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!
Essential Items
Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.
Prep Tools & Utensils
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23 Must-Have Electric Pressure Cooker Accessories
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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.
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!
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.
After the first rack is full, set your second rack on top and start loading the eggs into it.
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!
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.
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.
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!
Place the Eggs in an Ice Bath
Placing the eggs in the ice bath stops the cooking and ensures your eggs aren’t overcooked.
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.
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.
Enjoy Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
So simple! Perfect hard-boiled eggs every time.
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!
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Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
PERFECTLY COOKED, EASY-PEEL HARD BOILED EGGS
Essential Equipment
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.
Great method. They come out perfect every time for me. Exactly the texture and yellow color I am looking for – and that amazingly easy to peel shell.
I do one thing differently. I don’t use Ice water. I find that a sink full cold water straight from the tap works just fine. I use more water than I would with ice, but I think as long as the sink water does not heat up too much, it has the same impact for me.
Glad this works great for you! thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I have used this method a couple dozen times, and have yet to have a single problem. Of all the other methods I’ve tried, this is the most reliable and the most satisfying.
We have tried vinegar in the water, or bring to a boil then cover and turn off heat for 12 minutes, or making sure the eggs were a week old. Basically any advice we could find. And then we found this.
I am using a Ninja Foodi along with an egg steamer rack. I’ve done from three eggs at a time to as many as 18. I’ve used old eggs. I’ve used eggs fresh from the chicken’s butt. Always with the same results: the shells peel off like they were meant to and the eggs are cooked perfectly.
I sometimes roll the center of the egg across the edge/corner of the counter, then just twist the shell from both sides and pull apart two perfect, unbroken halves. So satisfying.
Thank you Valerie for sharing!
Hi! Happy to hear this method works for you! I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your results!
Love the consistency and how easy they are to peel. Nothing else I have tried comes close to this.
Hi Ryan! I’m glad this worked out for you! It really does make boiling and peeling eggs so much easier! Thanks for commenting!
What size pot were you using? I have the 10 quart.
Hi Bryan! I have an 8 qt. Thanks for stopping by!
Oops, typo…yes, I do know how to spell s-u-l-p-h-e-r
SULPHER: How to keep from having it in your hard-boiled eggs, from Jacques Pepin: Keep thumbtacks in a box in your kitchen drawer, and use them to puncture the pointy end. No, the gook will not leak out; your eggs will be fine. That’s it! No green, sulphurous layer just under the shell after cooking anymore.
P.S.: He peels ’em under running water when there are a lot of them; it’s faster, easier.
P.P.S.: Happy Housewife, thanks for the tip about putting the pointy end down to center the yolks. I had no idea!
Thanks for your comment Scotty!
Where did you get the ceramic turquoise egg holder and where did you get the metal egg racks you used in the Instant Pot? Thank you.
Hi Debra! The egg holder is actually plastic, it’s for keeping the eggs in the fridge and it has a clear cover. I found mine at TJ Maxx! The egg rack is linked in the post above. The pink link is right above the aqua egg holder. I appreciate you stopping by the blog!
I just tried this & the eggs are in their ice bath. I did have one crack on me, but 1 out of 7 is still a good percentage of breakage.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Jann! Hope they turned out great! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
My eggs were not cooked all the way through. I cracked one and yolk ran out.🤔
Hi! I’m sorry to hear they weren’t cooked. You’re going to have to experiment with different times, one egg at a time to find what works in your pot and at your altitude. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the recipe. The eggs turned out great! They peeled with ease and were cooked just right.
Hi Eric! Glad to hear everything went smoothly! Thanks for stopping by!
First time I made hard boiled eggs in my instant pot,OMG they turn out perfect!!!! No more struggles with peeling them,they almost fall out of the shell.I will ditto what someone else said”””Will never cook eggs any other way”!!!!
Hi Rita! Isn’t it great! So glad they were perfect for you! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Where do you get the egg racks for instance pot
Hi Karen! I have the egg rack linked in the post. You can click the pink link that says egg rack towards the middle of the post and it’ll take you to the exact egg rack on Amazon. Let me know if you still need help! Thanks for stopping by.
so if no egg rack its 6 at a time??my first time with eggs
Hi Norma! You can do as many as will fit. You can stack them. If it’s your first time making eggs though, I suggest doing a few at a time to make sure the timing is perfect for you. Once you know it works perfectly then you can make many at once. Hope this helps!
Do you have to wait for the Instant Pot to preheat?