Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs [5-5-5 Method]

The fastest, easiest way to hard boil eggs is in the Instant Pot. You'll get perfect results every time and the shell will peel off effortlessly. Follow the steps below to get the best results.

a fresh hard boiled egg cut in half

Hard-boiled eggs were one of the very first things I made in the Instant Pot. I know some people think it’s silly to make your eggs in the pot, but trust me, once you make them in the Instant Pot you won’t be using your stove for hard-boiled eggs again!

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I love making deviled eggs. Every Thanksgiving I boil A LOT of eggs. They were always such a pain to peel, no matter what tricks I used. Plus, the egg yolks were always way off center when I cut them. Not to mention the fact that I had to babysit the boiling water to make sure it didn’t boil over.

I finally put Ryan in charge of boiling them because I could never get them just right. But even when he boiled them, they were still a pain to peel.

The Perfect Egg Has Always Eluded Me Until Now

When I found out I could make PERFECT hard-boiled eggs in my Instant Pot, I was very excited to give it a try. I have to say, it didn’t disappoint!

I am finally able to make perfect hard-boiled eggs! Centered yolk and everything!

With just a press of a button, you can also make perfect hard-boiled eggs in no time!

sliced open hard boiled egg
Essential Items

Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.

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Prep Tools & Utensils

Here are the prep tools and utensils that you’ll need:

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23 Must-Have Electric Pressure Cooker Accessories

Make sure to check out my Ultimate List of Electric Pressure Cooker Accessories! I’ve included everything you could ever need to help make your pressure cooking quicker, easier, and even more convenient.

Making Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot

If you’re new to the Instant Pot or have never made eggs in it, then this part is for you. I will walk you through exactly how I make mine so you can try it yourself! I will show you the 5-5-5 method of making hard-boiled eggs.

The 5-5-5 method involves the following:

  • 5-minute cook time
  • 5-minute natural pressure release
  • 5-minute ice bath

Gather Your Ingredients

All you need is eggs, water, and either the rack that came with your Instant Pot or an egg rack. I like to leave my eggs out until they reach room temperature. This can help you avoid them cracking while they’re cooking.

perfectly cooked Instant Pot hard boiled eggs

If it’s your first time making them, I’d start with 3-4 eggs just in case my times don’t work perfectly for you.

Add Water to the Instant Pot

First, you add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Make sure your stainless steel liner is in the pot!

how to make hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot

Add the Eggs to the Egg Racks

I have the set of stacked racks seen below. It allows me to make lots of eggs at once. First, set the lower rack in the pot and start loading in the eggs.

instant pot egg rack
perfect Instant Pot hard boiled eggs

After the first rack is full, set your second rack on top and start loading the eggs into it.

Instant Pot hard boiled eggs recipe

It is very important, especially if you’re making deviled eggs and you want your eggs to look pretty with centered yolks, to place the eggs with the pointy tip facing down. This will ensure a centered yolk every time!

making Instant Pot hard boiled eggs

I want to point out that I only needed to make a dozen eggs here, but you can use the center ring on both racks and cook a total of 14 eggs.

hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot

Cook the Eggs For 5-Minutes

Close and lock your lid. Press the manual (or pressure cook on newer models) button. Adjust your time to 5 minutes. You will cook the eggs on high pressure for 5 minutes.

how to hard boil eggs in the Instant Pot

Perform a 5-Minute Natural Pressure Release

Once the pot is finished cooking, it will go into warming mode and will start counting up. This is where you will do a 5-minute Natural Pressure Release or NPR. This means you do nothing and you let the display count up to 5.

Once the display reaches 5, then you will release the rest of the pressure manually, or what’s known as a QPR or Quick Pressure Release. You will turn the pressure release valve (knob) to venting. Once all the pressure is released (it shouldn’t take too long for this) and the pin has dropped, you can open your pot.

Remove Eggs Carefully From the Instant Pot

Remove your eggs carefully from the pot and place them immediately in a bowl filled with ice and water. I use a set of stainless steel tongs but you can use whatever works for you!

electric pressure cooker hard boiled eggs

Place the Eggs in an Ice Bath

Placing the eggs in the ice bath stops the cooking and ensures your eggs aren’t overcooked.

instant pot boiled eggs

Allow the Eggs to Soak for 5 Minutes

The last 5 in the 5-5-5 method is allowing the eggs to sit for 5 minutes in the ice bath.

hard boiled eggs made in the Instant Pot

Peel with Ease

After years of struggling with peeling eggs, peeling these eggs is almost rewarding. It’s amazing how they peel perfectly every time.

peeling Instant Pot hard boiled eggs

Enjoy Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

So simple! Perfect hard-boiled eggs every time.

peeling a hard boiled egg

Now that you have all these wonderful hard-boiled eggs you can use them in so many ways! You can get started by trying my delicious Egg & Ham Dip.

Things To Consider

There are certain things to consider when making eggs.

  • If you have old eggs, it can affect how they come out.
  • Also, the temperature of the eggs can determine whether they will crack while cooking.
  • My perfect hard-boiled egg may not be yours.

