How to make Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs that are easy to peel and ready in just 15 minutes! Hands down the easiest method and perfect for meal prep!
Table of Contents
- Why Use an Instant Pot to Hard Boil Eggs?
- Equipment Needed
- Why I Love My Instant Pot
- How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
- What If I Want Softer Boiled Eggs?
- How Many Eggs Can You Make at a Time?
- Why Use an Ice Bath?
- Tips and Tricks
- How to Store Hard Boiled Eggs
- Ways to Use Hard Boiled Eggs
- More Egg Recipes
- More Instant Pot Recipes
- Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs Recipe
Ever since getting my Instant Pot, I have been obsessed with all the things that I can cook with it. Life is just so much easier and the Instant Pot is super easy to clean and store away. Not only can you make perfect fluffy rice, but you can make perfect hard-boiled eggs every single time. Using the Instant Pot is the easiest way to cook hard boiled eggs and is a total game change. So much better than the stove top method!
Why Use an Instant Pot to Hard Boil Eggs?
- Consistent Results – fool-proof method that makes perfect hard-boiled eggs every single time! No more overcooked or undercooked eggs.
- Easy to Peel – the pressure cooking process helps separate the eggs white from the shell making them super easy to peel.
- Hands-Free Cooking – simply set it and forget it with no need to monitor boiling water.
- Quick and Easy – using the 5-5-5 egg method is such a game changer for quick breakfasts or a healthy snack!
Why I Love My Instant Pot
If you’ve never used your Instant Pot before then this is the perfect recipe to start off with! Such a simple and hands-free method for easily making a batch of delicious instant pot eggs. We LOVE making deviled eggs in our house, so using an electric pressure cooker just makes things so much easier. I swear it lives right on my kitchen countertop now, and if you know me then you know I hate any and all kitchen appliances on my countertops. My Instant Pot just gets so much use and I truly couldn’t live without it.
How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
- Place eggs in Instant Pot. Pour 1 cup of cold water into the inner bowl of a 6-quart Instant Pot or 1 1/2 cups of water into an 8-quart Instant Pot. Place the metal trivet inside and arrange the large eggs in a single layer on top of the trivet.
- Set the Instant Pot. Close the lid and lock (making sure the valve is on sealing and not venting). Select the manual button, high pressure, and set the timer for 5 minutes.
- Prepare ice bath. While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Set aside until ready to use.
- Natural pressure release. When eggs are done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release by carefully opening the valve to release any remaining pressure. I like to hold a towel or wear an oven mitt to protect my hands from the hot steam.
- Transfer to ice bath. Remove the lid and immediately transfer the eggs to the ice bath for 5 minutes. Perfect eggs ready to peel and enjoy.
Make sure to remember the 5-5-5 method of cooking time! 5 minutes cooking under high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, then 5 minutes in an ice bath. That’s it!
What If I Want Softer Boiled Eggs?
Now if you wanted soft-boiled eggs (meaning you want jammy yolks), just set the timer for 3 minutes then do everything else the same way. I also want to note that the Instant Pot does take about 5 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure before it starts cooking, so keep that in mind if you plan on making these in a specific time period.
Since we’re using high pressure to cook these eggs, ever so often you’ll find a cracked egg or two, but this hasn’t messed with the cooking process. The eggs were still cooked to perfection and really only made it easier for me to peel.
How Many Eggs Can You Make at a Time?
Here’s the best part! You can cook as many eggs, or as little as you’d like – the number of eggs really doesn’t matter. This method would even work if you wanted only one hard boiled egg, but since we do this for meal prep for the week, I like to cook a whole batch of eggs all at once. I’ve found that a dozen eggs fit perfectly on the steamer rack at the bottom of your Instant Pot, but if you decide to cook more than 12 eggs at a time, I highly suggest getting this steamer basket. I have this exact one and it works great! The steamer basket also makes transferring the eggs to the ice bath super easy too! I’ve actually made a ton of eggs using the steamer basket over Easter and they were all perfection.
Why Use an Ice Bath?
