Seafood Jambalaya (Pressure-cooker)

This hearty seafood jambalaya is a fast and simple recipe, thanks to your electric pressure cooker! It's great for meal prep, and freezes well as a make-ahead meal.

If you've ever traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, you've likely had the pleasure of enjoying authentic Creole and Cajun cooking. There's honestly nothing quite like it!

This Seafood Jambalaya recipe is a Creole dish that's a mix of French, Indian, and Spanish cuisine influences. It starts with what's known as the Holy Trinity in Cajun and Creole cooking: onions, celery, and peppers. It's a tasty flavor base for jambalaya, which is a dish consisting of a mix of rice, vegetables, and meat.

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🍤 Gather your ingredients

To make this tasty seafood Creole recipe, you'll need:

Andouille Sausage – This adds a tasty bit of a kick to the dish! You can also use a mild Italian sausage if you prefer this dish to be super mild.

Onions – Use yellow onions in this recipe, or white onions. If you only have red onions, you can substitute those, but be aware that they may lend a quite sharp flavor to the dish. You can also add green onions as a final garnish.

Celery – We prefer finely chopped celery in this dish but some people prefer larger chopped chunks of celery. Go with how you generally prefer celery in dishes.

Bell pepper – Bell peppers complete the Holy Trinity of Cajun/Creole cooking. For this recipe, We prefer red bell pepper. But you can use green bell pepper instead.

Garlic – We use 2 or 3 garlic cloves in this recipe. You can cut that to one clove if you prefer a more subtle garlic flavor. But definitely include at least one clove; this recipe isn't the same without garlic, and garlic powder is not an equal substitute.

Cajun seasoning – We keep mine pretty simple for this recipe — simply dried oregano, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.

Rice – Rinse and drain long grain white rice for this jambalaya recipe.

Chicken broth – use homemade or store-bought chicken broth

Raw shrimp – Jumbo shrimp or large shrimp work best for this recipe. You'll want to peel and de-vein the shrimp.

Peas – Frozen peas are great for this recipe!

👩🏽‍🍳 How to make seafood jambalaya in the Pressure-cooker

Detailed instructions and exact measurements are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

STEP 1 – Select Sear/Sauté on your Pressure-cooker, then set to HI. Select Start/Stop to begin. Let preheat for 5 minutes.

STEP 2 – Pour the olive oil into the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the sausage and sear it evenly on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

STEP 3 – Add the onion, red pepper, celery, garlic, paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper to the pot. Sauté for 2 minutes, simply until vegetables are soft and fragrant. Add a tablespoon or so of chicken broth to the pot then use a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Select Start/Stop. Stir in the uncooked rice, tomatoes, kosher salt, and black pepper.

STEP 4 – Pour in the remaining chicken broth and gently press down on the rice and vegetable mixture to submerge it in the liquid.

STEP 5 – Assemble the pressure lid, making sure the pressure release valve is in the Seal position. Select Pressure and set to HI. Set the time to 5 minutes. Select Start/Stop to begin.

STEP 6 – When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, quick release remaining pressure by moving the pressure release valve to the Vent position. Carefully remove the lid when the unit has finished releasing pressure.

STEP 7 – Stir the ingredients in the pot. Immediately add the sausage, shrimp, and peas. Gently push the shrimp down a bit so it's mostly covered by the rice.

STEP 8 – Re-assemble the lid and seal, then allow the shrimp to cook in the residual heat until shrimp is fully cooked, between 5 and 10 minutes. Once the shrimp has turned pink and is cooked, stir the ingredients to combine, and serve.

💡Recipe FAQs

How do you store seafood jambalaya?

Let the jambalaya cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to four days.

What's the best way to reheat seafood jambalaya?

The best way to reheat it is in a pot or pan over the stove with a little bit of oil. That will retain the seafood flavors and texture the most. You can also microwave it for 1-2 minutes if you prefer.

⏲ Tools & equipment you need to make this recipe

To start: you need either an electric pressure cooker, like a 6-quart Pressure-cooker or 8-quart Pressure-cooker, or other electric pressure cooker. NOTE: We make this recipe in the Pressure-cooker Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker.

You will also need:

Cutting board
Chef's knife
Wooden spoon

🍽 What to serve with seafood jambalaya

Because this is a hearty, satisfying main course in and of itself, you don't need to serve much in addition to this seafood jambalaya for dinner.

Add a side of veggies and/or fruit, and you're set! We like to serve it with Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots. It's also tasty with simple Air Fryer Broccoli.

🍷 What wine pairs with seafood jambalaya

While this recipe is not spicy, it does have big, bold flavors. Pair seafood jambalaya with an off-dry Riesling.

If you're in the mood for red wine, stay away from wines with high tannins, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. High tannins tend to make the spices more pronounced. Instead, opt for a soft, low tannin red wine, such as a Spanish Rioja or a Pinot Noir.

More pressure cooker recipes

Seafood Jambalaya

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 36 mins Total Time: 46 mins Servings: 6 people This is soul-soothing Southern comfort food that freezes and reheats well, making it ideal for meal planning.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces Andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch thick slices
1/2 cup yellow or white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups large shrimp, peeled, tails removed (about 22 to 24 shrimp)
1/2 cup peas

Instructions

Select Sear/Sauté, set to HI. Select Start/Stop to begin. Let preheat for 5 minutes.
Pour the olive oil into the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the sausage and sear it evenly on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper to the pot. Sauté for 2 minutes, simply until vegetables are soft and fragrant. Add a tablespoon or so of chicken broth to the pot then use a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Select Start/Stop. Stir in the rice, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
Pour in the remaining chicken broth and gently press down on the rice and vegetable mixture to submerge it in the liquid.
Assemble the pressure lid, making sure the pressure release valve is in the Seal position. Select Pressure and set to HI. Set the time to 5 minutes. Select Start/Stop to begin.
When pressure cooking is complete, allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, quick release remaining pressure by moving the pressure release valve to the Vent position. Carefully remove the lid when the unit has finished releasing pressure.
Stir ingredients in the pot. Immediately add the sausage, shrimp, and peas. Gently push the shrimp down a bit so it's mostly covered by the rice.
Re-assemble the lid and seal, then allow the shrimp to cook in the residual heat until shrimp is fully cooked, between 5 and 10 minutes. Once the shrimp has turned pink and is cooked, stir the ingredients to combine, and serve.

Notes

Equipment: We make this in the Pressure-cooker Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker (8 quart). You can also make this in an 8 quart Pressure-cooker. If you make this in a 6-quart Pressure-cooker, be sure not to overfill the pot and keep all ingredients below the maximum fill line. Do NOT attempt to make this recipe in a 3-quart Pressure-cooker. Variation Tip: To make this mild, substitute your favorite mild sausage or bratwurst for the Andouille sausage, use regular paprika instead of smoked paprika, and leave out the cayenne pepper. Storage Tip: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to four days, or freeze for up to three months. To reheat, add one tablespoon of water per individual serving and reheat in the microwave in 1-minute increments.

Nutrition

Calories: 509 kcal, Carbohydrates: 45 g, Protein: 32 g, Fat: 22 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 199 mg, Sodium: 1627 mg, Potassium: 528 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 3 g, Vitamin A: 1226 IU, Vitamin C: 32 mg, Calcium: 103 mg, Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.