Instant Pot Paella
Posted: 04/19/22
Updated: 01/21/25
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Fully loaded paella made in the Instant Pot! Loaded with chicken, shrimp, mussels, and calamari. This Instant Pot paella recipe is super quick and easy to make – ready in just 15 minutes!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It comes together in a fraction of the time of traditional paella. The Instant Pot cooks this meal in just about 10 minutes. Whereas all other paella recipes require a minimum of 30 minutes to make.
- It’s an easy, healthy dinner! Loaded with whole ingredients such as veggies, spices, rice, chicken, and seafood. This Instant Pot paella is a complete meal in one pot.
- The Instant Pot not only means quick cooking, but quick cleanup too. Because we’re using just one pot for this entire recipe, cleanup will be a total breeze!
Chef’s Tips
- Once you add in the chicken broth, be sure to scrape up as much from the bottom of your Instant Pot as possible. If too much is stuck to the bottom of your Instant Pot when you seal it, the pot won’t come to pressure. In this case, you’ll get a “burn” warning, and you’ll need to go back in and scrape as much food from the bottom of the pot as possible before continuing.
- Feel free to add or remove any seafood you’d like! If not a fan of shellfish, simply leave it out of this Instant Pot paella recipe. This meal is super easy to customize based on your preferences.
- For even easier cooking, I recommend prepping and chopping all your ingredients ahead of time. Once the Instant Pot is turned on, this recipe moves rather quickly. Therefore, to keep up the momentum, have everything prepped and ready to go before diving in!
More Instant Pot Recipe You Need to Try
- Instant Pot Black Rice
- Instant Pot Italian Sausage
- Beer-Infused Instant Pot Brats
- Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
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Instant Pot Paella
The Instant Pot gives you delicious paella that's ready to eat in just 15 minutes.
servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup roma tomatoes diced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch of saffron threads
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 ½ cups short grain white rice see Notes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ pound shrimp peeled, tail-on
- ½ pound mussels
- ½ pound calamari rings
- 1 cup frozen peas
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Instructions
- Place olive oil in Instant Pot and set to sauté setting. Once oil is hot, add in onion, bell pepper, and garlic – cook for 3 minutes.
- Once veggies are tender, add in the diced tomatoes, paprika, salt, and saffron. Stir and cook for about 1 minute, then add in the chicken – cook for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is beginning to turn opaque.
- Add in rice and stir, then pour in chicken broth. Use a spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Place shrimp, mussels, calamari, and frozen peas into Instant Pot, in that exact order and do not stir. Place and secure lid on pot then set to manual high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Manually release steam and once pressure valve has dropped, remove lid and serve paella warm.
Notes
- Short Grain Rice: Traditional paella uses a rice called “Bomba Rice,” though any short grain rice will work in this recipe.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 405kcal | Protein: 34g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Total Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Net Carbs: 45g | Vitamin C: 46mg | Cholesterol: 213mg | Sodium: 938mg | Potassium: 704mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Such a great recipe because it is the easiest recipe and very tasty. I’ve made it a dozen times and I do have a tweak. I used to get the “burn” message. So what I recommend is when you do sauté do the cooking spray instead and just spray as you keep cooking the garlic onion. Then no bits get stuck or burnt before you put in the rest of the ingredients.
We’re so glad it’s a favorite! Thanks for sharing, Gabby!
Are shrimp and calamari raw or cooked?
They are raw. Be sure to let us know if you try it!
My insta pot that works perfectly fine would not cook this. So disappointing because I spent so much money on fresh seafood. I imagine it’s just took much
Oh no, we’re so sorry to hear this! I’d love to troubleshoot with you – what size Instant Pot were you using? Did you increase the ingredients at all?
Make sure to rinse your rice before cooking it. A lot of times the starch is what cakes to the bottom. Rinse multiple times and you shouldn’t get that burn message if the rice is what’s burning
Thanks so much for the helpful tips, Gabby!
Can I use frozen prawns?
Hi, Sharon! We have only used fresh shellfish in this recipe, so we can’t say how frozen prawns would turn out. We suggest thawing them first, if possible! If you try it with frozen, be sure to let us know how it turns out!