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Boiling eggs is one of those simple kitchen tasks that somehow feels complicated, unless you find a method that really works. Whether you're making a big batch for recipes or meal prepping some healthy snacks, my easy method is convenient and gets you consistent results every single time.
Look at those perfect hard-boiled eggs with creamy golden yolks, cooked to perfection! And the egg shells just slide right off when you pressure cook them! This is definitely the way to go for easy, no fuss boiled eggs.
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Tools for Perfect Boiled Eggs
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Use a Steamer Basket
The rack that comes with the Instant Pot can be used, but you can only cook 4-6 eggs at once.
A steamer basket will hold about a dozen large eggs at a time, so if you're cooking a lot of eggs this is the best way to go.
I love fold out steamer baskets because they adjust to the size of your instant pot and make it easy to load up with a large number of eggs. But trying to cook way more eggs than your basket can hold can lead to uneven cooking or cracked shells, so don't stack them on top of each other. The steamer basket lets you cook a lot of eggs while still keeping them in an even, single layer.
Steam Setting - Best Way to Cook Perfect Boiled Eggs 🥚
The steam setting on the instant pot takes the guesswork out of the equation and turns out eggs that are easy to peel and just the right texture every single time.
The only thing I even use the steam setting for is eggs. And the Instant Pot I use always saves the last setting I used it for. So the default setting for the "Steam" button is almost always set to 3 minutes, which is how we like our eggs cooked.
So when I want to boil eggs, I just have to push the "steam" button and it's already set to high pressure (which is what I set it to the last time I used the steam setting), and I'm not planning on changing it any time soon. So it's even more of a no-brainer way of cooking eggs!
How to Make Perfect Boiled Eggs
Using an electric pressure cooker like an instant pot is the easiest way to make boiled eggs. You don't have to keep checking on it during the cooking process like you would if you cooked it in a pot on the stove. You're a busy person - go do something else, and don't worry about the eggs until you hear the *beep* 😀
Step 1. Add some water to the instant pot, you only need about an inch or two on the bottom, no need to measure.
Step 2. Add the steamer basket and place your eggs inside.
Step 3. Lock lid, flip vent to "Sealing".
step 4. Choose steam setting for 3 minutes cooking time. This is the optimum time to get eggs that are easy to peel.
Step 5. When it beeps, do a quick release to get jammy yolks, or let it do a natural release if you want firm, but still creamy yolks.
step 6. Place eggs in cold water with ice. Let them sit in the ice bath for 2 minutes before peeling them.
How Do you Like Your Eggs?
We tried cooking eggs at different times with either a quick release, or let the pressure come down on its own (a natural release). Here's what happened:
This egg was cooked for 1 minute, Steam setting, high pressure, with a quick release.
The egg yolk was barely set and the white was not cooked all the way. It was hard to peel.
This egg was cooked for 2 minutes, Steam setting, high pressure, with a quick release.
They had runny yolks but held together, the whites were cooked through, but fragile. It was still hard to peel though. The texture was like soft boiled eggs.
This egg was cooked for 3 minutes, Steam setting, high pressure, with a quick release.
These eggs had perfect jammy yolks, the egg whites were solid and easy to slice through. It was easier to peel, but the shell didn't quite slip off.
This egg was cooked for 3 minutes, steam setting, high pressure, but with a natural release. That means I didn't flip the valve to release the steam quickly, I turned off the instant pot and let the pressure come down on its own.
This is how we typically like our eggs cooked in this household - creamy yolk, but firm and easy to slice through. And it's super easy to peel!
Best Way to Peel Boiled Eggs
Even though I said the shells just slide off, I have a technique that really helps the shell slip off in the easiest way. Something to keep in mind - older eggs will peel the easiest. Fresh eggs will always be a little harder to peel.
Step 1. Tap egg to crackle the shell.
Step 2. Peel away a tiny bit of the shell.
Step 3. Get some water inside the crack by dipping it into the ice water bath. Getting a little water inside helps the egg release from the shell, as well as the temperature contrast (from hot steam to cold ice).
Step 4. Slowly peel away the shell, looking for that clear/cloudy looking membrane that surrounds the boiled egg. You want to break through that and get your finger underneath that membrane for the shell to slip off.
Step 5. Once you can get underneath the membrane, the shell comes off very easily. This is the point where you feel like the shell just slides right off. Dipping it back into the cold water can helps loosen it, too.
Step 6. Eggs are now ready to use. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Boiled eggs with their shells off will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.
How to Store Boiled Eggs
Boiled eggs will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
👉 You can store boiled eggs unpeeled in the refrigerator, too. When you're ready to peel them it will help if you run hot water over them (basically the reverse of peeling them when they're hot). It's the temperature contrast that seems to help the shell come off easier, whether that contrast is hot or cold.
Great Uses for Boiled Eggs
⭐️ Potato salad: freshly cooked and chopped instant pot eggs are the perfect addition to a classic potato salad recipe.
⭐️ Egg salad: check out my recipe for avocado egg salad with bacon.
⭐️ Chef salad: Add chopped, boiled eggs to your salad bar to make putting together some chef salads for lunch fast and easy.
⭐️ Other lunch salads: One of my most popular recipes is my Harvest Chicken Salad, which is a copycat recipe from Trader Joe's. Once you have cooked some instant pot eggs, this salad is a delicious way to use them!
⭐️ Breakfast: Freshly boiled eggs that are still warm are delicious for a quick breakfast. We like them mashed with salt and pepper and a little butter.
⭐️ Deviled eggs: Having a batch of hard boiled eggs on hand makes it really easy to whip up some deviled eggs. Great for breakfast or a perfect snack.
Popular Questions About Eggs
Raw, whole eggs can be stored in their shells for 3-4 weeks. Once the shell is removed they will only keep for 2-3 days.
Hard boiled eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, whether they are peeled or unpeeled.
When eggs are very fresh, the egg white is more tightly attached to the inner membrane, which makes it harder to separate it from the shell when you peel it.
As the egg ages, it takes in more air through its shell and detaches from the membrane. So when you boil it you can break through the membrane and get the shell off more easily.
Whether you have white eggs or brown eggs, the taste and nutrition are the same. The color of the egg shell is mainly determined by the breed of chicken who lays it.
Incredible, Edible Egg Recipes
Recipe creator: Kristie Winget, and I was just wondering: who remembers the "incredible, edible egg" commercials? 🤔 Leave me a comment if you do! (Here's a little more about me)