• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Unpeeled Journal logo

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Soup, Salad, Snacks
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert + Baking
    • Holidays
    • Vegetarian + Vegan
    • Beverages
    • Easy
    • Recipe Collections
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellness
    • Food Travel Guides
    • Book Club
  • Cooking School
    • Cooking Technique
    • Baking + Pastry Technique
    • Wine Class
    • Better Know a Food
  • The Food + Grief Project
  • About
Home / Recipes / How to Make Soft-Boiled Eggs (and Eat Them)

Jump to Recipe

How to Make Soft-Boiled Eggs (and Eat Them)

Share
Pin17
Tweet
Email
Print

An excellent method for an egg-cellent egg.

A perfect egg is one of life’s great small pleasures. Here’s how to make soft-boiled eggs: how long to soft boil the egg to make it creamy on the inside with cooked whites, plus the right way to eat one.

perfect soft boiled egg in egg cup with toast soldiers

Hello, sunshine!

Of all the ways to eat eggs for breakfast (or any time of day), there is something uniquely fun and even elegant about soft-boiled eggs. Whether peeled and placed atop dishes like ramen and avocado toast, or scooped from little cups with some toast soldiers, these sunny eggs deserve a spot in your kitchen.

Here’s how to time your eggs, cook them, and enjoy.

perfect soft boiled egg in egg cup with toast soldiers

Should I boil the water first for soft-boiled eggs, or start the eggs in cold water?

Ah, the eternal question of boiling eggs everywhere: Whether it’s better to boil water first and then submerge the egg, or whether to start with the egg in cold water and bring it up to a boil.

Intelligent minds can differ, but my favorite method for cooking soft-boiled eggs is to boil the water first, and then add the egg to cook it. I find that this method does two things:

  1. Prevents the white from sticking to the shell (game-changer!), and
  2. Allows a very precise, accurate cooking time.

buttered toast with toast soldier slices for egg

How long should you soft boil the egg for a runny yolk?

Now the method and the cook time. To cook a soft-boiled egg:

  1. Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil.
  2. Gently lower refrigerator-cold egg(s) into the water. I use a slotted spoon to do this.
  3. Cook at a gentle boil or high simmer for exactly 6 1/2 minutes for a cooked egg whites with runny yolks, and 7 minutes for cooked whites with a slightly jammy (but still runny) yolk.
  4. Stop the cooking by submerging the eggs in cold water for a minute.
  5. Serve with salt and pepper.

perfect soft boiled egg in egg cup with toast soldiers

How do you eat soft-boiled eggs?

Now the fun part: eating your egg! There are a couple of ways to eat soft-boiled eggs. The first way would be to simply peel the egg (easy, since you boiled the water first), and slice it in half — perhaps topped over ramen or avocado toast, for example.

But if you want to enjoy a proper soft-boiled egg breakfast with the egg nestled in an egg cup, here’s what you do:

  1. Put the soft-boiled eggs in egg cups,
  2. Use a knife or side of a spoon to crack around the top part of the egg, then cut all the way through to remove the top of the egg. (Don’t forget to eat the bit of white stuck to the “lid” of the egg!)
  3. Salt and pepper the egg, then use a small spoon or toast soldiers to eat up.

perfect soft boiled egg in egg cup with toast soldiers

Did you enjoy learning how to make a soft-boiled egg? You’ll also like these egg recipes and techniques.

  • How to Make a Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
  • The Best Method for Fried Eggs
  • Classic Deviled Eggs
perfect soft boiled egg in egg cup with toast soldiers
Print Recipe

How to Make Perfect Soft-Boiled Eggs

Here's the best way to cook soft-boiled eggs, with cooked whites and runny, jammy yolks.
Prep Time1 min
Cook Time7 mins
Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: American, english
Keywords:: breakfast, brunch, easy, how to cook soft-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs
Servings: 2 eggs

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs, straight from the refrigerator
  • Salt and fresh-cracked pepper, to taste
  • 2 slices well-buttered toast (optional)

