Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

These Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs are really steam cooked, but they turn out just as perfect as boiling and it’s a very hands-off way to cook a dozen or more hard boiled eggs at a time.

» You might also like the Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats and try these 20 Delicious Instant Pot Easter Recipes.

Whether you’re cooking these eggs for Easter or for a tray of delicious deviled eggs, you won’t find an easier method for cooking hard boiled eggs in a batch.

The benefits of cooking eggs in the Instant Pot over the stove top are that it’s a hands-off activity where you don’t have to watch a boiled pot like a hawk, and that the eggs turn out perfect every time, because the pressure is consistent, unlike the temp in the pot on the stovetop, which can have fluctuations.

Quick Word of Caution

Before you set about cooking a couple dozen eggs for your first time, I would caution you to try a round with just a few eggs to make sure the cooking time meets your expectations. There are a lot of factors that go into this process and the timing isn’t going to work perfectly for everyone.

I suggest giving a test run with an egg or two. Go with the times listed below for the degree of doneness you want. When you crack it open and see that it’s cooked to your preferred doneness, you can use that as your baseline and make all your eggs that way moving forward.

What You Need

As you can imagine, this is a really simple recipe that really only takes eggs and water. You’ll also need your Instant Pot and the trivet that it came with, or an egg stand.

For the eggs, it’s important that you use the freshest eggs you can. Fresh eggs cook better and lead to a more tender texture. They are also easier to peel.

It won’t matter if the eggs are cold from the refrigerator or room temperature. Outside the United States, eggs are rarely kept in the refrigerator, so it bears saying – it won’t matter if you’re using this recipe in the US or elsewhere.

How to Make Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

• Put the trivet in the Instant Pot liner. Pour in the water.
• Set the eggs on the trivet in a single layer. Overlapping or stacking can lead to cracked eggs, but if you’re willing to take the chance that one or two get mildly cracked, it’s okay to stack.

• Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 9 minutes. When the time is up manually release the pressure. You want to quickly release the pressure so the eggs don’t continue cooking and become overcooked.
• Set the eggs in a bowl of cold water to cool for 5 minutes, changing out the water every few minutes so it stays chilled. Transfer to the refrigerator if not using right away.
• Remove the shells if you’re planning to eat them right away. The best way to do this is to roll them gently on the counter until the shell cracks in many pieces, then just pick the shell off.

Alternative Cooking Times

We don’t always want to cook the yolk of our eggs to the same degree of doneness. You can do that easily on the stovetop by varying the boil time. Well, it’s the same for the Instant Pot. You just need to make sure you are quick on the release of pressure so they don’t overcook, which can happen quickly.

• For soft center eggs: 3 to 4 minutes at high pressure
• For medium center eggs: 5 to 6 minutes at high pressure
• For hard centers: 8-9 minutes at high pressure

Use 9-10 minutes for eggs that you’ll be making deviled eggs with, so the yolk is firm and crumbly. If you want to use them for a garnish on a bowl of Ramen, go with a 4 minute soft center.

How to Remove the Shells From Hard Boiled Eggs

The worst part of making hard boiled eggs is taking the shells off. Everyone has their own method for making sure the shells come off easily and some of them I find to be very contradictory.

One of the easiest ways to peel them is to gently roll them between your hand and the counter top to crack all of the shell. Then you can grab a piece of the shell and pull it back. Usually the whole shell comes off at once.

Why Use A Cold Water Bath?

You don’t want the eggs to continue cooking for too long after you’ve taken them out of the pressure cooker. This will result in an overcooked yolk. So you want to cool down the temperature as fast as possible.

I don’t put mine in an ice bath because I feel like that shocks it and makes the membrane stick to the egg, so they are harder to peel. Instead, I put them immediately into cold water and then change the water a few times while cooling, so it’s always cool.

Why Use An Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. If you don’t have one, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot and the many accessories you can buy for it.

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