Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
How to make perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs. Cooking hard boiled eggs in your Instant Pot is quick, easy and hands-off.
Hard boiled eggs were one of the first things that I cooked in my Instant Pot, and I immediately fell in love with these easy peel eggs. While boiling eggs on the stove is also simple, I love that the Instant Pot makes the process especially hands-off.
Hard boiled eggs are a meal prep staple, perfect for quick breakfasts and high protein snacks. Perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs are essential ingredients for deviled eggs and egg salad.
Why make hard boiled eggs in a pressure cooker?
- Instant Pot hard boiled eggs peel so easily.
- This recipe is easy and mostly hands-off. You don’t have to watch a pot on the stove.
- Once you know the cook time to make your perfect hard boiled eggs, cooking them in your Instant Pot is foolproof. They’ll turn out just the way you like them, every time.
If you are new to using an Instant Pot, read my quick start guide on how to use an Instant Pot before you get started.
How to Make Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
This recipe is really simple, but you may need to do some experimenting to find the cook time that cooks your eggs just how you like them. I’ve found that eggs can be finicky. You may need to adjust the cook time slightly depending on the size of your eggs, the age or quality of your eggs, and even your particular Instant Pot.
The method for making hard boiled eggs depends on whether you have a 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot. For most recipes, the size of your Instant Pot doesn’t matter, but eggs are an exception. I’ve tested this recipe again and again in both my 6 quart and 8 quart pots, and I’ll share what I’ve learned to help you achieve the best results.
For perfectly set hard boiled eggs:
- 6 Quart Instant Pot: 5 minutes pressure cook time (high pressure) + 5 minutes natural release
- 8 Quart Instant Pot: 5 minutes pressure cook time (high pressure) + quick release
Why do eggs take longer in a 6 quart Instant Pot? Really, they don’t. Since the 8 quart Instant Pot is larger, it takes more time to come to pressure before the cook time starts, as well as more time to release pressure after cooking. That means that your eggs are getting a few extra minutes of cooking time. To adjust for this, if you’re using a 6 quart Instant Pot, you’ll add on 5 minutes of natural pressure release time after the cook cycle ends. The eggs will continue to cook while the pressure naturally releases.
Recipe Steps:
1. You’ll start by putting 1 cup of water in the inner pot of your 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot. Water is needed to create steam which will pressurize the pot during the cooking process.
2. Next, put a trivet or egg steamer rack the Instant Pot. Place your eggs on the rack and close the lid. Turn the steam release valve to the sealing position. Press the “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” button and set the cook time to 5 minutes at high pressure.
3. The Instant Pot will take some time to reach pressure before the cook time begins. It will take about 5 minutes for a 6 quart Instant Pot to reach pressure, and about 9 minutes if you have the 8 quart. Once the pot reaches pressure the float valve will pop up and the cook time will begin counting down on the display.
4. When the cook time ends the Instant Pot will beep a few times. If you are using a 6 quart Instant Pot, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes by leaving the pot alone. I recommend setting a timer so you don’t forget! Otherwise you may end up with over-cooked eggs with the dreaded green ring around the yolks. If you are using an 8 quart Instant Pot, immediately quick release the pressure.
5. Quick release any remaining pressure by moving the steam valve to the venting position with the handle of a long spoon. Be careful, as the steam that escapes will be very hot.
6. Wait for the steam to stop coming out and the float valve (pin) to drop down. Open the pot and use tongs or a spoon to immediately transfer the eggs to an ice bath, which is a bowl of ice water. Let the eggs sit in the ice bath for 5 to 10 minutes and then peel.
How to cook soft boiled eggs:
- Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes and do a quick pressure release if you are using a 6 quart Instant Pot.
- Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes and do a quick pressure release if you are using an 8 quart Instant Pot.
How to peel hard boiled eggs
Tap the eggs on your counter to crack the shell in a few places. Use your fingers to remove the peels. The peels will literally fall off of pressure cooked eggs!
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my eggs turn out under-cooked or over-cooked?
I recommend experimenting with cook times to find the time that produces eggs cooked just how you like them. If you find that your eggs are under-cooked, try adding a minute to the cook time or add a few minutes of natural release time before you turn the steam release valve to venting. I used to have the problem of under-cooked eggs in my 6 quart Instant Pot until I tried the 5-5-5 method: 5 minutes of pressure cooking + 5 minutes natural release + 5 minutes in ice bath. If your eggs are over-cooked, next time reduce either the cook time or natural release time by a minute or two.
