A thorough guide on how to use your Instant Pot to make perfect hard-boiled and soft boiled eggs in less time. {Gluten-Free}
I’ve been using my Instant Pot for quite a while. Throughout that time, I’d heard so much fuss about Instant Pot eggs but didn’t understand what the big deal was. Until I tried it myself! My first reaction was OMG – these are the most perfect soft-boiled eggs ever!
Back in China I enjoyed boiled eggs for breakfast. The cooking became such a hassle after I moved to the US. First of all, the electric stove takes forever to boil a pot of water. Plus, since the heat is harder to control, I can rarely get the tender texture I prefer. All these problems are solved by using an Instant Pot!
Why you want to make eggs in an Instant Pot
- The results are very consistent. If you’ve been boiling eggs on the stovetop, you probably need a bit of luck to get the desired texture. In an Instant Pot, you can get perfect hard-boiled or soft-boiled eggs every single time.
- The cooking time is super short, plus you don’t need to monitor your pot. The perfect soft-boiled eggs take as little as 2 minutes to cook under pressure, with 5 minutes to add the pressure before that.
- The eggs are very easy to peel.
- You can make a single egg or as many as a dozen eggs in one batch.
How to make the perfect eggs in an Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
1. Equipment you need
You will need:
- Instant Pot (or a traditional stovetop pressure cooker)
- The trivet that comes with the Instant Pot
- A pair of tongs (to remove the eggs once done)
2. How many eggs you can make?
The answer is: as many as you want, but you need to make sure the eggs don’t fall into the water. You can even stack the eggs in two layers, so you can make more at one time.
3. How it works.
You will need to pour one cup of water into the Instant Pot. Then place the trivet inside the pot, then place the eggs on top of the trivet. During cooking, the eggs will be steamed at high pressure. Once done, move the eggs into an ice bath for a couple of minutes to cool. It yields very consistent results, is quick to cook in batches, and the eggs are super easy to peel.
4. Cooking time
I used a 6-quart Instant Pot to make 6 large eggs. I’ve also tried cooking between 2 and 10 eggs at a time. The cooking time stays the same, regardless of quantity.
Soft-boiled eggs: 3 to 4 minutes at high pressure. My favorite cooking time is 3 minutes, at which I get perfectly cooked egg whites with runny yolks.
Medium-boiled eggs: 5 to 6 minutes at high pressure, where a portion of each egg will harden and the rest of it stays very tender and creamy.
Hard-boiled eggs: 8 to 10 minutes at high pressure. Personally, I like the results after 8 minutes, where the egg yolk is fully cooked but still soft. At the 10-minute mark, the egg yolk will be cooked further but won’t taste too dry. The 10-minute eggs are perfect for deviled eggs.
Important things to note
1. Always use fast release
Always use fast release immediately after the eggs are done cooking under pressure. If you leave the eggs in the pot, they will continue to cook in the residual heat and your eggs will be overcooked.
To safely release the pressure, use a long spatula or a pair of tongs to move the valve to the release side. Do make sure your hand is not over the valve while doing this.
2. Does egg size matter?
The answer is: yes. This recipe assumes you’re using large eggs. If you’re using medium eggs, reduce the cooking time by 1 minute. If you’re using extra large eggs, add 1 minute.
3. Why use an ice bath?
The ice bath will cool the eggs immediately so they won’t keep cooking in the residual heat. Plus, the eggs will be “shocked”, which makes them very easy to peel.
What if you don’t have ice? No problem at all! Simply run the eggs under cold tap water for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are cooled enough to peel. The eggs might be slightly easier to peel using the ice bath method, but the tap water method is a lazy one that I use all the time.
Instant Pot eggs troubleshooting
Why did my eggs come out too hard or too soft?
This is the most common question. Remember, many factors affect the cooking time needed for perfect eggs. For example, high elevation, the size of the eggs, the temperature of the eggs, quantity of eggs, the model of your Instant Pot, etc.
