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Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs are simple to make, easy to peel, and perfectly cooked every time! This recipe is an easy first recipe to make in the Instant Pot.
Easy Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs are one of the easiest foods to make in the Instant Pot. Whether you need to cook just two eggs or an entire dozen, it’s easy and fool-proof to make them in your pressure cooker.
My five-year-old son makes these all by himself! He especially loves using tongs to carefully remove the cooked eggs from the Instant Pot and place them into an ice water bath. I don’t complain because 1) he is helping me in the kitchen; 2) he is learning basic cooking skills; and 3) I happen to know that tongs are great for his fine motor skills!
But seriously…I will no longer hard boil eggs any other way.
By using the Instant Pot, you can be hands-off, letting the appliance do all the work while you take care of other food prep, tend to young children, wash the dishes, or simply prop your feet up for a few minutes, and the eggs turn out perfectly—Every. Single. Time. No more walking away from the stove and losing track of time, resulting in overcooked eggs (with a green ring around the yolk…yuck).
Benefits of Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
There are so many benefits to cooking eggs this way! As mentioned above, it’s simply too easy to hard boil eggs using this hands-free method. Additional benefits include:
- It’s predictable. Eggs cook consistently each and every time in your Instant Pot. If you’re not sure exactly how you like your eggs, it may take some trial and error. But once you figure out how many minutes makes your ideal hard-boiled egg consistency, you can never mess them up!
- A great recipe for newbie Instant Pot users. If you’re new to using an Instant Pot, hard boiled eggs are an excellent first recipe! There’s no prep—you just drop (figuratively!) eggs from the fridge into the pot and press a button!
- They’re always easy to peel. My husband always says that the Instant Pot method of cooking makes the eggs easiest to peel! I absolutely agree. We’ve been known to peel the shells off in just two large pieces. Even our children peel the eggs in large chunks of shells, rather than tiny shreds of egg shells all over the floor.
- Perfect for meal prep. Batch cooking as many eggs as your family will eat in a week makes a huge difference! You’ll save time, and will have less food prep and clean up to do later, as you’ll have quick grab & go breakfasts and snacks!
Kitchen Supplies You Need to Make Instant Pot Eggs
Other than your Instant Pot appliance and the steamer rack that comes with it, no special equipment is required (although I love to use these stackable egg racks when I need to cook a lot of eggs at once, such as when I’m feeding a large group, or wanting to dye a handful of Easter eggs)! I also prefer to use tongs with silicone tips in order to easily grip and handle the hot eggs.
How to Make Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs
It takes less than 15 minutes to make perfectly cooked, easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs using the Instant Pot. (Technically, only five minutes or less is the cook time; the other ten(ish) minutes is just waiting for the pot to come to pressure!) Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if they took longer, because the best part is that I don’t need to “babysit” them while they cook!
The basic instructions are:
- Pour one cup of water into the Instant Pot’s inner pot.
- Insert the steam rack (included with Instant Pot) or a stackable egg rack.
- Place eggs (as many as you can fit) on the rack in a single layer.
- Cook on high for 3-5 minutes. (See below for more details on cook time.)
- Transfer cooked eggs to a bowl of ice water until cool, then peel and eat (or store in the refrigerator).
Easy-peasy, egg-stra easy, am I right? 😉
How Long to Cook Eggs in the Instant Pot
How do YOU like your eggs? Here are some guidelines for finding the perfect egg for your tastes.
The main way to detect a boiled egg’s doneness is by its yolk. Soft-boiled eggs as well as hard-boiled eggs will both have fully set whites (although whites can vary from soft to firm and rubbery), so it makes sense that the inner yolk is the determining factor.
In the Instant Pot, cooking eggs for three minutes will yield more soft-boiled eggs, with slightly runny yolks. Cooking for four minutes (my personal preference) gives the eggs just barely-firm yolks, yet not dry or crumbly. Five minutes of cook time produces completely cooked, firm, and nearly chalky yolks.
Additionally, you may perform a slow, natural release of steam (rather than the suggested quick release as instructed in the recipe below) to allow your eggs even more cook time in the Instant Pot. However, I would recommend removing them from the pot within five minutes of the timer going off, or you may overcook the eggs and potentially see a greenish ring around the yolk (which is not harmful to eat, but may be unappetizing to look at)!
However you like your hard-boiled eggs, you gotta try the Instant Pot method! Let me know what you think! Once you try pressure cooking eggs, you may never ever return to a stovetop method!
More Essential Recipes (Great for Meal Prep!)
- Healthy Homemade Chicken Broth (Slow Cooker)
- Easy Homemade Yogurt (Slow Cooker)
- How to Freeze Fresh Berries (and Save Money)
- Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken
1 minPrep Time
5 minCook Time
6 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- Large eggs (as many as you need)
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of cold water into the inner pot. Place the wire rack (included with the Instant Pot) or a stackable egg rack into the bottom of the pot.
- Set whole eggs (as many as you want, up to a dozen) on the rack in a single layer. Avoid stacking eggs since this may cause the eggs to crack while they cook.
- Replace the pot lid, close the vent valve, and press the "Manual" button, leaving the pressure on "High."
- For soft-boiled eggs, cook 3 minutes. For hard-boiled eggs, cook 4-5 minutes. (See notes.)
- When the timer goes off, release the pressure by sliding the steam release handle to the “venting” position (use an oven mitt and be cautious of escaping steam).
- Carefully transfer the eggs into a bowl of ice water for about 5 minutes to stop the cooking process. Once cool enough to handle, peel and serve immediately or store eggs in a covered container in the fridge.
Notes
Cook times: 3 minutes for soft and slightly runny yolks, 4 minutes for mostly firm yolks, 5 minutes for firm, completely cooked yolks.
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