The Electric Pressure Cooker is taking the guesswork out of the prestigious poached egg. Hands off and worry-free, this Instant Pot Poached Egg is the easiest way to poach an egg ever known!
For a girl who could happily top any dish with a warm, runny egg, this Instant Pot EASY Poached Egg recipe is pretty revolutionary.
Prior to this pressure cooker method here, I really did not like poaching eggs for the following reasons:
- Half the time they fell apart in the poaching water (suddenly I have no credibility when I tell my kids not to swear)
- I had to keep a close eye on them and hope I took them out at the right time (10% success rate there, twin boys and all)
- I could only fit 3-4 in my skillet at a time so if I needed more than that, mine were cold by the time I sat down to eat (ridiculously unfair)
Since the Instant Pot solves most kitchen dilemmas I have, I turned to it for a solution. After trying several different methods and cooking vessels, I finally figured it out!
I found my answer in these handy silicone baby food trays, otherwise known as Egg Bite Trays. They have proven to be a good purchase time and again for recipes like Beebo Bites (AKA Oatmeal Muffins), Denver Style Egg Bites, and Honey Cornbread Muffins.
I highly recommend this particular Popfex brand. I tried several others and settled on this tray because they are more sturdy and have deeper pockets. You can stack 2 at a time in a 6 quart pot which comes in handy a lot!
No longer do I stress and over plan a poached egg meal like my life depends on it. Relaxed and cool as a cucumber is how you'll find me on Eggs Benedict night now, I want this to be you too!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE EASY POACHED EGGS IN AN ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER
- You've heard all the poached egg tips: bring water to a gentle simmer, swirl a perfect vortex in the water, add vinegar, etc etc. None of that here! Just crack it, cook it, plate it, done – no fuss, no tears
- Hands off – prep the rest of your meal as the Instant Pot cooks your egg – efficient mom award right here!
- Cook one or cook seven – when was the last time you perfectly poached 7 eggs at a time on the stove top!? NEVER!
- Buttery, golden yolk with flaky sea salt – you can't possibly not love that
HOW TO MAKE POACHED EGGS EASY IN THE INSTANT POT
- Spray the tray with nonstick cooking spray and crack eggs into the holes
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, until white is set
- Use a spoon to scrape around the egg to make sure it's not stuck
- Gently scoop it onto a spoon
- Plate it, grab a fork, and ever so gently cut into the white
- Bam! Perfect runny yolk, sigh
Here's a video of the process to make your heart melt just like this golden yolk all over that crispy hash brown waffle. For a visual on how to remove the egg, see the video for Instant Pot No Peel Hard Boiled Eggs.
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT POACHED EGGS – TIPS AND TRICKS!
Use Fresh Eggs – Fresh Egg Test
This is a common tip for the traditional water/pan method, I found even with this Instant Pot method, the whites cooked up much more reliably with fresh eggs than with old eggs. To test your eggs for freshness, place an egg in a bowl of water. If the egg lays on its side, it is still fresh. If it stands upright on its bottom, it's not as fresh and may not work well for poaching. This has to do with how porous the eggshell is. See this article “Are Your Eggs Fresh?” for more info.
Avoid Eggs Sticking in Silicone Mold
If your eggs stick, they are likely to break as you are getting them out of the tray. Spray the holes you will be cracking eggs into with nonstick cooking spray. My favorite is Vegalene Nonstick Cooking Spray. It works amazingly well, is made of non-GMO oils, and after using it for 5+ years, it hasn't left any residue on any of my bakeware like Pam does. This 6-pack on Amazon is a great price, but I've also bought single cans at a local kitchen supply store for $1-2 more.
Poached Egg Cooking Time
The exact time can vary depending on the brand of tray you are using, how many eggs you're poaching, brand of pressure cooker, and even altitude. For the egg bite tray, I use the Popfex brand. This brand is my favorite because it is more sturdy and the pockets are deeper.
