This Cajun Instant Pot Shrimp Boil takes only 20 minutes to make – it’s delicious with Andouille sausage, shrimp, corn, and potatoes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – try using another neutral cooking oil like canola or avocado oil.
- Andouille sausage – andouille sausage is the traditional option but you can swap it out for another variety of smoked sausage like chorizo.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work here.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best, but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Yellow baby potatoes – fingerling potatoes, red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes would all work, just make sure they’re cut into smaller chunks.
- Corn cobs – fresh corn on the cob is best but frozen corned cobs will work in a pinch. Don’t use kernels, as they’ll be too small.
- Low-sodium chicken stock – low-sodium vegetable stock is the next best thing.
- Salt-free Cajun seasoning – make your own using a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, thyme and oregano.
- Kosher salt – to taste.
- Louisiana-style hot sauce – tabasco or Cholula hot sauces will provide a similar flavour.
- Frozen cooked shrimp – uncooked shrimp will also work but you’ll need to add one minute onto the cooking time.
Butter drizzle
- Butter – or your favourite dairy-free butter alternative.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but bottled lemon or even lime juice will work in a pinch.
- Salt-free Cajun seasoning – see substitution notes above.
How to make Cajun shrimp boil
- Assemble your ingredients.
- Sauté the sausage, onion and garlic.
- Add in the potatoes, corn, broth, Cajun seasoning, salt and hot sauce.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes then add the frozen shrimp.
- Make the butter drizzle.
- Top the shrimp boil with the butter drizzle, serve and enjoy!
How to serve a seafood boil
The most traditional way to serve a Cajun shrimp boil is by dumping everything on the table (make sure to give the table a good wipe down and/or cover it in parchment paper first) and eating it with your hands like they do down south. You can eat it on plates if you want, but eating it off the table is half the fun – and seriously cuts down on the number of dishes you need to do!
Frequently Asked Questions
Seafood boils are a tradition in Louisiana, especially in Cajun cultures. The area is famous for its shrimp boils and seafood boils which are both super delicious. You can enjoy a taste of the south right at home with this easy Instant Pot shrimp boil recipe.
For this Cajun shrimp boil recipe, you’ll need two tablespoons of salt-free Cajun seasoning and another one teaspoon of salt-free Cajun seasoning for the butter drizzle. You can typically find this seasoning blend at your local grocery store or you can make your own using a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, thyme and oregano.
If you’re using frozen cooked shrimp, you’ll need to set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 0 minutes. It’ll take the Instant Pot about ten minutes to get up to that temperature then it’ll turn off. If you’re using uncooked shrimp, cook it on high pressure for 1 minute instead. The shrimp cooks afterwards with the rest of your ingredients so you don’t have to worry about pulling out another pot.
Storing and reheating
I doubt you’re going to have any leftovers of this Cajun shrimp boil, but if you do, throw it all airtight glass containers and store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
When it comes to reheating, you can technically put it in the microwave for a couple minutes, but the shrimp will likely dry out. I suggest throwing everything in a casserole dish, splashing a bit of water over top, covering it in aluminum foil and popping it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 275° Fahrenheit. The low temperature will ensure your shrimp boil is heated through without being overcooked.
Freezing this recipe
If you’re using frozen cooked shrimp for this Cajun shrimp boil recipe, you won’t be able to refreeze the shrimp – but you can freeze the rest of the mixture including the sausage and corn. Leave the butter drizzle off and store the mixture in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Let it defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in a pan on the stovetop, in the oven or in the microwave. Boil some fresh shrimp to serve alongside it, drizzle with the fresh butter mixture and enjoy!
More Instant Pot seafood recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to store your leftovers.
- Here’s the Instant Pot I use.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls for up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Cajun Shrimp Boil {Quick & Easy!}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb Andouille sausage, cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 lb yellow baby potatoes, halved
- 3 corn cobs, cut into 2-3 inch long segments
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp salt-free Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce
- 1 lb frozen cooked shrimp, tails in tact
For the butter drizzle:
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt-free Cajun seasoning
For garnish:
- chopped fresh parsley
- lemon wedges
- additional melted butter
Instructions
- Turn on your Instant Pot to saute mode and add oil. Once heated and shimmering, addthe sausage and brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is slightly softened and translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in potatoes, corn, chicken broth, Cajun seasoning, salt, and hot sauce. Close the lid, select manual mode, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick-release the pressure once the time is up.
- Add the frozen shrimp on top of the other ingredients in the Instant Pot. Replace the lid,select manual mode, and cook on high pressure for 0 minutes. With 0 minutes, the timer will go off once the Instant Pot comes to pressure.
- Prepare the butter drizzle. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the melted butter,lemon juice, and Cajun seasoning. Top everything with the butter mixture and garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and additional melted butter.
Notes
- Completely thaw the shrimp.
- Follow the recipe as is, but set the time to 1 minute instead of 0 minutes.
