This authentic Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe was adapted from an authentic Creole Jambalaya recipe that has spicy andouille sausage, chicken, shrimp, and rice. Flavored with Louisiana spices and cooked to perfection, it’s a delicious one-pot pressure cooker meal. Great for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion!
[This post was first published in February 2017 and was one of the first Instant Pot Jambalaya recipes! It was completely updated in December 2019 with new photographs and modified instructions to help you avoid the ‘Burn’ message.]
Table of Contents
Introduction
Jambalaya is a one-pot rice dish that originated in Louisiana. There are two types of Jambalaya: Creole, which includes tomatoes, and Cajun, which is made without tomatoes.
Creole cuisine originated in the city of New Orleans and Cajun food is traditionally associated with the French Acadian people who settled the swamps of southwest Louisiana.
My Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe includes tomatoes and is derived from a cookbook I’ve had in my possession forever, but can’t recall when or where I got it!
It’s a tiny little cookbook a bit larger than a smartphone, written by chef Austin Leslie of the famed New Orleans restaurant Chez Helene, which closed in the 1990’s.
I adapted this recipe for the Instant Pot and prefer this pressure cooker jambalaya recipe over the stovetop version! Back when I first published this recipe, it was the only one. And it’s the real deal! This is the best Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe you’ll find!
This is a one-pot meal that’s a great recipe to make for a quick weeknight meal or when you’re entertaining. It’s perfect not just for Mardi Gras, but for any time of year.
Here are some other New Orleans, Cajun and Creole recipes you might like to try out!
– Instant Pot Gumbo
– Instant Pot Shrimp Etouffee
– Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
SHRIMP
It might seem unusual to add the raw shrimp at the end and allow it to cook in the residual heat of the jambalaya. But this is something I discovered through trial and error and find it works well and the shrimp doesn’t get overcooked or tough.
Rub Creole seasoning over the shrimp and set aside while the rice is pressure cooking, and stir in the uncooked shrimp at the end. Let it cook in residual heat with the lid on.
Try to work quickly and add the shrimp as soon as the pressure goes down. You don’t want too much heat to escape because the shrimp needs to cook in the residual heat.
When you put the lid on, you might have trouble getting it to close. Put the steam release handle/button/switch in the Vent position and it should close easily.
If you have extra-large or jumbo-sized shrimp, you’ll need to let the shrimp sit in the covered Instant Pot for an extra 3 to 5 minutes. If you have smaller shrimp you may be able to decrease the amount of time.
If you prefer, you can saute the shrimp at the beginning when you’re sauteing the sausage and chicken.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RICE
This recipe calls for regular long grain rice or basmati rice. If you’d like to use jasmine rice, pressure cook for 5 minutes.
Brown rice requires a longer pressure cooking time (approximately 22 minutes), so your meats and vegetables would probably get overcooked if you pressure cook for that long. If you’d like to Instant Pot Jambalaya with brown rice, you have two options:
- Pressure cook the brown rice separately for about 15 minutes, quick release, drain, add to the recipe, and continue as normal.
- Remove the cooked meat and vegetables from the inner pot and set aside. Substitute brown rice for the long grain rice and pressure cook for 22 minutes. Add the meats and vegetables back in at the end.
SAUSAGE
Andouille is a spicy smoked Cajun sausage. If you don’t have access to it, substitute it with Spanish chorizo or kielbasa. I recommend that you use smoked sausage, not raw sausage.
SEASONINGS
You can substitute Creole seasoning with Cajun seasoning. You can also add more or less seasoning than I’ve suggested. The quantity of salt you need will depend on the quantity and type of Cajun or Creole seasoning you use. Go easy on the salt if you are using more seasoning and/or if the Creole or Cajun seasoning is very salty!
SHALLOTS
Many people don’t like the taste of raw onions, and that’s the case with one of my children. So I often omit the shallots. The jambalaya tastes great either way.
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 Jambalaya – Ingredients
- Shrimp
- Andouille sausage
- Chicken
- Rice
- Bell pepper
- Tomato
- Onion
- Celery
- Broth
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Oil
- Parsley
- Bay leaves
- Worcestershire sauce
- Creole or Cajun spice
- Salt
- Shallots (missing from photo)
How to Make Jambalaya in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Season shrimp
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute sausage
- Saute chicken
- Saute vegetables
- Add meat, tomato and rice
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Stir in Shrimp
- Garnish with parsley
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 Sausage
- Once the inner pot has preheated, add oil to the inner pot and let it heat up.
- Add andouille sausage and cook until browned, about 6 minutes.
- If the sausage browns too quickly, press ‘Cancel’ until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and press the ‘Saute’ button again. Deglaze as needed with a tablespoon of broth.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.
