This pressure cooker shrimp paella made in my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker will knock your socks off. And if you're not wearing socks, It'll make your toes curl. Not only does it have tons of flavor, it comes together so quickly with only a five minute high pressure cook time in the Instant Pot.
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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
I'm bizack with another Instant Pot recipe...and I'm super excited to share this one because it's such a quick and easy meal.
Although I love to cook, most weeknights I'm exhausted and I'd rather not stand in front of the stove. I'd rather not dirty up pots and pans. I'd rather order out but then my bank account says "no ma'am."
It's days like that that recipes in my Instant Pot are so important. If you haven't gotten an Instant Pot yet, you're so missing out. It is one of my all time favorite kitchen appliances, outside of my oven.
I go on and on about it in my post of Instant Pot Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge so I won't do that again here. But for those that don't know, it's an electronic pressure cooker that pretty much cuts cooking time in half.
It has a sauté function that makes it great for browning meats and softening onions that are part of meals.
Alrighty, so about this Instant Pot pressure cooker shrimp paella. Well I always keep a bag of raw frozen shrimp in our freezer at home. I love frozen shrimp because the defrost time is so quick and the cook time of shrimp is so fast.
The great thing about this recipe is that you don't even have to defrost the shrimp. It's a literally a throw it in the pot kind of recipe. And if you prep your ingredients ahead of time by chopping the onions, peppers, and garlic...well my friend, you may break the record for the quickest dinner on the table.
Your family will love this Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella
I remember the first time I made this for my family, my daughter literally was shocked and thought I ordered out and didn't tell her. She couldn't believe how quickly dinner was done. I just told her I was Super Mom. She was indeed impressed.
People don't generally think of cooking shrimp in the pressure cooker. That makes sense because shrimp cooks quickly and if it's not done right it can lead to a rubbery mess.
The key to avoiding this of course is a short cooking time and using jumbo frozen shrimp with shell on. This will ensure your shrimp is perfectly cooked.
The only slight annoyance with this recipe is the taking the shell off after cooking and before serving. Honestly, it's up to you how you handle that part. On days I'm really tired, hubby and daughter are on their own when it comes to taking off the shells. On other days, I remove it for them so I don't hear their whining.
I've include step by step photos of how to cook this meal in the Instant Pot. I remember when I first got my Instant Pot I was lost on how to operate it. After pressing buttons and reading the manual 4 times, I figured it out. Well, as always, Enjoy 🙂
Pin Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella for Later 🙂
Looking for more Pressure Cooker Recipes? Try these out:
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice (NY Street Cart)
Instant Pot Salmon with Creamy Herb Sauce
Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp, shell and tail on frozen
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
- 4 Tablespoon butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup cilantro optional
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Saute function. Add butter to pot and melt. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for about a minute more. Add paprika, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and saffron threads. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add red peppers. Add rice and stir. Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add chicken broth and white wine. Deglaze your pot by stirring to ensure that there is no food stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add shrimp on top. Turn off Instant Pot and cover. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set Instant Pot to Manual Mode and set a 5 minute timer. When done, quick release. Remove shrimp from pot and peel if desired. Serve with Cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Make sure there are no dry bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. This could result in that annoying "burn" signal some pressure cookers give off. Once you add your broth (but before you place frozen shrimp on top), stir with a wooden spoon to ensure there is no food stuck to the bottom.
- This recipe was prepared in a 6qt Instant Pot. Please adjust accordingly for 3qt and 8qt models.
Nutrition
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Notes on Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella
- Use raw jumbo frozen shrimp with the shell on. This will ensure that your shrimp is not overcooked and your rice cooks perfectly. If you don't have jumbo shrimp or it's not frozen, then you will need to cook the shrimp seperatley.
- Make sure to deglaze your pot after the rice is added. Any food stuck to the bottom of an Instant Pot may cause the "burn signal to appear."
- This recipe can be modified with many different vegetable or meat additions. There are some great modifications on the comments below.
- Rinsed rice...I find this is a must in every rice recipe I make.
Step by Step Photos of Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella
Adapted from Health Starts in the Kitchen.
Molly says
I made this recipe and followed it exactly. Got the burn notice. Took food out, cleaned inner pot, let cool down, added more liquid, got burn notice again. Happened twice. Everything cooked without every even getting to actual “cook” mode....good flavor but the burn message was very frustrating!!! Any tips? I deglazed pot so please don’t suggest that...
Tanya says
Hey Molly, sorry to hear about the burn on your IP. There are a few newer IP models that are known to be more sensitive than others and likely to give off a burn warning even when there isn’t food burning. Here’s an article that you may find helpful when it comes to burn signals in the IP. https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-burn-message/
Molly says
Any specific type of white wine?
Tanya says
Hi Molly, I typically use Pinot Grigio.
Bill Engfer says
how do you clean/ devein the shrimp leaving the shell on?
Tanya says
Some frozen brands are deveined shell on. I'd purchase those.
Andrea says
Tanya, this was fantastic! Used short grain brown rice, subbed chopped tomatoes for the white wine and squeezed fresh lemon on top. Thank you.
