Instant Pot Jambalaya

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 04/29/21
Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe

The Spruce / Diana Rattray
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Jambalaya is one of those all-in-one dishes where almost anything goes. Like many Cajun and Creole dishes, jambalaya starts with the "holy trinity" of onions, celery, and green bell pepper. The addition of tomatoes makes it more of a Creole-style jambalaya.

This Instant Pot version includes chicken, shrimp, and spicy andouille sausage. Feel free to omit the shrimp if you like, or replace it with crawfish, scallops, or extra chicken and sausage. Or add some extra vegetables—sliced okra, thinly sliced carrots, and chopped chili peppers are just a few of the many possibilities.

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Ingredients

  • 4 green onions
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
  • 12 ounces andouille sausage (sliced)
  • 1 pound skinless and boneless chicken thighs (diced)
  • 1 yellow onion (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 green bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
  • 4 ribs celery (chopped)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (or Cajun)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 heaping teaspoon fresh thyme leaves)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups unsalted or low sodium chicken stock
  • Kosher salt (to taste)
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • 12 ounces shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • Garnish: fresh parsley (chopped, optional)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    ingredients for instant pot jambalaya
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  2. Cut off the root end of the green onions and slice them thinly, keeping the white and light green parts separate from the dark green parts. Set aside.

    green onions or scallions, sliced and separated
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  3. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the Instant Pot inner pot and select the sauté button. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the sliced andouille sausage. Cook the sausage slices for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to paper towels to drain and set aside.

    saute the sausage
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  4. Add the diced chicken to the pot along with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

    saute the chicken
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  5. Add the chopped yellow onion to the pot along with the bell pepper and celery. If necessary, add more vegetable oil. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent, stirring frequently.

    add the onion, bell pepper, and celery
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  6. Add the minced garlic, Creole seasonings, and thyme to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute longer. Cancel the sauté function.

    Add the seasonings and garlic
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  7. Add the bay leaf and chicken stock. Stir, scraping the bottom to ensure there are no browned bits stuck to the pan. Taste and add salt if needed. 

    Add chicken stock to the instant pot
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  8. Add the tomatoes (with their juices) along with the rice and the white and light green parts of the sliced green onions. Return the sausage and chicken to the pot. Stir to combine the ingredients.

    combine jambalaya ingredients in the instant pot
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  9. Lock the lid in place and turn the steam release knob to the sealing position. Select the manual or pressure cook button (high pressure) and set the timer to 7 minutes. When the time is up, do a quick release following the manufacturer's instructions. When the float valve drops, remove the cover—the pot will automatically switch to the keep warm setting.

    steam release knob in the venting position
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  10. Add the shrimp to the pot and stir to combine the ingredients. Cover the pot and let it stand on the warm setting for 10 minutes. The shrimp should be cooked through.

    add the shrimp to the cooked jambalaya mixture
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  11. Remove the cover and stir in about half of the reserved dark green parts of the sliced green onions. 

    add the green onion tops
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

  12. Garnish servings with the remaining dark green parts of the green onions and chopped parsley, if desired.

    serving of Instant Pot jambalaya with shrimp
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Recipe Variation

  • Leave out the shrimp or replace it with other seafood, or more sausage or chicken.

What's the Difference Between Gumbo and Jambalya?

The biggest difference between gumbo and jambalaya is the rice. Gumbo's rice is cooked separately, while Jambalaya puts the rice in the same pot as the other ingredients.