I’ve seem many recipes for Instant Pot eggs, but none of them share the exact same cooking time.
In general, if you’ve followed the recipe but did not achieve your desired results, simply add 1 to 2 minutes to get a more cooked egg, or decrease by 1 to 2 minutes to get a softer egg. Test until you achieve the texture you prefer.
Why did my eggs crack during cooking?
Make sure you place the eggs on the steaming rack without letting them touch the water. If you put the eggs directly into the water or partially in the water, the eggs might jostle during cooking and crack open. Also, stacking too many eggs can also cause cracking. If you want to cook more eggs in one batch and minimize cracking, investing in an egg rack might be a good idea.
To tell you the truth, if you are as big a fan of boiled eggs as I am, I would invest in an Instant Pot, if only just to make perfect eggs so easily! They are that good and that convenient. And of course, there are so many other great, easy, and delicious dishes you can make using an Instant Pot.
More Instant Pot recipes
- Instant Pot Curry Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Chicken Congee
- Asian Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Instant Pot Eggs (Perfect Hard-Boiled & Soft-Boiled Eggs)
Ingredients
- 2 to 14 large eggs
- 1 cup water
Equipment
- Steaming rack that comes with the Instant Pot
- Pair of tongs
Instructions
- Place the steaming rack (or the egg rack) in your Instant Pot and pour 1 cup water into the bottom of the pot. Place the eggs on the rack in a way that most of them don’t touch the sides of the pot.
- Close the lid and seal the valve. Press the “manual” button, set the pressure to "high", and set the timer to get the preferred results: 3 minutes for perfect soft-boiled eggs, 5 minutes for medium eggs, and 8 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. To get an idea of the egg yolk texture, check out the infographic in the blog post above.
- Prepare an ice bath by combining a few handfuls of ice and some water in a big bowl.
- When the cooking is done and you hear the beep, immediately use a pair of tongs to turn the valve to release the pressure. Be careful not to put your hands or face near the valve, so the steam won’t burn you. The release will be quick, less than 1 minute.
- Once the pressure has released, you will hear a small click. Immediately open the lid and use a pair of tongs to transfer the eggs into the ice bath. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the eggs are cooled enough to handle.
- Peels the eggs and enjoy! You can store the eggs in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
It absolutely works!! My first attempt at hard boiling eggs with my brand new IP was a bust! (Different recipe). I happened across this one on Pinterest and figured I’d try it. So glad I did! I did large eggs at 10 min and they came out perfectly! Thank you for your detailed recipe. Hard boiling eggs was one of the things I was looking forward to doing with my IP, and after the first try I was a little discouraged. My faith has been renewed! Can’t wait to try more recipes, including some of yours!
Worked very well! Eggs peeled easily and had no green ring around the yoke — beautiful if making deviled eggs. I like my eggs a bit toward soft boiled, and 7 minutes cook time was too much for that result. I’ll try 6 minutes next time.
Hi Maggie, I totally agree with cooking eggs in the Instant Pot! I have an 8 quart Instant Pot Lux 80. Having the eggs at room temperature before cooking seems to work well for me. I have a stainless steel mesh basket with a handle that I put the eggs in. It will hold a dozen. The method I use for cooking hard-boiled eggs is: 5 minutes under pressure, 5 minutes natural release with the pot turned off, release the remaining pressure and then I just lift out the basket and put it into an ice water bath for 5 minutes. The eggs almost fall out the shell when you peel them. Then I put the in a container with a jar of pickled beets with the juice and a splash of vinegarfor about 4 days. They are a favorite at our house. A great quick snack. I usually cook 6 to 8 at a time. Also, I make your Chinese Pickled Cabbage. It’s a huge hit at our house and my neighbor loves it too!