Try out the 5-5-5 and if it doesn’t give you a perfect egg, play with the numbers a bit. You don’t want to move too far from the numbers, but just a minute during cooking or NPR can make a difference.

Let me know in the comments if the 5-5-5 works for you!

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

PERFECTLY COOKED, EASY-PEEL HARD BOILED EGGS

4.57 from 46 votes
Servings
12 eggs
DifficultyEasy
Cooking Method(s)
  • Pressure Cooking
Pressure LevelHigh
Program SettingManual / Pressure Cook
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
NPR
5 minutes
Total Time
15 minutes
Recipe by: Valerie Cooper
After making hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot, you’ll never do them on the stovetop again. Perfect results every time and the shells peel off so easily.
a fresh hard boiled egg cut in half

Essential Equipment

  • instant pot

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 12 eggs

Instructions

  • Add water to the Instant Pot, and then place the bottom rack in the pot. (You can also use the trivet that came with your pot)
  • Stack six eggs on the rack making sure to place the eggs pointy tip down. This will center the yolk. Then place the second rack in the pot and add the remaining six eggs.
  • Close the pot, set it to sealing and then cook on ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’, ‘High Pressure’ for 5 minutes.
  • Once the pot has completed the 5 minute cook time, allow it to do a 5 minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
  • Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with ice and water.
  • Release any remaining pressure after the 5 minute NPR, open the pot and carefully remove the eggs from the pot and place them in the ice bath.
  • Allow the eggs to soak in the ice bath for another 5 minutes.
  • Remove the eggs for the ice bath, peel and serve as you please.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1egg | Calories: 62kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 60mg | Vitamin A: 240IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.8mg

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89 thoughts on “Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs [5-5-5 Method]”

  1. Best hard boiled eggs I’ve ever had. 5 5 5 worked perfectly for me. It was all I could do to not eat them all after I tasted the first one. 🙂

  2. I have been and instant pot lover for at least 2 years. I’ve done hard boiled eggs using the 5-5-5 method a dozen times. Yesterday we needed to do a bunch of eggs so we decided to do the eggs in batches. The first batch was perfect. The second batch did not get done but we noticed that the pressure was set to low. So we did a third batch and made sure the pressure was on high. The eggs still did not get done. So we thought that there wasn’t enough water. So we did 3 more eggs. Still did not get done. Is it possible that doing back to back batches is to blame? We are stumped.

    1. Hi Mark! I have a theory and I think you’re right. I think that since the pot was already warm, it came to pressure faster which means the eggs didn’t actually cook as long as the first batch did. Remember that the “coming to pressure” time is also part of the cooking. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it! Haha! So, how many eggs were you making? You can make a lot at once. Some people stack them and they turn out just fine. Hope this helps! I appreciate you stopping by the blog!

  3. This was my first use of my IP, and one of the eggs cracked. It could be because I had had them for a while, so I’ll definitely try again.

    1. Hi Donna! Sometimes eggs will crack if they’re old or if they have some hairline cracks already. Once in a while, I’ll have one or two eggs crack in my batch. Definitely keep trying! Thanks for stopping by!

  4. Absolutely amazing! I have struggled peeling hard boiled eggs for years, I’ll never cook them any other way from now on.

  5. David Goodfellow

    Just got an 8 quart Instant Pot Ultra (with some accessories) today and the first thing we tried was the 5x5x5 hard boiled eggs. We made them for curried eggs. Came out perfect! And very easy to peel which is an added plus! If other recipes turn out as good this will be great.

  6. Julien Robideaux

    Trying your 5-5-5 with large eggs, fresh from the fridge, worked very well. Eggs were done almost to a turn. If I had read your post closer, I’d have seen where you started with room temperature eggs. Ah, well, next time! The IP’s recommended “Steam” selection, as you’ve no doubt probably discovered, is a path to failure. But your “Manual” [or in my case, “Pressure Cook”] is great! Many thanks!!!

    1. I missed that part as well, Julien. I started with cold eggs and still, they turned out great. I will always use the instant pot to make hard boiled eggs, now that I am a believer!

    1. Hi Lisa! A couple times I’ve saved them with the peel on and they have peeled just as easily for me. I understand they last longer in the fridge with the peel on as well. Thanks for stopping by!

  7. Cheryl Elliott

    My favorite method is steaming on the stovetop. No special equipment needed and perfect every time. A single layer steams in 12-15 minutes (15 for me at 4,200’) and a double 15-18 (18 for me). Once water is at a boil, I pop in a steamer basket full of eggs. I do give them an ice bath, as well. The eggs practically peel themselves. Even fresh from the hen eggs are perfect.

  8. I used the Instant pot for eggs yesterday and everything went well except that my eggs turned a bit brown instead of bright white. I know that I used more than a cup of water. Could this have been my problem?

    1. Hi Susan! I don’t think the water amount has anything to do with it. It sounds like they may have overcooked a bit. Did you immediately put them in ice water? It can also vary from pot to pot, you may try a bit less time next time. Hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by the blog.

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