For me, if I'm cooking 4 eggs, I cook them for 4 minutes. More eggs will mean more surrounding heat which requires less cooking time. I suggest starting with 4 minutes then assess your egg. When the white is set, it's done! If the white is partially clear and runny, cook it for another minute. With a couple of trial runs, you'll soon know the exact cooking time for your pressure cooker and tray.
Cooking Poached Eggs for a Crowd
As I mentioned, the more eggs you are cooking the shorter the cook time. I can fill my tray of 7 and cook them 3 minutes for 7 perfectly poached eggs. I've had readers report back that with their less sturdy trays, 1 – 2 minutes was the perfect time for 7 eggs. This is great when you need to cook for a crowd!
I have not tried stacking 2 trays and making 14 at a time, but I'm assuming this would decrease the cook time by another minute. Let me know if you try this!
Quick Release the Pressure to Avoid Over Cooking
Right when your pot beeps that it's done cooking, release the pressure. As long as there is pressure in the pot, the eggs will continue to cook, so don't walk away the last minute of cooking.
Prevent Condensation
I found that covering the eggs with foil messed with the consistency of the cook time so I stopped doing that. When you remove the lid, quickly tilt it to prevent the condensation in the lid from dripping onto the eggs. If there is water in your eggs, use the corner of a paper towel to easily soak it up. Don't confuse droplets of water with the egg white!
Transfer the Poached Eggs Gently
It's quite simple to remove the eggs from the tray, but be GENTLE! You don't want to break that beautiful yolk before it's plated. I use a thin, small spoon to release the egg from the sides of the tray. Once it's not sticking anywhere, it will slide easily onto the spoon.
MAKE AHEAD POACHED EGGS
Poached eggs can be made ahead of time and gently reheated when you’re ready to serve them. Store cooked eggs in a sealed container in the fridge. Add just enough cold water to the container that the eggs are barely covered. When ready to serve, bring a pot of water just to a simmer and reheat the eggs for 1 minute.
That pretty much covers it! You are going to be a brunch making master with this trick! A perfectly poached egg is the best way to take a meal from “meh” to “wowza!” and this Instant Pot trick makes it that much easier.
HOW TO SERVE POACHED EGGS – PUT AN EGG ON IT!
I firmly believe just about everything tastes better with a silky poached egg running over top of it. Here are some of my favorite ways to incorporate them:
- Instant Pot Tamales – GLORIOUS!
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato topped with Poached Egg and hot sauce
- Roasted Vegetable Bowl with Green Tahini – Killer!
- Poached Egg on a Hash Brown Waffle
- If you have Master the Electric Pressure Cooker, make the Ham Wrapped Avocado Egg (page 15). It's quite possibly my favorite recipe in the entire book!
- Avocado and Egg on Toast – as pictured here
I could go on for days, but that should get you started off nicely on your road to Poached Egg True Love Forever.
Have fun with this one! I love simple recipes like this that can be mixed and matched with so many others. What are your favorite foods to top with a poached egg? Am I missing something amazing?
MORE INSTANT POT BREAKFAST AND EGG INSPIRATION:
- Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
- Instant Pot Frittata
- Mini Blueberry Breakfast Cakes
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal
- How To Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
OTHER RECIPES THAT ARE BETTER IN THE INSTANT POT:
Recommended Tools to buy and use to make Instant Pot Perfect Poached Egg
PrintInstant Pot Easy Poached Egg
This method takes the mystery out of making poached eggs AND makes it a hands off task. Perfect Poached Eggs anytime!
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1-7 eggs
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- Eggs (anywhere from 1-7 eggs at a time, depending on how many your silicone tray holds)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of water to the pressure cooker pot and place trivet inside.
- Spray silicone tray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Crack desired number of eggs into the holes of the silicone tray. Place tray on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 3-4 minutes (see notes regarding cooking time).
- When cooking is complete, use a quick release.
