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 cook Instant Pot Jambalaya with brown rice:
- 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, when you’re adding the shrimp.
Sausage
Andouille is a spicy smoked Cajun sausage. If you don’t have access to it, substitute it with Spanish chorizo or Polish 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!
Stock / Broth
The recipe calls for chicken stock but you may want to try out my Instant Pot Shrimp Stock. It adds another dimension of flavor and it’s so easy to make. You already have the shrimp shells, so why not make some stock with it?
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.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
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 – or homemade Instant Pot Shrimp Stock
- 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 (with the liquid) 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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Gwen Smith
Better than stovetop jambalaya !!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Gwen – thanks so much, it’s so great to hear that!
KTstglide
Excellent Recipe turned out Great It’s a KEEPER
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks so much – I’m really glad to hear that!
Lisa
Really delicious. I make it several times a month!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awesome, Lisa! I’m planning on making it next week too!
Allie
This is my go to jambalaya recipe! I make it all the time! Thanks for sharing the recipe/instructions.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Allie, you’re so welcome. Thanks for commenting!
CIARA CROUCH
I made this for family of 3 tonight and it was a big hit!! However, we prefer brown rice and as I followed the directions, the rice didn’t come out as soft as I had hoped. Has anyone tried this and figured out the rice to broth ratio? I know brown rice cooks differently
Paint the Kitchen Red
Ciara, you need to cook brown rice for about 22 to 25 minutes. So the meats and veggies would be overcooked in this scenario. I would saute the meats (fully cooked) and vegetables, remove, pressure cook rice for about 22+ minutes, and add the meats and veggies back in with the shrimp. Ratio of rice to water should be about the same as recipe. Let me know if you try it out again.
Angela
Loved this! Probably one of the best meals I’ve made in the instant pot. Followed the recipe exactly as directed, using the modified instructions for a newer machine. No burn warnings. Also used a Creole seasoning recipe found online. This recipe is a definite keeper. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks so much, Angela. I’m happy to hear you had a good experience with the recipe!
Rick
I made this in an 8qt instant pot. I followed the recipe fairly close, but probably used more veggies and much more broth. I used a quart of broth, 1 and a half green bell peppers, 1 red bell pepper, 4 sticks of celery, 1 whole yellow onion, 6 cloves of minced garlic,and a small jalapeno pepper. I also added 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Every time I’ve tried to do something with rice I get the BURN error, but this time I didn’t. I put all the sauces, broth, and veggies including fire roasted tomatoes and mixed it well. Then I added the chicken and sausage without mixing and added the rice last ( again workout mixing). Pressure cooked it for 7 minutes with a 3 minute natural release,then added the cooked shrimp and let it sit in the pot covered for about 8-10 minutes. Served with parsley and scallions. It was quite spicy, but a big hit.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Rick, thanks for sharing your modifications. Yes, layering the rice is key to avoiding the burn error on the Instant Pot. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Laurie C. O'Neill
Such a great melding of flavors! My son made this tonight for the family and we all loved it!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you Laurie – I’m glad y’all liked the recipe. And what a nice son 🙂
Christine F
Awesome flavor and so much easier to make this in the instant pot versus stovetop. Rice was perfect and flavors blended beautifully. We used “slap-ya-mama” cajun seasoning which is salty and didn’t need any additional salt.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Oh, thank you so much, Christine! And thanks for sharing your observation re: Slap Ya Mama. I use that one sometimes.
Yoges Nathan
Love this. Followed the recipe exactly including adding two teaspoons of extra red pepper powder when adding the cajun seasoning and juice of half a lime at the end.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you liked the recipe. One of my family’s favorites too!
Gail Grasch
Love your recipe and use it all the time. I am making dinner for 10 people- can I use 1 1/2 the recipe in my 8 qt instant pot? is that a good ratio or is there a better way of figuring our the amount?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for following the blog, Gail! Yes, you could do 1 1/2 times the recipe in the 8-quart. I think that’s a good ratio. Take precautions for the ‘burn’ message.
Rebecca
Is there a way I could meal prep this and freeze to be cooked another day?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Rebecca, you can omit the shrimp and follow the recipe. Freeze and re-heat using the Pot in Pot technique by pressure cooking with shrimp sprinkled with Cajun spice for 1 minute. Hope that’s clear; if not, please let me know and I’ll try and give better instructions 🙂
Sarah
I think it would be helpful to remove all the instructions that tell us to stir since there are so many issues with the burn notice.
I was able to salvage ours from burning and put it on the stovetop. It was truly delicious! But I think it would have cooked perfectly (and without all the drama) had I not followed the instructions to stir.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Sarah, thank you for your comment. I have it on my list of recipes to update – need to retake all the photos, etc! In the meantime, I try to have many warnings in the recipe to avoid the error. Glad you liked the recipe in the end 🙂
Kathy Fletcher
Fabulous! Absolute perfection. Very generous and would easily serve 10 people by adding side dishes or increasing the proteins a tad. Leftovers were delicious too.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Kathy! And thanks for taking a moment to comment and rate the recipe – much appreciated.
Esther
This was delicious!! It wasnt too spicy and had just the right amount of flavorful kick I was looking for. I did use a leftover beef broth from a beef noodle soup we ate at a chinese restaurant so that probably made a big difference. Will try and see if plain chicken broth will be just as flavorful next time. This will be a regular recipe ill be using. Thank you!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Esther, thanks so much for your lovely review! I’m glad you liked the recipe. Sounds like you had some delicious broth!
Lilli
Amazing!! I made it vegan with no chicken and vegan sausage. I used no-chicken broth as well. Came out great.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Lilli, oh wow – that’s really great to hear. And thanks for posting the details; might help out other vegan readers.
Brandy
I have not made this but I plan to. I just wanted to tell you that you did an amazing job writing out this recipe. I have been using my instapot for a while now but this recipe is great even for beginners! Thank you for taking the time to explain everything! I look forward to making this very soon!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Brandy, that’s so nice of you to share that. I’m really happy to share my recipes with new or experienced Instant Pot users, and I remember how intimidating the appliance can be! Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Courtney
Hi. Ive been planning on making this for my dad & I. We love jambalya! But we are not huge fans of rice so we would prefer to cut back on some of the rice and add more meat. If I were to use about half the rice and add more shrimp how much of the liquid would you recommend I use? Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Courtney, you can probably reduce the broth to 1 cup if you’re using 3/4 cup rice. Hope you like it!
Tonya
We’ve made this a few times and it has quickly become our family instant pot favorite!! Thank you!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Tonya, for your lovely comment 🙂 !
D
Just purchased my instant pot last week and made this as my first dish. Turned out excellent. I was very impressed. Thanks so much for sharing and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Paint the Kitchen Red
You’re so welcome – thanks for your comment 🙂