How to Make the Perfect Boiled Egg in an Instant Pot

Since I started making boiled eggs in my Instant Pot about 5 years ago, I’ve never made them any other way. There’s no standing over a boiling pot and watching the clock. I set a timer, walk away, and have perfectly cooked and easy-to-peel eggs every time, even farm-fresh.

This is a foolproof method to make the perfect instant pot boiled eggs! This is the easiest method for meal prep or to make a batch of hard boiled eggs for my Egg Salad with Fresh Herbs. It’s also the easiest way to make a big batch of eggs for dying Easter eggs! If it’s that time of year, be sure to checkout my tutorial for Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs with Onion Skins. 

FRESH VS STOREBOUGHT EGGS

If you’ve never tried to peel farm fresh eggs, then you probably don’t even know that it can be quite challenging. The eggs that you purchase in the grocery store are often several weeks to months old by the time they make it to your kitchen. That means that a good deal of the moisture has evaporated through the egg shell, making the pocket of air between the membrane and the shell larger. When these eggs are boiled, this space makes the peeling process much easier.

Farm-fresh eggs are just that, fresh. They haven’t had weeks of evaporation to create space, and the membrane is still quite intimate with the shell. This means that when you try to peel them after boiling, you often come away with huge chunks of egg still attached to the shell. However, with this pressure cooking method, you will have easy peel farm fresh eggs! 

INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.
  • I held off on purchasing one of these for the longest time. I’ve always been limited on space, and I’m not really one for kitchen gadgets. I was finally sold when I learned that you can cook an entire chicken, from frozen! As someone who seems to always reach 3 pm and have no meat thawed for dinner, it was a game changer. I have an older model, but this one is similar. (Affiliate Link)
• Trivet wire rack that comes with Instant Pot.
  • This keeps the eggs off of the bottom of the pot so that they steam evenly.
• 1 cup of water
• Eggs
  • I’ve cooked as many as 18 at one time, but you can definitely do less.

DIRECTIONS to make the perfect hard-boiled eggs

• Place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
• Pour the water into the pot.
• Place eggs on the trivet.
  • You can layer the raw eggs on top of each other, they will still cook just fine.
• Close the lid and set it for 4 minutes at high pressure.
• It will take the cooker around 5 minutes to build to pressure and another 5 minutes to cook. I let the pressure reduce naturally for an additional 5 minutes after the cooking cycle is completed, and then do a quick pressure release.
• Place the eggs into cool water to halt the cooking process.
  • I do this by removing the entire pot from the pressure cooker and running cold water directly into it continuously until the water is completely cold.  You can peel them immediately, or store them in the fridge.
    *This part is crucial! If the eggs are left to cool on their own they don’t peel nearly as well.*

NOTES

• Do not skip the cold water bath. It makes all the difference in the world when peeling freshly boiled eggs.
• If you do want an Instant Pot, this model is great (affiliate link).

How to store Instant Pot Boiled Eggs

To store the eggs, you can either store them peeled or unpeeled. Add them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for later use for up to one week. 

Can I make soft-boiled eggs with this method?

You can adjust the cooking time to your desired egg consistency. More time = hard boil eggs, or a more firm egg. Less time = soft boiled eggs, or a soft center with jammy yolks or runny yolks. Try reducing the natural release time by a couple of minutes, or pressure cook for 3 minutes instead of 4. The great thing is that with this method you will get consistent results, so when you find the amount of time for your perfect eggs you can easily duplicate your cook time. 

How many eggs can you cook in the instant pot?

What I love about this method is that it is the best way to make a ton of eggs at a time. I’ve done this method with as many as 18 eggs, but you can do whatever number of eggs you would like or can fit into your instant pot! 

How to do this method without an instant pot

This entire process can also be achieved without an Instant Pot. You can use a large pot, a metal colander or steamer basket, and a lid to steam your eggs. This entire recipe really is steaming rather than boiling anyway. Just place the eggs in your colander, put the colander down into your large pot, add enough water to fill the bottom but not submerge your eggs, bring the water to a boil, add your lid, and steam for 20 minutes. Finish this process with a cold water bath or ice bath to stop the cooking process and store according to the directions above. 

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