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?
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
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:
My first time making soft boiled eggs and I followed your instructions to a T. They came out perfect!! I now have another option to serve my 6 yr old eggs. She doesn’t like scrambled only over medium. This was perfect and she LOVED it!
This is wonderful! I’m a college kid home for the summer and I’m left to my own devices for lunch a lot. We’re on a slightly tight budget and I don’t want to use too many dishes so this was perfect! I cooked the egg and microwaved some of the add-ins (slow-cooker chicken and frozen corn) as it was going, then when i finished the egg, I filled the same pot with hot water and put it back on the element and cooked the block of ramen all the way through. The egg was perfect and I was proud enough I took a picture :D Plus it was delicious + filling.
Oh my gosh! Thank you for this! This is the first explanation that I was willing to try for the first, and oh my gosh! The best eggs I’ve enjoyed in a long time that I’ve prepared myself, along with able to eat a ton of leftover rice that I buttered.
Personally the coolest sensation when to peal the egg!
I’ve used this method several times since finding this post, and it is the only way I will do soft-boiled eggs from now on. They come out just right every time!
This is wonderful! I’m eating one over rice with teriyaki sauce right now.
I’ve tried two or three times to poach eggs for soup, but they always come out over- or underdone. This had goopy white on one side of the yolk, but I think it is because I used my smallest pot but a larger lid. I will choose a matching set next time. THANK YOU!
This just changed my life. I have always been a little afraid of soft boiled eggs but I made some tonight and they were perfect. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
You’re totally my favorite!! Thanks for posting such awesome recipes and tutorials.
A suggestion for peeling the eggs. I don’t know if this will work with soft boiled eggs, but it works great for hard boiled eggs. If you crack the eggs shell at the big end of the egg, there is an air pocket there, and you can peel of the shell and the inner membrane. Then you take a metal teaspoon (not a measuring spoon), get it wet, and carefully slide it in between the egg and the membrane, then just work your way around the eggs and the shell slides right off.. You can easily remove the shell this way, though you may have to keep rewetting the spoon. I think it would also work with soft boiled eggs if you do it carefully.
I’ve done this (thanks to this suggestion) with the soft boiled eggs I have now, finally, figured out.
This morning I made these with toast instead of the poached eggs that make a terrible mess when I cook.
Soft boiled eggs and this technique of shelling eggs has changed my life!!!
This is amazing! I just made one nearly perfect egg and one perfect egg! Jumbo eggs need just a smidge over six minutes, it would seem.
Thank you for this recipe. It’s the best recipe I have found to make a perfect soft boiled egg. It’s one I’ll use from now on.
If I wanted to make hard-boiled eggs using this technique, could I just leave the eggs in there longer? Any suggestions on time?
Thanks!
Yes, you definitely can. I would guess around 9 minutes for hard boiled, but I haven’t tried it. It might take a little experimentation! :)
I love poached eggs, but I can never make them at home without them breaking or getting soggy! Even when I order them at a restaurant, it still sits in a pool of water.
I’d never even heard of soft boiling eggs before this. This method is so much easier, and the result is very similar to a poached egg. The only downside is the peeling – it’s very difficult to do this without breaking the yolk.
With a little practice, this is going to be my new go-to for eggs!
I just tried this and while the yolk and whites turned out great I had a problem with the shell being hard to peel which ended up creating a mess when I broke through to the yolk before it was fully peeled. What can I do to combat the shell being hard to peel?
I’ve heard and tried many techniques, but I haven’t found anything that consistently makes a difference. Sometimes they’re easy to peel, sometimes not (even between eggs from the same package) and I don’t know what the determining factor is.
I don’t peel the eggs, I crack off one end of the egg and scoop out the inside with a spoon. If you are gentle the entire egg will come out in one piece.
Perfect eggs! Thank you so much for sharing your method!
I love the fact that you use the term ‘snot’ to describe uncooked egg whites.
Now I can prove to my family that no, I’m NOT the only one that does that!
I also feel that way about uncooked whites (even had a major family blowout one year when I refused to eat the snotty whites).
I just tried to make these, and after 6 minutes, the whites weren’t cooked all the way (I have large eggs). So I will have to try again in the future.
In the meantime, I promised my husband and daughter eggs…so poached it is! I can do those no problem!