Does the size of the eggs matter?
This recipe was tested with large eggs. If your eggs are extra large they may take an extra minute or two to cook.
Does the number of eggs matter?
I haven’t found any difference in the way the eggs cook when I cook 2 eggs versus a dozen. If you want to cook a dozen eggs, I recommend using these stackable egg steamer racks. For cooking up to 6-8 eggs, the steamer rack trivet that came with your Instant Pot works well.
Do fresh eggs cook differently than old eggs?
I haven’t noticed any difference between farm fresh eggs from our farm box and old eggs, in terms of cook times. Farm fresh eggs and organic free range eggs of course taste better and have a brighter golden yellow yolk.
How long do hard boiled eggs last?
Store hard boiled eggs for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. Do not leave hard boiled eggs out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Hard boiled eggs do not freeze well. The egg whites have an unpleasant texture after freezing.
It is best to eat soft boiled eggs right after cooking.
Recipe Tips:
- Be sure you don’t forget about your eggs in the Instant Pot or you could end up with over-cooked eggs.
- Transfer your hard boiled eggs to an ice water bath right away. The cold water stops the cooking process.
- Hard boiled eggs peel easiest when you peel them right away after they sit in the ice bath for 5-10 minutes.
- It may take a little experimenting to cook your hard boiled eggs just the way you like them. If your first batch turns out too soft or over-cooked, adjust the cook time slightly next time until you find what works best for your eggs and your Instant Pot.
Now that you’ve mastered Instant Pot hard boiled eggs, try my other Best Instant Pot Recipes and these Healthy Instant Pot Recipes.
Did you know that you can also cook eggs in the air fryer? Try my Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs recipe.
Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- eggs, up to 12
- ice + water
Instructions
- Place 1 cup water in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Put a trivet or steamer rack in the pot (either the one that came with your IP or an egg steamer rack, such as these stackable egg racks.)
- Place eggs in a single layer on top of the rack.
- Close your Instant Pot lid and turn the steam valve to the sealing position.
- Set the Instant Pot to manual/pressure cook, high pressure, and use the +/- button to set the cook time to 5 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished: If you have a 6 quart Instant Pot, do a 5 minute natural release (leave the Instant Pot alone for 5 minutes) and then quick release any remaining pressure. If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot, quick release the pressure as soon as the cook time ends by carefully turning the steam release valve to the venting position. I usually do this with the handle of a long serving spoon.
- When the float valve drops down, the pressure has been released and it is safe to open your Instant Pot. Carefully remove the lid and immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water using tongs, a spoon or an oven mitt.
- Let the eggs cool in the ice water for 5 to 10 minutes and then peel. Hard boiled eggs can be eaten right away or stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- If your eggs are extra large, you may need to add a minute or two to the cook time.
- For soft boiled eggs: Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes and do a quick pressure release if you are using a 6 quart Instant Pot. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes and do a quick pressure release if you are using an 8 quart Instant Pot. It is best to eat soft boiled eggs right away.
I read this in my 20 min in the morning before I get the kids up for school. Eggs went in the instant pot right away!
Thanks!
Isn’t it the easiest way to make hard boiled eggs? I hope you and the kids are doing well! Say Hi to Zoe for me. 🙂
These eggs do not easily peel. I’ve tried this 3 times now. My eggs look like hand grenades that exploded. I’ve followed this recipe as written. Do you have any suggestions for peeling?
Hi Brent, I’m sorry you’re experiencing difficulty with this method. I’ll occasionally have one egg in a batch that cracks open, but most of them cook perfectly and peel easily. Some things to be careful of are: (1) Make sure your eggs aren’t touching the water in the bottom of the Instant Pot. (2) Don’t stack eggs on top of each other. (3) Carefully follow the instructions for cook times and releasing pressure. (4) Take the eggs out of the Instant Pot as soon as the float valve drops down, immediately placing them in ice cold water. Wait 5-10 minutes and then peel immediately for easiest peeling.
I’ve tried this recipe twice now and it’s worked flawlessly. Thanks for posting. I do have one question though. We are using an Instant Pot Ultra we borrowed from my mother. There is a keep warm setting on it. I don’t remember what I used the first time for the setting, but the second time I had Keep Warm ‘OFF.’ This time I’m attempting to do the eggs with Keep Warm ‘ON.’ Do you have a recommendation for this particular setting?
