Sous Vide Time and Temperature Guide

J. Kenji Lopéz-Alt headshot

by J. Kenji López-Alt

Whether you’re new to sous vide cooking or you just want to know the basics, the Anova Time & Temperature Guide will help you achieve the best meal ever, every time. With the help of The Food Lab, we've created a full reference guide to help you achieve the exact results you want, no matter what you're cooking. Think perfectly medium-rare steak, super-juicy chicken breast, ridiculously flavorful veggies... and so much more. Each dish has been tested extensively to deliver you down-to-the-degree recommendations, so you never have to worry about overcooked, mediocre results ever again.

Download the printable Anova Time & Temperature Quick Reference sheet to post this super-simple guide, well, anywhere. Get more time and temperature guides and sous vide recipes in the Anova Culinary App, available for iOS and Android.

Using the guide to cook a chicken breast @ 145°F / 63°C

Example:

Min Time Max Time
1h 3h 30m
To be safe, you should at least cook it for this long. You should seriously consider it done.

Chicken

Preferred Doneness Temperature Min Time Max Time
Soft and juicy chicken breast 145°F / 63°C 1h 30m 4h
Traditionally firm chicken breast 155°F / 69°C 1h 4h
Juicy and tender chicken thigh 165°F / 74°C 1h 4h
Off-the-bone tender chicken thigh 165°F / 74°C 4h 8h

Finish chicken by drying well and cooking skin side-down in a moderately hot skillet with a little vegetable oil.

View full chicken, and turkey guides; Chicken Breast, Chicken Thigh or Turkey Breast with Crispy Skin.

Steak or Lamb

Preferred Doneness Temperature Min Time Max Time
Medium-rare 129°F / 54°C 1h 30m 4h
Medium 140°F / 60°C 1h 30m 4h
Medium-well 145°F / 63°C 1h 30m 4h

Finish steaks by drying well and searing on a hot grill or in a hot cast iron skillet with butter and oil.

View full beef or lamb guides; Sous Vide Smoked Beef Chuck, Sous Vide Smoked Brisket, Porterhouse Steak, Tenderloin Steak, Ribeye Steak, Strip Steak, and Sous Vide Rack of Lamb.

 

Pork Chops

Preferred Doneness Temperature Min Time Max Time
Rosy pink and juicy 135°F / 57°C 1h 4h
White throughout and juicy 147°F / 64°C 1h 4h

Finish pork chops by drying well and searing on a hot grill or in a hot cast iron skillet with butter and oil.

View full pork guides; Sous Vide Carnitas, Sous Vide Canadian Bacon, Sous Vide Bacon, Sous Vide BBQ Pork Shoulder, Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin, Sous Vide Pork Chops, and Barbeque Ribs.

 

Fish

Preferred Doneness Temperature Min Time Max Time
Mi-cuit (tender but translucent) 110°F / 43°C 30m 30m
Tender and flaky 124°F / 51°C 30m 1h
Traditional well-done 132°F / 55°C 30m 1h 30m

Fish cooked sous-vide is difficult to sear without having it fall apart.

View full fish, and seafood-based guides; Sous Lobster, Sous Vide Halibut, Sous Vide Tuna, and Sous Vide Salmon.

 

Eggs

Preferred Doneness Temperature Min Time Max Time
Soft yolks, ghostly, barely set whites 140°F / 60°C 1h 1h
Creamy yolks, opaque, tender whites 145°F / 63°C 45m 1h 5m

For perfect poached eggs, cook at 145°F for 45 minutes, remove from shell, then gently poach in simmering water for 30 seconds. For perfect soft boiled eggs, cook in boiling water for 3 minutes, then transfer (still in the shell) to a 145°F water bath for 45 minutes.

View full egg guides; Soft-Boiled Egg, Poached Egg, and Hard-Boiled Egg.

 

Sausage

Preferred Doneness Temperature Min Time Max Time
Extra-juicy and soft 140°F / 60°C 45m 4h
Firm and juicy 150°F / 66°C 45m 4h
Traditional, springy 160°F / 71°C 45m 4h

Finish sausages in a skillet with butter and oil or on a grill.

View full sausage guide; Sous Vide Sausage.

 

Hamburger

Preferred Doneness Temperature Min Time Max Time
Very Rare to Rare 115-123°F / 46-51°C 40m 2h 30m
Medium-Rare 124-129°F / 51-54°C 40m 2h 30m
Medium 130-137°F / 54-58°C 40m 4h
Medium-Well 138-144°F / 59-62°C 40m 4h
Well-Done 145-155°F / 63-68°C 40m 4h

View full hamburger guide; Sous Vide Hamburger.

Green Vegetables

Temperature Min Time Max Time
Asparagus, peas, broccoli, etc. 183°F / 84°C 15m 40m

View corn guide; Sous Vide Corn.


Root Vegetables

Temperature Min Time Max Time
Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, etc. 183°F / 84°C 1h 3h