Delicious New Orleans Instant Pot Gumbo

This Delicious Instant Pot Gumbo is a quintessential New Orleans recipe that is hearty, satisfying, flavorful and perfect for a crowd or Mardi Gras celebration.  Made with chicken, sausage, and shrimp, this pressure cooker gumbo tastes wonderful especially when served over rice.

[This post was first published in September 2017. It was updated in December 2019 with some new step-by-step photographs and modified instructions to help you avoid the Burn message including adding the tomatoes last.]

Introduction

Gumbo (along with jambalaya, étoufée, red beans and rice, and shrimp creole) is a popular dish that is an essential part of New Orleans and Louisiana culture and cuisine.

Gumbo is a spicy, thick stew made with chicken, sausage, seafood, and vegetables, including okra, and is served over rice.

The origins of gumbo go back to the West Africans who were enslaved and brought to the colony of French Louisiana.  West Africans used okra to thicken stews made with meat and shrimp.  As a matter of fact, the word for ‘okra’ in West Africa is ‘ki ngombo’ and in French, it’s ‘gombo’.

Over time French, Native American, Caribbean, Creole, and Cajun influences created the different varieties of gumbo: thick and thin, with or without tomatoes, with seafood, chicken, or sausage, and with or without okra.

There are three ways to thicken gumbo: roux (pronounced ‘roo’), okra, and filé (pronounced ‘fee-lay’) powder, which is made from dried sassafras leaves. You can use one or more of these ingredients to thicken gumbo.

This Instant Pot gumbo recipe includes okra and roux. The roux not only thickens the gumbo but gives it a deep, rich color.  Here’s an interesting article from Serious Eats, detailing the history of gumbo and the use of okra and filé to thicken gumbos.

There are seafood gumbos, shrimp gumbos, chicken gumbos with sausage and even vegetarian gumbos. This pressure cooker gumbo recipe is adapted from an authentic stovetop recipe I’ve been using for years.  

This Instant Pot gumbo recipe has chicken, sausage, and shrimp. You can modify the recipe to include your choice of meats and seafood.  Don’t be daunted by the number of ingredients in the gumbo.  Just be organized and have everything ready to go before you begin cooking.

Traditionally, gumbo is simmered on the stove for hours, but this Instant Pot gumbo recipe will have you eating delicious, hearty, spicy gumbo in less than an hour. One of the ‘rules’ of Instant Pot or pressure cooker cooking is that you shouldn’t add thickeners like flour until the end of cooking.

Well, you’re going to break that rule when you’re making this Instant Pot Gumbo. You’ll make the flour-based roux at the beginning and add about 4 cups of chicken broth to pressure cook the dish.  Make sure that the bottom of the inner pot has no stuck-on bits of food when you begin pressure cooking.

Serve Instant Pot Gumbo over rice – you should try out my Instant Pot Jasmine Rice recipe because Jasmine rice is so great at absorbing the flavors of the gumbo.

Here are some other Cajun and Creole recipes you might like to try out:
– Instant Pot Jambalaya
– Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
– Instant Pot Shrimp Etouffee

If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot  DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide, Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide, or Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.

Instant Pot Gumbo – Ingredients

How to Make Gumbo in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)

1. Season shrimp
2. Turn on Saute Mode
3. Saute chicken and sausage
4. Make the roux
5. Saute vegetables, add spices and broth
6. Pressure cook
7. Quick-release pressure
8. Stir in shrimp and garnish

Season Shrimp

• Thaw and thoroughly dry the shrimp with a paper towel.
• Rub Creole seasoning all over the shrimp and set aside.

Turn on ‘Saute’ Mode

• Instant Pot DUO:  Select the Saute function.
• Instant Pot ULTRA:  Select the Saute function and press Start.

Saute Chicken and Sausage

• When the inner pot is hot, add 2 tbsp olive oil.
• Add chicken and sausage and saute until lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Press Cancel.
• Using a slotted spoon transfer contents of the inner pot to a plate and set aside.

