Here's an easy and fail-proof recipe to make perfectly cooked Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs with golden creamy yolks! Use the popular 5-5-5 method, or customize the yolk texture using the suggested cook time variations.
This method works like a charm every single time and makes for some real easy-to-peel-boiled eggs.
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Eggs are a staple in my home. We love them for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and even in dinner recipes like this egg biryani. So you can just imagine how many eggs I end up boiling and peeling in a week.
Until I got an Instant Pot, I used to boil them on the stove and then struggle to peel them after. Not anymore! Now I cook the hard-boiled eggs in the instant pot, and believe me when I say, they peel like a dream!
Jump to:
- Why Pressure Cook Eggs
- What is the 5-5-5 Method?
- How to Hard Boil Eggs in Instant Pot
- How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
- How to Store
- Cook Time Variations for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
- Serving Suggestions
- Recipe Tips & Notes
- How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs in a Stove-Top Pressure Cooker
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Breakfast Recipes with Eggs
- 📖 Recipe
Why Pressure Cook Eggs
The answer to that is consistent results and ease of peeling!
No more shells sticking to the egg, and absolutely no struggle to remove it. The peel just slides off the egg after pressure cooking.
And once you figure out what cook time works best for you, it turns out perfect every single time. The yolk texture is just right for me- moist and creamy, not dry or crumbly at all.
It's a hand-off style of making boiled eggs. Simply set it and walk away. No watching over the pot of boiling water on the stove anymore.
It takes me a total of 20 minutes to cook a batch of eggs, which is just a couple of minutes more than the time on the stove, but I don't have to babysit the eggs. For me, Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs are a clear winner.
What is the 5-5-5 Method?
The 5-5-5 method is not a secret code- it's an easy way to remember this recipe:
- 5 minutes of pressure cooking,
- 5 minutes of rest before opening the lid, followed by
- 5 minutes of an ice-water bath.
It's really that simple! The result is so consistent- you'll be amazed.
Accessories Used for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Note about Steamer basket: When I'm cooking 1-6 eggs , the traditional steamer basket works fine. But, if I'm cooking more than 6, like for an egg salad or deviled eggs, then it's much easier to use this Silicone Steamer Basket. It has long and convenient handles that make it easy to lower the heavy basket in and to pull it out.
How to Hard Boil Eggs in Instant Pot
Plug in the Instant Pot. Pour 1 cup of water in the inner pot (6qt).
Place a steamer basket in the instant pot. Now stack the eggs in that. It is perfectly fine for the eggs to touch each other.
Close the lid. Set steam valve to sealing position. Cook on Manual/pressure cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Wait for the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes (NPR 5), then follow the quick-release instructions of your cooker. Open the lid when the pin drops.
Remove the cooked eggs and soak them in a bowl filled with ice and water for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs and peel. Enjoy them as-is, in a sandwich, a salad, or however you like them.
How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
You'll be amazed at how easy it is to peel these eggs. Once the eggs have been in the ice bath for 5 minutes, crack them on the kitchen counter, then gently roll them on the counter to crack the entire shell. (pic 5 & 6)
Now start peeling at the base of the egg, the rest of the peel will come right off by pulling. (pic 7)
How to Store
I make a big batch of hard-boiled eggs on the weekend. After they have cooled, I peel them, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Leave them unpeeled to store them for up to a week.
Cook Time Variations for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
This recipe uses the 5-5-5 method for cooking hard-boiled eggs. But since everyone likes their eggs, more importantly, the yolks cooked a certain way, here are a few cook time variations. You can use these to customize the way you like your boiled eggs.
- 3 minutes: Soft and slightly wet yolks with fully set whites
- 4 minutes: Cooked creamy yolks with medium firm whites
- 6 minutes: Fully set yolks with firm whites
Meal Prep Tip: If making eggs for meal prep to use throughout the week, I recommend undercooking them by a minute than your preferred time.
Serving Suggestions
Hard-boiled eggs are not only great for breakfast, but they also make for a nutritious and filling snack. We love to make Spicy Deviled Eggs with them.
They are also a great way to add nutrients and protein to your lunches or dinners, like in this Egg Biryani.
They work very well if you're eating low-carb or are on a Keto Diet. I slice an egg and add it to my salad and season it with salt, pepper, and cayenne. It tastes delicious and keeps me full till the evening.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Try a few cook time variations: The end texture of the eggs may differ slightly based on different pressure cooking models. To find the end texture that you prefer, try a few combinations of pressure cooking times.
- Yolk consistency: For a creamier yolk reduce the pressure cooking time to 4 minutes. For a slightly undercooked yolk, reduce the time to 3 minutes.