Saute Chicken
- Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Deglaze as needed.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off the heat if the Instant Pot is too hot, and turn it back on when it’s cooled down a bit.
- Add onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic to inner pot.
Saute Vegetables
- Saute vegetables until the onion is translucent. The liquid released from the vegetables should be enough to deglaze the pan. If it’s not, add a few tablespoons of broth to deglaze.
- Add thyme, Creole seasoning, salt, Worcestershire sauce and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in broth and bay leaves.
Add Meat, Tomato, and Rice
- Stir in the reserved sausage and chicken.
- Add the tomatoes and gently spread out with a spatula. Don’t stir in.
- Add the rice and gently push down with a spatula till covered with broth. Don’t stir in.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 7 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 ‘7′ (7 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 7 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 7 minutes (00:07).
- 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
- Open the lid and add in shrimp.
- Using a spatula, stir up the rice and nestle the shrimp in the rice.
- Try to work quickly so too much steam doesn’t escape.
Garnish with Parsley
- Close the Instant Pot and allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat. If you have trouble closing the lid, move the steam release to ‘Vent’ position.
- After 10 minutes, open the Instant Pot and add parsley. Gently stir the jambalaya.
- Let the jambalaya rest (lid open) for 5 to 8 minutes before serving
- Serve with hot sauce on the side.
Instant Pot Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning or to taste
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 12 oz. Andouille sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 12 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste *
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 small bay leaves or 1 large
- 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 2 Tbsp parsley chopped, to garnish
- 1/2 cup shallots thinly sliced – optional
- hot sauce to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Dry shrimp with a paper towel, rub with 1 tsp of Creole seasoning and set aside.
- Press 'Saute' and add oil to inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Once the oil is hot, add andouille sausage, and saute until browned, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. If the sausage browns too quickly, press ‘Cancel’ until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and press the ‘Saute’ button again. Deglaze as needed with a tablespoon of broth.
- Add chicken to the inner pot, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the bowl containing the sausage, and set aside. If the chicken browns too quickly, press ‘Cancel’ until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and press the ‘Saute’ button again. Deglaze as needed with a tablespoon of broth.
- Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Stir until onion is translucent. The liquid released from the vegetables should be enough to deglaze the pan. If it's not, add a tablespoon or more of broth to deglaze.
- Add thyme, remaining Creole seasoning, salt, worcestershire sauce and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in chicken broth and bay leaves. Make sure there's nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot – deglaze as needed.
- Stir in the reserved sausage and chicken.
- Add the tomatoes and spread out with a spatula, but don't stir.
- Add the rice and gently push down with a spatula till immersed in the liquid, but don't stir in.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release and open the Instant Pot.
- Carefully stir in shrimp. Take care to not allow too much steam to escape because the shrimp will cook in the residual heat.
- Close the Instant Pot and allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat for about 10 minutes. Jumbo shrimp may require an additional 5 minutes. If you have trouble closing the lid, move the steam release to 'Vent', close the lid, and move it back to 'Seal'.
- Open the Instant Pot and add parsley. Gently stir the jambalaya. Allow the Instant Pot jambalaya to rest for a few minutes. Garnish with shallots, if using.
- Serve with hot sauce on the side.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. cut up chicken, chopped onion, etc.
- * Quantity of salt will depend on your Cajun seasoning. If it’s more salty, go easy on the extra salt.
- If you prefer, you can very briefly saute the shrimp at the beginning and remove. I find that adding the raw shrimp at the end allows the juices to get absorbed by the rice, without the shrimp drying out.
- This recipe has been modified from the original publication version: tomatoes and rice are layered on top without stirring in to avoid the Burn Message.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips. You don’t want to miss any!
Nutrition
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.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
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Jill
This was my 2nd full instant pot meal and my hubby and I were delighted with it. I went easy on the spice so used just one chorizo sausage and made up the rest with garlic sausage. If I reduced the cooking time to 6 min on Hi would the rice be less gummy? I would prefer having more ‘grainy’ rice.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hey Jill, what type of rice did you use. Long grain white rice and basmati rice cook up fluffier whereas medium, short grain and jasmine rice are more starchy. Yes, I think cooking for a shorter amount of time would help. Also, it’s important to let the rice rest open after all the cooking is complete. Hope that works for you. Thank you for commenting.
Megan
In the directions at the top it says to use creole seasoning. But in the directions with the recipe it says use Cajun seasoning. Is there a difference?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Megan, I use both seasonings depending on what I have on hand. Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning is quite good. I will update the recipe post to be more consistent – thank you for pointing it out 🙂