Make the Roux

• Add remaining olive oil and all-purpose flour to inner pot, to make a roux.
• Select Saute mode.
• Cook roux until it becomes the color and thickness of peanut butter, stirring frequently, for about 10 to 15 minutes.  You can go darker than peanut butter.  The darker the roux, the more intense the flavor of the gumbo, but be very careful not to burn, so stir constantly.

Saute Vegetables, Add Spices and Broth

• Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.
• Saute until vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
• Using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the inner pot. If there are brown bits stuck to the bottom, deglaze with a few tablespoons of chicken broth, scraping off the brown bits.
• Stir in broth, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, salt, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, bay leaf, and frozen okra. Add reserved chicken and sausage.
• Finally, add the tomatoes on top, don’t stir but submerge by pushing down gently with a spatula.

Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 4 minutes

• Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
• Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 4 (4 minutes).

Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 4 minutes

• Close the lid.
• Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 4 minutes (00:04).
• Press ‘Start’.

Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)

• Instant Pot display will change to On.
• Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
• The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00  or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.

How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO

• Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.

How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA

• Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.

Stir in Shrimp and Garnish

• Stir in spice-rubbed shrimp.
• Close Instant Pot immediately and let the shrimp cook in the residual heat for 10 minutes.
• Stir gently and sprinkle with green onions and parsley.
• Serve over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or a rice of your choice.

Delicious New Orleans Instant Pot Gumbo

This Delicious Instant Pot Louisiana Gumbo is a quintessential New Orleans dish that is hearty, satisfying, flavorful and perfect for a crowd.  Made with chicken, sausage and shrimp, it tastes amazing when served over rice. 

4.7 from 50 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American, Cajun / Creole

Keyword: Cajun, gumbo, instant pot, new orleans

Main Ingredient: chicken, pork, seafood

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 302 kcal

Author: Paint the Kitchen Red

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb shrimp peeled and deveined 
• 1 tsp Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 cup olive oil + 2 Tbsp extra for sauteing
• 1/2 lb Andouille sausage or smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup onions diced
• 1 cup green bell peppers diced
• 1 cup celery diced
• 1 Tbsp garlic minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp  white pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp  worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 bay leaves (small) or 1 large
• 2 cups frozen okra
• 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes (1 can) or 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp green onions green parts only,  sliced thinly
• Chopped parsley to garnish

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Medium Bowl
• Slotted Spoon
• Wooden Spatula

Instructions

• Rub shrimp with Creole or Cajun seasoning and set aside.
• Select Saute mode and when Instant Pot has heated, add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the inner pot of Instant Pot.
• Add andouille sausage and chicken, and cook until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Press 'Cancel' and transfer chicken and sausage to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
• To make the roux, select 'Saute' and add remaining olive oil and all-purpose flour to the inner pot.
• Cook oil and flour until the mixture resembles a dark peanut butter, stirring frequently, and being careful not to burn. This can take about 10 to 15 minutes. *
• Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Stir until vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
• Using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the inner pot to make sure there are no burnt bits stuck to the bottom. Deglaze with a couple of tablespoons of broth as needed.
• Stir in broth, white, black and cayenne peppers, thyme, salt, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, bay leaves, and frozen okra.
• Stir in reserved chicken and sausage.
• Add tomatoes on top and gently push down with a spatula to submerge. Don't stir.
• Close Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
• Do a quick release of pressure and open the Instant Pot.
• Immediately stir in the shrimp and close the Instant Pot for 10 minutes.  The shrimp will cook in the residual heat.
• Open the Instant Pot and sprinkle the gumbo with parsley and green onions.
• Stir and serve gumbo over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or a rice of your choice.

Notes

• Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, diced chicken, etc. 
• If your Instant Pot is prone to getting the burn message,  I recommend making the roux on the stovetop and adding it to the inner pot after the broth.
• See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips

* The darker your roux, the more intense the flavor of the gumbo.  But be sure not to burn the roux, so keep stirring constantly especially as it gets darker.  It’s quicker to cook the roux on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 302 kcal | Carbohydrates: 13 g | Protein: 21 g | Fat: 19 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Cholesterol: 88 mg | Sodium: 631 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 3 g

Have you made this recipe?I love seeing your photos! Tag me on Instagram @PaintTheKitchenRed hashtag #paintthekitchenred

I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

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