Quick answer: Put fridge-cold large eggs straight into the basket and air fry at 150°C (300°F): 9 minutes for a soft, runny yolk, 11 minutes for jammy, 12 minutes for medium and 13–14 minutes for hard-boiled. Move them straight into iced water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking and make them easy to peel. No water, no pan, no boiling over.
“Boiling” eggs in an air fryer sounds like a gimmick until you try it. There’s no pan of water to wait for, you can cook up to a dozen at once, and the timing is very repeatable once you know your machine. It’s ideal for meal-prep hard-boiled eggs, dippy eggs and soldiers, or jammy eggs for ramen and salads. Below are exact times for every yolk, egg size and temperature, plus the peeling trick that makes the biggest difference.
Air Fryer Boiled Egg Times
For large eggs (63–73g) cooked straight from the fridge, no preheat:
| Yolk | What you get | At 150°C (300°F) | At 135°C (275°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft / dippy | Set white, runny yolk | 9 mins | 10 mins |
| Jammy | Thick, sticky, just-set yolk | 11 mins | 12 mins |
| Medium | Fudgy centre, firm edges | 12 mins | 13–14 mins |
| Hard-boiled | Fully set, pale yellow yolk | 13–14 mins | 15–16 mins |
Many air fryers start at 150°C, so that’s our main setting. If yours goes lower, 135°C gives slightly more even cooking and less chance of a crack. Avoid 180°C or higher: the white turns rubbery and can scorch where the shell touches the basket before the yolk is ready.
What You Need
- Eggs, straight from the fridge (1–12, depending on your basket)
- A large bowl of iced water
- Tongs or a slotted spoon
That’s it. You don’t need oil, foil or a rack, though an egg rack or a small silicone mat stops them rolling around in a smooth basket.
How to Boil Eggs in an Air Fryer (Step by Step)
- Set the temperature. Set the air fryer to 150°C (300°F). There’s no need to preheat; the times above assume a cold start.
- Add the eggs. Lay the fridge-cold eggs in the basket in a single layer, leaving a small gap between them so the air can circulate.
- Air fry. Cook for 9 minutes (soft), 11 minutes (jammy), 12 minutes (medium) or 13–14 minutes (hard).
- Get the ice bath ready. While they cook, fill a bowl with cold water and a handful of ice.
- Cool immediately. Lift the eggs straight into the iced water with tongs. Leave soft and jammy eggs for 2 minutes if serving warm, or 5 minutes to cool fully. Hard-boiled eggs need 5 minutes.
- Peel or serve. Serve soft eggs in egg cups with toast soldiers, or peel the rest using the method below.
Cooking the eggs while you make bacon or toast? The Multi-Food Cooking Planner works out the order for you.
How to Peel Air Fryer Eggs Easily
The ice bath does most of the work: the sudden cold makes the egg contract away from the shell. Then:
- Tap the wide end (where the air pocket is) on the worktop, then the narrow end.
- Roll the egg gently under your palm so the shell cracks all over in a fine web.
- Start peeling from the wide end, under a thin stream of cold water, getting your thumb under the membrane.
Very fresh eggs are always harder to peel, however you cook them. For meal prep, eggs that are 7–10 days old peel the most cleanly.
Times for Different Egg Sizes
Adjust the 150°C times like this:
- Medium eggs (53–63g): take 1 minute off.
- Large eggs (63–73g): use the chart as written.
- Very large eggs (over 73g): add 1 minute.
- Room-temperature eggs: take 1–2 minutes off, as they start warmer.
- A full basket (8–12 eggs): add 30–60 seconds, since more cold eggs lower the air temperature.
6 Ways to Use Air Fryer Boiled Eggs
- Dippy eggs and soldiers: 9-minute eggs with buttered toast fingers.
- Ramen eggs: peel 11-minute jammy eggs and marinate overnight in soy sauce, mirin and water.
- Egg mayo sandwiches: mash hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise, chives and black pepper.
- Salads: halve jammy eggs over a niçoise, Caesar or a warm salad with roasted squash.
- Scotch-egg style snacks: start with 9-minute eggs, wrap in sausage meat and crumbs, then air fry until the sausage is cooked through.
- Meal-prep protein: a batch of 13-minute eggs covers snacks and lunches for the week.
Stuck for what to make with them? Try What Can I Air Fry? or let the Recipe Randomizer pick a breakfast idea.
Troubleshooting
An egg cracked in the air fryer
Usually a hairline crack that was already there, or eggs knocking together. Check eggs before cooking, leave gaps, and use a lower temperature (135°C). A cracked egg is still safe to eat if it’s cooked through.
There are brown spots on the shell
That’s where the shell touched the hot basket. It’s harmless and doesn’t affect the egg inside. An egg rack or silicone mat prevents it.
The whites are rubbery
The temperature was too high or the eggs were overcooked. Stick to 150°C or below and take a minute off.
There’s a green-grey ring around the yolk
That’s from overcooking and slow cooling. It’s harmless but means you can cut the time by a minute and get the eggs into iced water straight away.
They’re hard to peel
The eggs were very fresh or weren’t chilled in iced water. Use slightly older eggs and give them the full 5 minutes in the ice bath.
Can eggs explode in an air fryer?
Eggs in their shells don’t explode in an air fryer the way they can in a microwave, because air fryers heat from the outside in, like an oven. Never cook eggs in their shells in a microwave or in a combination microwave–air fryer on a microwave setting.
Food Safety and Storage
In the UK, the Food Standards Agency advises that eggs with the British Lion mark can be eaten soft-boiled, including by pregnant women, young children and older people. If you’re cooking for someone in a vulnerable group and your eggs don’t carry that mark, cook them until the yolk is fully set.
Hard-boiled eggs keep in the fridge for up to 7 days in their shells and are best eaten within 2 days once peeled. Soft and jammy eggs are best eaten the day you cook them, or within 2 days if marinating. Don’t reheat peeled boiled eggs in an air fryer: the white turns tough.
Air Fryer vs Hob: Is It Worth It?
On speed, it’s close: about the same total time as bringing a pan to the boil and cooking. The real advantages are consistency, no pan to watch, and cooking a large batch with no extra effort. If you’re curious about running costs, see our air fryer vs oven running costs guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you boil eggs in an air fryer?
At 150°C (300°F) for large fridge-cold eggs: 9 minutes for soft, 11 minutes for jammy, 12 minutes for medium and 13–14 minutes for hard-boiled.
What temperature do you cook boiled eggs in an air fryer?
150°C (300°F) works in almost every air fryer. If yours goes lower, 135°C (275°F) is slightly gentler; add about a minute to each time.
Do you need to put water in the air fryer to boil eggs?
No. The eggs cook in the hot circulating air, so you just place them in the dry basket.
Do you need to preheat the air fryer for boiled eggs?
No. The times in this guide are for a cold start. If you preheat, take about 1 minute off each time.
Are air fryer eggs easier to peel?
They peel about as easily as hob-boiled eggs, provided you cool them in iced water for 5 minutes and use eggs that aren’t super fresh.
Why are there brown spots on my air fryer eggs?
The shell touched the hot basket. It’s purely cosmetic. Use an egg rack or silicone mat to avoid it.
How many eggs can I cook at once in an air fryer?
As many as fit in a single layer with small gaps, typically 6 in a 4L basket and 10–12 in a large drawer. Add 30–60 seconds for a full basket.
More breakfast and basics: see our baked potato times, our guide to foil and liners in an air fryer, or browse every air fryer recipe on the site.
