TL;DR
To breed frogs in Minecraft, feed two frogs a slimeball each. One frog will lay frogspawn on a water block, which hatches in about 10 minutes into 2–5 tadpoles. Keep tadpoles in water, feed them slimeballs to help them grow faster, and move them to the right biomes to get all three frog types: orange, white, and green. Frogs eat tiny magma cubes and drop froglights in different colors.
Frogs are peaceful mobs found in swamps and mangrove swamps. They can be bred using slimeballs, and their babies called tadpoles, can grow into different types of frogs depending on the biome. This guide will explain exactly how to breed frogs in Minecraft (Java & Bedrock), how frogspawn and tadpoles work, how to control frog types, and how to farm froglights efficiently.
Where to Find Frogs in Minecraft
Frogs naturally spawn in two biomes:
They usually appear in small groups of 2 to 5. Frogs are passive and will follow you if you hold a slimeball. You can use this to move them into a safe area..
How to Breed Frogs
To breed frogs, feed two frogs a slimeball each. When both frogs are in love mode, one of them becomes pregnant. The pregnant frog will try to find a nearby water source block with air above to lay frogspawn.
Requirements:
- Water must be a source block, not flowing.
- There must be air above the water.
- Frogspawn is laid on water, not on land or blocks.
Once these conditions are met, the frog will place one frogspawn block on the water.
How Frogspawn Works
Frogspawn is the block that holds frog eggs. It floats on top of water and looks like clusters of small bubbles. The mechanics are simple and reliable:
- It hatches in up to 10 minutes of real-time.
- Each frogspawn spawns 2 to 5 tadpoles.
- Frogspawn cannot be moved or collected, so plan your placement carefully.
- The
randomTickSpeedrule does not affect how fast it hatches. - Do not cover it with blocks, air must be above it.
After hatching, tadpoles swim freely in the water below.
Tadpoles: Growth and Care
Tadpoles are small aquatic mobs that grow into frogs. They are fragile and need to stay in water to survive.
Key facts:
- Growth time: Around 20 minutes (1 Minecraft day)
- Speed up method: Feeding slimeballs (each one speeds up growth by 10%)
- Tadpole transport: Use a water bucket to scoop and move them
- Behavior: Tadpoles follow players holding slimeballs
- Risk: They die quickly if stranded on land
- Enemies: Axolotls will attack tadpoles
If you want to safely raise a group of tadpoles, keep them in a protected pool, away from predators, and optionally feed them slimeballs to accelerate their growth.
All Frog Types
Minecraft has three frog variants: temperate, warm, and cold. The type of frog a tadpole becomes depends only on the biome where it grows up, not where it was born.
Frog variant rules:
- Temperate Frog (orange) – from plains, swamps, forests, rivers
- Warm Frog (white) – from deserts, jungles, mangroves, Nether
- Cold Frog (green) – from snowy biomes, frozen rivers, mountains
To control frog types, use a bucket to move a tadpole to the correct biome before it matures. Release it in water and let it grow naturally or feed slimeballs to speed things up.
Froglights and Frog Farming
Frogs have a special use: they drop froglight blocks when they eat small magma cubes. Each frog variant gives a different froglight color:
- Warm Frog → Pearlescent Froglight (white)
- Temperate Frog → Ochre Froglight (yellow)
- Cold Frog → Verdant Froglight (green)
To farm froglights:
- Set up a magma cube spawner or find a basalt delta in the Nether.
- Kill large and medium magma cubes until only tiny ones remain.
- Place frogs near the tiny magma cubes so they can eat them.
- Frogs automatically drop froglights when they eat small magma cubes.
Players often use powder snow or candles to damage larger magma cubes and build spawning platforms over slabs or trapdoors to help control size. Frogs can be safely transported into the Nether using portals if you want to farm there directly.
Java vs Bedrock: Do Any Mechanics Differ?
As of Minecraft version 1.21 and later, frog breeding works the same way in both Java and Bedrock editions:
- Same slimeball breeding item
- Same frogspawn hatching behavior
- Same frog variant rules
- Same feeding and growth mechanics
Earlier Bedrock betas used seagrass to breed frogs, but this was replaced with slimeballs before release.
Common Problems and Fixes
Frog doesn’t lay frogspawn?
Make sure the water is a source block and has air above it. Add solid blocks around the edges to help frogs detect the water more easily.
Frogspawn isn’t hatching?
Give it time. It takes up to 10 minutes and is not affected by tick speed changes.
Tadpoles keep dying?
They probably flopped onto land or were attacked by axolotls. Keep them in water and away from predators.
Wrong frog type?
Remember that the biome where the tadpole grows controls the frog type. Bucket and move tadpoles before they grow.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can frogs breed without slimeballs?
A: No, frogs only enter love mode and breed when fed slimeballs. Other items, such as seagrass or berries, do not work in current versions.
Q: How far will a pregnant frog walk to lay frogspawn?
A: A frog searches for a water source block within roughly 10–15 blocks. If no valid water is nearby, it may wander until it finds a spot.
Q: Can frogspawn survive in flowing water?
A: No. Frogspawn only spawns and hatches on a true water source block. Flowing water or partially covered blocks prevent hatching.
Q: Do frogs ever leave their biome naturally?
A: No. Frogs naturally stay within their spawning biome unless moved by the player with a lead or bucket. Biome type determines tadpole growth color.
Q: Can tadpoles be stacked in a bucket?
A: No. Each bucket can hold only one tadpole. To move multiple tadpoles, you need multiple buckets.
Q: Will a frog eat small slimes for froglights?
A: No. Only small magma cubes trigger froglight drops. Small slimes are ignored for this purpose.
Q: Can frogs die from environmental damage?
A: Yes. Frogs take damage from falling, lava, fire, and suffocation. Tadpoles are more fragile and die quickly on land or out of water.
Q: Can adult frogs breed immediately after hatching?
A: No. Frogs must reach full adult size before breeding. Tadpoles must grow for 20 minutes (faster with slimeballs) before they can breed.
Q: Can frogs go through Nether portals?
A: Yes. Both adult frogs and tadpoles can travel through Nether portals. This allows biome manipulation for controlling frog variants.
