Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs are the BEST and ONLY way to make PERFECT hard-boiled eggs. Eggs are cooked to perfection EVERY SINGLE TIME!
How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
I will never forget my first Easter I spent away from my family.
We were living in Georgia at the time and invited friends over for an Easter Egg hunt and Ham Dinner. While the ham and scalloped potatoes were delicious, the eggs were a complete disaster.
After coloring the eggs, our guests cracked a few open for a snack to find that they were not fully cooked!
But I used the same stove-top method for cooking hard-boiled eggs that I had for years. That method worked MOST of the time, but clearly, it was not fool-proof. And frankly, I became a bit fearful to ever cook hard-boiled eggs again--well at least for company!
By cooking eggs in my Instant Pot, I no longer have to worry about embarrassing accounts of under-cooked (or over-cooked) hard-boiled eggs. Pressure cooked hard boiled eggs are FOOL-PROOF. You will have golden, set centers without green rings, and these hard-boiled eggs peel like a dream!
5-5-5 Method for Cooking Hard Boiled Eggs
The perfect technique for cooking hard boiled eggs in the pressure cooker is the 5-5-5 method.
- 5 minutes to come to pressure
- 5 minutes cook time
- 5 minutes natural release
But to really get PERFECTLY cooked hard boiled eggs that peel like a dream, I have added another step:
- 5 minutes in a water bath.
So really, the PERFECT method for hard-boiled eggs is 5-5-5-5 method!
This means in 20 minutes, you will have hard-boiled eggs that peel perfectly and are perfectly set and bright yellow (no green rings here!!)
How to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs in Instant Pot
- Place 1 cup of COLD water in the inner pot of pressure cooker (liquid is ALWAYS needed for the pressure cooker to be able to reach pressure.)
- Place eggs in egg rack or carefully on top of the rack that the Instant Pot came with.
- Seal pressure cooker.
- Set cook time to 5 minutes (5 minutes on high pressure--push the manual button and adjust the timer to 5 minutes)
- After cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes (I suggest setting a timer that will beep at 5 minutes so you don't lose track of time. )
- Once 5 minutes has elapsed, release any remaining pressure in Instant Pot by using a wooden spoon or kitchen towel to knock vent knob to vent position.
- Carefully, remove eggs from the pressure cooker and place it in an ice bath. Eggs are VERY hot, so use potholder if your fingers aren't made of steel!
- After eggs have been in an ice bath for 5 minutes, remove eggs from the ice bath.
- Peel and enjoy your PERFECT hard-boiled eggs.
How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs are the easiest eggs to peel EVER!
- Once eggs have cooked and cooled in the ice bath, crack them open by rolling them on a kitchen counter.
- The peel will come right off--and will NOT take any egg white with it!
Storing Hard Boiled Eggs
- I find it is best to PEEL eggs before storing them in the refrigerator.
- Once eggs are peeled, place in a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. If unpeeled, they can be stored for 7 days.
How Long are Hard Boiled Eggs Good For?
- Hard boiled eggs will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator when peeled, 7 days if unpeeled.
- Hard boiled eggs will last for up to 2 hours at room temperature. So be sure that Easter Bunny doesn't leave the eggs hidden too long!
- Hard boiled eggs do not freeze well! Cooked egg whites will become rubbery.
- You can freeze the cooked egg yolks if desired by placing cooked yolks freezer bag and freezing for up to 3 months.
Are Fresh or Old Eggs Best for Hard Boiled Eggs?
Isn't this an age-old question?! While everyone has their theory, I can tell you I have tested older eggs and farm fresh eggs in my pressure cooker and both came out perfectly and peeled with the same ease.
Instant Pot Basic Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (Fresh or Frozen)
- Instant Pot Yogurt
- Instant Pot Quinoa
- Instant Pot Beans
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Egg Recipe
I would love to know how you enjoy this recipe! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know. Or snap a picture and tag @amindfullmom on Instagram and hashtag it #amindfullmom
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- water for cooking
Instructions
- Place 1 cup of COLD water in the inner pot of Instant Pot for a 6 quart instant pot and 1.5 cups COLD water for an 8-quart Instant pot.
