Singapore Coffee Shop Soft-boiled Eggs (Half-boiled Eggs)

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What To Cook Today Search What To Cook Today Search What To Cook Today Search Home >> EGGS >> How To Make Half-boiled Eggs (Coffee Shop Style)How To Make Half-boiled Eggs (Coffee Shop Style) written by Marvellina Updated: December 1, 202432.4K PIN RECIPE COMMENTS VIEW RECIPE RECIPE VIDEO
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Make wobbly soft half-boiled eggs just like the ones served in Singapore coffee shop (kopitiam) with this very easy recipe to go with amazing kaya toast. You can also use an air-fryer to cook the half-boiled eggs.

Kopitiam soft-boiled eggs (Half-boiled Eggs)

It’s usually about 6 am when I went to kopitiam (an old school coffee shop) with my dad when I didn’t have school. Sleepyhead I was but I love going to kopitiam with him. He would order me half-boiled eggs, kaya toast, and hot tea with condensed milk. The half-boiled eggs always accompanied by white pepper powder and few drops of soy sauce. I can tell you, it’s one of my most favorite memories with him. One that makes me smile and tear up at the same time. I miss you dad! This post is definitely for you 🙂 A childish thought “Do they have Kopitiam in heaven?”

WHAT ARE HALF-BOILED EGGS?

Half-boiled eggs are different with soft-boiled eggs. Half-boiled eggs do not maintain their shapes after you crack the shells. The white and the yolks are literally only half-cooked. You need a spoon to eat half-boiled eggs. Soft-boiled eggs usually refer to the softness and creaminess of the yolks but the whites are usually fully-cooked. Though to be honest, the two terms are used interchangeably when one talks about kopitiam style half-boiled eggs. Some will still refer to them as soft-boiled eggs. too.

INGREDIENTS

You only need 4 things to make a perfect half-boiled eggs:1. Chicken eggs: You can use white or brown chicken eggs. The cooking temperature will differ slightly.2. Water: Of course you need water to cook the eggs 🙂3. Soy sauce: This adds nice umami to the half-boiled eggs4. Ground white pepper: It’s a must for me to have ground white pepper to go with the half-boiled eggs. It’s just not the same without it

How To Make Half-boiled Eggs (Coffee Shop Style)

Prep 5 minutes Cook 7 minutes Total 12 minutes Servings 4 eggs4.9 from 21 reviews REVIEW & RATE PRINT SAVE RECIPE RECIPE SAVED!

Ingredients

0.5x1x1.5x2x
  • ▢ 4 large chicken eggs (about 58 gr each)
  • ▢ 4 cups rolling-boiled hot water
  • ▢ White pepper powder
  • ▢ Soy sauce

Instructions

  • I suggest not cooking too many eggs for the first time if you are trying out because you may find yourself having to experiment with the timing to get to the right consistency

STOVE-TOP METHOD:

Get the eggs out from the fridge first:

  • Get the eggs out from refrigerator 5 minutes before getting ready to cook. This is important because if it’s cold from the fridge, the eggs might crack when coming into contact with the hot boiled water

Cook the eggs with residual heat:

  • Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Use a slotted spoon to gently lower the eggs into the water and cover with a lid and set a timer for 7 minutes. Please note that this time is what works for me. You may have to experiment +/- with the time to get to the right consistency because of the size of eggs, the temperature of the eggs, the heat on your stove, etc. There are so many variables are at play here

Test one egg for doneness:

  • After 7 minutes, use a spoon to get the eggs out and submerge in ice-cold water or you can immediately use the back of the spoon to crack the shell and let the egg slip out into a bowl. Use the spoon to scrap the remaining egg whites clinging to the inner shell
  • The egg white should be white in color and runny, soft custard-like, while the yolk appears to be whole but it's very soft and very runny when you break it with a spoon. If you see this, then you have yourself kopitiam style soft-boiled eggs, If the white is still transparent, it needs another minute

AIR-FRYER METHOD:

  • Please use the time as a reference only. My air fryer is a basket-style and has a capacity of 7-quart and 1700 watts. The style, the size , and the power of your air fryer affect how long you need to cook them ,etc, etc. So, you most likely have to experiment with timing.
  • Put the eggs in the air fryer basket. There's no need to preheat the air fryer. Set the temperature to 200 F (100 C) and air fry for 9-10 minutes. If your air fryer temperature can't go this low, you can use the "keep warm" or "reheat" function
  • The egg white should be white in color and runny, soft custard-like, while the yolk appears to be whole but it's very soft and very runny when you break it with a spoon. If you see this, then you have yourself kopitiam style soft-boiled eggs, If the white is still transparent, it needs to be cooked for another minute or so
  • Remove from the air-fryer and submerge in the ice-cold water to stop the cooking process

Serving:

  • Season with ground white pepper and a little bit of soy sauce and if you have a toast, I like to mop the yolk with the toast! HEAVEN!

