This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This DELICIOUS, Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe is full of flavor depth and complexity- yet lightened up with chicken sausage and seasonal healthy veggies. This can be made in an Instant Pot or on the Stove Top! A delicious weeknight dinner!
Here’s a simple recipe for Jambalaya that can be made in an Instant Pot or on the Stove Top. What I love about this recipe is how adaptable it is- the perfect foundation for seasonal veggies. As you see here I’ve added spring asparagus and fresh peas giving it a lovely vibrancy.
During the winter months, I like to add a few cupfuls of simple roasted veggies and sautéed kale or spinach for a burst of nutrients. Comb through your fridge and see what you have.
Sometimes I’ll serve the warm Jambalaya over a bowl of baby spinach letting it gently wilt. You get the idea. Basically, I use this Jambalaya as a vessel for healthy veggies. The flavor is so good! 😉
Here, to lighten things up, I’ve used Chicken Andouille Sausage instead of pork sausage in the Jambalaya. The shrimp could be left out as well if shellfish is not your thing, upping the chicken sausage.
You can also use a vegan sausage.
TIP: If making this on the stovetop be sure to read the recipe notes. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of brown rice you use. I always like to check the package for recommended cooking times.
Hope you are having a happy week so far! Let me know how you like the Jambalaya recipe and any adaptions you make below!
Happy cooking!
RELATED! Ethnic-Inspired Instant Pot Recipes from around the Globe!
xoxo
Print
Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: main, seafood,
- Method: instant pot, stove top
- Cuisine: Southern
Description
A delicious and easy recipe for Jambalaya! This flavorful version can be made in an Instant Pot or on the Stove Top. Flavorful!!!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12–16 ounces chicken andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, sliced
- 1 red (or green) bell pepper, large dice
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped ( or sub one small can green chilies)
- 4–6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth ( or shellfish broth)
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dry thyme )
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons regular paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce ( if using chicken broth, trust me)
- ———-
- 8–16 ounces large raw shrimp ( peeled and de-veined, if frozen see notes)
- Optional additions: 1 cup fresh or frozen peas and 1 cup asparagus, 2 cups roasted veggies, or 1 can cooked chickpeas.
- Garnish: scallions, parsley, hot sauce.
Instructions
- In a Instant Pot, using the saute function, heat oil and add sausage and sauté for about 5 minutes or until browned. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeño, and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes and their juices, broth , thyme, oregano, bay leaves, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne and fish sauce.
- Bring to a simmer and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot ( this will help prevent the “burn error” from turning on while pressure cooking). I find using a wooden spoon works best here. Add the rice, give a good stir (see note about shrimp!)and set Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 5 minutes.
- Let naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release, covering steam spout with a kitchen towel.
- Stir in thawed shrimp and let this cook on “warm” setting for 5-7 minutes ( depending on size), adding peas and asparagus at the same time. When shrimp is done ( it will look pink) taste for salt and spice level, adding more to taste.
- Garnish with sliced green onion and chopped parsley.
Notes
I use fish sauce in the recipe to replace the traditional shellfish broth. It works!
If using large frozen raw shrimp, feel free to add to Instant pot and let it pressure cook with the rice. If using thawed or cooked shrimp, add to the pot after pressure cooking. If adding after – I prefer to give shrimp a quick sear in an oiled pan on the stove, adding pinch of salt and smoked paprika. It just looks more appealing, but it is not mandatory. Up to you.
RICE: If using other types of rice ( like brown rice) You may need to pressure cook longer or increase the broth. I’ve only tested with while long grain rice.
STOVE TOP Version:
- If making on STOVE TOP – heat oil over medium heat, add sausage and brown each side, about 5 minutes. Set the sausage aside, and add to the same pan, the onion ( a little more oil if necessary)and saute until fragrant and golden. Add celery, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeño, lowing heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until tender. Return the browned sausage to the pan.
- Add rice, and stir about 3 minutes until lightly toasted. Add tomatoes and their juices, broth , thyme, bay leaves, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne and fish sauce.
- Scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a boil. Scrape up again. Reduce heat to low.
