Soft-boiled Eggs using Pressure Cooker
I tried low pressure for 1 minute, natural release for 1 minute with the eggs in water. The eggs were still raw. I need to reboil.
Soft-boiled Eggs
https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/soft-boiled-eggs/
Soft-boiled Eggs I experimented with soft boiled eggs for weeks with many disappointments. They were always overdone. I kept paring the time down; the cook time, then the natural release time. Finally.... I cracked the code! WOO HOO!! I must say though, my results were slightly different in my 6-quart than they were in my 3-quart. They were softer in the 6-quart. So experiment a bit using one egg at a time until you get to the sweet spot just right for you. There are two methods for this. One is for low pressure (my favourite). The other is for high pressure - great for owners of the Lux model.
INSTRUCTIONS
LOW-PRESSURE METHOD:
- Pour the COLD tap water into the pot and put the egg(s) on the trivet or in a basket. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Set on Low Pressure for 1 minute.
Yes. ONE minute. When it beeps that it's done, leave it for precisely 1 minute natural release. Then immediately flip the valve to Venting and as soon as the pin drops, put the eggs under cold running water for 30 seconds to halt the cooking process. The. End. - They will be perfectly cooked whites and runny yolks. Ideal for “dippers.” If for some reason, they are a little underdone for your taste, increase the natural release time from 1 to 1 1/2 minutes . You can’t program the machine for half minutes, but you can use some other device to time it.
- Try it with one egg. If you like them a little firmer or softer, adjust the natural release time, NOT the cook time.
HIGH-PRESSURE METHOD:
- Same as above, but use High Pressure for 1 minute.
When it beeps that it’s done, leave it for 30 seconds natural release, then flip the valve to Venting. When the pin drops, immediately put the eggs under cold running water for a few seconds to halt the cooking process. Again, try one egg. You can leave them for a few more seconds of natural release if you like them a little firmer.
Thank you so much for putting the time in to get the perfect combo!
I love the “yolk gravy” with chopped egg whites.
I live at 900′, I used bottled water from fridge (our tap has very high minerals content). Cooked at low pressure (since you said this was your favorite), 1 min, then 1 min NR before removing eggs.
THANK YOU!!!!
First attempt, following timing exactly, rwsulted in very runny eggs.
Second attempt was much better adding 1.5 minutes to the “rest” time.
Perfection!
I had to use 2 minutes on high pressure and 2 minutes natural release to get the whites to firm up but maintain thr soft runny yolk. Thanks for posting this recipe as a starting point!
Perfect first try with my Ultra. Thanks for putting in the time and sharing.
Thanks for the recipe! I use this foldable steamer basket, space-saving design, plus it’s much easier to clean. I got it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2M5Cy3u
Thank you! I use this space-saving foldable steamer basket, highly recommended. I got it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2M5Cy3u
Amazing! Ive never been able to get my boiled eggs just right and on my first try, a perfect soft boiled egg came out!
High pressure method left completely uncooked eggs.
Make sure to change serving size. Realized i didnt use enough water the first time. Worked ok.
This did not work at all the eggs we still totally raw recipe was followed exactly.
Thanks!
I live in the SF Bay Area, and had great results with the following;
1 min. high pressure
2 min. natural release
2-3 min. under running cold water.
Thank you!
Followed the recipe as is at low pressure, eggs were raw.
FAIl. Watery whites.
Complete fail, watery whites, gross! Better rests with 3 min high pressure and quick release.
THANKS FOR RUINING MY EGGS. Anyone reading this – do 5 minutes, 1 cup of water. Plunge in ice water immediately after.
This recipe was trash. Whites were undercooked and eggs won’t peel. Useless and a waste of my time, thanks for nothing.
Didn’t work for me, going to try adding 1 more minutes
I live in Fl and the 1 minute cooking time is perfect but for those living at higher altitudes you will
have to adjust the time to suit your needs.
Higher altitudes require longer cooking times.
Yeah, add me to list of people this did NOT work for. Honestly, you guys should just delete these instructions.
I made 4 eggs and three were perfect, one slightly underdone. Am basically at sea level, so that definitely played a part.
I made this in my 6 qt viva, and it was perfect the very first time i made them! I live in an area of altitude of 690 meters and worked well. Thanks for all your hard work getting the wrinkles out! I feel for those that didn’t work for, but worked for me and even if it didn’t, you did give some tips that i would have tried. I had timers ready and cold water waiting, so i smoothly went from one step to next.
Awful recipe. Wasted 2 eggs. Raw inside, barely cooked. Looking for another recipe that cooks a little longer…
Worked for me perfect the first time I tried it! Low pressure method at 1 minute then natural release for just over a minute. But my issue is always that they are hard to peel the shell off!
this is clearly no good. glad i only did a few eggs. i would go with a recipe for hard boiled eggs and just shave a few minutes off from the timing. i used to have an instant pot and finally got a replacement and i dont remember my timing for eggs. it definitely wasn’t this.
I did HP-2mins, 1min natural release, venting 30secs ran under cold water for 3 seconds. Perfect soft boiled eggs.
OK folks first of all be kind to this poster if the recipe didn’t work for you she took her time to post what’s been working for her and wasn’t tryna ruin your freakin eggs. Secondly, I wanted to share that I found STEAMING on the instant pot works better than any regular pressure cooking whether on high or low pressure. I’m at a higher altitude but what worked for me was the Steam setting with 1 cup of room temp water set to 4 minutes. If the eggs are small, quick release and run under water, but this makes the whites barely (but should be fully) cooked. If they’re bigger than let them natural release for 30 seconds or a minute before running under water. Anyhow, I’ve found that steaming tastes better bc it’s just gentler in terms of how it cooks the whites.
