Scrambled eggs in an Instant Pot

Scrambled eggs in an Instant Pot

There have been dozens of experiments on making hard cooked eggs in electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot. Our conclusion was that you want to use low pressure to keep the whites from getting tough and cook them for only 5 minutes, releasing the pressure right away to prevent overcooking.

Similarly, people have experimented with soft-boiled eggs in a pressure cooker. We decided it was a waste of time because cooking them is so quick anyway.

And, likewise, poached eggs seemed  more trouble than they were worth in the Instant Pot, and hard to get out of the little ramekin or egg cup, even when you used non-stick spray. We recommend using a saucepan for a few, or using a big kettle when cooking for a crowd.

But what about scrambled eggs? They present some special problems because they are so easy to over cook and they often stick the fry pan. And for a crowd, there might be some advantages to the pressure cooker.

A little experimentation suggested we were right. You can make any number of scrambled eggs in a bowl and steam them in the Instant Pot. And they come out well. There isn’t any huge time saving here, but there is some consistency. And, you don’t have to keep stirring and monitoring the pan every few seconds. You do still have to take them out pretty expeditiously to keep them from overcooking, though, but they probably won’t stick to the pan the way scrambled eggs often do.

We tried this recipe for one person (2 eggs) and for 2 people (5 eggs) and it was pretty easy once you arrive at the timing for your bowl configuration. We recommend 7 minutes.

Our recipe uses a bit of butter, since fat carries the flavor better. Don’t leave it out.

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tb milk (about)
  • ½ Tb butter
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Spray a small, heat-proof bowl with non-stick spray.
  2. Break the 2 eggs into the bowl.
  3. Add the milk, salt and pepper, and beat with a fork until more or less uniform.
  4. Add the butter.
  5. Put 1 cup of water in the Instant pot and add the trivet.
  6. Set the bowl on the trivet, and close the pot and its steam vent.
  7. Set the pot to Steam at low pressure  for 7 minutes. The pot will start chugging away, heating the water, and then start counting down from 7 minutes.
  8. Release the pressure immediately after the timer is down and open the pot. The eggs should look mostly cooked.
  1. Stir them up with a fork to see if they are cooked through. Don’t worry if there are a littly liquidy, they will continue to cook in the bowl for another minute or so. If they really seem way too undercooked, just put the lid back on for a minute or so and they will cook some more. You want them to be sort of creamy, not really hard.
  2. Remove the bowl using a hot pad and fluff the eggs with a fork. Serve right away while still hot.

22 thoughts on “Scrambled eggs in an Instant Pot”

  1. This is a great, great way to make consistent scrambled eggs with little to no effort. I set mine to 9 for 3 eggs and some egg whites and it was still a bit runny. So I threw it in the microwave for 30 seconds and they are now perfect. So fluffy! To get these results on the stove I would have had to have really been meticulous in stirring them. This is a keeper.

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  2. Grr, i had to microwave also. I cooked for 7 and let sit for an extra minute before releasing, and it was still 50% raw egg soup.

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  5. This worked great. Your suggestion to cover again after fluffing the eggs if they were runny worked. I fluffed, added some grated gruyere cheese and covered for one minute. Delicious!

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  6. I made this exactly, but with 3 eggs. They came out perfectly. But I put the lid back on the keep them warm and when I got back they were over done. I’m wondering if you could decrease the cook time and do NPR. Would that work

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  7. This seems like a lot of trouble to put everything in the pot, wait for it to come to pressure, cook for 7 minutes after coming to pressure and then having to yet again put the lid back on for more cooking if they are not quite done. Is it the consistency of the eggs that would warrant all this time? Not trying to be negative but I just don’t understand.

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    1. Yes, you are right. This is just a stunt to show silly things people claim they use their IP for. You can make very good scrambled eggs in 3-5 minutes on the stove, cooking them slowly. And you can monitor them better that way, too.

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  9. I think what works for other people is okay. Who cares if it is too much for one and not another. Personally, I do other things while the eggs are cooking and I cannot do that on the stove. I enjoy experimenting making food in my instant pot and then sharing what I was able to do. My thought is to work smarter not harder. In fact today I made a perfect soft boiled egg in my IP, white done, yolk runny.

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  10. Since the instant pot will be our only cooking appliance on an upcoming road trip, knowing how to make good scrambled eggs is very useful.

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  12. Seven minutes didn’t work for me either; the eggs (six) were still in liquid form. Tried the one-minute covering; didn’t help. So I steamed them for two more minutes, and they were cooked. The person that said nine minutes may be on target. The other thing is that the bowl I used didn’t leave much space on the sides so possibly this hindered the circulation of the steam. I may try this again with nine or 10 minutes and with less eggs and a smaller bowl. I like the fact that I don’t have to clean a “non-stick” skillet with eggs stuck to it.

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