Thanks
Hi Tim,
The keep warm setting doesn’t matter as long as you take the eggs out when specified in the recipe.
I’ve been told very fresh eggs are hard to peel, but if they are closer to the “use by” date they are much easier. This was not a time I used the IP, so not sure this holds true with the IP, but might help? ?
My eggs peeled nicely! My new favorite!!! Thank you.
Yay! I think these eggs are the thing I’ve made most often in my Instant Pot. You can beat the hands-off prep and easy peeling!
Do the size of the eggs make a difference? I have large eggs (but I’d actually call them extra large). I put them on high 5 minutes and they came out like perfect soft-cooked eggs. I’ll try an extra minute or 2 the next time? Otherwise they were beautiful and definitely easy to peel.
Yes, the size of the eggs could make a difference. I would try adding an extra 2 minutes next time. I just added a note in the recipe about this. I’ve found that different Instant Pot models can cook differently when it comes to eggs. My 8 quart cooks eggs a little faster than my 6 quart.
Same here. They were PERFECT soft boiled.
Hi Robert,
I have done more testing of this hard boiled egg recipe and have found that you need to add on 5 minutes of natural release time if you are using a 6 quart Instant Pot. When I originally shared this recipe I only owned an 8 quart Instant Pot. You can see my notes in the post above about why eggs seem to cook faster in an 8 quart! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I have done more testing of this hard boiled egg recipe and have found that you need to add on 5 minutes of natural release time if you are using a 6 quart Instant Pot. When I originally shared this recipe I only owned an 8 quart Instant Pot. You can see my notes in the post above about why eggs seem to cook faster in an 8 quart! 🙂
Definitely going to try this but wanted to comment and say thank you for specifying different directions for the 6 and 8 qt. I have an 8 and so many recipes follow a 6 or different models so I found this very helpful and it was much appreciated! Thanks!
I’m glad the directions are helpful! I started with an 8 quart and then also bought a 6 and had quite a time figuring out why my eggs weren’t cooking the same in the two sizes! I hope your hard boiled eggs turn out perfect!
My racks hold a total of 14 eggs, this recipe has ALWAYS turned out GREAT for me! (Cooking 12)
Would I follow the same recipe for 14? Have you tried these? I hate to waste the eggs if it doesn’t turn out.
Hi Kierra, 14 eggs will cook in the same amount of time as 12 eggs. Enjoy!
I finally took my instant pot out of the box. I did the water test and the lid didn’t explode off so I then thought I would attempt hard boiled eggs….and they were perfect and so easy! Thank you for the very detailed directions! Now I’m off to try something else!
I’m so glad! The Instant Pot can be intimidating at first but I promise you are going to love it the more you use it! 🙂
Yay! We go through a TON of hard boiled eggs in my house. I got tired of boiling them on the stove and bought a Copper Chef Perfect Egg Maker, but that wasn’t as time saving as I had thought it would be, and the eggs didn’t like to peel. We finally bought an 8 qt. Instant Pot, and, after making our first dinner in it, I thought I’d try hard boiled eggs. Your recipe was spot on! As I mentioned, I have an 8 qt. pot, and I cooked 13 eggs at once. I used a Good Grips Silicone Pressure Cooker Sling. The egg I tested peeled easily, and it’s cooked perfectly. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad this method worked well for you! The Instant Pot is the only way I cook my hard boiled eggs now. 🙂
I graduated from culinary school with honors and have tried every way people have mentioned to make hard boiled eggs. This is the easiest and most successful way to make them that I have found.
They came out a little softer than I wanted but a little fine tuning will easily fix that.
I’m so happy to hear that! Yes, you can try adding a minute or two to the pressure cooking time, or add in a minute or two of natural release time to find your perfect egg cooking time. I’ve found that different pots can cook slightly differently.
This worked amazingly. I just got the Instant Pot Duo Plus . .all I had to do is hit “egg” and they peeled brilliantly. I will be making Egg Salad a lot more, so much less trouble this way! Thank you.
Love how easy this recipe is, but every time I’ve used it, almost half of the eggs come out cracked open. I don’t stack them, and they aren’t touching the water. Thoughts?
