Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs. Quick, consistent, and easy to peel, hard-boiled eggs are one of the killer uses for an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
Have you done hard-boiled eggs in your Instant Pot? Are they easier to peel? What’s the normal process? Could a stove top pressure cooker be used?
email from reader Terry
I was late to the party on this technique. Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs are all over the web - especially Facebook. People say they are quick, consistent, and easy to peel. My excuse is I was playing with with sous vide eggs, trying to get the perfect soft-boiled egg.
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What is the 5-5-5 method for eggs?
What is the 5-5-5 method? 5 minutes pressure cooking, 5 minutes natural pressure release, 5 minutes in an ice water bath to chill. Done. That seems so easy, but I hear my mother saying “if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?”
I tested 5-5-5, and it does work - a dozen hard boiled eggs, easy to peel, with perfect yellow yolks, just the way I like them. I try some variations - shorter times under pressure or quick releasing the pressure immediately undercook the eggs; longer cooking times or a full natural pressure release overcook the eggs. I should have trusted the wisdom of the internet: everyone uses 5-5-5 because it works, and works well. (Sorry Mom, everyone was right.)
How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
A pressure cooked hard boiled egg is easy to peel. After chilling, the shells don’t stick to the pressure cooker hard-boiled eggs, like they used to with my stovetop eggs.
To peel, I crack the shell all over, so it is covered with a spider web of cracks. Then I start peeling from the bottom of the egg, where there is a little air pocket. I try to pull the shell off in a spiral around the egg, in one big peel.
There is a membrane between the shell and the egg that holds all the cracked pieces of shell together. if I'm gentle, but firm, the shell comes away in one long piece. If not, I keep peeling until all the pieces of shell are gone.
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
How to Hard Boil Eggs in an Instant Pot
Put the eggs in a steaming basket in the pressure cooker
Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker pot. Put a steaming basket in the pot, then set the eggs in the basket. Lock the lid.
Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a 5-minute natural pressure release
Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes in an electric pressure cooker or stovetop pressure cooker. (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
Cool the eggs in an ice bath for (at least) 5 minutes
Remove the lid from the pressure cooker and transfer the eggs to a bowl full of ice water (or cold running water) for at least 5 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water bath and pat dry. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a week.
Equipment
A 6-quart instant pot (or other 6-quart pressure cooker)
A steamer basket, egg rack, or trivet to lift the eggs off the bottom of the pot.
Tips and Tricks
- Size matters: use large eggs for this recipe. I haven’t had the time to test medium or XL eggs, but I estimate 3-5-5 for medium eggs, and 7-5-5 for XL eggs.
- Timing matters: for the 5-minute pressure cook and 5-minute natural release: don’t wander off during the cooking time. Waiting longer, or for a full natural pressure release, results in overcooked eggs.
- Extra ice bath time is fine: Extra time is fine for the 5-minute cold water bath: Colder is better for peeling eggs, so the 5 minutes in the cold water bath is a minimum.
- What is the Egg setting on the Instant Pot: I don't bother with the egg setting, but you can use it if you want, and if you have it. It automatically sets the cooker for 5 minutes at high pressure. (Don’t forget the 5-minute natural pressure release). I just pick pressure cook and set the timer for 5 minutes, which does the same thing.
- Browned ends on eggs: The egg’s air pocket will have a brown color to it sometimes with this method. It’s not important - the browning is on the shell, not the egg, and doesn’t change the taste.
- Can you stack eggs on top of each other in the instant pot? Yes, absolutely. It's the only way you're going to fit a dozen eggs in a 6-quart pot.
- “hard-boiled” or “hard boiled” without the dash? A grammar note: Hard-boiled, with the dash, is the proper spelling, but both are common usage. I prefer the dash; I’ve always wanted to write a hard-boiled detective story, and a hard-boiled detective needs the dash.
Scaling
Want to cook fewer eggs? More eggs? Pile them in there - the cooking time stays the same.
Storing Hard Boiled Eggs
Cooked eggs last for 1 week in the refrigerator, according to the USDA in their Shell Eggs from Farm to Table fact sheet. Why don't they last as long as fresh eggs? Fresh eggs have a natural coating that keeps out bacteria, but it is washed away by cooking. This opens up the pores in the egg shell, which can let bacteria in. Also, any cracks that happen during cooking are fine. The eggs are still good for a week.
How can I use hard-boiled eggs?
Hard boiled eggs are a great source of protein, and an easy snack. The simplest thing is to peel them and eat them with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, of course. But, my favorite thing to do with hard boiled eggs is make Deviled Eggs. (I've got a lot of deviled egg recipes here on DadCooksDinner.) And, who doesn't love a good egg salad sandwich? I'm working on my recipe, but the simple version is to mash the eggs with some mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
Print
Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs Recipe
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 eggs 1x
Description
Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs, quick, consistent, and easy to peel, hard-boiled eggs are one of the killer uses for an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
Instructions
- Put the eggs in a steaming basket in the pressure cooker: Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker pot. Put a steaming basket in the pot, then set the eggs in the basket. Lock the lid.
- Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a 5-minute natural pressure release: Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes in an electric pressure cooker or stovetop pressure cooker. (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Cool the eggs in an ice bath (or with cold running water) for at least 5 minutes: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker and transfer the eggs to a bowl full of ice water (or cold running water) for at least 5 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water bath and pat dry. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a week.
Notes
Size matters: use large eggs for this recipe. I haven’t had the time to test medium or XL eggs, but I estimate 3-5-5 for medium eggs, and 7-5-5 for XL eggs.
Timing matters for the 5-minute pressure cook and 5-minute natural release: don’t wander off during the cooking time. Waiting longer, or for a full natural pressure release, results in overcooked eggs.
Extra time is fine for the 5-minute cold water bath: Colder is better for peeling eggs, so the 5 minutes in the cold water bath is a minimum.
The “Egg” button on the Instant Pot: Go ahead and use it if you want. It automatically sets the cooker for 5 minutes at high pressure. (Don’t forget the 5-minute natural pressure release).
The egg’s air pocket will have a brown color to it sometimes with this method. It’s not important - the browning is on the shell, not the egg, and doesn’t change the taste.
Want to cook fewer eggs? More eggs? Pile them in there - the cooking time stays the same.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
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- I can’t help myself with the “is 5-5-5 A Myth?” headline. It’s my chance to share Betteridge’s Law of Headlines: Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word “No.” ↩
Rita Y says
The Natural Release (minimum 3 to 4 minutes) is important. At the turn of the century (with a stovetop cooker) I began hard-cooking my eggs for 6 minutes High Pressure + a Quick Release. The quick release occasionally caused one or two eggs to crack.....until the time all 12 eggs cracked.
I now have an Instant Pot Pro. 3-3-4 (the 4 minutes in ice water) works best for me and cooks large eggs the way I prefer them, with a slightly undercooked, jammy center in the yolk to prevent chalkiness. After owning several iterations of Instant Pots over the years I find that they each required a different timing sequence. I think the Pro's cooking pressure might be a touch higher than that of the older models. Sometimes you have to play with the timing a bit.
rick G says
Good to know!
Nancy says
5-5-5 works for me with the white Costco little bit larger than large eggs. The ease of peeling is so lovely, I would own an instant pot only for hard boiling eggs, but of course it does so much more. My son-in-law calls them "Magic Eggs".
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
Levin says
I have been using this method for a couple years and it is easy but I keep getting green rings! After reading your article I realize that I am putting more than a cup of water. Does adding more water tend to make the eggs overcooked you think?
Mike Vrobel says
That’s my guess. Try cutting back to 1 cup of water. (Also, it might be worth trying 4-4-5, in case your pot is running hot.)
Rita says
I have an Instant Pot Duo EVO, I cooked 8 eggs with the 5-5-5 method. Two of the eggs blew out and all of them had green rings and somewhat dry yolks. --- Does the EVO model cook a bit faster than the other models?
Rand Feura says
6 large eggs. 4-5-5. Perfection.
Tracey C says
Hi! Your recipe calls for a dozen eggs in your pot. My question is, did you stack the eggs? Is ok to stack them or must they remain in a single layer for best results? I’m inclined to think you stacked unless you have a huge insta-pot? Thx!
Mike Vrobel says
You can stack the eggs to make them fit if you need to.
John says
As the old saying goes, "To each their own" and I actually prefer the taste imparted by the so-called green ring when the eggs are "overcooked." Without it, the eggs seem to taste undercooked but perhaps living at a higher elevation (3200 ft.) has something to do with that. I've adopted a 7-7-7 cooking program for my hard-boiled eggs and am very happy, especially good for a platter of deviled eggs.
Xara says
A perfectly cooked, easily peeled hard-boiled egg is a lovely thing. 5-5-5 worked great for me. I am, however, intrigued by the eight minutes with low pressure with quick pressure release suggested by Andrea above. Research marches on! Thanks so much for writing this!
Nashdlp says
Are the eggs still easy to peel if you don't peel them right away? I'm usually just cooking for myself, and I'd like to make a batch on the weekend and enjoy them through the week. Some online sources say that boiled eggs last a week in the fridge, peeled or unpeeled. Others say unpeeled eggs last a week, but peeled ones go bad more quickly (one site says eat within a day, another says 4-5 days). Not sure who's right. I guess it's safer not to peel them, but I also don't like dealing with hard-to-peel eggs. Your thoughts?
Mike Vrobel says
That's how I usually use this recipe: I hard-boil a dozen eggs and leave them in the fridge, unpeeled. They peel just fine when I need them.
Julie Fannin says
Hi! Hard-boiled eggs with shells left on last up to one week while peeled eggs are good for only a few days. Stick to that rule. You can also write the date that you boiled/steamed them on the container that you're keeping them in in case you forget. As for peeling, once eggs are cooked the shells become more porous and absorb water. If you leave them in the cold water for a bit longer (such as an extra 15 minutes) they become much easier to peel. Hope this information helps!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks for the tips, Julie!