Reference
How long to boil an egg depends on three things: how done you want the yolk, the size of the egg, and your altitude. This guide covers all three — and every time below links straight to a running timer.
| 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 |
Every time in this guide is measured from a full rolling boil, with cold eggs lowered in gently and the timer started immediately. This matters more than any other variable. Starting eggs in cold water and bringing the pot up together adds roughly 4 to 6 minutes to the total, and that total shifts with your pot size, how much water is in it and how powerful your stove is — which is exactly why it is hard to repeat.
Fully set white, warm liquid yolk. For dippy eggs, ramen and avocado toast. Start a 6 minute soft boiled timer.
Firm at the yolk's edge, soft and glossy in the centre — the jammy texture used for ramen eggs and grain bowls. Start an 8 minute medium boiled timer.
Fully set, pale yellow, crumbly yolk with no grey-green ring. For salads, deviled eggs and meal prep. Start a 12 minute hard boiled timer.
Most published egg times quietly assume a large egg. If yours are not large, the chart above has the adjusted times — roughly 30 seconds per size step. That sounds trivial, but at the soft boiled end 30 seconds is the difference between a liquid yolk and a setting one. If you buy mixed or farm eggs, sort them by size and cook them in batches rather than splitting the difference.
Water boils at 100 °C (212 °F) at sea level, but the boiling point drops as atmospheric pressure falls with elevation. Because the water is cooler, the egg cooks more slowly even though the pot is boiling just as vigorously.
Use the Custom mode on any timer to enter your adjusted time.
These times assume eggs taken straight from the fridge, because that is how most people cook them. Room temperature eggs are already warmer and finish roughly 30 seconds sooner. They also crack less often, since the temperature shock going into boiling water is smaller.
Set the eggs in a steamer basket over an inch of boiling water and cover. Use the same times as boiling, or add about 30 seconds. Steamed eggs crack less because they are not knocking against each other in moving water, and many people find them easier to peel.
Both have their own timings and their own pages: the air fryer egg timer runs at 250 °F, and the Instant Pot egg timer handles the staged 5-5-5 method.
None of the times on this page apply to quail eggs, which are roughly a third the size and cook in two to four and a half minutes. Use the quail egg timer for those.
Cover the eggs with cold water, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover for 10 to 12 minutes. Gentler on the shells but much harder to repeat exactly.
An egg holds a lot of residual heat. Left in hot water or on a plate, it keeps cooking for several minutes after the timer stops — which is how a 12 minute hard boiled egg ends up with a green ring anyway. Move eggs straight into ice water: 2 to 3 minutes for soft boiled, at least 5 for medium, and 10 or more for hard boiled if you want the easiest peeling.
Cooked eggs keep about a week in the fridge. See how long hard boiled eggs last for storage, the two-hour rule and how to tell if one has gone off.
Answers
Yes. Each size step changes the time by roughly 30 seconds. A small egg needs about a minute less than an extra large one at the same doneness.
Water boils at a lower temperature as elevation rises, so eggs cook more slowly. Add about 1 minute per 3,000 feet above sea level.
Steaming cracks fewer eggs and generally makes them easier to peel. Timings are close to boiling, or add about 30 seconds.
Boiling water gives far more consistent results because timing starts from a known temperature. Cold start methods vary with pot size and stove power.
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