I often have one egg out of a batch crack, although not so much that it’s not edible. It could be the quality of the eggs. You could try experimenting with cooking at low pressure for a longer amount of time.
Easy and perfectly cooked. I love how easy they are to peel!
Followed your instructions to a tee with my new 8-quart DUO that was a Christmas gift. I live just under 5000 feet and the eggs were a bit underdone. Seems easy enough to fix…perhaps increase time to 6 minutes? I like the idea of not having the extra step of timing the natural release.
Hi Nina,
Yes, you will need to increase the cooking time for Instant Pot Recipes if you are at a higher altitude. 6 minutes sounds like a good test.
Hi Kristine,
I’m new to the instant pot (got an 8 quart for Christmas) and I was just looking at your recipe for boiled eggs. I’ve been told by many others that the 8 qt. requires more water (at least 2 cups), but noticed you are only using one for the boiled eggs. Can you please comment on this?
Ps- most of the different recipes that I’ve seen posted are for the 6 qt. Can you please post some good 8 qt. recipes?
Thank you,
Jackie
I always cook hard boiled eggs in my 8 quart pot, and I always use 1 cup of water, and it works perfectly. 🙂 You can make any of my recipes in an 8 quart Instant Pot, no adaptations needed. The only difference I’ve noticed between my 6 quart and 8 quart is that the 8 quart seems to be more prone to the burn message (but I rarely get one). Here are my tips for avoiding the instant pot burn message. I hope that helps!
Thank you for these 8 quart instructions! Mine were coming out overdone. This worked perfect!
My eggs turned light brown using this method – any ideas why?
I’m not sure. I’ve never had that happen.
Hi there, my eggs were almost completely raw in the 8qt using this method, and I tried twice. Why might this be? High pressure, one cup water.
Hi Sarah, I make this recipe every week in my 8 quart instant pot. Was the steam release valve closed? Have other recipes worked in your 8 quart? It may not be heating or coming to pressure properly if they were raw when following the instructions for this recipe.
I recently purchased a 6 qt. Instant Pot Duo SV from Costco and have used it 2x times so far. I followed your recipe for hard boiled eggs & they came out just right. They were easy to peel!
I noticed that after I select “Pressure Cook”, the “Keep Warm” light also came on which I turned off. I thought that the “Keep Warm” light was not to come on until after the the Instant Pot was done. I also noticed that when the eggs were done (the timer went from 5 mins to zero), the instant pot did not go to “Keep Warm” but turned off. I let it naturally release for 5 mins & than did the quick release.
Hi Barbara,
The keep warm setting can be toggled on and off before setting the pressure/cook time. It will keep warm or not depending on the setting after the cooking time is finished. The pot also remembers the keep warm setting from last use in my experience.
I just tried this recipe for the first time cooking hard boiled eggs in the instant pot. Cooked 6 large eggs in my 8 qt. Used 1 cup water on hi set for 5 minutes. Used the quick release and put in ice water. Eggs were hard to peel and centers were soft. Do they need more time or just a slow release? None were cracked.
In my 8 quart pot, 5 minutes plus quick release cooks the eggs perfectly and they peel easily. You might try adding 3-5 minutes of natural release – maybe your pot cooks a bit differently than mine or your eggs are much larger. I’ve found some variation between brands of eggs when it comes to how easily they peel. Fresher eggs can be harder to peel, as can eggs with very thick shells.
As a relatively new Instant Pot owner, I’ve really learned a lot from the general information you provide in your blog posts. My question is around the fact that I bought a 3 quart pot and am having a difficult time finding recipes for that size. Is there a site or a guide specifically for that size that you know of? If not, do you have any rule of thumb recommendations to keep in mind other than to experiment? Thanks.
I’m sure there are sites out there that make recipes specifically for the 3 quart, but I don’t have any particular ones to recommend. I don’t own a 3 quart so haven’t tested any of my recipes in that size. You might try halving some recipes and then experiment from there.
Kristine: I have a 3QT and a 6 QT IP. I got the 3QT because I usually cook for one or two of us and a 6QT is just too much if I don’t freeze some of it. I find recipes wherever on the internet, facebook, etc. Most recipes are written for 6 QT IP models. So, I just use my judgement to cut down the recipes and it usually works out well. I usually use recipes as a basic guideline but cook from my imagination for modifications and seasonings to my taste. Also, remember not all recipes are going to be home runs, but some will be.
