Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

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A quick and easy Instant Pot version of the Southern classic.

Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

Have you caught on to the Instant Pot craze? I have! I couldn’t avoid the trend for too long, and now that I have an Instant Pot, I’m hooked. These electric pressure cookers make it so easy to put a home cooked dinner on the table. Now that I have one, I want to use it for everything. This Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe is a perfect example of why I love my Instant Pot so much. It takes a recipe that I would normally only make on a weekend and transforms it into a quick-and-easy weeknight dinner.

In addition to being easy to make, this Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe is full of nutrient-dense ingredients. It triples the protein by using sausage, chicken, and shrimp. And, you get to keep dinner low-carb and gluten-free by using heart-healthy brown rice instead of grains.

The dish is also full of nutritious vegetables. Actually, the dish gets most of its flavor from the red and green bell peppers, onions, celery, and tomatoes. Then, we add a little Cajun seasoning to spice things up a little bit. If you’ve never had Jambalaya before, you’re in for a real treat!

Let’s Talk Jambalaya

Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

This classic dish combines sausage, chicken, and shrimp with vegetables and rice. It is mostly flavored from the meats, but the vegetables add a nice fresh taste and the tomatoes create a sauce to cook the rice. It’s always a one-pot meal, but it just comes together so much more quickly when using the Instant Pot.

Traditionally, I would let my Jambalaya simmer away for a long time to let those flavors come together and meld. When they finally came together, I’d pop in my rice and finish it off 30 minutes later. This is really where you can see the Instant Pot making the magic happen.

Why The Instant Pot Works So Well

Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

Since the Instant Pot cooks food under pressure, it’s able to build flavors a lot more rapidly than with traditional cooking techniques. The steam builds up inside the pressure cooker and super heats the contents. Before you know it, you have an unbelievably flavorful dish in only 7 minutes cook time.

The other thing that makes this Instant Pot Jambalaya perfect? It’s the Saute button. That button allows you to sear the chicken and sausage before sweating down your onions and peppers. That means that unlike the slow cooker (where you would have to brown meat in a separate pan), the Instant Pot is a one-pot cooker.

That makes cleanup quick and easy! While you’re waiting for your Instant Pot to depressurize, you’ll have cleaned up your knives and cutting boards. All you’ll have left to clean after dinner is the Instant Pot itself – how easy is that?

We can’t wait to hear what you think about this healthy, tasty, and easy Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe. Be sure to make leftovers, because this is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day. And let us know what you thought in the comments!

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Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

Enjoy this Southern classic, cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Yield 6 people
Serving Size 1.5 cups
Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Southern

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup smoked rope sausage low sodium and sulfate-free, cut into 1/2 inch thick half moons
  • 12 ounces boneless and skinless chicken breasts cubed small
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice
  • 30 ounces diced tomatoes cans, low-sodium
  • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 pound shrimp raw, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 cup parsley fresh, chopped

Instructions

  • Set the Instant Pot to the "Saute" setting and add 1/3 of the oil to the pot. Once hot, add the sausage and cook just until seared, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.
  • Drizzle another 1/3 of the oil into the pot and add the chicken, cook just until the chicken begins to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
  • Still in the "Saute" setting, heat the last of the olive oil. Add the onion, red and green bell peppers, celery, and garlic Cook just until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme, Cajun seasoning, and rice. Stir until all ingredients are coated in the seasonings. Stir in the cooked chicken, cooked sausage, and the remaining ingredients, except the parsley.
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is in the sealed position. Change the setting to "Manual" with high pressure and set the timer for 7 minutes. When the time is complete, let the pressure release naturally by allowing the pot to sit for about 10 minutes before manually releasing the steam and removing the lid.
  • Scoop the jambalaya into serving bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 395mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 7
Keywords dairy-free, High Protein, Instant Pot, Quick and Easy, Seafood

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Chef Nichole

Nichole has a culinary degree from Great Lakes Culinary Institute and has worked in the culinary industry for 10 years. She also has the knowledge to write recipes using the most nutritious, fresh, and balanced ingredients. Nichole enjoys creating healthy and tasty recipes anyone can prepare, no matter their cooking skill level.

More by Chef Nichole

21 Comments

    1. I’m sorry to hear your recipe didn’t turn out! Sometimes the type/brand of rice you use could make a difference. It’s also very important you allow the steam to vent naturally for about 10 minutes as listed in the recipe as this will help the rice to continue cooking!

    1. Hi Stefano, if your cooker is unable to reach pressure there is more likely an issue with your cooker itself and not the food to water ratio. However, you’re more than welcome to try different combinations if you feel the ratio does not work for your cooker.

      1. Hi Joy, please feel free to adjust the recipe to fit your personal preferences. Sometimes different equipment or a different rice will take longer to cook.

    1. To make this on the stove top, follow the directions in the recipe to saute the ingredients. Instead of placing the lid on the Instant Pot and cooking in the pressure cooker, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Top with fresh parsley.

  1. The flavor on this is amazing!! But my rice is def uncooked… I just used a bag of brown rice maybe next time try uncle Bens

    1. Hi Cassandra, a quicker cooking brown rice (more like an instant rice) might work better. You can also increase the cooking time as needed!

  2. Is there a typo for the olive oil? I can’t add only 1/3 OF a tablespoon. Do you mean 1/3 of a cup? Or am I missing something altogether?

    1. Hi Angie, the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of olive oil. This will be used in three different places, hence why in the instructions it says to use 1/3 of the olive oil. To help measure, you can use about 1 and 1/4 teaspoon to roughly equal 1/3 tablespoon.

  3. I think you need to specify the type of rice. I used mahatma brown rice and followed the recipe exactly. My rice was way undercooked.
    The flavor is great and I will try it again with a quicker cooking rice.

    1. Hi Shelly! For all our recipes we use a standard rice instead of gourmet varieties (unless listed).

  4. I would wait to add the shrimp until the cooking has finished and you can remove the lid. Then, add the shrimp and put the lid back on for 10 minutes. It works perfectly with my IP gumbo recipe.

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