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Once you learn how to make my air fryer soft boiled eggs, you’ll never want them any other way! It’s completely hands-off, and the results are perfectly cooked eggs with a runny yolk!
Need more easy egg recipes? Try my over easy eggs, egg white omelette, over medium eggs, and sous vide egg bites next.
As someone who craves a soft yolk, I can attest to how challenging it is to get the perfect soft boiled egg. That is until I started using my air fryer.
With the magic of the air fryer, you can get the PERFECT soft boiled egg. What’s even better, it’s virtually hands off because there’s no ‘boiling’ involved.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- It’s so quick. Just pop the eggs in the air fryer, and 9 minutes later, voila! Breakfast is ready.
- Completely hands-off. Since there’s no boiling, that means no babysitting either.
- Foolproof. Boiling water is temperamental, especially at higher elevations. Luckily, the air fryer is always reliable.
- Cook as few or as many as you need. You can feed one, two, or five people with the same amount of effort.
Ingredients needed
- Large eggs. Preferably room temperature eggs as they will cook a bit more quickly. If your eggs aren’t at room temperature, gently place them in a bowl of tepid water for five minutes before air frying.
How to make air fryer soft boiled eggs
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Air fry. Add the eggs to the air fryer basket and air fry for 9 minutes. While the eggs are air frying, fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes.
Step 2- Dunk in ice water. Immediately transfer the eggs to the ice water bath and let them sit for 3 minutes. Then, peel and serve.
How to perfectly peel an egg
There is a bit of a trick to peeling an egg, and don’t fret if it takes you a couple of tries. Here’s the method I find most effective:
- Gently crack the egg. Remove the egg from the bowl of ice water and gently crack it on a hard surface.
- Start from the base. Begin peeling from the larger side of the egg. This is also where you’ll find the air pocket, making it easier to get under the shell and remove larger pieces.
- Look for the membrane. The membrane is the thin piece that separates the egg from the shell. If you see this, peel from there to help peel more of the shell.
- Go slowly. Patience is key! I’ve found that some eggs are trickier than others, but it can be done.
- Run it underwater. To remove the last remaining bits of shell.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Choose good-quality eggs. You’d be surprised by the huge difference in flavor it can make.
- Use tongs. The eggs will be pretty hot when you pull them from the basket, so use a set of tongs!
- Practice makes perfect. Everyone’s air fryer is a bit different. Mine were perfectly cooked after 9-10 minutes. If your fryer takes a bit longer to warm up (or you prefer slightly firmer yolks), increase the cooking time to 10 minutes.
- Have the ice bath ready. Time is of the essence, so have the ice bath ready so the eggs don’t overcook.
What to serve with these
I find air fryer eggs with a sprinkle of salt and pepper make the perfect protein-packed snack, but there are plenty of other ways to use them. Here are some ideas:
- Served on a piece of avocado toast with air fryer bacon.
- On top of a cobb salad or Japanese potato salad.
- Mashed into a creamy, flavorful curried egg salad (or egg salad sandwiches!).
- Sliced and served over spicy ramen.
- Slice in half and garnish with bagel seasoning and fresh herbs, like chives or fresh dill.
Storage instructions
To store: Place leftover unpeeled eggs in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to five days. Peeled eggs will stay fresh for up to three days.
To reheat: Place the eggs in a bowl of warm water and let them soak for 15 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
If you prefer hard-boiled eggs, increase the air fry time to 14 minutes.
Yes! If you’d like to keep the eggs fresher for longer, I suggest storing them unpeeled, and they’ll stay fresh for up to five days.
More air fryer breakfast recipes
- Air fryer turkey bacon
- Air fryer French toast
- Air fryer cinnamon rolls
- Air fryer bagels
- Or any of these air fryer recipes
Air Fryer Soft Boiled Eggs
Video
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 190C/375F.
- Once preheated, add the eggs to the air fryer basket.
- Air fry the eggs for 9 minutes. While the eggs are air frying, add cold water and ice to a bowl.
- Immediately transfer the eggs to the iced water bath and let them sit for 3 minutes, before peeling and serving.
So eggs can be made in air fryer? They will not break?
I never believed eggs can be made in air fryer. Air fryer is such amazing machine.
I’ve used air fryer for boiled eggs but prefer my egg maker.
These are SUCH good soft boiled eggs. Thanks for sharing, I followed your method to a T. perfect.
Very easy way to do soft boiled eggs. I love the idea of using my air fryer. I will give this a try thanks.
I have the oven type air fryer, do you think it would work the same in there? Love a runny yolk 😊
Yes!! We tested this with that too 🙂
Thanks Arman!! Made some today, I think my eggs were a little fresh because they were a little hard to peel but not terrible. What an easy way to make soft-boiled eggs!
I am a die-hard soft boiled eggs lover, so only shared this recipe after perfecting it!!