- Check the eggs. The egg white should be completely cooked and the yellow center should be slightly jiggly. If it's not done, put the lid on the pot and let them sit for a few minutes, or if the white is really runny, pressure cook for another minute.
- Using a soft edge knife or spoon, carefully scrape around the egg to make sure it’s not adhering to the edges, then gently scoop it from the tray.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Serve with avocado toast, english muffins, tamales, salads, hashbrowns, etc
Notes
- Cooking time will vary depending on the brand of silicone tray, brand/model of pressure cooker, number of eggs, and altitude. The more eggs, the less time it will take. For 4 eggs I cook mine for 4 minutes. For more than 4 eggs I cook for 3 minutes
- A few more tips: Use fresh eggs, spray the egg bite tray with nonstick spray, and don't season the eggs until after they are cooked.
- If you open the pot and they are undercooked, quickly put the lid on and cook for 1 more minute with a quick release. If they are close to being done, just put the lid on the pot and let them sit for a few minutes.
Keywords: breakfast, eggs, instant pot
What a great contest! I have been salivating over the instant pot ever since my younger sister got one and has been bragging about hers ever since. No one likes a bragger! Lol truly I would love to get one but am on a strict budget right now and unfortunately the instant pot isn’t on it. So I hope my number wins!
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Marci, I could not use the “reply” option to your message or my original message so I’m submitting a new comment. The recipe for the Avocado Crema I use is from the Isabel Eats website https://www.isabeleats.com/avocado-crema/. It’s delicious – hope you love it if you try.
Glinda, thank you so so much. That looks amazing!
I need to work on my timing for the perfect poached egg but this is certainly way better than trying to poach 4 eggs using the skillet/water method. I served them on top of a toasted English muffin with avocado crema, tomato slice and bacon. Delicious! I will certainly try this method again. Thank you, Marci, for sharing.
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Glinda, Oh wow, that sounds amazing! How do you make the crema?
I tried cooking 3 poached eggs in small mason jars (125ml). 4 min…they were perfect! Cooked whites, runny yokes. My question is – if I want to cook for a crowd, do you think I can add a second trivet and cook 2 tiers of poached eggs in mason jars? I can fit 6 mason jars in one level, so was wondering if I could do 12 with a good result.
Terry, yes, I think that will work great. One thing, I’ve noticed the more I have in there, the quicker it cooks. I would have to test it to know for sure, but it’s possible you could do 3 minutes if it was fully loaded. Let me know your experience!
3 eggs for 4 minutes came out hard boiled
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Michelle, Dang, Sorry it didn’t work for you! There are a lot of factors on this one (pot, holders, altitude, etc) but once you find the perfect time, it’s so wonderful!
I used my silicon muffin “pan”, and they came out perfect! Could only make two at a time, but I didn’t have to buy another kitchen doodad ?
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This is such a great recipe using the instant pot. I like this. Thank you for sharing!
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I have succeeded according to your recipe! Melting egg is amazing
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Followed directions exactly. I did 4 eggs for 4 min. I will do 4 eggs for 3 min next time and they will be perfect I am sure. Thank you for this nice little trick.. poached eggs are my fav… I also can’t wait to try your avocado toast/poached eggs… looks so good i almost ran to the store during the thunderstorm for avocado. I used farm fresh eggs, made sure they were about the same size (ours come in a variety of sizes) I used the larger ones, would the time be different if i use the smaller ones?
Lou Rech, it is a great trick :). I’m assuming the smaller eggs might need a minute less. Let me know if you experiment!
I used my silicon muffin “pan”, and they came out perfect! Could only make two at a time, but I didn’t have to buy another kitchen doodad ?
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I have a question about the freshness of the eggs. I have about a dozen eggs and I love poached eggs on top of English muffins, but these eggs have been in my fridge for a while. Using the water test they don’t lay flat, they point upward but are still at the bottom so they’re still edible. How big of a problem is this for this recipe? I don’t care too much about presentation as these are just for me as a midnight snack
AJ, hmm good question. To be honest, I’m not sure, but it’s worth a try! If you test it out, let me know!
I did two eggs for four minutes using the silicone egg bite mould, and they came out hard-boiled. I will try two minutes next time!
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Darlene, dang, the time for eggs can be so finicky. Once you find the perfect time for your pot, silicone mold, and elevation, you’re golden 🙂
I made poached eggs using the silicone egg molds. They turned out perfect! I put them on an English muffin with avocado! Delicious breakfast. Thank you so much.
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Rimmy, Yum, that is one of my favorite dinners actually 🙂
My 4 minute poached egg came out perfect.
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I tried this for the first time today. In my silicone egg mold, 3 eggs for 6 minutes. They came out more set than soft boiled but less than hard boiled. I will definitely be trying this again and playing with the times to see what works for me. It’s a great way to make lots of poached eggs at once and sure beets trying to boil or use a muffin tin in the oven.
Tiffany, It can be quite finicky until you figure out what’s right for your pot, trays, altitude, etc. The time is actually different with my newer Instant Pots so I adjusted the recipe a little bit. I’ve found for my newest pot, 4 eggs and 4 minutes are perfect. Once you figure out your perfect time, it’s so wonderful!
I appreciate the recipe, but I also had the same experience as Lacey. I used the same silicone mold as the author though and made no changes. I cooked 4 eggs at high pressure for 7 minutes and they were entirely hard-boiled. Still delicious and great on toast-not a waste! I will try again for less time.
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Kim, I tweaked the recipe a little bit for my newer Instant Pot models. Try 4 minutes for 4 eggs, it’s been the perfect time for me and my pots that I’ve bought in the last year or 2.
I put 2 eggs in Ramkins and set for 6 minutes on normal pressure. I ended up w a hard boiled texture… still edible, but not at all what I wanted.
I’ll try for only 2 or 3 minutes next time. Maybe the Ramkin cooks more quickly than the silicon
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Lacey, It will definitely vary with the vessel you use! I’d say try it again, it’s amazing once you figure the perfect time!
I made myself two poached eggs for breakfast this morning using your timetable and they turned out great!! I’ve never made poached eggs, much less before work on a weekday! I’ll definitely do this again!!
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Kristi, Now that’s a good way to start the day :). Isn’t it an awesome trick!
Super easy and did the one minute with 2 resting and came out great!
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Richard, Fabulous! Thanks for letting me know!
Woah I love this!!! My wifr loves poached eggs and I HATE MAKING THEM, so this kind of saved my marriage. Lol but for real
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Roger, saved by poached eggs, now that is just awesome 🙂
Quick question, Marci…Do you use hot or cold water when you put the 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pot?I have found quite a difference in my results for timing on other dishes, depending on the temperature of the water that I start with. BTW, I have your book and really love the new ideas you present for the IP….the infused water and the “coffee” have me hooked!
Patty, Yes, these poached eggs can be quite finicky, even an extreme temperature of the water can make a difference! I’m not sure the temperature of the water I use exactly. I just quickly turn the faucet on, measure my water, and I’m done. So I would say my water is neither hot nor cold. I’m not sure how helpful that was, haha! And thanks for your kind words! Chocolate Coffee is the best 🙂
Hands down this is one of the best written recipes. I know that sounds funny because it’s one step eggs, but the comments and tips made my first attempt nearly seamless!! I used a sturdy egg bite mild at 7 minutes and they’re perfect!! Used a teaspoon to release them, and a table spoon to get them out of the mold!! 6 eggs perfectly cooked! Thank you so much!! Happy New Year!!
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Kristin, it’s the simple things, right :). Few things bring me more joy in the kitchen than an egg that basically poaches itself. I’m glad it worked well for you!
I know, I’m weird, but I don’t like runny eggs but love them poached, just hard. I would guess that I would just add time? Or let it NPR???
Jeanette, Aren’t hard poached eggs called hard boiled ;). Haha, just teasing! Yes, a 10 min NPR would get you a cooked through poached egg.
