This Instant Pot Crab Boil is an easy and delicious way to enjoy crab without all the hassle! It’s perfect for a summertime dinner or special occasion.
If you love easy pressure cooker meals that cook up in no time at all, then this is the recipe for you. This dish is great for busy weeknights when you are in a hurry to get dinner on the table.
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Instant Pot Crab Boil
Crab is a healthy protein that is filled with nutrients. It’s a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for your heart health.
This Instant Pot Crab Boil is also low in calories and fat, making it a healthy choice for a meal. You won’t regret making this healthy meal.
Why I Love This Recipe
The easiest way to enjoy crabs is now at your fingertips. This quick and delicious recipe for an instant pot crab boil will have you feeling like a king or queen of seafood in no time!
- Easy to make
- Always a hit at parties
- Perfect for picky eaters
If you love pressure cooker seafood recipes, you may also enjoy this Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi recipe.
Ingredients
This crab boil only requires a few simple ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery store. Gather the ingredients and great ready for a simple seafood dinner that your entire family will enjoy.
- Baby Potatoes – I prefer red potatoes
- Onion, diced
- Ears Corn, cut the cob in half or thirds
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Water or Pilsner-style Beer
- Hot Sauce, optional
- Crab
For the Optional Garlic Butter:
- Butter
- Cloves Garlic, minced
- Lemon Juice
- Chopped Parsley
Substitutions
Seasoning: If you don’t have Old Bay seasoning, you can use cajun seasoning instead.
Beer: If you don’t want to use beer, you can just use water or chicken broth. The beer does give it a little extra flavor, but it’s not necessary.
Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
You only need a handful of kitchen tools to help you make this simple seafood main dish. Gather these tools and get ready for a flavorful meal your whole family will enjoy.
- measuring spoon
- Instant Pot
- small saucepan or skillet
How to Make Instant Pot Crab Boil
This recipe comes together in just 5 simple steps. Follow these instructions and you will enjoy this savory recipe in no time at all.
Step 1: Place the potatoes, onion, and corn in the pressure cooker
Place the baby potatoes, diced onion, and corn in your Instant Pot.
Step 2: Add Old Seasoning and water or beer
Sprinkle on 1 Tablespoon of the Old Bay Seasoning and add the water or beer.
Step 3: Place the lid on your Instant Pot
Secure the lid on your IP and set the pot to sealing and then set it to manual for 5 minutes. Then, quick-release.
Step 4: Add crab, remaining seasoning, and hot sauce to the pot
Add the crab, remaining Old Bay, and optional hot sauce to the Instant Pot. The crab should sit on top of the vegetables and not be submerged in the liquid.
Step 5: Add the lid and pressure cook
Secure the lid on your IP and set it to manual for 5 minutes. Then, quick release.
Step 6: Stir the crab boil and then replace the lid to keep it warm
Stir the contents of the Crab Boil and place the lid back on the IP as you prepare the garlic butter.
Step 7: Melt the butter for the garlic butter
For the optional garlic butter, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Step 8: Saute the garlic
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
Step 9: Add lemon juice and fresh parsley
Add the lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Step 10: Serve and enjoy
You can serve the garlic butter on the side for dipping or drizzle over the plated crab and vegetables.
Variations / Options / Add-Ins
Are you looking to personalize this recipe? Here are a few different ways that you can personalize this tasty recipe.
Spicy: Make this crab boil spicy by adding some extra hot sauce or even some diced jalapeños.
Vegetables: Want to add more vegetables to this recipe? Add in some diced celery or carrots.
Protein: You could also try this recipe with shrimp instead of crab. Just follow the same steps, but reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes for an instant pot shrimp boil.
Serving Suggestions
This Instant Pot Crab Boil is delicious on its own, but if you’re looking for something to pair it with, try one of these options.
- Rice – I like to serve this with white rice, but you could also use brown rice.
- Crusty Bread – This Instant Pot French Bread recipe is perfect to serve with this main dish.
- Steamed Broccoli – Steamed broccoli is the perfect healthy vegetable side dish.
- Green Beans – Green beans are always a favorite side dish to serve with this dish.
- A light salad – You can never go wrong with a fresh salad as a side with any meal.
- Crab cakes – You can never have too much crab, right? I usually serve them along with 2-3 crab cake sauces to provide some variety.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this Instant Pot Crab Boil recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about this recipe.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The best way to reheat this crab boil is in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Just add a little bit of water or broth to the pot and heat until warmed through. You could also reheat this in the microwave, but it’s not my preferred method as it can make the crab meat tough.
Yes, you can use frozen crab for this recipe. Just make sure that the crab is fully thawed before adding it to the Instant Pot.
More Instant Pot Recipes
If you like Instant Pot seafood recipes, give these recipes a try:
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📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Crab Boil
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Equipment
- Measuring spoon
- Instant Pot
- small saucepan or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Baby Potatoes
- 1 Small Onion diced
- 3 Ears Corn cut in half or thirds
- 2 Tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 16 ounces Water or Pilsner-style Beer
- 1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce optional
- 4 pounds Crab or less as needed
For the Optional Garlic Butter
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
Instructions
- Place the baby potatoes, diced onion and corn in your Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle on 1 Tablespoon of the Old Bay Seasoning and add the water or beer.
- Secure the lid on your IP and set to manual for 5 minutes. Quick release.
- Add the crab, remaining Old Bay and optional hot sauce to the Instant Pot. The crab should sit on top of the vegetables and not be submerged in the liquid.
- Secure the lid on your IP and set to manual for 5 minutes. Quick release.
- Stir the contents of the Crab Boil and place the lid back on the IP as you prepare the garlic butter.
- For the optional garlic butter, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Add the lemon juice and chopped parsley.
- You can serve the garlic butter on the side for dipping or drizzle over the plated crab and vegetables.
Nutrition
Need to run to the store for a few ingredients first? Don’t forget to pin this recipe so you can find it when you’re ready to cook!
I made this recipe for my wife on Mother’s Day and it was a hit. My kids are picky eaters and decided that they were not going to have any part in the claw-breaking event. We added sausage and shrimp to the broil to have more variety of food to eat with the crab. We will saving this recipe and keep making the meal for special events. Thank you for sharing this with us.
What a wonderful thing to do for your wife on Mother’s Day! I’m sure she appreciated not having to cook. That’s a great idea to add other ingredients so that your kids would also enjoy eating the meal. Thanks for commenting and letting us know how much your family enjoyed the recipe.