How Long Do Eggs Take to Boil? Quick Guide to Perfect Boiled Eggs

Getting the right boil on your eggs really comes down to timing. If you want soft boiled eggs, go for about 6 to 8 minutes. Hard boiled eggs? Shoot for 10 to 12 minutes. These simple time frames help you dodge eggs that are too runny or, honestly, way too rubbery.

Boiling eggs sounds easy, right? Still, nailing that perfect yolk can be a bit of a challenge. Egg size, freshness, and even your altitude play a role in how long you should cook them.

If you’re just trying to whip up a snack or prepping for a recipe, knowing the right time saves you the headache of guessing. Want to get your eggs just right? Let’s dig into a few timing tips and tricks.

Boiling Times for Different Egg Types

How long you boil an egg totally changes the yolk and white. Short boils leave the yolk soft, while longer ones make it firmer. You can pick your timing based on how you like your eggs.

Soft-Boiled Eggs

Soft-boiled eggs have a runny or just barely set yolk and firm whites. Usually, you want to boil them for about 5 to 7 minutes.

If you’re after a super runny yolk, stick with 5 minutes. At 6 minutes, the yolk firms up a bit but stays soft. Seven minutes gets you a creamy, almost set yolk and cooked whites.

To get this just right, start with boiling water and add your eggs straight from the fridge. Set a timer so you don’t go over. Soft-boiled eggs taste great with toast or tossed into a salad for breakfast or lunch.

Medium-Boiled Eggs

Medium-boiled eggs have a firmer yolk but still keep a creamy center. Boil them for about 8 to 10 minutes.

At 8 minutes, the yolk is nearly set but stays soft in the middle. By 9 or 10 minutes, you’ll get a firm yolk that’s not dry or crumbly. The whites turn out fully cooked.

Medium-boiled eggs are a nice middle ground—good for sandwiches or protein bowls.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

With hard-boiled eggs, both the yolk and white get fully cooked. Boil them for 10 to 14 minutes.

At 10 minutes, you get a firm, moist yolk. If you want a drier yolk, go closer to 12 or 14 minutes. Start with cold eggs in boiling water, or put them in cold water and bring everything up to a boil.

Hard-boiled eggs make perfect snacks, salad toppers, or deviled eggs. If you overcook them, a green ring can form around the yolk. To avoid that, stick to your timing and cool the eggs quickly in ice water.

For more details, check out how to boil eggs.

Factors That Affect Egg Boiling Time

How long your eggs take to boil depends on a few things. Egg size, how fresh they are, water temperature, and even your elevation all matter. Each of these changes how heat moves through the egg.

Egg Size and Freshness

Egg size makes a big difference. Larger eggs need more time to cook through than small ones. For example, a small egg might be good to go in about 4 minutes for soft-boiled, but a large egg needs at least 5.

Freshness also plays a part. Fresh eggs have tighter whites, so they cook a bit slower. Older eggs let water sneak in faster, which might speed up cooking or make peeling easier.

You’ll want to tweak your timing based on size:

• Small eggs: 4–6 minutes (soft to medium)
• Large eggs: 6–9 minutes (soft to medium)
• Extra-large eggs: 9–12 minutes (hard boiled)

These times are rough estimates, since things like water temperature can also change the outcome.

Water Temperature

The water’s starting temperature changes how fast your eggs cook. If you drop eggs into boiling water, they cook up faster. But starting them in cold water and heating everything together takes longer.

Keeping the water at a steady boil helps the eggs cook evenly. If you add cold eggs and the water cools down, you’ll need extra time for it to heat back up.

Try not to let the water get hotter than 180°F (82°C)—that can make the whites tough and the yolks chalky. If you keep yolks just at 170°F (77°C), you’ll get a much nicer texture.

Altitude and Boiling Point

When you head up to higher altitudes, water boils at a lower temperature because the air pressure drops. That means eggs just take longer to cook since the water can’t get as hot as it does at sea level.

At sea level, water boils at 212°F (100°C). But if you’re up at 5,000 feet, it boils closer to 203°F (95°C).

So, you’ll probably need to tack on an extra 1 to 3 minutes when you’re boiling eggs above 3,000 feet. That way, you can make sure the yolks get solid and the whites actually set, even though the water isn’t as hot.

It’s honestly kind of interesting how altitude changes things in the kitchen. If you know what’s going on, you can just tweak your timing and still get eggs cooked the way you like, no matter where you are.