Instant Pot Shrimp Boil
by Chungah
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This Instant Pot shrimp boil is made in just 6 minutes! With juicy shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn, drizzled with a dreamy butter mixture!
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Why you’ll love this instant pot shrimp boil
- Cooks in just a fraction of the time. Shrimp boil typically takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook through by boiling a large heavy pot of water, but the 6-qt Instant Pot® drastically brings down the cook time (and convenience) to just 6 minutes.
- Maximum flavor. Every bit of flavor and seasoning is infused straight into the potatoes, sausage, corn, and shrimp, yielding the juiciest shrimp.
- Fool-proof recipe. Not only is this method so fast, it’s also a foolproof way to achieve perfectly cooked, tender seafood, avoiding rubbery shrimp, using a quick two-step process (more on that below).
What is a shrimp boil?
This is a popular dish throughout the South, boiling together shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn in a seasoned broth. This is traditionally served outside onto a large communal table, lined with newspapers, served with melted butter, hot sauce, lemon wedges, and cold beers.
Types of shrimp
Wild caught shrimp vs. farmed shrimp
Farmed shrimp are raised in controlled environments, whereas wild caught shrimp have been caught in their natural habitats by fishermen. Wild caught shrimp are generally preferred over farmed shrimp primarily due to taste.
Frozen vs. fresh shrimp
Unless you reside in a coastal area, the “fresh shrimp” on display at your local grocery store have already been previously frozen at sea. Frozen shrimp offer ultimate freshness (flash-frozen as soon as they are caught) and flexibility, using only what you need for dinner. Bottom line, frozen shrimp will taste better and cook better.
How to make shrimp boil in the instant pot
- Add everything but the shrimp. Add the potatoes, sausage, onion, Old Bay seasoning, and hot sauce in a 6-qt Instant Pot®, stirring until well combined and then adding the corn and beer on top.
- Pressure cook (step 1). Close and seal the lid, cooking on high pressure for 5 minutes, quick releasing when finished and carefully opening the lid.
- Add the shrimp and pressure cook (step 2). Add the shrimp; close and seal the lid, cooking on high pressure for 1 minute, quick releasing when finished and carefully opening the lid.
- Make the butter mixture. While the shrimp is cooking, combine the butter, garlic, and Old Bay seasoning in a small saucepan.
- Serve. Serve the shrimp boil with the butter mixture, spooning or drizzling as needed, and garnishing with parsley and lemon wedges.
Variations
- Slow cooker: cooked low and slow for 3-4 hours
- Sheet pan: 30 minute sheet pan dinner
- Kabobs: a summertime favorite, baking or grilling
What to serve with shrimp boil
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Shrimp Boil: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! But I recommend thawing the frozen shrimp overnight, transferring them from the freezer to the fridge the day before for a consistent thaw.
Place the frozen shrimp in a colander (or strainer) under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture.
Yes, but do not pressure cook the pre-cooked shrimp. Simply add them in at the very end to reheat until warmed through.
Add the shrimp at the very end, pressure cooking for 1 minute and quick releasing immediately.
Yes! I have a recipe for that here.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Instant Pot Shrimp Boil
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds baby red potatoes
- 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- ½ medium sweet onion, chopped
- 4 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, divided
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 3 ears corn, halved
- 16 ounces pilsner or lager beer
- 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, shell-on
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Place potatoes, sausage, onion, 3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning and hot sauce into a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Stir until well combined. Top with corn and beer.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Add shrimp. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 1 minute. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve shrimp mixture immediately, drizzled with butter mixture, garnished with parsley and lemon, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, using frozen shrimp is ideal (but avoid the bags with freezer burn), opting for a quick thaw under cold running water.
- Leave the shells on. The shells will protect the shrimp from overcooking, and will infuse more flavor into the boil.
- Skip the water. Avoid using water for the cooking liquid. Use a light beer or a combination of beer and chicken broth for classic lowcountry flavors.
- Cook in two stages. Pressure cook the potatoes, sausage and corn first, then add the shrimp last, quick-releasing immediately to avoid overcooking the shrimp.
- The butter mixture is key. For restaurant-quality shrimp boil, finish the shrimp boil with a simple butter-garlic-Old-Bay-seasoning mixture just before serving.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread or garlic knots for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover shrimp can be rubbery when reheated in the microwave. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 425°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Did you make this recipe?
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I have an 8 qt Instant Pot. How would I need to change the recipe?
