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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Love this! Do you think you could substitute frozen corn kernels for the ears of corn??
Only modification I made is 0 minutes each round instead of the 5 and 1, respectively. I also took the tails off ahead of time. Turned out PERFECT.
New to InstantPot. What do you mean by 0 minutes each round instead of the 5 and 1?
Only modification I made is 0 minutes each round instead of the 5 and 1, respectively. Turned out PERFECT.
Loved this! I used frozen shelled jumbo shrimp. They ended up a bit overcooked, as did the sausage, but still very good. Next time, I’ll do zero mins and add the sausage when I add the shrimp. The flavor was perfection, though.
Hello! Would I remove everything before cooking the shrimp?
Excited to use this recipe. Does this work well with raw shrimp?
Could you double the recipe?
Delicious!!! Really good. Made it for my husband’s birthday .
So easy to make. My husband and kids (ages 14,12 and 8) loved it. I followed the recipe as stated, no alterations, and it was delicious.
I made this for myself and it was delicious and will probably be even tastier as a leftover tomorrow.
I made this tonight & it was INSANE in the best possible way! I followed the recipe to a T except that I also included crab legs, used frozen cooked shrimp & doubled the butter sauce recipe because of the crab. I wish I could include a pic with my review because it was as beautiful as it was delicious!
Question what kind of beer ?
You can use any sort of light beer you prefer, i.e. lager. Hope that helps, Laura!
Hello! Can I use a slow cooker instead?
The flavor of this dish was amazing! It had just the right amount of seasoning. I cut the potatoes without really thinking about it and they were mush when they came out. That was my fault though. But, the shrimp were mushy and I followed the directions with that. My only suggestion would be cook the shrimp in the pot only until it comes to pressure and then quick release.
Thank you so much for this easy recipe! It was so easy to follow, and I loved how quickly the meal was done. I thought about omitting the beer, since I didn’t have any in my house. I had my husband grab the beer on his way home from work, and I’m so glad I did. I really enjoyed the light hint of flavor the beer added to the dish. My husband and I really loved this recipe, and I will definitely be making it again in the future.
Wowieeeeeee!!!! DEEELISHHHH!!! My first boil!! This was SOOOO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE! Layers upon layers of flavor! Pretty much followed the recipe to the T. I only substituted regular beer for the fancy stuff as I didn’t want to run to the store to get a Lager or Pilsner ? It was just fabulous!!!! We both decided we could easily eat ALLLLL of this and there’s just 2 of us!!
Thank you thank you!!
This is excellent! I’ve never done a boil before, so it was a real treat, and hubby went nuts over it. He had gotten cajun andouille. I’m not sure if that’s hotter than regular andouille, but it was a little hot for me. I’ll try the regular next time. Instructions say to slice thinly, but looking at the picture, those are big chunks! Mine were already cut thin before I noticed, and they were fine that way.
Also used yellow potatoes, regular sized, but picked out the smaller ones in the bag. They were still larger than what is called for, but this helped to keep them from overcooking.
I did this in an 8 qt and had to use frozen corn on the cob. We both thought it was plenty flavorful without the butter sauce and lemon, and actually preferred it that way. Thought the beer broth was a great idea. Even though I don’t drink, I love cooking with alcohol. I hear there’s another boil on this site–can’t wait to try it out, but gotta make the chili first!
OUTSTANDING!!! I’m not in a coastal area but close enough that this is a common restaurant item. This recipe rivals anything I have gotten at a high-priced restaurant! I admit that I had some reservations about the shrimp being overcooked, etc., but NO. This is perfect! My only question is how to make use of the delicious broth it generates.
I have made this recipe twice now and it is soooo good. I had 4 crab clusters before I put the shrimp in. Thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband and son love love love it!!
This is an awesome recipe. I have just one question: I want to take this to work. What would be a good alternative to the beer? What would be the best broth for this recipe?
You can substitute vegetable broth.
I used beef broth because that’s what I had in the pantry. It was really good. You could probably also use chicken broth.
So glad I found this recipe! Made it last night and the fam loved it! So delicious and so easy!!