Get perfect, easy to peel hard boiled eggs every time by cooking them in your Instant Pot! These Instant Pot Hard Boiled eggs follow the 5-5-5 cooking method. Once you’ve tried these, you’ll never boil your eggs on the stove top again!
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Cooking hard boiled eggs is pretty simple in and of itself. However, there is nothing more frustrating than spending an hour trying to peel hard boiled eggs and winding up with eggs that look like chunks have been taken out.
The wonderful thing about steam-cooking eggs in the Instant Pot is that they literally slip out of the peel. No more fussing with bits of shell. Plus, during the holiday season, my stove top is premium real estate when cooking, so anything I can make in the Instant Pot is a space saver.
Ingredients
Eggs: The cooking time for this recipe is best with large eggs. If you’re using jumbo, you’ll want to add 1 minute to the cook time. Other than that, you can use store-bought or farm-fresh eggs, and the recipe and cook time are the same whether you are cooking 2 or 20 eggs.
Water: You’ll need 1 cup of water to create the steam in the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker.
Ice: To chill the eggs quickly, we will put them in a bowl full of ice water. This quick cool is what prevents the hard boiled eggs from getting the green ring around the yolk. If you don’t have ice, run your hard boiled eggs under really cold water until they are no longer warm to the touch.
Equipment
- Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker (I use a 6 quart)
- Trivet, steamer basket or egg rack insert for your Instant Pot – You can use the trivet that comes with your Instant Pot, but a steamer basket with a handle allows you to fill the basket with more eggs and remove them all at once.
What is the 5-5-5 Method
The concept of the 5-5-5 method means 5 minutes cooking time in the Instant Pot, 5 minutes of natural pressure release, and then 5 minutes in an ice water bath. The pressure cooking steams the eggs quickly and makes them oh so easy to peel, and the ice bath stops the cooking and cools the eggs quickly so that they don’t get a green ring around the yolk.
How to Use Hard Boiled Eggs
Hard boiled eggs are perfect for meal prep. Cook a batch on Sunday and eat them for breakfast or an easy snack throughout the week. I love to cut mine in half and sprinkle them with my DIY Everything Bagel seasoning. Or try making this Hard Boiled Egg Breakfast Casserole.
Easily whip up a batch of egg salad or chop your hard boiled eggs and sprinkle them on your salad or mix in to tuna salad, pea salad or potato salad. And deviled eggs, of course.
For some unique options, you could make this Portuguese pizza or these Hard Boiled Egg Chocolate Chip cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can overcook hard boiled eggs. The whites will become rubbery and the yolk will be more chalky than creamy. The most important thing to pay attention to when cooking your eggs in the Instant Pot is the natural pressure release time. I set a timer when the Instant Pot finishing cooking so that I get a reminder to go release the remaining pressure and transfer the eggs to the ice bath.
Yes, the size of the eggs does make a difference in the cooking time. I use large eggs because they are the cheapest in my area, and that is what I used when testing this recipe. If you have jumbo eggs, increase the cook time to 6 minutes. If you have medium eggs, decrease the cook time to 4 minutes.
Yes, you can use farm fresh eggs for hard boiled eggs. They are usually very hard to peel because they are so fresh, but the Instant Pot makes it so much easier. Simply roll the cooked egg on your counter pushing to crack the shell and they will slip right out of the shell.
Hard boiled eggs will stay fresh longer if they are left in the shell. Peeled eggs will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days and unpeeled eggs will keep for 7 days.
I have cooked as many as 18 eggs in my Instant Pot at one time. It really comes down to how many can I fit and remove without them spilling everywhere. The recipe and cook times are the same whether you are cooking 2 or 20 eggs, though, so go for it and make a big batch for meal prep.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Sloppy Joes
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Hummus
- Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs Recipe and Technique
Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Get perfect, easy to peel hard boiled eggs every time by cooking them in your Instant Pot. Once you’ve tried these, you’ll never boil on the stove top again!
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs (or desired amount of eggs)
- 1 cup water
- bowl of ice water
Instructions
- Pour water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker.
- Place a trivet, steamer basket or egg rack in the Instant Pot and fill with eggs.
- Close the lid, seal the steam valve and cook on Manual High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then turn the steam valve to quick release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the eggs and place in the bowl of ice water for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the water and peel and enjoy immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days (unpeeled) or 3 days (peeled).
Notes
This 5-5-5 method (5 minute cook, 5 minute natural pressure release, 5 minute ice bath) will give you perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs. If you would like soft boiled eggs, reduce the cook time to 3 minutes. Please note it will take some time for your Instant Pot to come up to pressure. This is normal and is factored into the cooking time.
Once your eggs have cooled in the ice bath for 5 minutes, roll them on your counter to crack the shell and the hard boiled egg will easily slip right out of the shell. Store your cooked eggs in the fridge for up to 7 days. Once peeled, your hard boiled eggs will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Use your hard boiled eggs for a quick snack or breakfast, or dice the eggs for egg salad, to top on salads, or to mix into pea salad or potato salad.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 72Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 73mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g
This is how I’m going to cook boiled eggs from now on!
I love hard boiled eggs and your Instant Pot recipe is so easy. Thank you for sharing.