This part you definitely don’t want to skip. The ice water bath immediately stops the cooking process to ensure your eggs are perfectly cooked on the inside. This also makes them so much easier to peel! I just use a metal mixing bowl (or any bowl would work, but I love that the metal gets super cold!) and you just fill it with a bunch of ice and water. I usually make the ice bath once I put my eggs in, then stick it in the fridge to stay cold while the eggs finish cooking.
You’ll want to use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs from the Instant Pot to the ice bath, OR if you have the mesh steamer basket just pull it out and stick the whole thing right in the ice bath! Let the eggs sit covered in the ice bath for 5 minutes then your eggs are ready to peel!
Tips and Tricks
- Use older eggs – for best results, I like to use eggs that are slightly older as older eggs have a higher pH than fresh eggs. This helps loosen the bond between the egg whites and inner shell membrane, making them easier to peel.
- Adjust for altitude – if you live at a higher elevation, you may need to increase the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
- Soft-boiled eggs – for a jammy center or runny yolks, cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a quick pressure release and ice bath.
- Extra large eggs – if using extra large eggs, add 1-2 minutes of cooking time.
- Batch cooking – as I said before, the Instant Pot can handle a lot of eggs at once so I like to make a batch of hard boiled eggs for meal prep. Just make sure they are in a single layer for even cooking.
- Avoid high heat – using the Instant Pot method helps ensure you don’t overcook your eggs which gives them those perfect yellow yolks when you slice into them. If you have ever noticed eggs with a green ring around the egg yolk, that is a result of overcooking or not cooking properly.
- Use an ice bath – this is important as it stops the cooking process and gives your eggs a perfect yolk.
How to Store Hard Boiled Eggs
Peeled or unpeeled hard boiled eggs can be stored in your refrigerator for up to one week. I usually keep my eggs unpeeled just to keep them as fresh as possible, but if I do peel the eggs, I suggest covering them with a damp paper towel and storing them in a sealed airtight container in the fridge. I don’t ever freeze my hard-boiled eggs as they just don’t keep well and can get super rubbery and discolored.
Ways to Use Hard Boiled Eggs
- Quick meal or snack – a delicious protein-packed breakfast or healthy snack that is easy to grab on-the-go!
- Leafy green salads – tastes delicious on top of this chicken cobb salad or other salads for some added protein.
- Egg salads – use these hard boiled eggs to make this healthy egg salad, this tuna avocado egg salad or this egg white salad. You could even make some egg salad sandwiches on toast or bread.
- Deviled eggs – this healthier deviled egg recipe is one of my favorites and super simple to make.
- Potato salad – perfect for a spring or summer picnic and I have a delicious recipe coming soon.
- Easter eggs – this method makes it easy to make a ton of hard boiled eggs to decorate this Easter.
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More Egg Recipes
- Healthier Deviled Eggs
- Cottage Cheese Vegetable Frittata
- Asparagus and Feta Crustless Quiche
- Sausage and Veggie Egg Casserole
- Cheesy Salsa Egg Muffins
- Roasted Veggie Breakfast Skillet
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
- Instant Pot Mexican Brown Rice
Hope you all enjoy my favorite way to make Perfect Instant Pot Boiled Eggs! If you love these as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny!
Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 eggs, or however many you want
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of cold water into the bottom of bowl of your 8-quart Instant Pot.or 1 cup of cold water in a 6-quart Instant Pot. Place the metal trivet inside and arrange eggs on top in a single layer.
- Close the lid and lock (making sure the valve is on sealing and not venting), select the Manual setting, high pressure, and set the timer for 5 minutes.
- While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Set aside.
- When eggs are done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release by carefully opening the valve to release the rest of the steam.
- Remove the lid and immediately transfer the eggs to the ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I tried the Instant Pot method for hard boiled eggs, and it turned out fantastic! They peeled so easily, and the texture was spot on. No more stovetop fuss for me! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
I just tried making hard-boiled eggs in my Instant Pot following your recipe, and they turned out perfect! The cooking time was spot on, and the peeling was a breeze. Thanks for sharing such an easy and reliable method! Can’t wait to use this technique for my next batch of deviled eggs!