How long to boil eggs by size and altitude

Large eggs from the fridge, lowered into boiling water with the lid on, take 6.5 minutes for a runny yolk and 13 for firm. The timer puts jammy at 7 minutes 40 seconds. With a cold water start, bring the pan to a boil, take it off the heat and cover it. The eggs then stand 3 to 4 minutes for soft, 12 for hard. That is how long to boil eggs when they are US large and your kitchen is at sea level. The boiling water times come from America's Test Kitchen; the stand times come from the American Egg Board and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. A smaller egg, an egg left on the counter, or a kitchen at 5,000 ft each change the clock, and the timer above adjusts for all three.

Pick a method, choose the yolk you want, then set the egg size, whether the eggs come from the fridge or the counter, and your elevation. The timer gives minutes and seconds and counts down from there.

Quick answer: how long do you boil eggs?

Large eggs from the fridge take 6.5 minutes in boiling water for a runny yolk, 7 minutes 40 seconds for jammy and 13 minutes for firm. With a cold water start, bring the pan to a boil, take it off the heat and cover it. Then let the eggs stand 3 to 4 minutes for soft or 12 for hard.

Key takeaways

• The times are for US large eggs from the fridge at sea level.
• A smaller egg, a room temperature egg or a kitchen at altitude changes the time, and the timer adjusts for each.
• Boiling water times come from America's Test Kitchen; stand times from the American Egg Board and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension.
• At 5,000 ft a 3-minute egg takes 5 minutes, by Colorado State's example.

Worked example: how long to boil eggs of each size

Tested times exist for large eggs. For other sizes the timer scales the tested time by mass to the two-thirds power, which is how heat conduction scales for a sphere. A jumbo egg weighs 70.9 g by its USDA class against 56.7 g for a large one. (70.9 / 56.7)^(2/3) = 1.160, so a jumbo egg in the cold start method stands 12 x 1.160 = 13.9 minutes, shown as 14:00. A small egg at 42.5 g gives a factor of 0.825, so a runny small egg in boiling water takes 6.5 x 0.825 = 5.4 minutes, shown as 5:20.

Start temperature works the same way. The University of Exeter model gives about 4.5 minutes for a 57 g egg out of a 4 °C fridge. With our fitted constant the same egg at 21 °C comes out at 3.2 minutes, and the Exeter page gives about 3.5. The timer applies that same formula ratio to the tested time, 0.713 for a runny yolk. So a runny large egg from the counter takes 6.5 x 0.713 = 4.6 minutes, shown as 4:40, close to 2 minutes less than one from the fridge.

None of the sources gives a jammy time. In boiling water the timer scales the runny time by the formula's ratio between a 67 °C and a 63 °C yolk edge. That gives 6.5 x 5.28 / 4.52 = 7.6 minutes, shown as 7:40. Off the heat it takes the midpoint of soft 3.5 and hard 12, which is 7.75 minutes, shown as 7:50.

Altitude adds time. A soft egg that stands 3.5 minutes at sea level stands 3.5 x 1.67 = 5.8 minutes at 5,000 ft, where water boils at 95 °C, shown as 5:50. At 2,500 ft the factor comes to 1.36, so the same egg stands 4.8 minutes, shown as 4:50.

The weights are the USDA minimum net weight per dozen divided by 12, so a carton of large eggs averages at least 2 ounces an egg. The Egg Board's 15 minutes for extra large sits above the scaled jumbo figure. That is why the timer uses the published number where one exists and the mass rule only where none does.

Boiling water or cold water start?

Both work, and a time only makes sense with its method attached. America's Test Kitchen's 13 minutes and the Egg Board's 12 both give a hard large egg by different routes. In the boiling water method you bring about half an inch to an inch of water to a boil. Lower in eggs straight from the fridge, cover, and time from that moment. The eggs barely touch the water and do not cool it, so America's Test Kitchen reports the method holds for 1 to 6 eggs. In the cold start method the eggs sit in a single layer with cold water an inch over them. You bring the pan to a full boil, take it off the heat, cover it and let the eggs stand. The stand time counts from the moment the pan leaves the heat.

Lid on or off depends on the method. In the boiling water method the lid goes on after the eggs go in. In the cold start method the lid goes on as the pan leaves the heat.

Is 10 minutes too long to boil an egg?

For a large egg lowered into boiling water, 10 minutes lands between jammy (7:40) and firm (13:00). Expect a yolk set at the edge and still soft in the center. For the cold start method, 10 minutes of standing sits just under the Egg Board's 12 for a fully firm large yolk. The center may still be a touch soft. Neither is overcooked. The green ring comes from cooking too long or too hot, and the white sets long before either time, at 60 to 65 °C.

Straight from the fridge or room temperature?

Every tested time on this page assumes eggs from the refrigerator, because America's Test Kitchen says so outright and the Egg Board method starts in cold water. The FDA says to keep eggs at 40 °F or below, so the fridge is the normal start. If your eggs sit on the counter first, the gap between egg and water is smaller and heat has less work to do. The Exeter model puts a 57 g egg at about 4.5 minutes from 4 °C and about 3.5 from 21 °C. The timer scales the boiling water time by the same formula, so a runny large egg from the counter takes 4:40 and a firm one 10:20. None of the sources tested eggs from the counter, so the method box marks those times as estimates.

