Soft boiled eggs

By Tanya Francis · Updated October 17, 2026

A soft boiled egg has a runny yolk and a white that's just set. Large eggs from the fridge take 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water. Start at 6 minutes, which sets the white all the way to the yolk.

How to soft boil eggs

You need

• Large eggs, straight from the fridge
• Water, enough to cover the eggs by about an inch (2.5 cm)
• A bowl of cold water or ice water

Steps

1. Bring the water to a boil, then turn it down to a gentle boil.
2. Lower the eggs in gently with a spoon.
3. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. The egg timer set to Soft runs 6 minutes.
4. Put the eggs in cold water for 1 to 2 minutes. That stops the cooking and cools the shell enough to hold.
5. Stand the egg in an egg cup, tap around the top with a spoon and lift it off, or slice it off with a knife.

Eggs and soldiers

Soldiers are just strips of buttered toast, cut thin enough to dip into the yolk. Toast the bread while the eggs cook and it's all ready at the same time. A pinch of salt on the open egg helps.

From the fridge or room temperature

The times above are for eggs straight from the fridge. If yours have been sitting out, take off about 1 minute less. A cold egg dropped into boiling water is more likely to crack, so lower it in gently. See why eggs crack when boiling.

If you'd like the yolk a little thicker but still spoonable, that's a jammy egg, at 6½ to 7½ minutes.

A note on runny yolks

FDA and USDA advise cooking eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. The American Egg Board notes that soft-boiled and jammy yolks don't reach the temperature that kills Salmonella. If you're cooking for someone who is pregnant, very young, older or has a weakened immune system, use pasteurized eggs or cook the eggs hard. USDA says in-shell pasteurized eggs can be used safely without full cooking.