Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs are the best and easiest way to make hard-boiled eggs. Perfectly cooked eggs every single time!
Also make sure to check out more healthy egg recipes like Instant Pot egg bites and Instant Pot poached eggs for easy breakfasts.
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I have always struggled with making perfect hard boiled eggs until I got my Instant Pot. Instant Pot hard boiled eggs was one of the first recipes I made in it and instantly fell in love with the appliance.
While boiling eggs on the stove is simple, I could never get them right or didn’t love the process.
I no longer have to worry about embarrassing moments with under-cooked or over-cooked eggs. Cooking eggs in Instant Pot guarantees foolproof results. Golden set centers, without greens rings and the eggs peel like a dream!
Perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs are an essential ingredient for a good egg salad with yogurt, healthy deviled eggs, or cauliflower potato salad. They are also great for meal prep, grab-and-go healthy breakfast ideas and high protein snacks.
Why Cook Eggs in Instant Pot?
- Completely hands off method: Unlike with a stovetop method, you do not have to watch the eggs and set a timer. You can walk away while eggs are cooking.
- Easy to peel: Eggs peel like a dream! No matter whether they are old or fresh, fresh from a farm or your grocery store.
- Any eggs work: You can use any egg size and cold straight from the refrigerator or warm from under the chicken.
- Perfect results every time: Once you figure out the perfect cook time that works best for you, eggs turn out exactly how you like them every single time. The method is super reliable!
It’s All About the 5-5-5-5 Method
The most common method for Instant Pot eggs is 5-5-5 which means:
- 5 minutes cook time
- 5 minutes natural release
- 5 minutes ice bath
I would also add 5 minutes of coming to pressure at the beginning. Then perfect method for good hard boiled eggs is 5-5-5-5. So, in 20 minutes total you will have up to 16 beautiful boiled eggs with yellow yolks and no green rings!
How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
This Instant Pot hard boiled eggs recipe is really simple, just like my other favorite way air fryer hard boiled eggs. I have tested it in both 6 quart Instant Pot and 8 quart Instant Pots. However, I live at a sea level and if you are at a higher elevation over 4,000-5,000 feet, you might add extra 2 minutes if cooking in 8 quart Instant Pot.
To find your perfect pressure cooker hard-boiled eggs is to cook recipe as is and adjust after, if necessary.
- Place trivet and add cold water: Cooking eggs on a trivet or inside the basket will prevent them from cracking. Now add 1 cup of cold water, no matter if you use 6 quart or 8 quart pressure cooker. Do not add warm water as eggs will come out undercooked.
- Add the eggs: Place up to 16 eggs in a single layer, not stacked on top of each other. They can touch each other a bit. Eggs should not be submerged in water or touching inner liner walls.
- Cook the eggs: Close the lid of your pressure cooker, set valve to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High pressure for 5 minutes. You might also have only Manual button, press that then and adjust time to 5 minutes.
- Release the pressure: Let pressure come down on its own (do nothing) for 5 minutes and then turn valve to Venting to let remaining steam out. It is called Natural Release.
- Cold bath: Place the cooked eggs in a bowl with cold water and ice for 5 minutes. If cooking up to 4 eggs, cold water bath will do. More than 5 eggs, change cold water a few times or use ice bath.
How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
Instant Pot hard boiled eggs are the easiest eggs to peel in the whole entire world!
Remove an egg from an ice bath and tap on the countertop. You will see the broken shell. I like to tap just a few times, not more than 2-3, keeping cracks larger and eggs easier to peel.
Using your fingers peel the eggs, the shell will literally fall off in big chunks. That’s it!
FAQs
In my experiments, I found that the age of eggs does not matter. Both fresh or “old” eggs will cook and peel perfectly the same.
Yes, the size of the eggs does matter. This Instant Pot hard boiled eggs recipe has been tested with large eggs. For extra large eggs, cook them for 7 minutes. And for small eggs, 4 minutes will be enough.
You can cook up to 16 large eggs in 8 quart Instant Pot at the same time. About 10 in 6 quart Instant Pot.
You can add more eggs in a single layer if you do not care if some eggs crack. For best results they should not touch the walls.
To make soft boiled eggs in Instant Pot, use 1 cup hot tap water and cook eggs on High pressure for 1 minute. Vent right away after cooking has finished.
For medium boiled eggs, add 1 cup hot tap water and cook on High pressure for 3 minutes. Vent right away after cooking has finished.