So, would you reduce the cooking time in a 3-qt IP?
I don’t have a 3 quart pot so can’t advise on that without trying it myself. Since I cook eggs longer in my 6 quart pot than my 8 quart (because of the 5 minute natural release in the 6 quart), I’m not sure that I would try a shorter time in the 3 quart pot. It might take some experimenting, but luckily eggs are an easy recipe to test/play around with the cook time to find what works for you. 🙂
Finally had success with eggs in my 8 quart! Thank you Kristine!
I have an 8 quart Insta pot so they took the recommendation of releasing the pressure immediately after the five minutes of cooking and went through the process. I was bummed out when I busted the first one open and it was Uzi and juicy and not hard boiled!
I’m sorry your eggs didn’t turn out fully cooked on your first try. This method has worked for me dozens of times in my 8 quart pot, but, as I mentioned in the post, it may take a little bit of experimenting to get your eggs cooked just the way you like them. There is a lot of variation between eggs (size, etc.) and also some variation between different Instant Pots it seems. Assuming that the pot reached pressure correctly (the steam valve was set to sealing, etc.), I’d recommend either adding a few minutes to the cook time or adding on 5 minutes of natural release time after the cooking cycle ends.
I will probably be run off this site with a stake through my heart, but here is my method for hard boiled eggs. I have two Instant Pots and another brand pressure cooker and I love my instant pots. I have boiled eggs in my IP and it worked well, but I didn’t see any advantage over a pan on the stovetop. I put about one inch of water in the pan and bring it to a boil which is 5 minutes or less. Add my eggs and cook for 10 minutes (use a timer) with a lid on the pan to hold in the steam. Remove eggs to cold water, or sometimes I just dump the hot water and refill the pan with cold water a couple of times. Crack and roll the eggs on the counter and easy peel. Peels easy every time.
I don’t blame you for cooking eggs on the stove. 🙂 While I find Instant Pot eggs are consistently easiest to peel, sometimes I cook them on the stove as well and I have a post with my stovetop method scheduled to go out in a few weeks.
Perfectly calibrated hard-boiled egg recipe! I am a new 6 quart Instant Pot Duo Nova user.
I followed the directions precisely ( including setting a timer to five minutes of natural release, to assure no overcooked eggs).
I made 7 large grocery generic brand eggs that were close to official expiration time, on the trivet, with one cup of water.
The eggs were amazingly easy to peel after the ice water bath. I was able to peel seven of them in the time it would typically take me to peel just 1-2 using various stovetop tricks. The eggs were also absolutely perfect in consistency.
The ease of peeling will make me more likely to fix egg salad and make high protein egg snacks without the dread of peeling.
Thank you for your blog.
Impressed. In 20 minutes I have perfect easy peel eggs. This is now the only way I do hard boiled eggs. Thank You.
I have the three quart instant pot and the 5-5-5 system works great
game changer. just tried one egg, 5 steam, 5 vent, about 7 minutes in an ice bath. then i gently smacked top and bottom of egg against counter, rolled it under my hand and the shell came off in one piece. yolk was perfect for a hard boiled egg. first time using my instapot too!
PERFECTION! I just got my Instapot (I know, a little behind the times) and this was my first recipe. They came out perfect and I’ve been boiling eggs on my stove for decades. No more of that for me! Thank you so much for the 6qt specifics too – exactly what I needed. Cheers to you and I’ll be trying more recipes of yours soon.
No one ever specifies if the eggs are cold from the fridge, or room temp… does that make a difference?
It shouldn’t make a difference. I always use eggs that are cold from the refrigerator.
I have a 3 quart instant pot. How long should I cook eggs to hard boil??
Hi Carol,
I don’t have a 3 quart instant pot so I’m unable to test cook times for the 3 quart. I did a quick internet search and couldn’t find much, so you might have to experiment. I’d try just 1 or 2 eggs at once until you find your perfect cook time. Please report back if you decide to try! 🙂
came out great!…just don’t forget to close the steam vent like me. I reduced the time to 3 minutes instead of 5 and it came out fine!
I have tried every method of cooking eggs on the stove with no success. They turned out with stuck shells every time no matter what method I chose. This instant pot idea really works, eggs looked great and no sticky shells. Thanks for the recipe, it’s genius!
3rd time out and the eggs were perfect; properly cooked and easy to peel. Great instructions and great piece of cookware.