I used this recipe today for the very first time. Two large eggs and followed instructions exactly. Perfect eggs. Set whites, runny yolks and easy peel.
Thank you so very much. I’ve been having trouble cooking soft boiled in pot on stove for the past while. Your recipe made me feel I can cook again.
I am almost 82 years and simply love my instant pot.
A message to those people who complained. Please try to be kind in your remarks even when it doesn’t work. There is always a kind way to express oneself.
Again, thank you Ruth
I have the 6 quart instant pot and I followed the instructions 1 minute LOW pressure….2 minutes wait….then release the pressure! I had large eggs, used 1.5 cups cold water, and eggs came from fridge! PERFECT GOOEY YOLKS and NO GOOEY WHITE!!! I did have my eggs elevated higher than usual from what I imagine is violently boiling water….I think that made a difference! I used to have trouble and would always find my eggs disturbed because the silicone trivet I used was too close to the ground of the pot….it holds 9 eggs
Runny whites. Will definitely have to add more time next time!
I’m in the UK and have hard water. Followed instructions exactly, except that my medium eggs were at room temp. I used a trivet which meant that eggs were about 4 inches above the water. Perfect runny eggs, with white cooked to perfection. Thank you so much for taking the time to experiment and share.
Thank you for posting this. It’s nice to see people experimenting with technology to create better recipes. This was the first time I followed someone’s recipe and got bad results though. I feel a little foolish for trusting that 1 minute could cook the egg whites haha. Thank you for helping me incorporate common sense into my cooking by giving me a recipe for uncooked eggs haha.
Sea level doesn’t matter if your using a pressure cooker
The most important instruction Ruth provides us here is to experiment one egg at a time so that you don’t ruin a whole batch. The point of her post is to encourage you to experiment, and she tells you what works for her. Thank you, Ruth.
That said, no amount of experimenting has come up with a consistently reliable technique for me. My first attempt with a cold, large egg on a trivet, 2.5 cups of cold water, 1 min at low pressure and 1.5 min natural release was almost right (perfect yolk but partially runny white). Next attempt I repeated exactly the same way with a room temp pot and cold water, but added another 30 sec to the natural release. I got a raw egg. It’s some inconsistent behavior on the part of my 6 qt IP, which is the same conclusion I came to a few years ago when I first acquired it and soft-cooked eggs were one of the first things I tried to cook with it. I love my IP, but I can’t soft cook eggs in it.
Oops. I said I used 2.5 C of water, but I did use 1.5 C of water, as specified.
This is a no. Whites not cooked.
Perfect! Thank you! I appreciate your time!
Oh, foolish Galatians! Quit complaining. Did you NOT read this?:
“So experiment a bit using one egg at a time until you get to the sweet spot just right for you.”
“If for some reason, they are a little underdone for your taste, increase the natural release time from 1 to 1 1/2 minutes . You can’t program the machine for half minutes, but you can use some other device to time it.”
I followed the instructions exactly for the low pressure. I tried just 1 egg 1st because I have an 8 qt. It was perfect!!! I poured out the water started with fresh cold tap water and cooked 6 eggs, again as directed for low pressure, and again perfection! Thank you so much!
Just tried this recipe as it is recommended-cold water, lg eggs out of fridge, raised on a steamer wrack. I got nervous about runny whites after reading some reviews, so I set HP one minute, natural release for two minutes and then a quick bath of ice water. Eggs peeled beautifully but pretty near hard boiled-solid and creamy yolk, absolutely delicious if you want that! Next time I’ll cut down the natural release time a bit for a softer yolk. I don’t understand how others are getting uncooked eggs, maybe it’s their instant pot or a wrong setting.
This worked great for me. I don’t understand how people are having such fails. The recipe does clearly state to try it with one egg to see if you need to make adjustments. Maybe it is the location individuals are at. I’m in the Midwest. I used very cold water …. from the fridge. Did low pressure for 1 minute. Natural release about a minute 15 secs. The eggs where perfect. Whites completely cooked. Yolks hot, but completely runny.
If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it
Very nice! Tried 2 medium eggs at low pressure for 1 minute and 1.5 minutes natural release and 12 ounces of tap water (hard water where we live) in our 6 quart machine and they turned out perfectly! Very soft inside and hot throughout. We lost our original directions from years ago… this new one is a gem! Thank you!
Way off for my machine wasted a lot of time till I went back out for a second recipe
Thanks for your efforts, soft boiled eggs that came out perfect.
We made these eggs this morning. 4 eggs, 1 minute high pressure, 30 seconds natural pressure release and then we released pressure. Ran under cold water briefly and they were perfect. Solid whites and runny yolks. Delicious with salt, pepper, and a pat of butter with toast.
Thank you for sharing such a great and simple recipe. For anyone who asked for Instant Pot accessories, check out this Amazon store – https://amzn.to/3rzTm7K
I went against my better judgment and gave this a try. You’ve been warned, cook them longer. This blogger should just change the recipe at this point. It’s failed too many people, me included. I did the recipe EXACTLY and had slightly runny egg whites. The maker disappointing thing because at least when they turn hardboiled, they’re edible and they just aren’t when the whites are runny. 0/5, would not recommend.
This recipe does not work at all. Putting 1 1/2 cup of cold water in the instapot for one minute doesn’t even let the water heat up much less raise the pin. What the heck am I doing wrong? This is ridiculous.
I apologize the method does work…however I’m just wondering does the time start (one minute) after the pin has risen? How much longer for 6 eggs at a time?