How long does it take to boil an egg?

The honest answer is that it depends — on egg size, starting temperature, altitude, and what you mean by "boiled." A 6-minute egg and a 10-minute egg are entirely different foods. So before we give you a number, we need to agree on what you actually want.

The headline numbers

For large eggs (~50g) starting from the fridge, dropped into boiling water:

Why the timing matters so much

Egg whites and yolks coagulate at different temperatures. Whites start setting around 62°C and are fully cooked by 80°C. Yolks start thickening around 65°C and become firm at 70°C. The narrow temperature gap between "perfect jammy" and "hard rubbery brick" is why timing is non-negotiable.

Once you know this, the secret to a great boiled egg becomes obvious: shock the eggs in ice water immediately when the timer goes off. Otherwise the residual heat keeps cooking them, and your perfect 6-minute egg becomes an 8-minute egg by the time you peel it.

The variables nobody tells you about

Starting temperature. Cold-from-the-fridge eggs need about 30 extra seconds compared to room-temperature eggs. If you remember to take eggs out 20 minutes before cooking, you'll get more consistent results.

Egg size. A jumbo egg has roughly 25% more mass than a medium egg. That's a meaningful timing difference. If you're cooking medium eggs to a boiled-egg recipe written for large, knock 30 seconds off.

Altitude. Water boils at lower temperatures at high altitude — 95°C in Denver instead of 100°C at sea level. That means your eggs cook slower. Add about a minute per 1,000 feet above 3,000 feet.

Pot size and water volume. A small pot with not enough water cools dramatically when cold eggs hit it, extending your cooking time. Use a pot with at least 2 inches of water above the eggs.

The technique

1. Bring water to a rolling boil — not a simmer.
2. Lower eggs in gently with a slotted spoon. Don't crack them on the way in.
3. Start your timer the second the eggs are submerged.
4. Once the timer goes off, transfer immediately to an ice bath. Leave for at least 2 minutes.
5. Crack on a flat surface, peel under cold running water.

If you want to skip the math

We built a Boiled Egg Timer that takes all these variables and gives you the exact time. You pick your egg size, starting temperature, and target doneness. We do the math.

FAQ: the questions we get

Why are my boiled eggs hard to peel? Use older eggs (a week or two in the fridge), not super-fresh ones. Fresh eggs have tightly bonded membranes. Older eggs peel cleanly.

Why is the yolk green? Overcooked. The sulfur in the white reacts with iron in the yolk to form a thin layer of iron sulfide. Harmless, but ugly.

Should I add salt or vinegar? It doesn't affect cooking. It does help the white set quickly if a shell cracks, so it's a small insurance policy. Optional.

Can I steam instead? Yes — and it's easier to peel. Steam-cooked eggs need about a minute longer for the same doneness as boiled.