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Gently lower the cold eggs into the water.
    TIP: I use a slotted spoon to lower the eggs into the water; a small strainer works well, too.
  • Cook the eggs at a very gentle boil or high simmer for exactly 6 1/2 minutes for a cooked egg whites with runny yolks, and 7 minutes for cooked whites with a slightly jammy (but still runny) yolk.
    TIP: The last minute of cooking is the best time to start your toast, if using. Once toasted and buttered, cut your toast into several strips. These are your toast soldiers.
  • Stop the cooking by submerging the eggs in cold water for a minute. Serve as desired.
    To eat a soft-boiled egg breakfast in egg cups, place the eggs in the cups. Use a knife or the side of a spoon to crack and remove the top part of the egg. Salt and pepper the egg, and eat with a little spoon or toast soldiers.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Cooking School, Cooking Technique, Easy, Mother's Day, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, easy, how long to cook soft boiled egg, how to soft boil egg, jammy eggs, perfect soft boiled eggs, soft boiled egg recipe, soft boiled eggs

Sign Up for the Weekly Newsletter

Never miss a recipe.

More from Unpeeled

Kamala’s Perfect Southern Cornbread Dressing

Kamala’s Perfect Southern Cornbread Dressing

Spring Vegetable Farro Salad (Farrotto Primavera)

Spring Vegetable Farro Salad (Farrotto Primavera)

Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider

Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jayne says

    January 19, 2022 at 2:24 pm

    5 stars
    Turned out just right. Thank you for the good lesson! Haven’t had a soft boiled egg in ages 🙂

    Reply
  2. Emma J says

    January 19, 2022 at 7:23 pm

    Can’t wait to try this tomorrow, looks so delicious

    Reply
  3. Frank says

    April 8, 2022 at 12:09 pm

    Toast soldiers! That’s how my mon used to do it with soft boiled eggs ….almost fifty years ago now! Thanks for the memory lane trip, now I know what I’m having tomorrow morning…or maybe tonight!

    Reply
  4. Susi says

    April 8, 2022 at 1:35 pm

    5 stars
    I just saw the photo of the eggs in a cup with toast…exactly what I ate for breakfast this morning! Delicious—thank you for the step by step instructions.

    Reply
    • Unpeeled says

      April 8, 2022 at 7:42 pm

      What a nice coincidence! I have been having them most every morning. I just love the little spoon and toast soldiers and the whole thing 🙂

      Reply
  5. lowandslow says

    May 6, 2022 at 11:05 am

    Are the eggs cooked straight from the fridge or room temp. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Unpeeled says

      May 6, 2022 at 4:59 pm

      Cold from the fridge! If you have room-temperature eggs, cook for 6 1/2 minutes.

      Reply

Share your comment here: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Unpeeled

The journal of cooking, baking, and the bonds we share through food. Learn More

Popular Posts

bowl of lemons in shadow food and grief writing
Creamy Feta Pasta With Tomato and Dill
soda bread on baking pan
cranberry curd tart decorated with orange and rosemary and fresh cranberries
wooden plate of chicken and black bean enchiladas with avocado and cilantro
west village travel guide

Your inbox is hungry! Get the weekly newsletter.

Footer

About Unpeeled

Unpeeled offers trusted recipes, cooking and baking techniques, travel guides, profiles of women in food -- plus articles, essays, and more.

Features

  • Articles
  • Profiles
  • Taste Tests
  • Food Writing Roundups

Cooking School

  • Cooking Technique
  • Baking + Pastry Technique
  • Wine Class

Information

  • About & Contact
  • F.A.Q.s
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2022 Unpeeled Journal. All rights reserved.

  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Soup, Salad, Snacks
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert + Baking
    • Holidays
    • Vegetarian + Vegan
    • Beverages
    • Easy
    • Recipe Collections
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Profiles
    • Taste Tests
    • Food Writing Roundups
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellness
    • Food Travel Guides
    • Book Club
  • Cooking School
    • Cooking Technique
    • Baking + Pastry Technique
    • Wine Class
    • Better Know a Food
  • The Food + Grief Project
    • Food That Heal
    • F+G Articles, Interviews, Essays
  • About
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter