Instant Pot Hard and Soft Boiled Eggs

Easy to peel and ready in minutes, these Instant Pot hard and soft boiled eggs have become a staple in my meal prep routine! Prep a batch ahead and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

From steel cut oats to sweet potatoes and more, the Instant Pot is slowly revolutionizing the way I cook. Adding to the list of 'ready before your pot of water can boil' are these eggs!

You might remember from my kid's snack drawer post that one of our favorite protein-packed snacks for the kids are hard boiled eggs. We make at least one batch of hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot per week, then store them in the snack drawer for easy access!

We also love cooking soft boiled eggs in the Instant Pot, and it's as simple as removing a few minutes of cook time.

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see how insanely easy these eggs are to cook! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don't forget topin this post to save it for later!

How to cook Instant Pot eggs

1. Place 1 cup of water in the inner pot (if you have an 8 quart Instant Pot, use 1.5 cups of water)
2. Place a trivet on top
3. Arrange eggs on the trivet (you can cook all the way up to 12 eggs)
4. Place lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to 'sealing'. Select the appropriate cook time for your eggs (6 minutes for hard boiled; 3 minutes for soft boiled)
5. When time is up, do a quick pressure release. Carefully transfer to an ice water bath.
6. Let sit for ten minutes before peeling.

Hard boiled eggs

Hard boiled eggs are fully cooked through, with solid yellow yolks. To cook fully through (but not overcook), 6 minutes high pressure with a quick pressure release is perfect. They are cooked through perfectly (never overcooked with that ugly green ring). You can peel them right away, or store for easy snacks for later.

Soft boiled eggs

To cook soft boiled eggs in the Instant Pot, simply cook for 3 minutes at high pressure, followed by a quick pressure release and immediate transfer to the ice water bath. The whites are perfectly cooked through, with gooey yolks (but not slimy). Serve them on toast, on salad, or just straight up!

Important tips for cooking eggs in the Instant Pot

Use the quick pressure release

Quick pressure release means that as soon as the Instant Pot timer beeps, we cautiously switch the steam release handle from sealing to venting, allowing the pressure to release. This is important to do right away, as the eggs will continue to cook as the pressure releases naturally.

Place eggs into an ice bath

Placing the hot eggs into a cold ice water bath is crucial to prevent over-cooking them, as it stops the cooking process in it's tracks. If you allow the eggs to gradually cool to room temperature, they will continue cooking for several more minutes, and will overcook. The ice water bath also helps make them easier to peel.

Trial and error

There is always some trial and error required when using the Instant Pot, and all sorts of invisible factors can come into play- altitude, natural variation in the size of your eggs, and more.

If your eggs are not cooked through to your liking and require more time, I advise adding on 2-3 minutes of natural pressure release time. This is a gentler way to cook them than adding more minutes of high pressure cooking.

Peeling your eggs

I've always had issues with peeling hard boiled eggs, but these Instant Pot eggs are so easy to peel, it's incredible!

1. After cooling in the ice bath, gently tap the egg on a cutting board or hard surface.
2. Roll the egg until it is cracked all over.
3. If your eggs are freshly cooked, I find it easier to immerse them in water while peeling. This helps the water get into all the crevices of the shell, making it even easier to peel.
4. Remove shell, rinse under water (if necessary), and enjoy!

Cook ahead to enjoy later

We love cooking a batch of Instant Pot hard boiled eggs ahead to enjoy later. This will save you time and ensure that you have protein-packed snacks waiting for you in the fridge.

You can store in the fridge in one of two ways:

• peel ahead- if you choose to peel your eggs, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days
• shells on- if you leave the shells on the eggs, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days.

I find storing with the shells on to be a great option, as they are even easier to peel when they are cold.

Ways to use soft + hard boiled eggs

• Cobb Salad
• Farro Salad
• Spiralized Pasta with Egg and Asparagus
• Tuna Protein Box