Boiled Egg Timer

Free online countdown for soft, jammy, medium, and hard boiled eggs — not a 3-minute hourglass.

Free boiled egg timer online. Large fridge eggs in already boiling water: 5 min soft, 6½ jammy, 8 medium, 10 hard boiled, then ice bath. A classic hourglass egg timer is 3 minutes (very soft only). No signup.

Doneness

Size

Start from

Method

Drop fridge eggs into a rolling boil, then start. Ice bath when it beeps.

6:30

Jammy · Large · Fridge

Ice bath as soon as it beeps — carryover heat keeps cooking the yolk on the counter.

Create my meal plan

How long to boil eggs

Times below are for eggs from the fridge, lowered into already boiling water, then moved to ice water. That boiling-water start is more consistent than a 3-minute hourglass or a color-changing disc.

Boiled egg timer chart by size (fridge, boiling start)
Doneness Small Medium Large XL Yolk
Soft4:304:455:005:25Runny
Jammy6:006:156:306:55Custard
Medium7:307:458:008:25Mostly set
Hard9:309:4510:0010:25Fully set

Room-temperature eggs: subtract about 40 seconds. High altitude: add a little — water boils cooler.

Cold-start times (after the water boils)

Cover eggs with cold water, bring to a boil, then start the timer. These minutes are after the boil, not including heat-up. Large fridge eggs:

Cold-start boiled egg times after the water boils
Doneness After boil
Soft3:00
Jammy5:00
Medium6:30
Hard9:00

3 minute egg, 6 minute egg, 9 minute egg

What you get if you start a large fridge egg in boiling water and ice it when the timer hits:

What a 3, 6, 9, and 12 minute egg looks like
Timer Result
3 minutesClassic hourglass egg timer. Very soft; whites may still be loose if the egg was fridge-cold.
4–5 minutesSoft-boiled: set white, runny yolk. Dippy eggs and soldiers.
6–7 minutesJammy / 6 minute egg. Custard yolk for toast, ramen, salads.
8 minutesMedium. Mostly set, still moist in the center.
9–10 minutesHard-boiled, not chalky. Meal prep and egg salad.
12 minutesVery hard. Fine for packed lunches; yolk starts to dry.

What is an egg timer?

An egg timer is a short countdown for boiling eggs. The original was a 3-minute hourglass for a soft breakfast egg. Stores still sell hourglasses, color-changing discs, and singing gadgets. Those assume one doneness. This egg timer online is a boiled egg timer: pick soft, jammy, medium, or hard, then start.

Hard boiled egg timer

For a hard boiled egg timer, use about 10 minutes for a large fridge egg dropped into boiling water, then ice. That is not the 3-minute gadget time. 9 minutes is almost set; 12 minutes starts to dry the yolk. Pick Hard above and press Start — size and fridge/room chips adjust the countdown.

How long is an egg timer?

The classic gadget is 3 minutes. Use that only for a very soft egg. For a firmer boil: jammy ~6½ minutes, medium 8, hard boiled 10, then ice bath.

Are egg timers 3 minutes?

The hourglass ones are. It is not a hard-boiled time. Press “classic 3-minute timer” above if that is all you want. Otherwise stay on this boiled egg timer and pick doneness.

How to boil eggs so the timer is honest

  1. Use a pot deep enough that eggs stay covered.
  2. Rolling boil, then lower eggs with a spoon so shells do not crack.
  3. Start this timer the moment they go in (or the moment a cold start boils).
  4. Keep a steady simmer, not a violent bounce.
  5. Ice bath immediately. Peel or refrigerate within 2 hours.

One large egg is about 72 kcal and 6 g protein. If you eat eggs most mornings, a high-protein meal plan keeps the rest of the day in range.

Frequently asked questions

Large fridge eggs in boiling water, then iced: 5 minutes soft, 6½ jammy, 8 medium, 10 hard. Adjust for size and room temperature with the chips above.

A short countdown for boiled eggs. The classic gadget is a 3-minute hourglass. This egg timer online lets you pick soft, jammy, medium, or hard boiled instead of assuming 3 minutes.

3 minutes for the hourglass. A boiled egg timer is 5 / 6½ / 8 / 10 minutes for large fridge eggs in boiling water (soft to hard), then ice.

Three minutes for the classic gadget. That is only a soft egg. Jammy, medium, and hard need 6–10 minutes with a boiling-water start.

Yes, hourglass egg timers are 3 minutes. Use that for a very soft yolk, not for meal-prep hard eggs.

Do not thaw them on the counter first unless you switch this timer to room temp. Fridge-to-boil is 5 / 6½ / 8 / 10 minutes for large eggs, then ice.

Boiling start is easier to repeat. Cold start works if you start the countdown only when the water boils — those times are shorter (3 / 5 / 6½ / 9).

Ice bath, crack all over, peel from the wide end under water. Older eggs peel better than farm-fresh ones.

About 72 calories and 6 grams of protein per large egg. They fit high-protein and balanced plans; the meal around them still has to match your calories.

Takeaways

  • Classic egg timers are 3 minutes (soft only).
  • Fridge, large, boiling start: 5 / 6½ / 8 / 10 minutes, then ice.
  • Ice bath stops carryover — skip it and the yolk keeps cooking.
  • Need oven or air-fryer times? Use the cooking time calculator.

Other Free Tools

Related Meal Plans