you ever made these ahead and kept them refrigerated? Wondering if, in the shell, these would keep for a few days, like hard-boiled. As a busy mom, anything to save me time in the morning. THANKS!
I haven’t tried that. I’m honestly not sure how they’d hold up!
Beth-You’re the Egg Angel! Amazing isn’t it how the world can be going to hell in a finely woven basket or our personal life might be coming down around our ears, yet some how something as simple as a deliciously runny yolk and firm white makes it all seem so manageable. As a child my mom made perfect soft boiled eggs, but I never learn how. A tragedy. Now, at last, the holy grail of egginess! I too saw the episode on America’s test Kitchen and if you get on the internet after the show they allow access for non-subscribers. Alas I was delayed, but you have saved the day with what I assume is a very old secret of good cooks.
I too just found you and your site and will be getting your book.
As I said before, amazing. All over something as simple and plain as a properly cooked egg. It’s always the little things. Thanks so much.
Yum, just tried this for the first time this morning and it turned out perfect. I’m such a visual person and generally have no idea what I’m doing in the kitchen so I love your step by step instructions. Happily discovered your site recently and I love it, thank you for doing it.
Made your eggs this morning. Perfect! We’re full time RVers and spend time at altitudes, so also appreciate the hint about increasing cooking time. At sea level now but will be experimenting with increased time when we get back to our mountains.
Heh, i noticed by the color of the yolks, the eggs are not supermarket eggs. (not orange-ish, but yellow-ish)
:) find/invest in some pastured eggs man :D
the yolks should be very orange and very very good and smelly!
you’ll never buy supermarket eggs again
I hadn’t had a good soft boiled egg since my mother used to make then when I was young…until today! Yay! This technique worked perfectly! Yum!!!
I just watched this technique on America’s Test Kitchen. I’ll definitely be giving it a try.
Perfect! I love soft boiled eggs and I actually eat them from egg cups with toast soldiers. I usually make a 3 minute egg, but I think I like this method better. Thanks Beth! Also, old eggs peel easier than fresh eggs.
Oh my goodness. You have no idea what this method of cooking eggs means to me. I’m eating one of these eggs on a slice of toast as I type this. This is absolutely perfect for me! Thank you so much.
I’ve done my soft boiled eggs this way three times now and it’s been perfect every time. I’m obsessed! Tonight I tried them on top of rice with sauteed veggies. This is a simple and yummy meal that I will be having often!
That’s my favorite meal, too!
This has become one of my FAV meals… thanks so much for sharing and we love your website! We plan our weekly meals around your posts.