How to Make Korean Sauna Eggs (Instant Pot)
Korean sauna eggs are a popular Korean snack found in Korean spas or saunas. The eggs have a nutty, roasted flavor, and they are very satisfying to serve as a snack or breakfast. An Instant pot is the perfect cooking tool to make them at home easily.
What are Korean sauna eggs?
You often see brown eggs in many Korean dramas and movies featuring Korean saunas or spas called Jjimjibang (찜질방). Those eggs are called Korean sauna eggs (Jjimjilbang dalgyal, 찜질방 달걀) because of where they are often sold.
But this egg recipe is very versatile— enjoy these eggs as a tasty snack, healthy breakfast, or fun party appetizer.
These eggs are not your ordinary hard-boiled eggs. A very unique fact about Korean-style sauna eggs is that the egg white turns brown in color and the yolk is creamy and rich.
It is hard to describe the taste exactly, but it has a deep roasted flavor that is almost nutty. Try my Korean egg bread recipe for another delicious egg recipe for breakfast.
Pressure cooking (Instant pot)
Pressure cooking is what makes these eggs brown in color and roasted in taste. Just boiling your eggs in water can not bring the same result.
An Instant pot is a perfect tool for making Korean sauna eggs at home because the pressure pot takes hours off the cooking time. The pressure cooking process develops the complex toasted taste, which gives the eggs extra character with their texture and aroma.
The egg white has a distinctly roasted flavor, and the texture is chewier than a regular hard-boiled egg. The egg yolk is rich and creamy.
Before you get started
Bring the eggs to room temperature for at least 2 hours. Otherwise, they crack easily while cooking.
Hint: To bring the eggs room temperature faster, I usually keep eggs in warm water for 15 minutes.
How to make Korean sauna eggs (instant pot)
Pour 1-1/2 cups of water into your instant pot. Put eggs in a metal wire basket and place inside the pot.
Close and seal the lid. Press the “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” button and set the cooking time for from 1 to 2 hours on High pressure.
The longer you pressure cook the egg in the instant pot, the darker the brown color and the stronger the nutty and roasted flavor and aroma
When the eggs are done cooking, carefully remove the basket of eggs from the Instant Pot and put them in a bowl of cold water, then after a few minutes they’ll be ready to peel.
The egg shell will come off easily. You can serve them either warm or cold. I recommend trying one warm and then refrigerate the rest and see what you prefer.
How to store
Sauna eggs store pretty well just like hard boiled eggs. To extend the shelf life keep the eggs in the shell until you are ready to eat.
More Egg Recipes
- Simple Egg Fried Rice
- Easy Oyster Omelette Recipe
- Korean Steamed Egg (Gyeran-jjim)
- Tofu with Egg and Tomato
Instant Pot Recipes
- Galbitang Recipe (Korean Short Rib Soup)
- Easy Korean Rice Punch Recipe (Sikhye) – Instant Pot
- Korean Sweet Rice Dessert (Yakshik) – Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Korean Beef Stew
How to Make Korean Sauna Eggs (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup water
Equipment
- metal wire colander or trivet
Instructions
- Pour 1-1/2 cups of water into your instant pot. Put eggs in a metal wire colander or on a trivet placed inside the pot. Close and seal the lid. Press the “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” button and set the cooking time for from 1 to 2 hours on High pressure. (The longer you pressure cook the egg in the instant pot, the darker the brown color and the stronger the nutty and roasted flavor and aroma.)
- When the eggs are done cooking, move the knob to release the pressure. Open the lid and carefully remove the basket of eggs from the Instant Pot.
- Put the eggs in a bowl of cold water, then after a few minutes they’ll be ready to peel. The shell will come off easily.