This easy and delicious Instant Pot shrimp risotto recipe features a touch of lemon, peas and lots of Parmesan and is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto
This shrimp risotto with peas and lemon is quick and easy to make. Using the Instant Pot is a great way to make a risotto for anyone who is a little intimidated by this dish. It's quick to prepare with minimal stirring and perfect results every time!
This risotto features lemon, peas, and frozen shrimp, which is more affordable and works better with timings as you can cook everything together. Butter and Parmesan are added at the end for extra flavor and creaminess and a few shrimp are grilled or pan-fried to be served on top.
The risotto is super creamy with a little tang from the lemon and plenty of umami flavors from cheese, stock and shrimp. Enjoy!
What To Serve With Shrimp Risotto
As with most risotto recipes, this one is a great standalone dish but there are a few side dishes that go well with this shrimp risotto:
- A crisp, fresh green salad will lighten up the whole meal. You can use any lettuce but some arugula, baby spinach or other darker green leaves will add more nutrients. Candied or maple walnuts or pecans, beets or cherry tomatoes would go well for a little sweetness in the salad.
- Steamed or grilled broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts or zucchini with garlic would be a very complimentary here.
- Want to add even more substance to this meal? Bake some garlic bread or serve garlicky toast on the side, which will goes well with any risotto.
Ingredients For Shrimp Risotto
- Arborio rice - this is special risotto rice that contains lots of starch and makes the dish so creamy; don't rinse the rice before cooking!
- Shrimp - we are using frozen shrimp as it's more affordable and you don't have to peel it, plus it allows you to cook everything together. Raw, thawed shrimp would require very little cooking compared to rice, so frozen is better in this recipe. A few shrimp pieces are thawed out in lukewarm water and pan-fried or grilled separately to be served on top of the risotto.
- Stock - you will need lots of stock to make sure there is enough to absorb into the rice and to leave some in the pot for thickening into that creamy sauce. Vegetable or chicken stock will work well. You can add some fish or seafood stock but it can overpower the risotto so I recommend mixing it with vegetable stock. You can use stock cubes or get ready-to-use liquid stock.
- Vegetables & stuff - onions, celery, garlic, peas and lemon are our other components and add flavor and nutrients.
- Final touches - butter and Parmesan cheese are two essential ingredients in the risotto
How To Make Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos for how to make shrimp risotto in the Instant Pot. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot for this dish.
- Step 1. Divide the shrimp into two batches. Keep one batch frozen and place the other batch in a bowl of lukewarm water to defrost. You may need to swap the water once it cools down.
- Step 2. Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and once hot, add the olive oil and butter to the pot.
- Step 3. Add onions, celery and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.
- Step 4. Add garlic, lemon zest, rice (unwashed) and stir through. Press Cancel to stop the Saute process.
- Step 5. Pour in the 4 cups of stock. Stir through, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent anything from being stuck.
- Step 6. Add half of the frozen shrimp on top of the rice, no need to stir.
- Step 7. Lock the lid and set to pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Once done, naturally release the pressure for about 2-3 minutes and then do the quick release. Don't leave on natural release for longer than that!
- Step 8. While the risotto is cooking, pan-fry the defrosted shrimp in a little oil and butter for 2-3 minutes until pink and slightly browned. Season with a little salt. Remove and set aside.
- Step 9. Add the frozen peas to a bowl with boiling water and allow to defrost. You may need to swap the water once it cools down. Strain and set the peas aside.
- Step 10. Open the lid. Add butter, grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, pepper and defrosted peas and stir through the hot risotto.
All done! Taste for salt and add more if needed. Finish by topping the risotto with pan-fried shrimp and scallions or chives.
Watch The Video
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Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
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Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen shrimp 450 grams, peeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion medium, finely diced
- 1 celery rib finely diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1.5 cups Arborio rice uncooked
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
TO FINISH
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas defrosted
- ⅓ cup chopped chives or scallions to garnish at the end
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese on top/on the side
Instructions
- Divide the shrimp into two batches. Keep one batch frozen and place the other batch in a bowl of lukewarm water to defrost. You may need to swap the water once it cools down.
- Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and once hot, add the olive oil and butter to the pot. Add onions, celery and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.
