Name: Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Water; 1 1/2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning, (divided (or use a good splash of Zatarain's® Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil liquid)); 1 tsp Coarse Salt ((or 1/2 tsp table salt)); 1 lb New Potatoes, (small, 4 oz size, or cut larger ones in quarters); 1 Onion, (cut in thick slices); 6 cloves Garlic, (roughly chopped); 2 Bay Leaves; 1 Lemon, (quartered); 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning, (divided (optional)); 2 ears Corn on the Cob, (cut in thirds); 1 lb Smoked Sausage, ((cooked) cut in 2" pieces); 2 lbs Shrimp, raw, large to jumbo size ((easy peel, or split & deveined) partially frozen is best); Butter, (for dipping); Crusty Bread

Jump to Recipe

Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil is a fun and super easy meal to make! Potatoes, sausage, corn and shrimp cooked together with seafood seasoning and Cajun spices. Pressure cooker low country shrimp boil is ready in a little over an hour total! Dump it on the table and dig in!

Shrimp Boil on paper napkins on a baking sheet

Originally Published 6/28/18

Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil

We love going to those restaurants that dump the shrimp boil right on the table. Then they hand you a bib and a mallet and leave you to just dive in!

You can have the same experience in your own home. This pressure cooker shrimp boil is an Instant Pot dump and start recipe, so it's easy to make.

Which potatoes are the best to use?

Baby red potatoes and small new potatoes are the best as they cook to the perfect tenderness!

If you use larger potatoes, it would be good to cut them in half or quarters for faster cooking, and to help the rest of the ingredients fit in the pot.

What size of shrimp work best in Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil?

I like to use Extra Large 26/30 shrimp, or Large‎ ‎31/35. The number refers to how many shrimp per pound. Small number = larger shrimp.

I have the best results using frozen shrimp. The pot is very full, so it takes a long time to come to pressure. The shrimp thaws in that warmup time.

If you are interested in learning more about shrimp sizes and such, my friend Jessica Gavin, a Culinary Scientist, has a very good article you may like to read: Types and Sizes of Shrimp.

Here's how easy it is to make Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil:

If you are using small, unfrozen shrimp, you may only need to cook for 1 minute. I do recommend smaller potatoes in that instance.

A Family Friendly Meal

This Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil is a fun meal that will get the family around the dinner table. There's something for everyone!

Kids really like this Instant Pot Shrimp Boil. They get to eat with their hands, and you can include sausage that is not spicy for them. I like using kielbasa.

If you do like a spicy sausage, Andouille is very good in this recipe! Or use both kinds.

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4.93 from 13 votes

Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

2 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Instant Pot Low Country Shrimp Boil is a fun and super easy meal to make! Potatoes, sausage, corn and shrimp cooked together with Cajun spices. Dump it on the table and dig in!

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pressure cooker low country shrimp boil

Servings: 4 - 6

Calories: 438 kcal

Author: Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

2 cups Water
1 ½ Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning, divided (or use a good splash of Zatarain's® Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil liquid)
1 tsp Coarse Salt (or ½ tsp table salt)
1 lb New Potatoes, small, 4 oz size, or cut larger ones in quarters
1 Onion, cut in thick slices
6 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
2 Bay Leaves
1 Lemon, quartered
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning, divided (optional)
2 ears Corn on the Cob, cut in thirds
1 lb Smoked Sausage, (cooked) cut in 2" pieces
2 lbs Shrimp, raw, large to jumbo size (easy peel, or split & deveined) partially frozen is best

Serve With

Butter, for dipping
Crusty Bread

Instructions

Have all of your potatoes, corn, sausage, onion, garlic & lemon chopped or cut before you start cooking. Also have the spices there with you as it will make this go faster/easier, and everything will cook at the proper times.
Add 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker and turn on the Sauté setting to get the water warming up.
Add the Old Bay seasoning (or shrimp boil seasoning), and salt.
Add Potatoes, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and lemon. Then sprinkle with some of the Cajun seasoning.
Add the Corn and sprinkle it with a little more of the Cajun seasoning.
Add the sausage.
Add the shrimp and sprinkle with more Cajun Seasoning and some of the Old Bay seasoning.
Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position, Then cancel the Sauté setting.
Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial and then the + or - button or dial to select 2 minutes for frozen shrimp (1 minute for fresh shrimp). It will take several minutes to come up to pressure. Use High Pressure.
When the cook cycle is finished, turn the steam release knob to the Venting position and do a Quick Release of the steam/pressure. This will take a few minutes as the pot is full.
Open the lid once the pin has dropped down. Turn off the pot.
Use a spider skimmer or large slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp boil contents to a large bowl.
At this point you can dump it onto a table lined with newspaper or butcher paper, or put it on a baking sheet pan and serve it from there.
Melt some butter for dipping, and serve with some crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

TIP: If you keep the shells on the shrimp, and keep them partially frozen, they will not be overcooked.

Resources to make This Recipe and More

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