- Cover, and cook for 20-45 minutes or until rice is tender. ( Check cooking time on package- all brown rice is different depending on size and thickness- quick cooking brown rice will take 15-20 mins, long grain 30-40-ish mins, short grain brown 40-50 mins. My advise, check at 20 mins, then 30, then 40. 🙂
- Nestle in the shrimp, asparagus and peas, cover and cook for 5-10 more minutes, until shrimp is cooked through. (I like to saute shrimp and season with smoked paprika beforehand just for nice color and texture. Optional. )
- Garnish with green onion, parsley and or hot sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: -using chicken sausage and 8 ounces shrimp
- Calories: 496
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 871.5 mg
- Fat: 15.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 58.2 g
- Fiber: 6.1 g
- Protein: 32.5 g
- Cholesterol: 135.9 mg
Keywords: jambalaya recipe, best jambalaya recipe, instant pot jambalaya, how to make jambalaya in an instant pot, best instant pot recipes
Excellent! The subtle fish sauce makes it so much better. Next time, I’ll find a way for brown rice.
Great to hear!
Made the recipe with my partner and it came out delicious. My only issue is that it came out quite liquidy, is there anything we could’ve done wrong that made it so?
What kind of rice did you use? That could have been it?
Delicious! I subbed a packet of Old Bay seasoning instead of the suggested spices & it was delicious.
★★★★★
How long would you recommend pressure cooking for brown rice? Will increasing the time of press cook impact the vegetables or sausage at all? Want to use brown rice for this recipe but don’t want to overcook the rest of the ingredients.
Pressure cook 15 minutes. Make sure to add shrimp after the pressure cooking. 🙂 Should be ok??
I am a little confused where the asparagus and peas come from. They are not listed in the ingredients! Am i missing something obvious?
They are at the end of the recipe ingredeints- you add at the very end.
SO GOOD!!! This was my first recipe using the instant pot so I followed the recipe exactly (just used 2 c. rice instead of 1.5 based on other reviews) and it turned out perfect!!! Beautifully spicy and flavorful. I used the Minute brand Brown Rice and it cooked perfect (not mushy) in 5 mins as well. 🙂 Thank you for such a good recipe!!
★★★★★
I don’t eat meat, if I only use seafood and vegetables do the liquid amount stay the same? I only just bought a instant pot and I would like to try this recipe. Thank you for your suggestions
I would double the seafood, and keep everything else the same.
So delicious! Came out perfect! 🍴
★★★★★
I was a little hesitant to try this recipe because my husband is from Cajun country and he always cooks this when we have it. He was pleasantly surprised.
We go for spicy in our household. My modifications: added 1.5 lbs chicken breast, 2 jalapeños (instead of 1), 2 bell peppers (instead of 1), brown rice, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 can original rotel (instead of crushed tomatoes), 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp white pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, and pressure cooked for 15 min (for the brown rice). No garnish, no shrimp (didn’t have any on hand), and I skipped the optional additions.
★★★★★
Looking forward to making this! We are not a fan of shrimp. Could we throw in frozen chicken thighs instead? I’m new to instant pots and curious if that would work or if we would need to thaw them out first.
I think the frozen thighs take much longer than the 5 minutes pressure cooking time in the recipe- so your chicken would not be done. I would thaw and brown them first then add to pot.
Very tasty! I made the recipe as written, except (aren’t there always excepts? Sorry) we used pork andouille, and chicken breast (cooked it first) instead of the shrimp (because bugs. Ew.)
I read the comments first and I’m glad, because upping the long grain rice to 2 cups, and shorting the broth to 3.5 cups was perfect. There’s still a little liquid in the bottom but I imagine it’ll be absorbed as it cools and the rice is not mushy.
The only thing I’d change next time is less thyme. It’s pretty overpowering (I used the 1 level teaspoon of dried). I’d maybe even omit it altogether unless a person is a huge fan of thyme.
★★★★
Hi! is the 1 cup asparagus meant to be frozen or fresh? Would you change the cook time whether it’s frozen or fresh?
I used fresh! I think it would be the same time, either way.
Delicious! I will certainly make it again but pressure cook longer than the suggested 5 minutes. The rice was a tad undercooked.
★★★★★
I wanted to increase this recipe to serve 9 people. What would I increase rice and liquid to?
Could you just 1 1/2 times the recipe?
I cut the broth in half (2 cups). Rice was perfect… consistency of final dish was perfect.
I really enjoyed the flavor and heat in this recipe. I left the seeds and ribs in from the jalapeño, used a medium spiced andouille sausage and the 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne. Very nice heat and delicious flavor. I also added 3/4 lb. chicken thighs.
Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Thanks Tom! What kind of rice did you use?