Sous Vide Time and Temperature Guide (2024)

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 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.

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