Hard boiled eggs should ideally be one of the easiest things to make in the kitchen. But how many times have we dealt with the unsightly gray/green rings or shells that are stuck that it is so hard to peel them off the eggs? We all have been there and it can be frustrating.
Worry no more! With this Instant Pot method of making hard-boiled eggs, you will get perfect, easy to peel eggs EVERY SINGLE TIME!
Instant Pot is a savior when it comes to many simple daily cooking needs like this Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal or Instant Pot Basmati Rice recipe.
How many times have we heard all the different tips and tricks to get the perfect hard-boiled eggs? Start the eggs in cold water, or add to water that is already boiling, or add vinegar to the boiling water, or make sure to use older eggs as they peel better.
While using the Instant Pot method to make boiled eggs, not only does the peel fall off really quickly without any mess, but you can also make perfect yolks, just the way you want it. There is no guesswork and no fear of messing this up. It works every single time!
Whether you want to make boiled eggs for an egg salad sandwich (this Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich is just soo good!) or to make some deviled eggs or to just eat it along a salad or for breakfast, the Instant Pot makes the best hard boiled egg.
Why does Pressure cooking eggs make it easier to peel?
This method was fail proof and worked every time with any kind of eggs I used, so I really had to dig deep to find out why this worked so well.
Laura Pazzaglia of Hip Pressure Cooking was one of the firsts to figure this out. In fact, one of her readers read in a book about how commercial hard boiled eggs are steamed in low pressure and they connected the dots to figure out the reason.
Eggs have a small air pocket at the wider end, between the egg white (albumin) and the shell. This air pocket becomes bigger as the egg ages, which is why the shell peels off easier in older eggs. In fresh eggs, the shell is still in contact with most of the white and so when we try to peel, we get part of the egg white along with the shell.
While pressure cooking or steaming the eggs in pressure, there is a pressure difference created between the outer shell and the inner air pocket. The heat inflates the air pocket but the high pressure on the exterior prevents this expanded air from escaping through the pores of the shell. The inflated air creates a separation of the shell from the egg white. Which, in turn, makes the egg easy to peel.
According to Alton Brown, it is not just the pressure difference but also the rapid heating that helps to make easy peel eggs. Fast heating stops the white from bonding too much to the outer membranes. And the cooling in the ice bath afterwards helps the proteins in the egg whites to set, making it easier to peel.
That is the science behind using a pressure cooker and in this case, the Instant Pot to make easy to peel hard boiled eggs.
Why make hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot?
- Hard boiled eggs made in the Instant Pot are easy to peel and look beautiful once peeled.
- You can get the yolk cooked to perfection every time without any grey / green rings on it.
- It is and easy recipe and is pretty much hands off. Just set a timer and you can go on doing whatever it is that you are doing without worrying about the stove top being on.
- In one go, you can hard boil a lot of eggs and store some for later as well.
What is the 5-5-5 method?
The 5-5-5 method is just an easy mnemonic code to remember the recipe to make hard-boiled eggs in an Instant Pot.
It is 5 minutes of pressure cooking time, 5 mins of resting / pressure release before opening the lid and 5 mins of ice water bath before proceeding to peel the eggs.
Accessories for perfect Instant Pot eggs
You will need an Instant Pot ( I have used a 6-quart Instant Pot ), obviously. You will need a steamer stand or a steamer basket to place the eggs in. A pair of long tongs to help remove the hot eggs from the Instant Pot. And a large enough mixing bowl that can hold all the eggs and enough ice and water to submerge the eggs in.
How many eggs can I cook in the Instant Pot?
You can cook as little as one egg or as many as even 12 eggs at a time, in the Instant Pot. The amount of time taken to cook does not change if it is just one or a dozen eggs.
To cook many eggs, you can use a steamer basket with a tall side and stack the eggs on top of each other.
How to make hard-boiled eggs in an Instant Pot?