How long to boil eggs at high altitude

Water boils cooler as you climb, so the egg cooks in cooler water and needs longer. Colorado State University Extension lists 212 °F (100 °C) at sea level, 208 °F (97.8 °C) at 2,000 ft and 203 °F (95.0 °C) at 5,000 ft. Higher up it gives 198 °F (92.2 °C) at 7,500 ft and 193 °F (89.4 °C) at 10,000 ft. It says adjustments start at 3,000 ft, while the timer scales from sea level up, so it adds time even below 3,000 ft. Its egg example is the anchor: a 3-minute egg takes 5 minutes at 5,000 ft, about 1.67 times as long. For other elevations the timer follows a straight line on boiling point through 1.0 at sea level and 1.67 at 95 °C, and continues it above 5,000 ft. Treat those times as estimates. The Egg Board adds that hard boiling above 10,000 ft is almost impossible.

Why the times are what they are

Egg white coagulates at about 60 to 65 °C (140 to 149 °F), per the LibreTexts Chemistry of Cooking chapter. Yolk coagulates at about 62 to 70 °C (144 to 158 °F). Heat moves in from the shell, so the white sets first and the yolk's outer edge sets before its center. Doneness is where the yolk boundary stops. About 63 °C gives a runny center and 67 °C a jammy one. Once the yolk passes about 70 °C it is fully firm. That is also why the timer scales by mass to the two-thirds power. A bigger sphere has more volume per unit of surface, so heat takes longer to reach the middle.

Do you need an ice bath?

Yes, or at least cold running water. Every tested method on this page ends with one. America's Test Kitchen runs soft eggs under cold water for 30 seconds and puts hard eggs in an ice bath for 15 minutes. The Egg Board drains and cools its stand-method eggs in cold or ice water right away, and says they are easiest to peel right after cooling. The FDA adds a food safety reason: cooked eggs should not sit out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90 °F, so chill them and refrigerate.

Why are hard-boiled eggs hard to peel?

The Egg Board says very fresh eggs can be difficult to peel, and advises buying and refrigerating eggs a week to 10 days before you cook them. Its peeling steps: tap the egg on the counter until the shell is finely crackled all over, then roll it between your hands to loosen the shell. Peel from the large end under cold running water. Peel right after cooling, when the eggs are easiest to peel. America's Test Kitchen's easy-peel method lowers cold eggs into boiling water, and the name says what the testers found.

Why is there a green ring around the yolk?

The Egg Board calls the greenish ring harmless. It is a reaction between sulfur in the white and iron in the yolk, and it forms when the egg cooks too long or at too high a temperature. Staying at or under the hard times on this page and cooling the eggs at once keeps the yolk bright.

Why do eggs crack while boiling?

The Egg Board says its off-heat method minimizes cracking, because the eggs cook gently in water that is no longer boiling. In the boiling water method America's Test Kitchen keeps the heat at medium once the lid is on. Never microwave an egg in its shell; the Egg Board says steam builds up too quickly and the egg is likely to explode.

How long do boiled eggs last?

The FDA says to use or eat hard-boiled eggs within 1 week of cooking, in the shell or peeled, stored at 40 °F or below. The Egg Board says in-shell eggs keep up to a week in the refrigerator and says to eat peeled eggs the same day. Oregon State University Extension allows peeled eggs 2 days and says to refrigerate within 2 hours. For safety the FDA says to cook until yolk and white are firm. In dishes served with raw or undercooked egg, it says to use shell eggs treated to destroy Salmonella, or pasteurized egg products. To see how a week of boiled eggs fits your daily protein target, use the protein calculator.

For the weight of each size and how to swap sizes in a recipe, see the egg sizes chart.

Frequently asked questions

Do you boil eggs with the lid on?

In the boiling water method, yes, from the moment the eggs go in. In the cold start method the lid goes on when the pan comes off the heat.

How many eggs can you cook at once?

America's Test Kitchen's boiling water method holds for 1 to 6 eggs because the eggs barely touch the water. For the cold start method keep the eggs in a single layer with an inch of water over them.

Can you cook eggs in a pressure cooker or a steamer instead?

This page does not cover those methods, and their times differ from the ones here.

What is a 3-minute egg?

A soft egg timed for 3 minutes in boiling water. At 5,000 ft the same egg takes 5 minutes by Colorado State's example.

How long do you boil eggs for a jammy yolk?

7 minutes 40 seconds for a large egg from the fridge, lowered into boiling water with the lid on.

Conclusion

Pick your yolk and egg, start the timer when the eggs go in, and the clock adjusts for size, temperature and altitude.

From our cookbooks: boiled eggs are the starting point for several dishes in our breakfast cookbook. See Healthy Breakfast Cookbook for the breakfast recipes.