Instant Pot Paella is a simple and very delicious dish full of taste, spices, and seafood.
Why go through the trouble of making separate side dishes when you can cook this amazing one-pot meal in your pressure cooker? It’s a great option for dinner that the whole family will enjoy, with less stress to make and far less cleanup!
This traditional Spanish dish will have you feeling like you’re in Spain in your kitchen, ready in less than 30 minutes! What could be better?
Table of Contents
- What Type of Rice is Best for Paella or Risotto?
- How Many Lbs is 500 g Seafood? 30 g Chorizo?
- What Kind of Seafood Should I Buy?
- Can I Substitute the Wine?
- Can I Substitute Chicken Broth?
- What Kind of Pepper Should I Use?
- What Does Turmeric Taste Like?
- How to serve?
- Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes
- Instant Pot One-Pot Meals with Rice
- Instant Pot Paella
What Type of Rice is Best for Paella or Risotto?
For both paella and risotto, you’ll want to look for a short-grain rice. Short grain rice is preferred for these dishes because it has a higher starch content and absorbs liquids more readily, resulting in flavorful rice with a creamy texture.
Traditionally, Spanish bomba rice is the preferred type of rice for paella. But any short or medium grain rice variety will work well. Other options that are more widely available include arborio or carnaroli, which is commonly used for risotto.
You could even use a short grain brown rice to increase the nutritional value, although white rice varieties are more traditional.
How Many Lbs is 500 g Seafood? 30 g Chorizo?
500 g is equal to just over 1 pound of seafood, and 30 g is equal to approximately 1 oz. of chorizo.
What Kind of Seafood Should I Buy?
This Instant Pot Paella recipe calls for a frozen seafood mix which typically will include a combination of shellfish—like shrimp, calamari, mussels, octopus, and/or crab meat.
Feel free to use 100% shrimp or any combination of fish and shellfish. I like to mix in some white fish like cod too! You could even use chicken if you don’t like fish.
Can I Substitute the Wine?
I love the flavor white wine adds to this dish! However, if you don’t drink alcohol, you can easily omit it.
To make up for the amount of liquid, add a little extra broth and 1 tablespoon lemon juice instead.
Can I Substitute Chicken Broth?
I prefer to use chicken broth, but you could also use seafood stock.
If you want to take this dish to the next level, I highly recommend using homemade broth. A ton of the flavor of this dish comes from the broth, since the rice absorbs the flavor of the liquid that it’s cooked in. Using homemade broth is an easy way to add a ton of flavor, and it’s healthier for you too!
What Kind of Pepper Should I Use?
This recipe calls for 1 red pepper, and I usually use a diced up red bell pepper. You could also use an orange or yellow bell pepper instead and it won’t affect the flavor of the dish. Green bell peppers are a little less sweet and more earthy tasting, so it will add a different flavor.
If you have roasted red peppers, you can definitely use them here! It will add a little bit of a nice smoky flavor that goes well with paprika.
What Does Turmeric Taste Like?
Turmeric has a unique earthy flavor, but is used also for its vibrant yellow color.
Saffron is actually the seasoning that is more authentic to Spanish paella, however, it is quite expensive, so we chose to use turmeric instead. Either one will give your paella that gorgeous yellow hue.
Did you love this Instant Pot dish? Plenty more where that came from!
How to serve?
This recipe is a great one pot meal. If you still looking for side dishes, feel free to check out What To Serve With Paella.
Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes
Instant Pot One-Pot Meals with Rice
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice
Instant Pot Paella
Ingredients
- 2 cups risotto rice
- 1 onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chorizo sliced
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb seafood mix frozen
- ½ cup peas frozen
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, onion and garlic in the Instant Pot and sauté 3 minutes until the onion is soft and tender.
- Add in the chorizo and sauté for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the spices and stir well. Then add the white wine and the chicken broth.
- Add in the rice, seafood, peas and stir well.
- Close the lid and cook at high pressure for 6 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, wait for a natural pressure release.
- Open the lid and serve with parsley and lemon slices.
Going to give this a try although I am hesitant to put in 2 cups of rice. I've made Paella in a more traditional way on the stove-top with a high walled 12" skillet. I used one cup of rice in that along with 2-cups of water (not a sealed system like the Instant Pot is so needed more water) and put in all kinds of different seafood. All of that was at least partially frozen. That was easily enough for 4 people and it's just the two of us now.
Also, I do have some saffron that I got for Christmas last year and have added a few threads of it on the stove-top method. So would I use a pinch or two with this instant pot recipe?
Thanks,
Dan
As a UK resident I wonder, if on your recipes, would it be possible to give metric measurements for recipes.
I am an avid follower of your recipes and have made several of them since finding your site.
Thanks for keeping us all well informed.
Thanks for your kind words and feedback. This is something I'm definitely considering and would love to help you. In the meantime, I hope you find this resource helpful: https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/cooking/cooking-calculator.php
Why mix measurement standards eg cups and ml.
You could also use non alcohol cooking wine which is what I use in recipes that call for white wine.
I do not drink any alcoholic beverages at this time. What can I use instead of the white wine included in this recipe?
You can use broth with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice instead of wine.