Instant Pot Jambalaya

Name: Instant Pot Jambalaya
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon cooking oil; 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thigh meat (diced); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 pound uncooked shrimp (peeled and de-veined); 1 pound andouille sausage; 1 bell pepper (diced); 1 onion (diced); 1 stalk celery (diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 cups low sodium chicken broth; 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (mild store-bought or homemade); 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

Laura Lynch

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Instant Pot Jambalaya is made with chicken, shrimp, sausages, tomatoes, vegetables, and white rice, to create a flavorful, Creole favorite that’s ready in a flash.

Jambalaya is a dish that is inspired by many cuisines. It is packed with great ingredients that make a rich and hearty meal that everyone loves.

Although Jambalaya is a one-pot dish, it can take a long time to cook when made on the stovetop, so it’s often saved for weekends or holidays. However, by using an Instant Pot, you can make this dish whenever you like. It is quick and offers the same rich and indulgent flavors.

Pair it this Cajun Potato Salad. It’s made to be paired with gumbo, but I think it goes great with Jambalaya as well.

» You might also like this Quick & Easy Instant Pot Corn Bread.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Get ready. The list of ingredients is long, but it’s worth it! Most of the ingredients are easy pantry staples, like canned tomatoes, but there are a few things you’ll likely have to source, like Andouille sausage and Cajun seasoning.

Here is a list of all the ingredients you need to cook Instant Pot jambalaya:

Cooking oil: You can use any cooking oil for this recipe. Olive oil or canola oil works well.
Chicken: I use chicken thigh meat in this recipe, because it is juicy and cooks fast.
Shrimp: You can use either fresh or frozen shrimp for this recipe. Make sure they are peeled and deveined.
Andouille sausage: This is a French sausage made from pork. It has a smoky and spicy flavor.
Bell pepper: You can use either green or red bell pepper.
Onion: Onion adds a slightly sweet yet savory flavor.
Celery: Celery offers a salty and earthy flavor to this recipe.
Garlic: Garlic adds an intense savory flavor.
Chicken broth: Use low-sodium chicken broth to keep from adding too much salt.
Crushed tomatoes: I have used canned crushed tomatoes for this recipe, but you can use fresh chopped tomatoes as well.
Tomato paste: Tomato paste is loaded with tomato flavor and gives this dish a bright color.
Cajun seasoning: You can use either store-bought or homemade Cajun seasoning.
Long-grain white rice: Use premium quality long-grain white rice. White basmati or jasmine rice is a good choice.
Salt & pepper to taste

Helpful Tips

Be aware that Cajun seasoning varies wildly in heat level. Be sure to check your to make sure it’s not going to end up too spicy for you!
You don’t have to use all of the different proteins. If you want, only use one or two.
You can use long grain or Arborio rice, which will give it more of a risotto texture.

How to Make Instant Pot Jambalaya

Step One: Turn on sauté mode on the Instant Pot. When it’s hot, add half the oil and the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Step Two: Add the sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the sausage to the plate. I like to blog the sausage lightly with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. It’s not always necessary, depending on the sausage.

Step Three: Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil to the inner pot and pour in the chicken, bell pepper, onion, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Turn off sauté mode. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Step Four: Pour the chicken broth into the pot and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, and rice. Stir it all together.

Step Five: Lock the lid. Press the Pressure Cook or Manual button and cook on high for 8 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.

Step Six: Stir the rice mixture to fluff up the rice. Then stir in the shrimp and sausage. Replace the Instant Pot lid and allow the ingredients to heat through for 5 minutes on Keep Warm mode.

Possible Substitutions

Here are a few alternatives and substitutes you can make in this dish:

I have used chicken thigh meat, but you can use chicken breast meat as well. Or you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken. The best option is thigh because it has more flavor and doesn’t overcook easily.
If you can’t find Andouille sausage, you can use smoked sausage or cooking chorizo instead. Andouille sausage can be difficult to find. I sometimes replace it with Vienna sausages if I can’t find it.
Shrimp is most widely used for making jambalaya, but you can use crawfish if you like. I use medium shrimp rather than large, so you can fit a whole one in a bite.
You can use brown rice instead of white rice for this recipe as well. However, when using brown rice, you will have to add more liquid, and it takes more time to cook.
You can add more vegetables like okra or peas to this dish, if you like.

Questions About the Recipe

Can I Make Vegetarian Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a dish that draws a lot of it’s flavor and texture from the meat that is added. That being said, you can make a vegetarian jambalaya without any of the meat. You would probably want to add additional vegetables, like okra and peas, to add texture to the dish. The cooking time remains the same.

Can I Double the Recipe?

This recipe is already rather large. I wouldn’t attempt to double the recipe in a 6-quart Instant Pot. The rice expands quite a bit and could exceed the max fill line if doubled. However, if you are using an 8 or 10-quart Instant Pot, you can absolutely double the recipe.

What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can still make this rice in a large stock pot on the stove top. You would cook the initial ingredients the same, by sautéing them in the pot, then add all of the ingredients to the pot in the same way described. Cook on the stove top for roughly 30-40 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all of the water and is tender.

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