Lori Ammann says
My husband & I thought this was very good! It had a creamy consistency and good flavor. I added andouille sausage at the beginning, then the onions etc. Will make again when I dont feel like slaving over my non IP paella!
Meeka says
Hi Tanya, how would you suggest adjusting for the 3qt? Would I reduce everything by half and cook for the same amount of time?
Thanks!
Tanya says
Hi Meeka, I haven't tested this in a 3qt so I couldn't say for sure the necessary adaptations that need to be made. I believe all the ingredients should fit inside the 3qt and cooked just the same as it would be cooked in the 6 qt. If you need to cut the recipe in half I would keep the cook times the same. Here's a good article that discusses modifying 6qt recipes for the 3 qt recipes. https://mycrazygoodlife.com/instant-pot-cooking-differences/
Meeka says
Thanks! I'm excited to try it
Tortuga says
Nothing like paella, but it was ok, edible. Hubby said not to save the left overs. I've never had a burn notice before and I did this time. It was salvageable but definitely not a family favorite. We added salt and pepper. Traditional paella cooking is important for this dish I think.
MAC says
Very disappointed. Did everything just as recipe said. Thoroughly deglazed pan. Displayed BURN. Added more liquid scraped what was brown on the bottom up and tried again. BURN... this is my first try at using my IP and now I’m scared to try anything else.
Tanya says
Hi Mac, some Instant Pots are more prone to burn signals than others. It's a common problem among certain models. Here's a link that explains it more thoroughly. https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-burn-message/
Sean says
Hello, ty for the recipe! But I think 5 minutes isn't enough. Mine looked like rice soup, I also patted the shrimps dry. Anyways, smells really good though! Thanks again
Jo says
I've made this at least a dozen times and the family gobbles it up. I use Arborio and jasmine rice and instant pot for 7 minutes. Lots of mixing so that there's no burn signal and it turns out perfect every time! Also cook shrimp separately and add it at the very end; add more broth instead of wine. Love it!
Todd Bissell says
I used smaller shrimp, and it still turned out amazing! Only downside to the smaller shrimps was having a lot more to peel by hand! But I had a tall glass of white wine to ease my burdens and I made it work. My wife was very impressed with the end result. 🙂
Angela says
Hi Tanya, I plan on making this tonight. My question is this: I have an 8-qt Instant Pot (Bless his heart my husband thought that bigger was better when he bought this for me) and have been having a lot of problems with my burn message. I have been doing a lot of research and figured out it is because most recipes were designed for the 6-qt pot, which I know you used to make this. Do you have any suggestions on how much extra liquid I should add to avoid that nasty burn message? I know the shrimp will give off liquid while cooking and I don't want to end up with soggy rice, so I am finding myself in a pickle. Hoping you or someone out there will help! I'll let you know how it turns out!
Tanya says
Hi Angela, I don’t have an 8qt but I would double the amount of rice and the amount of broth this recipe calls for. That way you meet the minimum liquid requirement for the 8qt. Keep the cook time the same.
Angela says
Thank you!!! I made it tonight and it was INSANELY GOOD!!! The only thing I added were some chopped green onions to garnish because well I put them on everything. We devoured it and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!! This is the first recipe of yours I tried and it won’t be the last. Thanks again!!!
Tanya says
Awesome! So glad it worked out for you in the 8qt 🙂
Pamela says
Great recipe! So easy to make and a quick dinner. The rice and shrimp were cooked to perfection! So much flavor. Will definitely be my go to for a quick meal!
John D'Agostino says
I made this tonight for the first time and it was very good. My only comment/complaint/question is that there was quite a bit of liquid in the pot when it was done. The rice was a bit al dente but certainly edible, a little like risotto, and the shrimp was perfectly cooked, but the 1/2-inch of "yellow soup" was a surprise. The dish didn't look "dry" like the photos above. I'm wondering two things: 1) should I have cooked it one minute longer than the 5 minutes called for, or 2) should I have removed the caked-on ice from the frozen shrimp, which might have contributed to the liquid?
Tanya says
If there is extra liquid in the pot, my guess is that the shrimp is releasing a bit more water than expected. I'd reduce the chicken broth by a bit next time or remove the caked on ice from the shrimp. You can also try reducing the broth by about 1/4 cup.
Nicole says
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!
Cherry says
Just came from Barcelona so was craving for paella. Chanced upon this recipe and followed it to the letter. This was soooo good! Since I am not a fan of bellpepper I might omit it next time. Curious, what flavor does saffron add to the dish? It is pretty expensive! Anyway, want to ask, if I double the dish do I just double everything - liquid, spices and rice - but keep cooking time to 5 minutes? Want to make more in one cooking. Thanks in advance.
Tanya says
Hi Cherry, So glad you liked it! I added the saffron because most authetic paella recipes call for it. The flavor from the saffron is so light that the dish can be made without it. Many people skip it all together and the dish works just fine. And yes, if doubling the recipe, keep the cook time the same. It may just take your machine a little longer to come to pressure.
Brittany says
Amazing and easy!
Tanya says
Yay, thanks for the feedback. So glad you liked it.