This Instant Pot Shrimp Boil is a quick and easy recipe, to enjoy the benefits of seafood, meat, and veggies all on one plate.
It’s a perfect recipe for your next family get-together.
Shrimp boils have been all the rage in America’s South forever and for good reason.
Traditionally, all the ingredients are boiled in a big pot full of flavorful broth and spread out across a large picnic table covered with newspaper. It’s usually meant to serve a large group for a community gathering, and everybody eats with their hands!
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
As I mentioned, it’s traditional to cook this dish in a large pot, but this time we’ll make it in a new way! Using the Instant Pot will cut down the cooking time significantly and reduce mess. And don’t worry, it will still taste just as delicious 🙂
When made using traditional methods, you have to worry about how long the water takes to reach a boil, which varies depending on your stove and the volume you’re making. The Instant Pot takes the uncertainty out of it. You can be assured everything is cooked properly if you just follow the instructions in the recipe below.
So for sure, this Instant Pot Shrimp Boil is gonna be the easiest shrimp boil you will ever make! And it still has all of the wonderful flavors that you crave.
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Shrimp – raw, tail-on, large shrimp works the best. The reason the tail is useful is because of the way it’s served, and you eat with your hands, you can grab the shrimp by the tail end.
Sausage – The best option in my opinion is to use spicy or smoked sausage, like Cajun or Andouille. Bratwurst would work as well. For this recipe, I have used smoked Frankfurter sausages. But feel free to use whatever type of sausage links you like!
Water – you can substitute low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth if you desire.
Potatoes – when choosing potatoes, go with new potatoes or baby potatoes. If cutting the potatoes, make sure they are the same size so they cook evenly.
Corn – for this Instant Pot Shrimp Boil recipe, you want to use husked corn on the cob that has been cut into smaller portions. I cut each ear of corn into about 4 pieces, depending on the size.
Old Bay seasoning – this seasoning blend is a must for this recipe! If you can’t find it, you can make it yourself. It’s a combination of ground bay leaves, celery salt, salt, pepper, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, ginger, cloves, cardamom, allspice, celery seeds, and dried mustard. A teaspoon of each will give a nice blend.
How to Make
First, gather your ingredients:
In the Instant Pot, combine potatoes, onion, and water. Add bay leaves and Old Bay Seasoning.
Lock the lid into place. Cook on High pressure for 3 minutes.
Now, add the sausage and corn cob pieces.
Add shrimp and season to taste.
Lock the lid once again. Set to High pressure. Cook for 2 minutes and perform a quick pressure release.
Finally your delicious recipe is ready to serve!!
How to Serve
It’s so fun to serve up a shrimp boil! It’s a perfect one-pot meal 🙂
First, layout newspapers or a large disposable tablecloth. When the food is ready, drain the excess liquid, then spread the food across the table and get ready to dig in! No forks, knives or plates are required! How fun is that?
As you can see, this recipe is much more suited to eating outdoors since it can get a bit messy. Be sure to have plenty of paper towels on hand! Or... as a less messy option, you can always serve on a platter.
Still looking for side dishes? Check out what to serve with shrimp boil.
FAQ
Can I use frozen shrimp?
Yes, you can. If you are using frozen shrimp that is not defrosted, add 1 minute to the cooking time.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! Since this Instant Pot Shrimp Boil recipe is meant to feed a rather large group, it can easily be doubled. First, double all of the quantities. You may need to cook it a little longer-- 5 minutes for the potatoes and 3 minutes after adding the shrimp should work.
However, you will need a large Instant Pot in order to make a double batch. So if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you’re in luck. If you have a smaller model, you will have to make multiple batches.
More Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes
If you’re a shrimp lover, there are lots of delicious shrimp recipes on Corrie Cooks. After you make this Instant Pot Shrimp Boil recipe, try these if you still have shrimp leftover:
More One Pot Meals
Instant Pot Chicken Stroganoff
Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice
Or check out these Instant Pot One Pot Meals.
Instant Pot Shrimp Boil
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp
- 0.75 lb smoked sausage chopped
- 1 ½ cup water
- 4 small potatoes chopped
- 2 ears corn chopped
- 1 bay leaves
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
- 1 lemon for serving
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place potatoes and onion into the Instant Pot and add water, bay leaves and old seasoning.
- Close the lid and cook at high pressure for about 3 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, do a quick pressure release.
- Add sausages, corn, shrimps and salt and close the lid.
- Cook at high pressure for 2 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid, add lemon slices and serve 🙂
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- I recommend that you do not peel the potatoes. The skin helps hold them together which makes serving easier. That’s why we recommend you use new potatoes with a thin skin for a more pleasurable eating experience.
- Chop the potatoes and sausage in fairly large pieces that you can easily pick up with your hands, but ideally, they can still be eaten in one bite. Around 1 ½ inches is perfect.
From Tide to Table Adventure with Instant Pot Shrimp Boil
Do you use raw or cooked shrimp? Frozen or thawed?
I use raw, thawed shrimp for this recipe. You could also use frozen shrimp, since it will cook quickly straight from frozen. Depending on the size of the shrimp, I would add 1-2 minutes to the cook time if using frozen.
Should the sausage be cooked prior to using in this recipe?
Most store bought sausage is already fully cooked. It just needs warming to serving temperature.
Can I use frozen shrimp? Do I need to unthaw before placing in the IP? Thanks
Made this dish for NYE dinner with my boyfriend and we absolutely love it. We will be making it again this week! Can we add scallops to this or any other seafood?
I want to know how this tastes. I can do the math. I am so used to it cooking for 2. Do the shrimp get overcooked...what size shrimp?
I use extra jumbo shrimp for this recipe-- about 10-16 shrimp per lb. With such large shrimp, it will not get overcooked in just two minutes.
Could you use a ninja foodie for this recipe
Yes, definitely! Any standard sized electric pressure cooker will work.
When you say 3 minutes is that from the beginning or after it reaches full pressure?
The 3 minutes starts after it reaches full pressure.
What do you mean by instant pot. Can I use a slow cooker.
It looks like a slow cooker, but an Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker, so it is able to cook food much more quickly than a slow cooker. You could use a slow cooker for this recipe, but it would take hours instead of minutes!
How do you measure .75 tbsp. A standard measuring spoon set doesn't have the combination to make that.
Hi Sandy, Thanks for your comment.
I changed it to 1 tbsp so it would be easier 🙂
You could use a 1/2 and a 1/4.
Use a 1/2 tsp & a 1/4 tsp measure.
I think we may be confusing Tbsp. With tsp. In the discussion of measurements...
A 1/4 and a 1/2 teaspoon will give a 3/4 spoon if you do not have a .75 or 3/4 spoon available.
3/4 table spoon. There's a chart for that.
Can this recipe be doubled or would it be too much for the pot?
I think that for the regular 6-quart Instant Pot, double it would be to much.
And we don't want to jeopardize this wonderful dish and get a burn message 🙂