Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs (fail-proof method)

Name: Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 7 min
Ingredients: 6 eggs; 1 cup water

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Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs - the easiest and best way to cook a dozen eggs in a pressure cooker with the 6-minute method! Always come out perfectly hard-boiled and peel easy!

Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs on a white plate.

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Why This Method Works
Ingredients and tools:
How to make hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot?
Cooking time:
Dishes with hard-boiled eggs:
My Extra Tip for Easy Peel!
Recipe FAQs:
More Instant Pot recipes:
Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs

Why This Method Works

My Instant Pot is definitely my most used countertop appliance in my kitchen. One of the first things I mastered cooking in the pressure cooker were hard-boiled eggs. It's like magic! It works every single time! The eggs are perfectly cooked and peel like a breeze.

I tested cooking eggs at different times and the 6-minute method works the best for me. It takes 6 minutes for the Instant Pot to cook the eggs, then 6 minutes to release the pressure naturally, and finally, 6 minutes to keep them in the cold water bath. Noticing the pattern? Every step takes 6 minutes. It works!

Before finding success in this method, I tried all the fail-proof tips for cooking eggs on the stovetop. They did not work at all or worked once and not the next time. The pressure cooker method is the only one that works for me every single time. And I've cooked a lot of eggs since I got my Instant Pot.

Ingredients and tools:

eggs: up to a dozen of large eggs
water: necessary for pressure cooking
ice: to stop the eggs from overcooking
kitchen tools: large mixing bowl and kitchen tongs

How to make hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot?

Overhead shot of eggs placed on trivet, inside the Instant Pot.

Start by pouring a cup of water into the Instant Pot stainless steel insert. Place a steam basket or the trivet that came with it and lay up to 12 eggs on it.
Close the lid and set the valve to sealing position. Press "manual" setting and adjust the timer to 6 minutes. The pressure cooker will start coming to pressure. That usually takes about 6 minutes for me.
Once the timer is done, press "off/cancel" and do not release the pressure. Set your kitchen timer (not the IP timer) to 6 minutes. After the time is up, release any remaining pressure by switching the valve to "venting" position. Carefully open the lid away from your face.
Next, fill a large bowl with cold tap water. Place all eggs ( I use rubber tip tongs to take them out of the pressure cooker) in the water and let them sit for 6 minutes.

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Cooking time:

For soft-boiled eggs, set timer to 3 minutes.
For medium eggs, set timer to 4 minutes.
For hard-boiled eggs, set timer to 6 minutes.

Dishes with hard-boiled eggs:

You can use them to make a platter of deviled eggs, add them to lunch, or soup ( like chicken pho), or use them to make my Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad and the Chicken Cobb Salad.

Overhead shot of cooked eggs in ice water in glass bowl.

My Extra Tip for Easy Peel!

After the eggs cool in the cold water, take each egg and gently roll it against the inside wall of your bowl. Place back in the water and repeat with the remaining eggs. Then one by one, peel the eggs. The shell should pretty much come off in one piece. Magic! You can roll them on your cutting board and peel them once out of the water but I find rolling against the bowl time and space-saving. It also helps to submerge the peeled eggs to make sure every last bit of the shell is removed and you have clean peeled and perfectly hard-boiled eggs ready to be used.

Recipe FAQs:

How to store cooked eggs?

First, peel cooked eggs before storing them. Place in an air-tight container with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. It is not recommended to freeze hard-boiled eggs, as they will become rubbery.

Why do some eggs crack during pressure cooking?

Note that sometimes, you will get one or two eggs that will crack during cooking. I am not sure what the reason is but I've heard from others that it can be depended on the age of the egg. Older eggs might crack and fresh ones won't. They will still be perfectly cooked and the shell will peel off easily.

Why is there a gray ring in my eggs?

The gray ring around egg yolks appears when the eggs are overcooked. It doesn't matter if you cook them in a pot on the stove or in the pressure cooker. My 6-minute method never overcooked my eggs, that's why I always use it.

How many eggs can I cook at once?

I tested this recipe with 12 eggs, a dozen. They fit perfectly in my 6-quart Instant Pot, on the trivet. If you need to cook more eggs, do it in batches or use a double-stacked trivet.

One hard boiled egg, peeled, sitting on top of other eggs in shells in water, in glass bowl.

More Instant Pot recipes:

For more recipes using the digital pressure cooker, feel free to browse our Instant Pot Category.

Also, check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance! Seeing BURN message on your IP? Read my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn why and how to save your dish.

If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!