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- Using an Instant Pot is quicker and provides more consistent results than the stove-top method.
- For perfectly cooked hard-boiled Instant Pot eggs, use a simple "five-five-release" formula.
- Pressure cook your eggs for five minutes, then let the pressure release for five minutes.
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It's not difficult to cook hard-boiled eggs when you use an Instant Pot. In fact, an Instant Pot makes preparing the perennial picnic favorite nearly effortless!
"The Instant Pot gives you eggs that cook and peel beautifully," says Daniel Shumski, the author of four cookbooks, including "How to Instant Pot."
You might want to use your Instant Pot for hard-boiled eggs for a number of reasons.
- It's a much quicker way to get hard-boiled eggs lunchbox or picnic ready, typically only taking 10 minutes to prepare.
- You don't need to monitor your eggs throughout the cooking process – just set your timer and you can walk away with any fear of the pan boiling over.
- Your hard-boiled eggs will peel better. Pressure cooking creates a moisture barrier between the egg white and the shell, which makes peeling it easier.
- Your Instant Pot will cook your eggs more uniformly and consistently.
Tips and tricks for the perfect hard-boiled eggs
- Age matters - old eggs are easier to peel. Select eggs that are a week or more old for hard-boiling.
- To peel hard-boiled eggs, try this trick from the American Egg Board: First, drain hard-boiled eggs under cold, running water to help the shell ease off. Next, gently tap the large end of the egg onto a hard surface until the shell is slightly cracked. Peel the egg, starting from the cracked end.
- A green ring around the yolk means your egg was cooked too long or at too high of a temperature. This is harmless, but can be prevented by setting your Instant Pot pressure to "low" before increasing to "high" and reducing the cooking time by one minute.
How to store hard-boiled eggs
Hard-boiled eggs should be stored in the refrigerator, at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Unpeeled, they'll keep for up to one week. According to the American Egg Board, peeled hard-boiled eggs should be used the same day.
Insider's takeaway
When you want to make hard-boiled eggs quickly, an Instant Pot is the answer. An Instant Pot creates uniformly cooked eggs that peel beautifully and, unlike the traditional stovetop method, you don't have to constantly monitor the cooking process when you use an Instant Pot. Set your Instant Pot timer to cook while you get dressed and pack some outdoor games, and both you and your eggs will be picnic-ready in no time.