How to Boil Eggs in an Instant Pot®

To get started, here is a handy (and seriously simple!) list of equipment and ingredients you need to boil eggs in the Instant Pot®.

Equipment

• 6-quart Instant Pot®
• Large slotted spoon
• Tongs
• Bowl, ice and water for ice bath

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• Water

By following our foolproof step-by-step instructions, you can have fresh boiled eggs cooked in the Instant Pot® in as little as five minutes. Here’s how to do it.

How to Hard-Boil Eggs in the Instant Pot®

Step 1: Unlock and remove lid of a 6-quart Instant Pot®. Place wire rack inside on the bottom of pot. Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot®.

Step 2: Carefully place 12 eggs on top of the rack inside the Instant Pot®. Secure the lid back on and make sure the pressure release is set to “sealing” and not “venting.”

Step 3: Plug in your Instant Pot® and select “Manual” program. Use the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons to adjust your program to 5 minutes. Once the Instant Pot® reaches pressure, it will begin to count down from 5 minutes on the screen. When the time runs out, use tongs to move the pressure release switch from “sealing” to “venting.” This will release all the steam.

Step 4: Once all the steam is released, remove the Instant Pot® lid and transfer cooked eggs to an ice bath. This will help your eggs cool so they will peel easily.

How to Soft-Boil Eggs in the Instant Pot®

The only difference between cooking hard-boiled eggs and soft-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot® is cook time. To make soft-boiled eggs, follow the same instructions as written above but reduce the cook time to 3 minutes. If you want a slightly more-cooked yolk (somewhere between soft-boiled and hard-boiled), set the cook time to 4 minutes. That’s it!

Disclaimer: To reduce the risk of illness from bacteria, food safety experts recommend that eggs be cooked until yolks are firm. Alternatively, where softer yolks are desired, pasteurized eggs may also be used to reduce the risk of illness from bacteria.

Of course, as with any countertop appliance, there are both pros and cons to using a gadget to boil eggs.

Pros

The pros to boiling eggs in an Instant Pot® are as follows:

• Hard-boiled eggs cooked in the Instant Pot® are SUPER easy to peel (which makes them great for deviled eggs!).
• This is a truly hands-off method of boiling eggs—no need to watch the water come to a boil, set a timer or keep an eye on the stovetop.
• You can boil up to 12 eggs at once.
• Since the eggs stay put on the interior rack, you don’t need to worry about the eggs knocking into each other and cracking in the boiling water (as they are sometimes wont to do on the stovetop).

Cons

The cons to boiling eggs in an Instant Pot® are as follows:

• If you don’t have the wire rack that comes with your Instant Pot®, you won’t be able to boil eggs in your multicooker without one (as the eggs can burn or cook unevenly if left directly in the bottom of the pot). However, you can purchase one online (or use an egg rack made especially for a pressure cooker).
• If you don’t follow the instructions exactly as written, you won’t end up with perfect boiled eggs—so be sure to read through the instructions carefully before cooking to ensure success!

How long do hard-boiled eggs stay fresh?

You can store hard-boiled eggs in their shells up to four days in the fridge. Soft-boiled eggs, on the other hand, are best eaten fresh, but can be stored in their shells in the fridge for up to two days.

How do you peel hard-boiled eggs?

Check out our comprehensive guide on How to Boil Eggs for a step-by-step tutorial on peeling perfect eggs with ease.

How fresh do eggs need to be to boil them in the Instant Pot®?

While older eggs are often much easier to peel than farm-fresh eggs, most eggs purchased from the supermarket are fine to use (since they aren’t usually fresh-from-the-chicken, if you will). However, when using the Instant Pot® to boil eggs, age really doesn’t matter! You can use fresh eggs or older eggs and both will cook and peel beautifully.

What is the best size Instant Pot® to use to boil eggs?

We have only tested this method using a 6-quart Instant Pot®. If you’re using a different size or model of multicooker, cook times/water amounts/number of eggs may vary.

For more FAQs on the Instant Pot®, check out our full guide on How to Use an Instant Pot®.

Now that you have a bunch of boiled eggs to eat, here are a few ideas on how to put them to best use!

Eat them as-is

You can eat peeled hard- or soft-boiled eggs whole, cut in half or into quarters, plain or seasoned (with salt, pepper, paprika, even everything bagel seasoning!) as a tasty and filling snack.

Make a salad

You can also chop up your hard-boiled eggs and make a simple egg salad to eat on its own, with crackers, on bread as a sandwich or on a bed of lettuce for lunch.

Put them on toast

Make your eggs into an easy breakfast by slicing them up and putting on toast. Tip: Add a layer of butter or avocado between the toast and the eggs for even more flavor. For soft-boiled eggs, you can cut the toast up into slices, or “soldiers,” and dunk them into the soft yolk.

Use in your favorite recipe

Of course, we also have plenty of recipe ideas for you to use up all of your boiled eggs.