You can make Steamed Instant pot Crab Legs in just 3 minutes of cook time and they come out perfectly moist and tender and full of delicious flavor.
With this Instant Pot Crab Legs recipe, you’re looking at gourmet-level deliciousness served in just minutes. It’s the absolute easiest way to steam crab legs. The Instant Pot takes care of all that background noise. Press a few buttons, and you’re essentially hands-free.
Helpful Tips
- Use tongs: Crab legs are hot when they come out of the Instant Pot. Trust me, tongs will be your best friend.
- Optional seasoning: If Old Bay isn’t your jam, feel free to use a teaspoon of garlic powder or a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Changing up the seasoning can impart a different and unique flavor into the crab meat. I like to cut the top off of about 5 cloves to garlic and add those to the pot.
- Melt that butter: Don’t underestimate the power of warm, melted butter for dipping. You could even get fancy and throw in some minced garlic and a squeeze of lemon to elevate it.
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Steamed Instant Pot Crab Legs
You can make Steamed Instant pot Crab Legs in just 3 minutes of cook time and they come out perfectly moist and tender and full of delicious flavor.
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Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 159kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds crab legs snow crab or King crab
- 1 cup water
- 1 lemon quartered
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning optional
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Pour the water into the Instant Pot. Set the trivet inside. Add the Old Bay seasoning to the water, if you’re using it.
- Place the crab legs on the trivet. Stacking them is fine.
- Place 2 of the lemon pieces in the Instant Pot.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to sealing (if necessary for your model).
- Set to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes (4 if frozen). When the time is up, carefully manually release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Transfer the crab legs using tongs to a platter. Serve immediately with melted butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes.
crabs do not have any part of the nervous system which senses “pain” it is not inhumane to steam a live crab.