Haha, I guess you are right!!! I hadn’t looked at it that way!!!😊😊😊
I too am this odd person. I love ordering eggs Benedict at a restaurant and requesting them hard cooked haha
I made this and it is wonderfully written but like anything with instant pot trial and error. I do not recommend 6-7 mins for 3 eggs. I basically ended up (and this was using the same silicone tray I ordered with the set), hard boiled eggs but no need to peel off the shell. LOL. I will attempt again but reducing the pressure cook time. And as soon as they were done, I did do the quick release and removed.
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Kimberly, ugh! This is such a tricky recipe! Those time-sensitive poached eggs vary so much depending on your pot, silicone trays, elevation, etc. Once you figure out the time that works for you though, it’s magical. Try 2-3 minutes next time if yours were hard-boiled consistency.
I was very excited about this and tried it twice. I have an 8qt Instant pot and the basic silicone egg bite tray and used large eggs. First attempt was 2 minutes and the yolks were just complete liquid… a little runnier than I like. Second attempt 3 minutes, which came out like a soft boiled egg. I will try again later — I’m thinking maybe 2 minutes pressure and natural vent for 2 minutes might do it. I just need the yolks to thicken up a tad more so they’re oozy, not runny.
Cynthia, I’m afraid this one can be quite finicky. Between 4 pressure cookers, it came out different on each one, so frustrating! But once you figure it out for all your different factors, you’ll be good go!
Stupid question… doesn’t it take the IP a long time to come up to pressure? So you start the cooking time from after it hits pressure?
Looking forward to trying this though. I fondly remember my mom making me poached eggs on toast. Her egg poacher was a short saucepan with simmering water, with four shallow steel cups that fit into an insert for the pan.
P.S. if I can come close to the Starbucks Egg Bites with this, it will be super awesome!
Karen, no, it doesn’t take long at all. Do you use an electric pressure cooker? I just program the cook time and quick release the pressure right after it beeps. What a beautiful memory, I love how food can help us save all those wonderful moments in our busy brains 🙂
Awesome – I hate that when poaching eggs I am always the last to sit down and eat – now we can all eat at the same time! Amazing!
6 mins on high. Harder than hard-boiled. 8qt. 950′ elevation.
I tried both coconut oil & PAM olive oil spray. The latter worked better.
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IT WORKS! IT WORKS!
At last, poached eggs for a group.😍
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Lin, haha, it’s a good day 🙂
Marci, What size eggs are you using? I always buy extra-large eggs at the BJ’S club store.
Debbie, I’ve only ever tried large eggs. Have you tried extra large eggs?
Excited to try this. The silicone tray you recommend is out of stock, any other recommendations?
Alyssa, I just emailed them and they said they’ll be back in next week 🙂
I made two poached eggs for 6 minutes and they turned out perfect
Marlene, Yum, thanks for letting me know! I’m using this recipe for a savory oats experiment tonight!
I have not found the video here. But i have a metal teflon 3 poached egg holder. Fits in my I but I never thought to use it in it.
Would this be ok to use? Sort of excited as I love poached eggs.
Sandy, I just checked on my computer and I see the video there. Was it not pulling up on your phone perhaps? Yes, metal is great!
I just experimented a bit… I also have the thicker, seven cup silicone.
2 eggs Instapot, High pressure, three minutes, instant release of steam.
Eggs (whites) were a bit runny for my taste.
Next I tried seven eggs, same as above, except for four minutes. They were like “Soft boiled”, but delicious.
Next time it will be three and a half minutes.
I like my yolks a bit runnier
Hope this helps.