RECOMMEDED TOOLS

Saucepanair fryer

*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*

Nutrition FactsHow To Make Half-boiled Eggs (Coffee Shop Style)Serving Size 1 soft-boiled egg (plain)Amount per ServingCalories72% Daily Value*Fat 5g8%Saturated Fat 2g13%Trans Fat 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 186mg62%Sodium 71mg3%Potassium 69mg2%Carbohydrates 0.4g0%Sugar 0.2g0%Protein 6g12%Vitamin A 270IU5%Calcium 28mg3%Iron 1mg6%* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Did you make this recipe?Let me know how you like this recipe and consider rating it! Tag me @whattocooktoday I’d love to see your photos/videos on Instagram

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT SINGAPORE COFFEE SHOP HALF-BOILED EGGS

Half-boiled eggs are made by cooking the eggs in water that has been boiled vigorously, heat turned-off and then eggs are submerged in the boiled water and covered with a tight-fitting lid to let the residual heat cooks the eggs until they are half-cooked. Here’s the step-by-step:1. GET THE EGGS OUT FROM THE FRIDGE: Let them sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes2. BRING WATER TO A ROLLING BOIL: While waiting for the eggs, bring water in a saucepan to a rolling boil3. TURN OFF HEAT AND LOWER EGGS INTO THE WATER: Use a spoon to lower the eggs into the hot water4. CLOSE THE LID: The residual heat will gently cook the eggs5. SET TIMER TO 7 MINUTES: I suggest using digital timer on the stove or your phone for accuracy6. REMOVE EGGS FROM THE WATER: When the timer is up, use a spoon to quickly remove the eggs from the hot water to a bowl to stop the cooking process

HOW TO PEEL HALF-BOILED EGGS

These coffee shop half-boiled eggs are really very very soft and it’s almost impossible to be peeled like regular hard-boiled eggs or soft-boiled eggs. Here’s how my mom usually does it:1. CRACK IT: Use the back of the spoon to gently crack the egg shell2. OPEN IT: Use your hand to open it up at the crack and let the yolk slips out into a bowl3. SCRAPE IT: Use a spoon to scrape the remaining egg white that clings to the inner shell. The egg white is very soft and custard-like4. SERVE IT: serve it in a bowl with a few drops of soy sauce and freshly ground white peppercorns. HEAVEN!

COOK’S TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Timing is everything when cooking eggs, especially half-boiled eggs like this. The cooking time can vary between 1-5 minutes1. WHITE EGGS VS BROWN EGGS Brown eggs might have “thicker” shells compared to white shells, so you might have to add another minute or so, in other words, you will have to experiment, but 5-6 minutes is the minimum I would imagine2. SIZE OF EGGSThe eggs that I used were large grade A white shells and about 58 grams each. Large eggs will need longer time3. TEMPERATURE OF EGGSIF YOU LET THE EGGS OUT FOR 5 MINUTES : You need 7 minutes for white eggs, about 8 minutes for brown eggsIF YOU LET THE EGGS REALLY COME DOWN TO ROOM TEMPERATURE (30 MINUTES ON THE COUNTER): You need 5 minutes for white eggs, about 6 minutes for brown eggs4. FOR FIRST-TIMER MAKING HALF-BOILED EGGSI suggest starting with 4 eggs at a time to get the hang of it.

AIR-FRYER HALF-BOILED EGGS

I recently just tried out cooking half-boiled eggs in an air-fryer and they worked out great. There’s no need to boil water or anything else. Simply put the eggs in the air fryer basket and air fry at 200 F (100 C) for 10 minutes (for 55-60 grams egg with a shell) and then wait for 2 minutes before removing from the air fryer. Get one egg out to test and see. Simple as that!

Breaking that yolk with a spoon and scooping it into my mouth was the highlight of the whole experience for me! I don’t eat it with any other peppers! only white pepper powder!! It’s never the same without it.

Mom made half-boiled eggs at home every morning for us too before we headed to school. This often accompanied by cream crackers sprinkled with sugar and soaked in hot milk. So the cream crackers were soft when we ate them! It sounded so strange and probably gross you think, but it’s like THE thing back in those days! ohhh…the good old days!

DID YOU MAKE THIS SINGAPORE COFFEE SHOP HALF-BOILED EGG RECIPE?

I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!

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23 comments

Cici May 4, 2025 - 11:03 pm

My husband and I love half boiled eggs and we always had problems getting it right but your recipe is heaven sent! We made such perfect eggs and it’s gonna be part of our breakfast routine from now on! ♡

Reply Marvellina May 5, 2025 - 9:13 pm

Yay! Happy to know that! We all love half boiled eggs for breakfast too!

Reply « 1 2 3 4.91 from 21 votes (15 ratings without comment)

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Hello! I'm Marvellina!

I’m passionate about food—especially bold, comforting Asian flavors—and I love sharing approachable recipes and creative bakes with an Asian twist. So glad you’re here! LEARN MORE...

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