In fluid thermodynamics, nucleate boiling is a type of boiling that takes place when the surface temperature is hotter than the saturated fluid temperature by a certain amount but where the heat flux is below the critical heat flux. For water, as shown in the graph below, nucleate boiling occurs when the surface temperature is higher than the saturation temperature (T_S) by between 10 and 30 °C (18 and 54 °F). The critical heat flux is the peak on the curve between nucleate boiling and transition boiling. The heat transfer from surface to liquid is greater than that in film boiling.

Nucleate boiling is common in electric kettles and is responsible for the noise that occurs before boiling occurs. It also occurs in water boilers where water is rapidly heated.