Get hooked on how fast and easy it is to make instant pot soft, medium and hard boiled eggs. Check out results for instant potting eggs at various hi-pressure times and natural release times.
This article is also re-posted on Medium here.
We set out to find the best instant pot egg times for making soft, medium and hard-boiled eggs at home. Why? Several factors affect how eggs turn out: instant pot version, instant pot age, altitude, whether quick release was executed on the mark, whether eggs were cooled, how eggs were cooled, age of egg, egg size and more.
With so many variables at play, instant pot eggs are not the same each and every time. So be warned there is not a one size fits all formula.
But using the baseline times discovered, you can determine your best hard, medium and soft-boiled egg for your home.
In summary, for a 6 quart instant pot at about sea level: eggs that spent a total of 11 minutes in the instant pot (hi pressure cook time + natural release time, excluding time to pressurize) produced a decent hard boiled egg; similarly, 7 minutes total for a medium boiled egg; and 6 minutes total for a soft boiled egg.
There were a couple surprises along the way. For instance, an egg cooked at hi-pressure (using a quick-release) for 5 and 6 minutes yields an under-cooked egg. Thus, natural release is responsible for solidifying the egg yolk. So unless you are aiming for a soft-boiled egg, keep the lid on after it beeps to avoid a messy, gooey egg!
Instant pot soft, medium and hard boiled eggs setup and process
- Pour 1 cup cold water into the instant pot. Insert the trivet. Gently place 1 LARGE egg on trivet.
- Lock the lid.
- Set high pressure cook time. Once the instant pot beeps to signify it has completed, set a timer (this is the natural release time). After the timer beeps, de-pressurize the instant pot.
- Open the lid. Carefully remove egg using heatproof mitts.
- Quench the egg in a bowl of ice water for >10 minutes for good measure.
Equipment used:
- A 6 quart instant pot purchased around 2018 at the time when Instant Pot’s “Perfectly Cooked Eggs” article published circa 2017. A trivet insert to hold 1 LARGE egg.
- A trivet insert but any instant pot egg accessories can be used.
Our baseline for this experiment was Instant Pot’s “Perfectly Cooked Eggs” article, which states: “For soft-cooked eggs, select manual and cook at low pressure for 3 minutes. When cooking time is complete, use a natural release to depressurize. (For medium-cooked eggs, cook for 4 minutes; for hard-cooked eggs, cook for 5 minutes.)”
What isn’t clear from their article is what “natural release” time to use. Natural release is the time it takes for pressure to return to normal. That is, the time to wait so the instant pot does not release steam after de-pressuring it (by venting the steam release handle on top).
For our older 6 quart instant pot a 3, 4 and 5 minute hi-pressure cook releases steam at a 4 minute natural release and no steam at 5 minutes. A 5 minute natural release is steam-free, silent and fully depressurized. To recap, natural release for a 3, 4 and 5 minute hi-pressure cook was 5 minutes in our setup above, using older equipment.
Note that the ideal hard, medium and soft boiled times found by our research differs for a newer instant pot. With a newer instant pot, we need to subtract one minute from the times established by our older one. Also the natural release time for our newer instant pot is not 5 minutes.
Results for a 5, 6, 7 and 8 minute hi-pressure cook with quick release
The 5 and 6 minute hi-pressure cooked eggs had gooey, liquid-like yellow yolks closer in line with soft-boiled eggs. The 6 minute egg yolk was thicker and more jammy than the 5 minute egg yolk.
The 7 and 8 minute hi-pressure cooked eggs crossed over to being medium-cooked. But the ring around the egg yolks, or their surfaces had a well-cooked yellow color.
Results for a 4 minute hi-pressure cook with varying natural release times
The egg cooked at 4 minutes hi-pressure with a 3 minute natural release resembled a medium cooked egg. A minute less of natural release, that is an egg cooked at 4 minutes with a 2 minute natural release was closer to a soft-boiled egg with a gooey yellow yolk.
Results for a 5 and 6 minute hi-pressure cook with varying natural release times
The 5 minute hi-pressure cooked egg with a 4 minute natural release resembled a medium-cooked egg but had some unevenness. The outer edges of the egg yolk neared well-cooked. This egg was very similar to a 5 minute hi-pressure + 5 minute natural release egg (not shown here).
The 5-minute hi-pressure cooked egg with a 2 minute natural release appeared medium-cooked with a slightly gooey center.
The 5 minute hi-pressure cooked egg with a 6 minute natural release AND 6 minute hi-pressure cooked egg with a 5 minute natural release had the best hard-boiled doneness. Based on the results of both these eggs, one might generalize that an egg with a combined hi-pressure cook time plus natural release time of 11 minutes results in the best hard boiled egg.
Summary of best instant pot soft, medium and hard boiled eggs times
Note that results can vary due to factors mentioned earlier: size of egg, number of eggs, age of egg, instant pot age, etc. Therefore, instant pot eggs are pretty good, but not perfect each and every time using the same procedure.
Many people cool their eggs down by running them under cold water or placing them in a bowl of cold tap water. We employed an ice bath to halt the cooking process faster, so keep in mind that eggs cooled under cold water may turn out slightly better cooked than the photos above.
| Hard boiled egg | BEST – 5 minute hi-pressure cook with 6 minutes natural release 2nd BEST – 6 minute hi-pressure cook with 5 minutes natural release | Generally 11 minutes spent in the IP produces a decent hard boiled egg |
| Medium boiled egg | BEST – 5 minute hi-pressure cook with 2 minutes natural release 2nd BEST – 4 minutes hi-pressure cook with 3 minutes natural release | Generally 7 minutes in the IP produces a decent medium boiled egg |
| Soft boiled egg | BEST – 6 minute hi-pressure cook with quick release 2nd BEST – 4 minute hi-pressure cook with 2 minute natural release | Generally 6 minutes in the IP produces a decent soft boiled egg |
| Soft boiled egg (more liquid center) | For a more gooey yolk: BEST – 5 minute hi-pressure cook with quick release 2nd BEST – 4 minute hi-pressure cook with 1 minute natural release | Generally 5 minutes in the IP produces a soft boiled egg with a gooey center |
Are instant pot soft, medium and hard boiled eggs easier to peel?
Generally, there were no substantial disasters when peeling an egg. But there may still be little nicks and some egg white attached to the shell. Refer to my blog post, “Soft, Hard, and Medium Boiled Eggs on the Stove,” for a few tips on peeling eggs.
How does altitude affect my pressure cooking?
According to the “New High Altitude Cookbook” (1980) by Anderson, B.M., altitude does affect pressure cooking. You want to increase your cooking time under pressure by 5% for every 1,000 feet after 2,000 feet above sea level.
Instant Pot Soft, Medium and Hard Boiled Eggs
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Loading...Get hooked on how fast and easy it is to make instant pot soft, medium and hard boiled eggs. Check out results for instant potting eggs at various hi-pressure times and natural release times.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold water
- Equipment:
- 6 quart instant pot
- eggs
- trivet or instant pot egg accessories
Instructions
Pour 1 cup cold water into the instant pot. Insert the trivet. Gently place egg(s) on trivet.
Close and lock the lid.
Set high pressure cook time. For a hard boiled egg cook 5 minutes with a 6 minute natural release; medium boiled egg cook 5 minutes with a 2 minute natural release; soft boiled egg cook 6 minutes with quick release.
Once the instant pot beeps to signify it is done, depressurize the instant pot immediately for a quick release, or after the natural release time has passed.
Open the lid and carefully remove egg.
Drop egg into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Notes
Refer to table in the blog for for a better picture of cooking times.