- Meal Prep: If making eggs for meal prep to use throughout the week, I recommend undercooking them by a minute than your preferred time.
- To peel or not: The eggs are the easiest to peel right after cooking. To save time later on, I peel all the eggs after pressure cooking and store them in the fridge.
- Storing: Store peeled hard-boiled eggs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or unpeeled eggs for up to a week.
How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs in a Stove-Top Pressure Cooker
- To cook eggs in a stove-top pressure cooker, add 1 cup of water to the cooker base.
- Place steamer basket or trivet with eggs. Close the lid.
- Once the cooker reaches high pressure, typically with 1 whistle, reduce the heat to medium and set a 5-minute timer.
- Turn the heat off. Wait another 5 minutes and then release the pressure by lifting the pressure weight.
- Open the lid. Remove the eggs and soak them for 5 minutes in cold water with ice, to stop the cooking process.
- Since stove-top heat burners may have different heat levels, it may take you 1 to 2 tries to master this style for the way you like your hard-boiled eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Place a cup of water in the Instant Pot. Place eggs in a steamer basket or rack. Close your Instant Pot lid and turn the steam valve to the sealing position. Set the Instant Pot to manual/pressure cook and use the +/- button to set the cook time to 5 minutes or your desired time.
It takes about 20 minutes to boil eggs in an instant pot. It takes roughly 10 minutes for the cooker to reach pressure, then 5 minutes of cooking time, followed by 5 minutes of natural pressure release.
You can stack up to 12 eggs on the steamer rack or basket in a 3qt Instant Pot, 18 eggs in a 6qt, and 24 eggs in an 8qt Instant Pot at a time.
The eggs that come in direct contact with the boiling water may develop cracks. To prevent that, place them in a steamer basket or rack, above the water. Sometimes eggs have a weak shell, to begin with, those crack easily while boiling.
More Breakfast Recipes with Eggs
Check out the full range of Breakfast Recipes.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs (5-5-5 method)
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Video
Ingredients
- 6-12 large eggs Add more by using a bigger steamer basket
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Plug in the Instant Pot. Pour 1 cup water in inner pot (6qt).
- Place a steamer basket in the instant pot. Now stack the eggs in that. It is perfectly fine for the eggs to touch each other.
- Close the lid. Set steam valve to sealing position. Cook on Manual/pressure cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Wait for the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes (NPR 5), then follow the quick release instructions of your cooker. Open the lid when the pin drops.
- Remove the cooked eggs and soak them in a bowl filled with ice and water for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs and peel. Enjoy them as-is, in a sandwich, a salad or however you like them.
Notes
- Try a few cook time variations: The end texture of the eggs may different slightly based on different pressure cooking models. To find the end texture that you prefer, try a few combinations of pressure cooking times.
- Yolk consistency: For a creamier yolk reduce the pressure cooking time to 4 minutes. For a slightly undercooked yolk, reduce the time to 3 minutes.
- Meal Prep: If making eggs for meal prep to use throughout the week, I recommend undercooking them by a minute.
- To peel or not: The eggs are the easiest to peel right after cooking. To save time later on, I peel all the eggs after pressure cooking and store them in the fridge.
- Storing: Store unused hard boiled eggs in any air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
SavePlus UAE says
Effortless eggs that always turn out with firm whites and tender yolks are a lifesaver for busy mornings. Using the Instant Pot for hard boiled eggs makes prep fast and mess free and leaves more time for everything else. So easy! https://saveplus.ae/
Aneesha Gupta says
Thank you 🙏🏼
Tamila says
This is by far for me, the easiest, quickest and absolutely most PERFECT way to make hard boiled eggs! The shells peeled right off, no rips, no tears etc. Will never make them any other way! Thanks for sharing this!!
Aneesha says
Thank you Tamila, I'm so glad you like this recipe!
Barbara Butler says
do you have to use a silicone basket?
Aneesha says
You can use any tall trivet which creates a clearance between the eggs and water. I prefer one with handles for ease of removal.
Ummeabdullah says
If I want to make half boiled eggs with the egg white fully cooked but a runny egg yolk, how long should I adjust the pressure cooking and NPR time?
Aneesha says
Hi There, for a super runny yolk, I would suggest 2 mins high pressure, followed by quick release of pressure, followed by soaking eggs in an ice bath for 2-3 mins. For a semi-runny yolk increase that time to 3 mins. Hope this helps.
Michelle Mathewson says
50 years playing with recipes and I can cook anything... perfect boiled eggs have always been my nemesis. The instant pot 555 method gives me perfectly boiled eggs every time
Aneesha says
Michelle, I agree a 100%. My story is quite the same as yours 🙂 Glad we mastered Boiled eggs... finally 🙂