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Here’s how to make Instant Pot soft boiled eggs! It takes 10 minutes total and the pressure cooker method couldn’t be easier.
Ahh, the perfect soft boiled egg. Smooth and glossy on the outside, golden and jammy on the inside. This illusive state of the egg can be difficult to perfect. But here’s a trick that works every time: Instant Pot soft boiled eggs! If you’ve got a pressure cooker, it’s absolutely worth trying out soft boiled eggs. Alex and I love making them to top our ramen, or to serve with toast and coffee as a fancy breakfast. Here’s a little more about this method!
The trick to Instant Pot soft boiled eggs? Low pressure.
It’s not often that you’ll see an Instant Pot recipe that calls for Low pressure. For everything from soup to rice to spaghetti squash, you’ll cook on High pressure. But guess what? We tried cooking eggs on High pressure and they were under-cooked every time. They were impossible to peel and they ended up mushy and slimy. (Gross!) Switch to Low pressure and it works every time! Here’s the method for how to make Instant Pot soft boiled eggs…the right way!
- Place the trivet inside the Instant Pot and add the eggs with 2 cups water. You can use as many eggs as fit in your Instant Pot without touching.
- Pressure cook on Low pressure for 3 minutes.
- Quick release and remove the eggs to an ice bath for 2 minutes. Peel and enjoy!
Total time: 10 minutes!
The Instant Pot requires “preheat” time to come up to pressure before it can start to cook. The preheat time can vary from 5 minutes to 15 or even 20 minutes, depending on how much volume is inside the pressure cooker. The preheat time for this recipe is only 6 minutes. This makes for a 10 minute total time: quick and simple!
How long are soft boiled eggs good for?
Once you’ve made your soft boiled eggs, can you store them for later? Good question. Soft boiled eggs last for about 2 days refrigerated with the shell on. They don’t save as long as hard boiled eggs, since the yolk is not fully cooked.
Factors that can affect cook time
There are a few variables that can affect cook time of your soft boiled eggs. Here’s the breakdown:
- Altitude: At high altitude you may need to add another minute or so. Refer to your Instant Pot manual for the conversion factors, or use trial and error to find the right timing. (If you’re cooking at altitude, you may already have some idea on this. Feel free to weigh in below!)
- Instant Pot size and brand: This recipe was tested with our 6-quart Instant Pot-brand pressure cooker; we cannot speak to the timing with other pressure cooker sizes and brands.
How many eggs can I cook at once?
You can cook as many eggs as fit into your Instant Pot without touching, and it still requires the same cook time. BUT! Guess what? There’s a cool egg stacker you can use if you want to cook 14 eggs at once! Head over to this 14-Egg Steamer. We can imagine using this more for hard boiled eggs, but you never know…
Soft boiled egg recipes
Once you’ve made your perfect soft boiled eggs, there are many ways to use them! Here are a few of our favorite ways to serve them:
- Toast: Serve up your eggs with toast from our Homemade Bread recipe.
- Toast soldiers: Serve up your eggs with these Cheese-Fried Toast Soldiers, little sticks of cheesy goodness.
- Avocado toast: Or, smother that toast with avocado for an even more filling breakfast or lunch.
- Ramen: What’s a good ramen without a soft boiled egg? Try our Instant Pot Ramen.
More ways to try them? Try all the ways to cook eggs, like fried, sunny side up, over easy, over medium, and over hard.
Can you make hard boiled eggs in a pressure cooker?
Indeed you can! It takes 20 minutes total, and it’s a great hands-off method. Go to Instant Pot hard boiled eggs.
This Instant Pot soft boiled eggs recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Instant Pot Soft Boiled Eggs
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 9 minutes
- Yield: 6 eggs 1x
Description
Here’s how to make Instant Pot soft boiled eggs! It takes 10 minutes total and the pressure cooker method couldn’t be easier.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs (or any number that fits in the pot without touching)
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Add the eggs: Place the stainless steel trivet into a 6-quart Instant Pot, then place the eggs on top. Add 2 cups water. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Place the pressure release handle (vent) in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook on Low pressure 3 minutes*: Press the Pressure Cook button and select “Low” pressure, and set the time. It takes about 6 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. (Note: During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Prepare an ice bath: Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes.
- Quick release: When the cooking is done, vent the remaining steam from the Instant Pot by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam. Open the pressure cooker lid.
- Remove the eggs: Carefully remove the hot eggs with tongs or a slotted spoon. Place them into the ice bath for about 2 minutes until they are cool.
- Peel: Peel the eggs by lightly tapping the bottom end (larger end that has the air bubble). When the shell crushes, gently peel off the shell in pieces. Slice in half and serve.
Notes
*You may need an extra minute or so at high altitude; refer to your Instant Pot manual for the conversion factors, or use trial and error to find the right timing. This recipe was tested with a 6-quart Instant Pot-brand pressure cooker; we cannot speak to the timing with other pressure cooker sizes and brands.
- Category: Essentials
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Eggs