Cooking Soft Boiled Eggs Is Unbelievably Easy Thanks To Your Air Fryer

There are lots of unexpected foods you can cook in an air fryer, and eggs are one of them. Nutrient-dense, affordable, tasty, and versatile, boiled eggs are the perfect high-protein breakfast, snack, or recipe addition. The secret to making perfect boiled eggs super quickly and easily is your air fryer. It's quick, cuts down on cleanup and prep time, and, since air fryers are great for more than just eggs, this method is perfect for multitaskers who like to get the most out of their kitchen gadgets.

No need to babysit a pot of boiling water — just preheat your air fryer to 270 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, pop your eggs in the basket, and let them cook for around 10 minutes. The exact cook time depends on how runny you like your yolk. At 10 minutes, the yolk will be runny and the whites should be set. Cut down to 9 minutes if you like them super runny, or bump up to 11 minutes for a bit more of a jammy texture. Once done, give them a quick dunk in an ice bath for about 3 minutes to stop the cooking and make peeling a breeze.

The key difference between soft, medium, and hard-boiled eggs comes down to cooking time and texture. Like conventional ovens, no two air fryers are exactly the same, and they can be finicky. It may take a bit of trial and error to adjust temperature and timing to get perfect results. For soft-boiled eggs, a minimum of 9 minutes and a maximum of 11 minutes is key. Medium-boiled eggs take around 12-14 minutes, resulting in a jammy yolk that's just starting to firm up. For hard-boiled eggs, about 15 minutes will give you fully set yolks, perfect for slicing up for egg salad or for an on-the-go snack.

When loading up the eggs in your air fryer, be sure not to overcrowd the basket and leave space between the eggs so that the heat circulates them all evenly. You should also be sure not to cut into the cooked eggs until you're ready to eat them. Soft-boiled eggs are delicious eaten on their own sprinkled with some everything bagel seasoning or salt and pepper, but they can also make great toppings for salads. They've got the same runny yolk as poached eggs, but since poached eggs require hot water for cooking, you definitely can't make them in the air fryer. Air-fried soft-boiled eggs are a great air fryer hack and can be a near-perfect, easy substitute for poached eggs in certain recipes!