A quick source of protein is just a few minutes away. Before I discovered the joy of making Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs, I dreaded the whole dilemma of whether to boil water first, and then add eggs or add eggs to cold water, and then turn up the heat. The instant pot takes out the guesswork and simplifies the process. The result is perfectly cooked eggs that are easy to peel.
For this recipe, I am using an 8 quart instant pot, but I include modifications for a 6 quart. They're so great to have on hand as a snack and they pair nicely with a salad like Avocado Chick Pea Salad.
What ingredients do I need for easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs?
Well, it doesn’t get any more basic than this. All you need is one cup of water and a dozen eggs. Sometimes I purchase brown eggs and sometimes I purchase white eggs. I also really like omega-3 eggs, since my kids won’t eat fish. Omega-3 fatty acids provide essential nutrients that are good for our heart and brain.
How do I make instant pot hard-boiled eggs in an 8 quart pressure cooker?
If possible, use a mesh strainer fitted to an 8 quart strainer like this one:
If you don’t have one, you can place the eggs on the trivet that your instant pot came with, but you'll have to carefully remove the eggs and they may not fit as snuggly in the pot. The mesh strainer is great because it keeps the eggs from bouncing around too much and reduces premature cracking.
Add one cup of water to the pot. Set the instant pot to cook on manual pressure for 3 minutes. When the pressure cooking is done, immediately release the pressure for eggs that are still semi soft in the center (as pictured above and below). As soon as you can turn the lid, remove the basket of eggs and plunge them into an ice bath for 10-15 minutes.
I find it’s best to peel as many eggs as your family will be eating for the day right after cooling them. They’ll be easiest to peel. However, if you’re peeling them at a later time, they’ll still be easier to peel than hard, boiled eggs cooked with other methods.
Can I Make Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs in a 6 Quart pot?
Yes! Absolutely. You'll just have to adjust your cooking time slightly. The easiest way to do this may be to let the eggs steam for 3 minutes before releasing the pressure. The reason for this is that the smaller instant pot takes less time to preheat, so the eggs need a little extra cooking time.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs (8 quart)
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker 8 quart
- 1 8 quart strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 dozen eggs
Instructions
- Prepare an ice bath large enough to immerse your strainer full of eggs.
- Fill the 8 quart instant pot with one cup of water.
- Insert the strainer into the pot and add up to a dozen eggs. If your eggs are too large, you may need to use less.
- Using the manual function, set the instant pot to pressure cook for 3 minutes, and then hit "start."
- When done pressure cooking, immediately release the pressure.
- When the lid is able to turn, remove the strainer full of eggs from the instant pot, and plunge it into the ice bath.
- Let the eggs rest in the ice bath for 10 minutes. Then remove.
- Wipe eggs and refrigerate them in a container. Or, peel the eggs to eat immediately.
Meg says
Loving this method of egg cooking! How many eggs can I cook and what are the time adjustments? Thank you!
The Stuffed Grape Leaf says
The 8-quart strainer nicely fits about a dozen eggs. I would start with pressure cooking for 3 minutes. You can go up or down from there if you prefer a less or more-cooked egg. You want to immerse them in an ice bath for at least 10 minutes following a quick pressure release (as explained in the post).