- Add garlic, lemon zest, rice (unwashed) and stir through. Press Cancel to stop the Saute process.
- Pour in the 4 cups of stock. Stir through, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent anything from being stuck.
- Add half of the frozen shrimp on top of the rice, no need to stir.
- Lock the lid and set to pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Once done, naturally release the pressure for about 2-3 minutes and then do the quick release. Don't leave on natural release for longer than that!
- While the risotto is cooking, pan-fry the defrosted shrimp in a little oil and butter for 2-3 minutes until pink and slightly browned. Season with a little salt. Remove and set aside.
- Add the frozen peas to a bowl with boiling water and allow to defrost. You may need to swap the water once it cools down. Strain and set the peas aside.
- Open the lid. Add butter, grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, pepper and defrosted peas and stir through the hot risotto.
- Taste for salt and add more if needed. Finish by topping the risotto with pan-fried shrimp and scallions or chives.
Video
Nutrition
Shrimp Risotto FAQs
What to do with leftover risotto?
Leftover shrimp risotto will keep for 24-48 hours in the fridge but no longer than that. It can be frozen but the texture of the rice will be mushier/stodgier and less al dente once defrosted. Leftover risotto is great for making arancini balls or risotto patties or fritters.
To make risotto patties, combine cold risotto with a few tablespoons of flour and extra grated cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella or Parmesan or a mix). Shape into balls or patties and dust with extra flour. Pan-fry in a bit of oil over medium-high until crispy and golden brown on each side. Try this recipe for leftover risotto cakes.
How to reheat risotto?
The creamy risotto texture starts to change as soon as the rice cools down and will become firmer and stodgier when refrigerated. The best way to reheat the risotto is in a microwave or in a pan or pot with a few splashes of water and a little butter to thin it out.
What wine goes well with shrimp risotto?
The best wines to pair with a shrimp risotto (or any seafood-based risotto) are white wines or rose. Chardonnay is a classic pairing for risotto, it has enough body to complement the richer flavours that come from the shrimp and the broth, without being so powerful that it completely overwhelms the rice. Sauvignon Blanc is another good choice, especially if you prefer lighter wines or you're not a fan of Chardonnay. Some Italian varieties like Vermentino are also lovely with this kind of risotto.
Patti
Recipe is great. Instead of peas I used cut sautéed asparagus. I also added a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream in the end to make it creamier.
Jojo
I'm new in the Instant Pot world and it's my second time making risotto, being the first one the traditional way. I must say that with the IP it was way much easier and faster. It came out just perfect in every aspect and in just 10 minutes. I'll be making this dish again and again for sure.
Esther Bellairs
First experience cooking rissoto. Instructions clear to follow. Unfortunately in my haste I misread cooking time of 3 mins instead of 5 mins and quick releas immediately without waiting for 2 mins. Rissoto was watery at the beginning so I saute for 3 minstobtry to thicken it before serving. Good lemony taste. Will try again with longer cook time. Thank you!
Ann Fabrizio
It's a learning process, but we are happy you are trying new recipes.
Julie
In. a hurry to get to softball practice for my granddaughters. Cooked the rice as called for, however I thawed out the shrimp and threw the raw shrimp and the frozen peas in at the end. I closed the lid, shut off the pot and left. When we got home the shrimp was perfect, peas still had a pop and stirred in a little extra parm. Delicious!! My husband was thrilled.
Ann Fabrizio
Good use of time management. Impressive!
Anonymous
This recipe did not work well for me. Followed the steps but you’ve missed some key points. Do not recommend and won’t make it again. Classic risotto at the stove is the way to go.
Instant Pot Eats
Hey Anonymous, it would be great to know what exactly didn't work or what 'key points' were missed. We just re-read through the past and I can't figure out what key points you are talking about. Some more feedback would be appreciated if you feel like the recipe didn't work for you. Thanks!
Shirley
I love this recipe. However I used slightly larger shrimp...just our preference...and sautéed the thawed shrimp in the beginning in the instant pot then did everything else. I covered the shrimp with foil after sautéing to keep warm. Only one pot this way and didn't have to wash a frying pan. Very good recipe.
Instant Pot Eats
Thanks, Shirley. Good idea to saute the shrimp first in the IP if you don't want to mess more pots!