What a delicious dish! I made it last night but I used small yellow potatoes, canned corn and cilantro – didn’t want to go to the store. I ended up slicing the potatoes in half as they were not cooking quickly. I did put the canned corn in with the shrimp. This recipe is sooooooooooooooooo good! Will definitely make again.
But it would be nice to see the nutritional values on this.
This was great. Make a few tweaks to make it more what I used to on the Carolina coast, but loved it. Only question, in scaling this recipe to say a 10 qt or doubling serving, are all ingredients increased, or does things like liquid, the amount of hot sauce, etc stay the same?
Made this tonight and I literally licked my bowl clean Only substitute I made was replace the beer with vegetable stock. Delicious , thanks!
I’ve made this recipe my brother says it’s better than the seafood station I’m making it again tomorrow
Great recipe! Followed it exactly. I have an 8 qt and cooking times did not change. I DID cook the shrimp shell off, and it was perfect. Thanks for a great meal!
My husband and I both loved this shrimp boil. No beer in the house so I used chicken broth instead. Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe.
Thanks for the broth tip! I am sure my husband wouldn’t mind the beer but not sure it would be my jam. Did you use the same amount of broth as beer?
This is incredible! So simple and so delicious!
I picked up Italian sausage for this, do you think that would be as tasty?
Can I use a crock pot? I was looking at crockpot recipes. This showed up so I bought all the ingredients. But realized I don’t have an IP.
Im wondering same thing I have crockpot not pressure cooker
First recipe in my instant pot and it was so easy. I never post reviews but even my wife who doesn’t really care for seafood boils was raving about this meal. So glad to be able to add this to our rotation.
Can I use peeled and deveined shrimp (no shell on)? Is there a reason for shell on?
I used peeled and deveined shrimp, and even removed the tails before I put them in.
I’m no shrimp connoisseur but they tasted just fine to me.
Hi Kaitlin, I lived in Maryland almost forever it seemed to me and we always did steamed shrimp with Shells on. The reasoning is that the shrimp will stay succulent and will not dry out during the steaming process since the shells keep liquid on the meat of the shrimp. I would definitely keep the shells on.
Made this for the 4th time yesterday. Can I freeze the leftovers? There are only two of us, so we have a lot of leftovers.
Hi Rhonda, I usually make some Shrimp Salad for sandwiches. Fresh shrimp salad is wonderful and then have the left over corn and potatoes with another meal or have them for lunch with the shrimp salad sandwiches. 🙂
I made this and LOVED IT! I tweaked it by using chicken stock instead of beer, and I added frozen snow crab clusters before shrimp! Kids INHALED it!!!
This is absolutely outrageous!!! It is so easy and so very good. We enjoy it quite often.
OH man, this did not disappoint. The prep was super easy, the IP instructions were spot on, and every component of it was delicious. It actually felt a little too delicious for how little work it required!
I did parboil the corn for a few minutes and add it in with the shrimp because I was afraid of overcooking it. It came out perfectly. (I also sliced the sausage WAY too thin- i’ll leave it thicker but will likely cut it in half next time)
I love love love a shrimp boil and now I love it even more that’s it’s so incredibly easy with the instant pot. The time was perfect everything was perfectly done. I used a mix of purple, whites and yellow potatoes but other than that followed the recipe.
i 4got to defrost my shrimp cam i put it in frozen
I made this last night and it was delicious. We ended up having company over so it stayed on warm for about 2 hours after the instant release. Then after they left I added the shrimp. It was so so good! Highly recommend!
If I could give this 100 stars, I would! This is sooo delicious and your house will smell like a seafood restaurant! So easy to make and I’ve made this several times with different sausage (depending on what I have on hand). Andouille is great, but I’ve used a garlicky kielbasa as well & that adds a new level of flavor. The only thing I do different is add my corn in the last 2 minutes as a preference to texture. The butter garlic sauce added at the end is just icing on the cake! I usually will fill a gravy boat with the broth from the pot so hubby can dip his bread in it! Thank you for this great recipe. It’s easy peasy and amazing!
Omg! Delicious! I feel like we ate out dinner in a restaurant! I bought medium Andouille sausage, still too hot for my husband. The flavor of it was wonderful, I did heat up some turkey smoked sausage, he liked that! Outstanding meal!
Will be making this tonight. Going to add crab legs, when should I add them and for how long? any idea?
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!! Hands down the best meal i have ever made in my instant pot!