Instant Pot Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
by Chungah
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How to make Instant Pot hard boiled eggs! They are so easy to peel and perfectly cooked every single time. Quick, easy, and hands off!
why you’ll love instant pot hard boiled eggs
- Consistent, fool-proof method. Say goodbye to those green yolks! Green eggs tend to happen when eggs are overcooked, but the Instant Pot® will regulate the time and temperature, evenly distributing heat so you can count on perfectly cooked, bright yellow yolks every single time.
- Easy peeling. Cooking hard boiled eggs in the pressure cooker makes peeling effortless. The intense pressure of the Instant Pot loosens the eggs inner membrane while the ice bath shrinks the egg whites inside, allowing the shells to slip right off.
- Zero babysitting. There’s no need to monitor a boiling pot of water or babysit the stove. Simply add the water and eggs to the Instant Pot, close the lid, push a button and walk away.
What is the 5-5-5 method?
This is a popular, fool-proof method to cook hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot®.
- 5 minutes of high pressure cooking
- 5 minutes of natural pressure release
- 5 minutes in an ice bath
How to make hard boiled eggs in the instant pot
- Prep the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup cold water to a 6-qt Instant Pot® and place the metal trivet inside.
- Add the eggs. Gently add the eggs in a single layer, adding 6-12 eggs in each batch.
- Pressure cook. Seal the pressure cooker valve and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes (for hard boiled).
- Natural release. When the cooking cycle is complete, allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes. Then flip the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Ice bath. Immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes.
cook times for soft, medium and hard boiled eggs
- Soft-boiled (jammy yolks): 3 minute cook time, immediate quick release, 5 minute ice bath
- Medium-boiled: 4 minute cook time, immediate quick release, 5 minute ice bath
- Hard boiled: 5 minute cook time, 5 minute natural release, 5 minute ice bath
Recipes that use hard boiled eggs
Tools For This Recipe
Instant Pot Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Always place the eggs on the metal trivet – this will keep the eggs elevated above the boiling water so they can steam efficiently, preventing them from cracking and burning on the bottom.
An ice bath will immediately halt the cooking process, preventing overcooked eggs.
Reduce the cook time to 3 minutes, followed by an immediate quick release of pressure and a 5 minute ice bath.
Hard boiled eggs can be stored unpeeled in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days. Peeled eggs should be stored completely submerged in clean water, changed daily, for 3-4 days.
Freezing is not recommended as the egg whites will become rubbery and watery when thawed.
Instant Pot Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 6-12 large eggs
Instructions
- Add water to a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Place the metal trivet into the pot and gently add eggs on top of the trivet.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, allow a 5 minute natural release before a quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Cool eggs in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes. Drain well and peel.
Equipment
Notes
- Use cold eggs. Add the eggs to the Instant Pot directly from the fridge. This will allow for consistent cook times and less shell shock, keeping the whites intact to prevent cracking.
- Add enough water. For a 6-qt Instant Pot®, 1 cup water should be sufficient. For an 8-qt Instant Pot®, increase the water to 1 1/2 cups.
- Adjust the cook time. For slightly softer, jammy yolks, reduce the cook time to 3 minutes. For extra firm yolks, increase the cook time to 6 minutes.
- Always use an ice bath. Remove the eggs immediately from the Instant Pot and place them in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process.
- Store unpeeled. Unpeeled eggs can keep up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge.
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I did six minutes because I was making these for my children and wanted them cooked through. It was not enough. I peeled a couple in the morning to send for lunch and they were really soft. I will try again with closer to ten minutes.
Thanks for this! I used to make my hard boiled eggs in my rice cooker until it broke. I’ve replaced it and it broke (Repeat), until I was forced to try rice in my pressure cooker, and it was faster and possibly better. I’ve got the eggs going now. My trivet was too small, so I rolled foil to fill in around the edges.
So easy and convenient! Would it work with two dozen eggs?
Question. Is it the ice bath afterwards that make the shells easy to peel?
Yes. Also stops the eggs from continuing to cook. Like when you cook meat and let it “rest” and it continues to cook and will increase in temperature for the first few minutes.
I’m always wondering if eggs are fridge temp or counter temp? Mine are stored on counter because they are straight from chicken.
I use eggs from my hens, too 😉 It’s always recommended to use room temp eggs for this, because if they’re too cold, they can break as they’re being pressurized in the IP. I did use one of their eggs straight from the fridge, too, but didn’t have any breakage — your mileage may vary kind of thing. I’d recommend washing your eggs before cooking them with this method if you don’t already (you should always wash them before you cook with them, regardless of what you’re doing, but I’ve had no ill effects so far… but I think maybe the bloom being dried in there might affect how it cooks for this. Not a food scientist, though!).
You might have to tweak your cook times depending on what you want, because cooking my girls’ eggs for 7 minutes has jammy yolks still. Which is great for me, personally, but not for the dozen I want to cook up perfectly for deviled eggs! This is a good guide/jumping off point, but don’t be afraid to experiment because all of our hens are different! Hopefully you don’t mind a very late reply. Happy cooking! 🙂
Love this. Took a couple times to realize why mine were not as done in time. Then brought to room temp and it worked PERFECTLY!
So if you are struggling let them come to room temperature first.
Get the eggs room temp before you cook them or after the ice bath?
This did not work for me. Did 6 minutes, eggs were barely cooked and fell apart when I tried to peel them. I only managed to peel one as the others all fell apart when I tried to peel them. Not sure what the issue is.
Perfect hard boiled eggs. Easy to peel, golden yokes. 6 minutes to perfection!
Thank you so much for this incredibly simple method of cooking my hard boiled eggs. You changed my life!
I did 6 minutes and it was perfect!
The only way I will ever hardboil my hens fresh eggs again!
This is my go-to recipe for boiled eggs. I will never go back to the stove-top again. They are cooked perfectly and SO easy to peel!
I live at an altitude where cooking, especially baking, is a challenge. And who would thinking making something as simple as hard boiled eggs could be frustrating. This simple instruction on using to make hard boiled eggs works. I will say that using eggs brought up to room temp is key for the timing to be right.
Same instructions for an 8qt Instant Pot?
Question: how does the times scale for fewer and what about a 3qt Duo instead of the 6 qt. Just the two of us. Love soft boil with cubed toast for breakfast. May want a few hard boil for salad or snacks.
By far the EASIEST way to boil eggs!! I did 6 minutes and they came out perfect for egg salad sandwiches. Super easy to peel too.
Thank you for supplying the times for each type of egg. So many different versions out there for the “perfect hard boiled egg”
so easy, turned out perfectly! Thank you!
I works every time! Than you
Perfect hard-boiled eggs, every time. I give mine 8 minutes, as we have our own hens, and their eggs are larger than the “extra large” in stores. Thank you for the help!