The verdict is in: You can cook and dye Easter eggs in an Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker), and it only takes 6 minutes. Forget the messy store-bought dye tablets and flimsy wire egg holders; this method is quick, easy, and mess-free.
How to Dye Eggs in an Instant Pot
Follow these easy instructions to dye Easter eggs in an Instant Pot. It should take about 6 minutes to dye and cook one dozen eggs.
Supplies Needed
Instant PotPint canning jarsWhite vinegarWaterLiquid food coloringEggs
Step 1: Prep Pint Jars
Instead of making Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs for Easter and then dyeing them separately, just cook the eggs directly in the dye. To make Instant Pot Easter eggs, you’ll need several glass pint canning jars (we used four at a time). We found that traditional food coloring (as opposed to natural food coloring or natural Easter egg dyes) worked best for this egg-dyeing method, giving strong color in a small amount of time. And since we didn’t want to worry about staining our Instant Pot (or everything we cooked in it after), we put pint jars directly inside the Instant Pot. Using pint jars also allows you to dye multiple colors of eggs at once. The number of jars that fit comfortably will vary based on the style of jars you use and the size of your Instant Pot; we found that we could fit four wide-mouth Mason jars ($10 for 12, Target) in an 8-quart Instant Pot. The wide-mouth jars make it easy to add and remove the eggs. The cooking and dyeing process is so fast you could do two sets in about 20 minutes; so no worries if they don’t all fit at once.
Step 2: Add Dye Mixture
Before you put the jars into your Instant Pot, fill each jar with the dye mixture, eggs, and water. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and at least 10-12 drops of liquid food coloring to each jar, then fill each jar with raw eggs. (You should be able to fit 2–3 eggs into each jar.) Top off each jar with enough water to cover the eggs.
Step 3: Cook Eggs
Place a short rack in the bottom of your Instant Pot (to keep the jars from sitting directly on the pot’s bottom surface) and add one cup of water. Place your pint jars on the rack, close the lid, and set it to natural release. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, then let the steam naturally release for 6 minutes. Be careful removing the jars; they’ll be hot and you’ll need to use an oven mitt or a jar-lifter used for canning and dunk each egg in ice water to cool, then let dry. You can store cooked dyed Easter eggs for up to one week in the refrigerator.