- Start by adding 1 cup of water to the base of the inner stainless steel pot of the Instant Pot.
- Place the steamer basket or egg rack in the water.
- Arrange the eggs one by one on the steamer basket. The eggs can touch each other but do not let them touch the inner pot directly anywhere.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and move the vent knob to the Sealing position.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual / Pressure Cook on high pressure for 5 mins.
- When the Instant Pot beeps after it is done cooking, wait for 5 mins before you do a quick pressure release and open the lid. You can use an external timer for this 5 mins or you can check the Instant Pot display. It will show the time elapsed after beeping on the display.
- Once the 5 mins wait is done, check the little stainless steel pin that indicates the pressure in the Instant Pot. If natural release of pressure had happened, the pin would have gone down. If not, do a manual quick release of the remaining pressure by moving the vent knob to the Venting position.
- Immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water in a large bowl and let them sit in it for 5 mins. Use tongs to transfer the cooked eggs as they will be very hot. This is done so that they don't continue cooking in the residual heat and also the quick cooling sets the egg white protein so it is easier to peel.
- To peel the eggs, gently crack them and roll them on the countertop applying a little pressure on them. Start peeling and be amazed at how well the shell peels off the egg.
How to make soft boiled eggs in the Instant Pot?
To make soft boiled eggs that are jammy, use a cook time of 3 minutes, followed by immediate pressure release and 5 minutes in the ice water bath. For soft boiled eggs with runny yolks, use a cook time of 2 minutes, followed by immediate pressure release and 5 minutes in the ice water bath.
How to store hard boiled eggs
These hard boiled eggs can be stored in their shell or peeled. Once peeled, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days. If left unpeeled, you can store them for up to a week.
If storing them unpeeled, I like to use a different egg holder that is marked as boiled eggs or I like to add a little B on top of the shell with a permanent marker, so we know the difference between raw eggs and hard boiled eggs.
What to make with hard boiled eggs?
After you get the perfect hard boiled eggs, you can use them in a few different recipes.
- Egg salad or egg salad sandwich is an excellent way to use boiled eggs. This Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich is a fun variation to that.
- It can be used to make Kerala Style Egg Roast, Spicy Egg Curry or Kerala Egg Curry with Coconut Milk.
- You can make deviled eggs with the boiled eggs.
- Boiled eggs can be added to a potato salad.
- Boiled eggs are a great protein to add to any salad or as a side to just about any meal.
Love eggs like we do? Here are some great egg recipes to try out
📖 Recipe
Perfect Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs (5-5-5 Method)
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot 6 qt or 8 qt
- Steamer stand / basket
Ingredients
- 8 eggs any size
- 1 Cup water
Don't forget to check out Step-by-step instructions with photos in the body of the post above
Instructions
- Start by adding 1 cup of water to the base of the inner stainless steel pot of the Instant Pot.
- Place the steamer basket or egg rack in the water.
- Arrange the eggs one by one on the steamer basket. The eggs can touch each other but do not let them touch the inner pot directly anywhere.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and move the vent knob to the Sealing position.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual / Pressure Cook on high pressure for 5 mins.
- When the Instant Pot beeps after it is done cooking, wait for 5 mins before you do a quick pressure release and open the lid. You can use an external timer for this 5 mins or you can check the Instant Pot display. It will show the time elapsed after beeping on the display.
- Once the 5 mins wait is done, check the little stainless steel pin that indicates the pressure in the Instant Pot. If natural release of pressure had happened, the pin would have gone down. If not, do a manual quick release of the remaining pressure by moving the vent knob to the Venting position.
- Immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water in a large bowl and let them sit in it for 5 mins. Use tongs to transfer the cooked eggs as they will be very hot. This is done so that they don't continue cooking in the residual heat and also the quick cooling sets the egg white protein so it is easier to peel.
- To peel the eggs, gently crack them and roll them on the countertop applying a little pressure on them. Start peeling and be amazed at how well the shell peels off the egg
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