Free egg timer

Watch it cook. Pull it at the perfect second.

Choose a doneness and press start — the yolk sets in real time as the countdown runs, so you can see exactly what you are going to get.

Minutes Seconds

06:00

Soft Boiled

Egg Timer

Pick a doneness, start the timer, and get the egg you actually wanted — a runny yolk for dipping, a jammy centre for ramen, or a firm yolk with no grey ring. Free, no sign-up, and it keeps counting accurately even if you switch tabs.

Timed from a rolling boilThe only starting point that gives repeatable results.
Adjusted for egg sizeSmall to extra large, because 30 seconds matters.
Alarm and tab countdownWalk away and still hear it when it is ready.
Every cooking methodStovetop, air fryer, Instant Pot and quail eggs.

Pick your yolk

Three doneness levels, three timers

Each has its own page with the exact timing, method and troubleshooting for that texture. All times below are for a large egg at a rolling boil.

6 minutes

Soft Boiled Egg Timer

Fully set white, warm liquid yolk. For dippy eggs with toast soldiers, ramen and avocado toast.

8 minutes

Medium Boiled Egg Timer

Jammy and half-set — firm at the edge, soft in the centre. The ramen egg texture.

12 minutes

Hard Boiled Egg Timer

Fully set, pale, crumbly yolk with no grey-green ring. For salads, deviled eggs and meal prep.

Reference

Egg boiling time chart

Most published egg times quietly assume a large egg. If yours are not large, use these adjusted times — roughly 30 seconds per size step. For altitude adjustments and alternative methods, see the full egg cooking time guide.

Minutes at a rolling boil, by egg size
Doneness	Small	Medium	Large	XL
Soft Boiled	5:00	5:30	6:00	6:30
Medium Boiled	7:00	7:30	8:00	8:30
Hard Boiled	10:30	11:00	12:00	13:00

Tips for a better boil

Cracking: a small pin-prick in the fat end lets steam escape.
Peeling: eggs 7–10 days old peel far more easily than fresh ones.
Ice bath: move eggs to ice water immediately to stop the cooking.
High altitude: add 1 minute per 3,000 ft above sea level.
From the fridge: these times assume cold eggs.

Method

How to boil an egg properly

Bring the water to a full rolling boil first. Enough to cover the eggs by about an inch. This is the single most important step — timing from a cold or gently simmering pot is why eggs come out inconsistent.
Lower the eggs in gently with a slotted spoon so they do not crack against the base of the pan.
Start the timer as soon as the last egg is in, and keep the water at a steady boil rather than a violent one.
Move them straight into ice water. An egg holds a lot of residual heat and keeps cooking on the plate. Two to three minutes for soft, five for medium, ten or more for hard boiled if you want easy peeling.

The mistake almost everyone makes

Leaving eggs to cool in their hot cooking water. That is what produces the grey-green ring around a hard boiled yolk, even when you timed the boil correctly. The ice bath is not an optional finishing touch — it is what stops the cooking.

Beyond the stovetop

Other ways to cook eggs

Each method has its own timer page, because the timings are not interchangeable.

250°F

Air Fryer Egg Timer

No pot, no water, no waiting for a boil. 12, 14 or 16 minutes depending on the yolk.

5-5-5 method

Instant Pot Egg Timer

A staged timer that runs all three phases — pressure, release and ice bath — back to back.

2–4½ min

Quail Egg Timer

Quail eggs cook in a fraction of the time. Chicken egg timings will ruin them.

After cooking

How Long Do They Last?

Storing hard boiled eggs, the two-hour rule, and how to tell if one has gone off.

Comparison

Which method should you use?

Method	Hard boiled time	Best for	Trade-off
Stovetop boiling	12 min	One or two eggs, most consistent results	Needs watching; eggs can crack
Air fryer	16 min at 250°F	No water, hands-off	Times vary a lot by model
Instant Pot	5-5-5 method	A dozen at once, easiest peeling	Several minutes to come up to pressure

If you want a predictable result the first time, boil them. If you are batching for the week, use the Instant Pot method. The air fryer wins on convenience once you have calibrated it to your machine.

Answers

Common egg boiling questions

How long do you boil an egg for it to be hard boiled?

For a large egg, boil for 12 minutes at a rolling boil. Start the timer once the water is properly boiling, not when you add the eggs.

Do you start timing before or after the water boils?

After. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, gently lower in the eggs, then start the timer. Timing from a cold pot leaves eggs undercooked.

How many minutes for a soft boiled egg?

Six minutes at a rolling boil for a large egg, giving a fully set white and a warm, runny yolk.

Why does my hard boiled egg have a green ring around the yolk?

It is a harmless reaction between sulfur in the white and iron in the yolk, caused by overcooking or cooling too slowly. Keep to 12 minutes and use an ice bath.

How do I make eggs easier to peel?

Use eggs that are about a week old rather than very fresh, and move them into an ice bath the moment they finish cooking.

More answers on the full FAQ page. Want to know where our numbers come from? That is on the about page. Spotted an error? Tell us — we would rather be corrected than be wrong.

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