Simple, quick and now, almost effortless. This is the newest (and most foolproof) way to get perfect hardboiled eggs.

Why use an Instant Pot when you can make them over the stove? Good question! The #1 answer is that the shells won’t stick to the egg white. The #2 answer is that you can set the timer on the pot, turn away to multitask and not think about it again until you hear the beep. These don’t sound like very big deals but you’ll understand when you try it.

Hard boiling eggs in the IP is a great starter recipe for new pot owners. The steps are simple and do not require too much patience.

Place one cup of cold water into the inner pot of a 6qt or 8qt Instant Pot (IP). Insert a trivet to place the eggs on and add your desired number of eggs. The trivet adjusts in size and is perfect for use in IPs. Add as many eggs as you’d like — you can stack them but be cautious as there is movement during the pressure cooking process and eggs may break.

Close the lid, ensure the vent is turned to ‘sealing’ or on newer models, the vent/seal knob should have auto-closed when you last opened your lid. Set the pot to ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ for 4 minutes. Pressure cooker models differ and some will automatically start once the time is set while others require you to push the ‘start’ button. If you have one that doesn’t auto-start, I’m here to remind you to PUSH THE BUTTON. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve forgotten and come back to a pot full of eggs that are waiting patiently to be cooked.

As the pot is coming to pressure (because you hit the start button), prepare a large bowl with water and add lots of ice.

Once your pot beeps and indicates that it is done cooking, leave the pot sealed for another 4 minutes. Release pressure after the timer is up and place the eggs gently into your bowl of ice water. One of the popular methods is 4-4-4 (4 minutes pressure cooking, 4 minutes natural release, 4 minute ice bath). The ice bath stops the eggs from cooking so it is absolutely necessary to follow this step. Keep water swirling around the eggs after placing them into the bowl by using your fingers to gently circulate the water a time or two.

Cool for 4 minutes or longer if you prefer. Crack an egg after it is cooled and you’ll be intrigued by how easily the shell comes off. It’s foolproof every time!

A little hack I stumbled on is to peel the egg inside the water of the bowl it cooled it; shells will slip right off! You can also do it under a spout of running water; or just crack it over the kitchen counter and rinse off any remaining shell shards before eating.

Tips for eating hardboiled eggs:

  • Cut egg in half and sprinkle yolk with a few drops of soy sauce
  • Bite egg and sprinkle salt on the exposed yolk
  • Chop into fine pieces to make egg salad
  • Whip up delectable deviled eggs
  • Cut egg in half and meticulously scrape out every darned morsel of yellow yolk so your child can eat the whites without having a mental breakdown (can ya feel me here????!)

Cheers to easy Instant Pot creations!