How to Store Instant Pot Eggs?
You can store peeled or unpeeled cooked eggs. It is a matter of personal preference and depends on how long you want them to last. I like to store them in a glass container with an airtight lid. Keeps egg fresh and refrigerator smell free.
How Long Do They Last?
Refrigerate peeled eggs in a container with a lid for up to 3 days. Unpeeled eggs can be refrigerated uncovered for up to 7 days. Unpeeled eggs last longer.
Freshly cooked eggs last for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
Cooked eggs do not freeze well. The egg whites become rubbery. You can always use up the cooked eggs whites first and freeze the egg yolks.
What to Do with Cooked Eggs?
- Boiled eggs in Instant Pot are easy peel and ideal for avocado egg salad or healthy potato salad. If Grandma had an Instant Pot growing up in the Ukraine, she would have used it for olivier salad!
- Use in salads like tuna egg salad, of course.
- Toast: Top avocado toast with sliced eggs. Or spread a bit of mayo on sourdough toast, place sliced eggs, top with sliced tomatoes, salt and pepper or Everything Bagel Seasoning.
- Brunch: Slice and include on a breakfast charcuterie for guests.
You may also like to browse through all these healthy egg recipes!
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot applesauce
- Instant Pot shredded chicken
- Instant Pot yogurt
- Instant Pot whole chicken
- Instant Pot frozen chicken breast
Now that you have mastered Instant Pot hard boiled eggs, try my other Instant Pot recipes for beginners and many healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-16 large eggs
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- Place trivet or basket inside Instant Pot. Add 1 cup cold water.
- Add 1-16 eggs in a single layer and not touching the walls (to avoid cracking).
- Close the lid, set valve to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual button and adjust time to 5 minutes.
- Let pressure come down on its own (do nothing) for 5 minutes and then turn valve to Venting to release remaining steam. When pressure pin drops, open the lid and remove cooked eggs into an ice bath. Let eggs cool off for 5 minutes.
- To peel the eggs, tap a few times on the counter and remove the shell with your hands. It should just slide off.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate peeled eggs in a container with a lid for up to 3 days. Unpeeled eggs can be refrigerated uncovered for up to 7 days. Unpeeled eggs last longer.Freshly cooked eggs last for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
- Freeze: Cooked eggs do not freeze well. The egg whites become rubbery. You can always use up the cooked eggs whites first and freeze the egg yolks.
- I used large eggs. If using medium size, you might reduce cook time by a minute and otherwise. For extra large eggs, add a minute or two.
- I used eggs straight from the fridge. You can cook anywhere from 1-16 eggs at a time.
- Use a trivet or steamer basket to avoid cracking.
- Eggs should not be submerged in water or touching inner liner walls.
Hi Olena!! I love your recipes and site!! You are a genius!! I just finished taking the peel off of my perfect hard boiled eggs. I could never get them quite right before but your methods works!! Thank you for your honest and healthy approach to good eating.
Yeah! Success! So glad you tried the recipe!
This is the one and only way I cook hard boiled eggs. After 50 years of trying a gazillion ways to get the perfect eggs, I finally found it! Olena has hit a home run with this one! You are an IP genius!
Thank you!!
Thank you Jeanette! This makes me so happy to hear!
Perfect every time!!
Yeah!
I don’t follow directions and stacked a couple eggs on the trivet and wound up with 4 cracked eggs and 7 good ones. Why is it ok to stack them in the basket but not on the trivet?
Eggs should not be stacked in either, but placed in a single layer.
Thanks to Olena I can make perfectly hard “boiled” eggs! She has many other really great recipes for the Instant Pot. They are simple to follow and don’t require ingredients that aren’t available in a rural area.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and yeah for perfect hard ‘boiled’ eggs!
Thanks again Olena, for making my life easier! I am a happier mom and aunt since finding your receipes for the Instant Pot. You even have great ideas for my daughter who has special dietary needs! Thanks so much!
So happy to hear this Melissa!
Perfect recipe, as usual. I have a 6 qt and I use a metal egg holder with 9 eggs. I pressure cook 2 minutes, release, chill (like recipe says). Eggs are perfect. So fast. My daughters love hard boiled eggs. Thank you, Olena. I call you the Instant Pot Scientist-Cook.
haha that’s so great Anna!
No guessing, no timing, perfect eggs!
Awesome!!! Happy to hear, Nancy.
So easy! Eggs came out perfect!!
Awesome Sherrie!