- Add in egg or steam rack and carefully set as many eggs as desired on or in the rack.Â
- Place lid on the pressure cooker and set for cook time for 5 minutes on high pressure.Â
- Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release for 5 minutes. Then do a quick release and carefully remove eggs from Instant Pot and place in ice water bath.Â
- Let eggs sit in water bath for 5 minutes.Â
- Remove eggs from the water bath.Â
- Store in the fridge for up to 7 days unpeeled or peel and use within 3 days.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- You can use as few as 1 egg and up to 16 eggs in a 6-quart pressure cooker.Â
- I find it is best to peel eggs right from the water bath, the shell comes off beautifully every single time.Â
- To help prevent your eggs from cracking during cooking, let your eggs come to room temperature before pressure cooking.
- Be sure to use cold water, warm water or hot water will change the cooking time.Â
- If you live at high altitude, be sure to use Instant Pot Altitude Adjustments.Â
Jackie
Worked perfectly! I was nervous cause this was my first time making them in the IP and followed the recipe exactly. Unfortunately after they were already in the pot I read it’s best if they are room temperature but they still came out great. Thank you!
Lynne
Worked quickly and perfectly. The shells literally slid off.
Joanie
Perfect!
Lois
Fantastic
Allie Lel
I followed this recipe to the T and they all came out with the green/blue rings. 5 minutes is way too long. Maybe 5 minutes on LOW pressure will help next time?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Allie! I would not try low pressure. I would instead be sure your water is cold and cut time to 4 minutes with 4 minutes natural pressure release and use that as a place to keep adjusting if needed.
Chrissy Atkinson
I just tried making hff hard boil eggs and here's what I did. Cook on low pressure for 4 mins then did a natural r weed lation which took 20 minutes. I then immediately transferred all the eggs in a ice bath for 5 minutes.
My eggs turned out great!! They were easy to peel and none of them had the green ring.
Happy Cooking!!
Chrissy Atkinson
Sorry for the typos!! Hopefully you get what I was saying. Have a good night.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing your experience Chrissy.
Tammy
I had one green ring but other than that they look great. Haven’t eaten them yet though. That’s why just four stars.
Kim
Perfection!
Rose F
4 out of 7 eggs had green rings and I followed this to the t. Disappointed.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rose! I am sorry this happened. Just like ovens, instant pot units can run hotter or colder. I would suggest cooking for 4 minutes on high pressure with a 5 minute natural pressure release and then an ice bath to see if that works. Use this method as starting point and then adjust as needed.
Crystal Lara
Perfect
Jonima
This recipe is the best! My hard boiled eggs turned out perfectly and SUPER easy to peel.
Aaron
Turned out absolutely perfect....easy to peel. No green and almost thought it was to good to be true! Will never do hard boiled eggs again the old school way!
Mack
I have always had issues with hard boiled eggs. This recipe is the best! The shells came off so easily. I didn’t have to struggle. Thank you so much.
Tanya W
This is the only foolproof recipe I have found... the only one that makes the eggs consistently easy to peel, I get excited about that after all the frustrating peeling sessions from the past!. I do natural release 10 minutes because I don't want the undercooked. I'll experiment and bring it down a minute each time. This is the second time and the way I will always make them in the future.
Thank you so much!
MicheleGH
Absolutely fantastic! I followed your 5-5-5-5 process and it worked perfectly and I couldn't believe how easy the eggs were to peal...no effort at all. The yolks are the prettiest yellow. THANK YOU! I will never do my eggs any other way!
Angel
How done are the centers with this method?
Kristen Chidsey
They are fully set Angel. I do have a recipe for Soft Boiled Instant Pot Eggs.
Angie
Just made these and they turned out perfect! My farm fresh eggs peeled no problem and were perfectly cooked inside. Thanks!