Instant Pot® Boiled Eggs: Perfectly Cooked and Easy to Peel!

A pressure cooker cooks hard-cooked eggs so easily. Plus, these Instant Pot® boiled eggs are perfect every time and impossible to mess up. Learn how to cook eggs in an Instant Pot® electric pressure cooker. 

Boiled eggs are a staple in most North American homes. They make a quick breakfast option on their own or they can be made into deviled eggs, egg salad sandwiches, or even added to potato salad. 

Making boiled eggs on the stovetop (the traditional way to make boiled eggs) is easy enough. But you do have to pay attention to prevent the water from boiling dry. 

What is a Pressure Cooker?

If you ask someone who owns an electric pressure cooker, they will probably say something like “it’s like a slow cooker, but fast!” – and that is true. While it can be a bit more intimidating than a slow cooker, the benefits (and time saved!) are so worth it that you’ll want to use your cooker every single day.

The most popular brand of pressure cooker is called an Instant Pot®, and the two names are often used interchangeably. 

Some electric pressure cookers are actually more accurately described as multicookers. Instead of needing several appliances, like a rice cooker and a slow cooker, you can use the multicooker for both – and more! The Ninja® Foodi™ is an example of this. 

Electric pressure cookers are perfect for those who are just beginning to learn how to cook. This appliance delivers flavorful food in a jiffy, and free recipes are plentiful online. You can even convert slow cooker recipes into recipes to use in your electric pressure cooker!

Why make eggs in the Instant Pot®

If you want to make boiled eggs, but you have other things to do as well, you can cook them in the pressure cooker and walk away. 

Why you’ll love this recipe

• There’s no need to wait for the water to boil. 
• You don’t have to stand over the eggs to make sure they don’t run out of water. 
• Instant Pot® hard-boiled eggs make a great snack. 
• It’s a great way to get weekly meal prep done without any extra work. 
• There’s very little mess or clean-up!

Instant Pot® Hard Boiled Eggs Ingredients

• Eggs – Clearly the star of the show, you can choose white or brown eggs. 
• Water – The key to boiling the eggs in the pressure cooker. 
• Ice – To give the Instant Pot® boiled eggs an ice bath after they boiled. 

How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs in a Pressure Cooker

01| Wash and dry your eggs, if desired. Let your eggs come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking if you want as well – this will prevent a temperature change shock and ensure they don’t crack. 

02| Place the eggs in the Instant Pot®, making sure to not stack them on top of each other.

03| Add the water and close the lid. 

04| Pressure cook the eggs. Turn your pressure cooker on manual/high pressure and set the timer for 5 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to pressurize and then it will start the 5-minute cooking countdown.

05| Release the pressure. Let the pot naturally release for 5 minutes before manually releasing (using quick-release method) the remaining pressure and removing the eggs.

06| Give the eggs an ice bath. Fill a bowl big enough to hold the eggs, with water and some ice. Use tongs and immediately remove the eggs and place the eggs from the instant pot into the cold water. Leave for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

The most frustrating thing about any type of boiled egg is crumbling or sticky peels. But a cold water ice bath helps with that!

Why do I need to place boiled eggs into a bowl of ice-cold water?

Placing the eggs in a bowl of ice water helps to cool the eggs quickly, and stops them from cooking. Sort of like when you run cold water over pasta to stop it from cooking. This makes peeling the eggs much easier. 

Do I have to use an ice water bath with pressure cooker hard-boiled eggs?

No, you don’t. If you want to wait for the eggs to come to room temperature on their own, that’s fine. Or you can set them in a bowl in the fridge. 

Serving Suggestions

Hard-boiled eggs are used in many recipes. Here are a few ideas: 

• Peel and eat them alone with a little salt and pepper
• Slice them and top a salad with them
• Egg salad sandwiches
• Potato salad
• Deviled eggs
• Pasta/macaroni salad
• Cobb salad
• Mashed up with a little avocado on toast

Tips

• Room temperature eggs work best. To avoid cracked eggs set your eggs on the counter for half an hour to bring them to room temperature. This reduces the temperature change shock to the egg and reduces the chance of the eggs cracking after cooking.
• Large eggs will work the best. You may have to increase cook time by a minute or two if you use extra-large eggs or jumbo eggs. Or you may find you need to reduce the cook time by a minute or two for small or medium eggs. 
• Cook these in batches for making Easter eggs!
• I used a 6-quart instant pot. If you have a smaller or larger one, you may need to reduce or add more eggs.
• You do not need the water to cover the eggs. It just needs to be about halfway up the eggs.
• An ice bath is one of the best ways to ensure the eggs will peel easily after cooking. However, you can also add a teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water as that tends to help as well.
• Farm fresh eggs do not peel well, no matter what. So, be aware that they might give you issues, even if you try these techniques.
• The actual cooking time is only 5 minutes, but it will take time to pressurize before cooking starts, and you have the release after it cooks, which also takes more time. Therefore, I believe it’s truly 15 minutes for the full cooking time.

FAQ

What’s the difference between hard-boiled eggs and soft-boiled eggs?

Both the yokes and white are cooked right through in hard-boiled eggs. The yolk may crumble a little when you bite into it or break it with a fork. 

Medium-boiled eggs are a little less hard. The whites are still solid, but the yolk will be a little golden colored and have a creamy consistency. 

The whites in soft-boiled eggs are cooked but a little softer, while the yolk is runny.

What is the 5-5-5 method for eggs in an Instant Pot®?

The 5-5-5 method of making eggs in the pressure cooker is 5 minutes each:

• high pressure
• natural release
• ice bath

Can you overcook hard-boiled eggs in an Instant Pot®?

Yes, you can. Make sure you set the timer for just five minutes for large eggs and adjust from there after you have some experience making boiled eggs in the pressure cooker. 

How long do you boil eggs in the Instant Pot®?

You only need to actively cook your eggs for 5 minutes in the pressure cooker. But it will take about 5 minutes for the pressure to build and another 5 to release the pressure after cooking. 

How do you store hard-boiled eggs? How long do hard-boiled eggs last?

Hard-boiled eggs can be stored in their shells for 4 days in the fridge. If you peel your eggs you can store them in an air-tight container in the fridge. 

How do you reheat Instant Pot® boiled eggs?

• You can reheat whole in-the-shell hard-boiled eggs by placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Let them sit for 10 minutes to heat through again. 
• Or you could place them back into your air fryer for 1 minute at about 250 degrees F.
• Alternatively, you could microwave peeled and cut hard-boiled eggs for 30 seconds to 1 minute to reheat them. Although this will cook them a little more too.

Never microwave whole hard-boiled eggs because of the risk of them exploding. 

Have you ever made boiled eggs in a pressure cooker?