I’ve had rather unlucky experiences making and peeling hardboiled eggs in the past (and I’ve never tried to make a soft boiled egg), so this recipe/instant pot trick completely changed my life! I made 3 soft boiled eggs (3 minutes, with immediate manual release), and they turned out perfectly! The ice bath trick also made them SO easy to peel– my greatest nemesis. Thank you so much– you have changed my life 😀
I wonder if there’s an easy way to marinate the eggs such that you can make tea eggs or ramen eggs in the instant pot…
Hi! I’ve been trying to make soft boil eggs and failed a lot already (I always damage the egg whites!). I’ve researched and researched until I came across your website. I made 6 medium size eggs straight from the grocery and use high pressure for 3 minutes. I quick release and just used running tap water. The eggs were well done haha but very easy to peel which I super love. Peeling is a big struggle for me! Next time I will lessen by a minute if the eggs are not cold but will follow exactly your instructions if the eggs are from the fridge. So yeah, thank you very much!!
Hi, I was just wondering if the times would be the same in an 8qt Instant Pot?
The time should be the same, but if you get a result that is slightly different than you planned, you can slightly tweak it.
Instant pot is kinda of finicky sometimes and other elements such as the size and temperature of the eggs you use will make things different.
Perfect recipe! WOW!! Thanks for making life easier with this one. Your cooking time chart is brilliant. I can’t believe the easy peel!!!
I love this recipe! It’s helped me get perfect medium-boiled eggs, and before I found this I was outright terrified of medium-boiled eggs. My rice bowls thank you!
So how did you cook eggs back in China? 🙂
Back at home we usually boil the eggs (in a small pot), or fry it sunny side up (with high heat so the bottom turns crispy), or make them into omelette with Asian greens.
Oh, I see.
You also mentioned that boiling water for eggs on electric stove takes ages so I can recommend you boiling it in electric kettle first and then pour to the pot. (in case you don’t know this method yet) It shortens boiling time A LOT.
This is definitely an interesting way to poach eggs. I also poach eggs in the instant pot if I am only cooking one or two. However the way I do it is much faster/better suited for a single egg. have been poaching eggs in the instant pot for years after I learned the trick in college. I fill a mug up halfway with water. Add some vinegar then crack in the egg. Then I put it in the microwave and place a plate on top of the mug. Zap it for 1 minute and presto. Perfect poached egg with runny yolk. The only changes I make is with different microwaves over the years I have had to add five or ten seconds depending on the model.
Omg. I feel like I’ve been living under the rock my whole life. Why haven’t I tried your recipe before!? It’s perfect. I boiled 4 eggs, medium hard. PERFECT. Peeling was a swift! Thank you!! I wish I knew how to post a pic lol.
This is a great way to boil eggs. When I boil them I sometimes get busy and forget them. Nothing like fireworks eggs lol.
Thank you for this!!! It is absolutely a life saver for me. 🤣 The easiest, fastest way to cook and peel boiled eggs!
First time in my life I’ve peeled eggs without tearing up the whites! I wanted runny yolks so cooked for 3 minutes, but they turned out more medium. I’ll have to cut the time next time. Thanks for the great option for making eggs!
Does the temp of water added make a difference?
It worked but my eggs turned brown or tan. They were brown eggs to begin w.
This recipe created the perfect boiled egg. And I’ve never experienced such an easy peeling job! I’m without a range or oven for awhile so use my instant pot for everything, and have been so happy with the ease and taste of eggs boiled in the IP as per Maggie’s instructions.
My instant pot has a steamer setting I am assuming that is the manual setting
I cannot remember if the steamer setting uses high or low pressure. You can actually use any of the settings like the soup etc, whichever uses high pressure, and adjust the cooking time.
Finally, PERFECT soft boiled eggs!!! Thank you for simple yet detailed instructions. I’ve tried many different ways as recommended by other YouTube or googled recipes. It is only now that my family is able to enjoy easy to peel soft boiled eggs 💝. Thank you! Thank you!!!🙏
Haven’t tried the boiled eggs yet. I’ve been too distracted by all the advertisements on your website. So many that the recipe itself even has a difficult time keeping up with the scrolling. There are just too many damn ads. What a crazy, hallucinating journey.