Sous Vide Time and Temperature Guide

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.
Discover more details in our comprehensive sous vide steak guide.
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 |