Soft boiled eggs

Struggle to make perfect soft-boiled eggs with a runny centre? Just follow our foolproof recipe, then serve with toast soldiers or in a salad niçoise

Cook:7 mins

Serves 1
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 191
fat 13g
saturates 4g
carbs 0g
sugars 0g
fibre 0g
protein 19g
salt 0.5g

Ingredients

2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
salador toast, to serve

Tip

Using a gas hob?

If you’re using a gas hob, you may find that your eggs cook a little quicker as the heat can be fierce, so cook the eggs for 4 mins for a runny egg or 6 mins for soft boiled. For induction hobs, we found the eggs took 1 min more, so 5 mins for runny and 7 mins for soft boiled.

Method

Fill a medium sized saucepan with water and bring to a rolling boil.
Make sure your eggs aren't fridge cold. By having the eggs at room temperature, it will be less of a shock for the egg reaching the hot water and therefore less likely to crack. You can also use an egg pricker to make a very small hole in each egg before boiling, which will also reduce the chances of it cracking in the heat. Slowly lower the eggs into the water using a spoon.
Set your timer for 4-5 mins for runny/dippy eggs to serve with soldiers, or 6-7 mins for soft-boiled eggs for a salad. If serving in a salad, plunge the eggs into a bowl of cold water as soon as the timer goes off – this will stop them cooking and cool the shells quickly for peeling.