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Scott, Thank you! It can be so nit picky sometimes, I appreciate your feedback
I’m hugely confused by the cooking time. I can’t understand how a cooking time that boils eggs will leave an egg without shell, soft. Anyway, instead of being confused I tried it and though I’d like to report success, mine were all perfectly boiled in the silicone cups. Solid yolks. So I’ll be making egg salad out of them. But I needed to try again and my dad, who happened to be over, told me he had been reading recipes for poached eggs using 1 and 2 minute cooking times. So I tried 1 minute in the silicone cups and they were pretty perfect. Solid whites and runny yolks. Next time I’m trying 2 minutes out of curiosity. If it makes any difference, I’m using an 8qt Instant Pot. When I told my dad long I’d be cooking them he predicted they would boil but I wanted to prove you right! Alas I failed! Lol!
Tara, the times with eggs will definitely vary depending on what you have them in. My tray is quite thick and sturdy and I’m assuming that’s why the heat takes longer to cook them. Individual silicone cups would get direct heat more quickly I’m assuming. I’m glad you found a time that would work!
I used ones very similar to yours, not individual. For baby food. Came with my Baby Bullet. Also very thick and sturdy compared to silicone bakeware. I’ll be very curious to see the results from others!
I was excited to try this so I tried them in silicone moulds for 8 minutes and they turned out solid so I tried metal pudding moulds for 4 minutes and they still turned out like hard boiled eggs so I’m going to try 2 minutes next time and see how they turn out
Andy, Dang, sorry about all the hard boiled eggs you got this morning! I have a flimsier mold and it takes 3 minutes in that one so it definitely depends on what you’re cooking in. If you’re using an 8 quart pot by chance, they probably don’t need as much time either. Let me know if 2 minutes does it!
I tried it with 2 minutes this morning and it was very nearly perfect so tomorrow I’m going to try it with one minute and leave it for 30 seconds before releasing pressure and see how it goes
Andy, nice, thanks for reporting back. Once you figure it out for your pot, altitude, etc etc, you should be golden
oh wow! 1 minute in my silicone moulds designed to be used as ice ball makers and the eggs came out perfectly! I’m so pleased that I don’t have to baby sit the eggs now!
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Andy, wow, that’s awesome! If you have a sec, send me a link to your ice ball makers. I’d love to have 1 minute poached eggs!
These look terrific! My husband loves poached eggs and makes “little Soldiers” with the eggs placed over strips of buttered toast. I love the avocado toast with poached eggs and i really love your new way of cooking them. Sometimes I have trouble with food sticking to those trays–do you have any issues with that?
Karen, I love the toast idea! My kids would love that! These eggs weren’t bad actually as far as sticking goes. I have to spray the trays really well for the Beebo Bites though. The sous vide eggs stick more than these poached eggs as well. I’ve had people tell my coconut oil works really well but I haven’t tried that yet.
I think your kids would love the Little Soldiers! Thanks for the tip on the sticking eggs–I will give the coconut oil a shot next time
I’m so glad you have a video showing removal of the eggs, but I can’t find ANY videos for these! Will you please make sure the links are in the post somewhere, as I REALLY want to see this! Thank you!!
Donna, the video is near the end of the post. Are you not seeing it? I didn’t get a good shot of removing the eggs for this video (I was trying to get my boys fed and on the bus at the same time – not a good idea!). However Friday’s post will show how to do it so hang tight for that!
Lovely video but I was hoping to see you removing the eggs from the mould since you mentioned using a spoon to ensure they had released from the mould. I’m thinking you would have to do this without tipping the mould so you don’t have poached eggs falling out everywhere and all the other ‘hold your tongue just right’ approaches. LOL
Sheila, Hang tight Sheila! I’ve got a video that will show you how to do it coming out hopefully on Friday or possibly Monday. If you want to know the behind the scenes details on why I missed that shot, I was trying to get my boys fed so they could get on the bus while shooting this video and totally missed the mark on that! It didn’t even realize my mistake until going the video was being edited! Fortunately I got it on another video. Life of a mom, right?!
Thanks Marci. Looking forward to the next video. I understand the Mommy vs work time challenges.
Sheila, I’m glad you can relate. I’ve got to stop trying to stuff so much in to one day!