Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto with asparagus is a creamy arborio rice recipe with flavors of white wine, lemon, and parmesan cheese all cooked in your electric pressure cooker without a watchful eye! This is a wonderful one pot dinner.
If you are looking for an Instant Pot Risotto recipe without seafood or meat, check out this recipe for Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto or Instant Pot Classic Risotto!
What is Risotto
Risotto is any dish that is cooked with arborio rice, which is an Italian rice that is short and fat. During the cooking it releases a lot of rice starch making it a creamy rice.
Normally arborio rice is a labor intensive dish to make, slowly pouring hot chicken broth or water over the rice throughout the cooking process.
In the Instant Pot the arborio rice cooks without any babysitting. Pop it all in the electric pressure cooker and let it do it’s thing!
Rinsing your Rice
All rice has a certain amount of rice starch on the outside. That is why when you are making “fluffy” white rice or basmati rice and you individual grains of cooked rice you will want to rinse any extra starch before you start the cooking process.
With a risotto dish you actually want to leave that extra starch. It contributes to the creamy texture that makes risotto SO good!
Shrimp
You can use fresh or frozen shrimp, just like in this Skillet Cajun Shrimp recipe. I recommend using a large or extra large shrimp, sized between 26/30 to 31/35. That just means that there will be between 26-35 shrimp per pound.
If you choose to use frozen shrimp you will want to thaw it in the fridge overnight, then rinse and dry before using.
If you forgot to thaw your shrimp you can place the frozen shrimp in a bowl of warm water (not hot water!!), changing it every few minutes until it is thawed completely.
How to Make Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto
This Risotto recipe has such bright and fresh flavors from the lemon, asparagus and white wine. Yet is still so comforting from the starchy rice, milk, and parmesan cheese. It’s the best of both worlds!
It comes together easily, it just requires a few steps:
Start by marinating the shrimp by combining the shrimp, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 chopped garlic clove, ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Stir it all together so the lemon zest coats the shrimp then set it aside for 30 minutes to an hour.
Once you are ready to cook, turn the Instant Pot onto saute mode and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Saute the marinated shrimp for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. If you are making a pound of shrimp you will want to saute them in two batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot.
Remove the shrimp from the pot and set aside.
Now add 2 sliced shallots and 2 garlic cloves (if you need more olive oil go ahead and add 1 tbsp) and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the 1 ½ cups risotto and stir around the pot for an additional minute.
Deglaze the bottom of the pot by pouring in ½ cup white wine while it is still on saute mode. Scrape up ALL the browned bits. NOTE: this step is very important to help prevent the dreaded “burn” notice.
Pour in 3 ½ cups chicken stock, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt to the rice mixture.
Pop the lid on the pot and lock the pressure vent to “seal”. Set the pot to cook on pressure mode for 7 minutes. Do a 10 minute natural release, then release any additional pressure with a quick release. Don’t remove the lid until you are ready:
Before Moving On
You will want to have all your asparagus chopped, the cheese grated, and the half & half measured for this next step. Move quickly once you take the lid off the pot, you want to retain the heat as much as possible to soften the asparagus!
Add the ½ cup half & half and 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, give the risotto a stir. Add the chopped asparagus and stir into the hot risotto. Lay the shrimp on top. Close the lid (or place just place it on top) for 5-8 minutes, to keep the heat in and soften the asparagus and finish cooking the shrimp.
Taste the risotto for additional seasoning (salt, pepper, lemon juice, or lemon zest), and serve!
Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto Recipe
Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto
Ingredients
Shrimp
- ½-1 lb shelled, deveined, raw shrimp - somewhere between 26/30 – 31/35 in size
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 fresh garlic clove - chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Risotto
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots - thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves - chopped
- 1 ½ cups uncooked arborio rice - (risotto)
- ½ cup white wine - you do not want a sweet white wine. Chardonnay is a great pick for this recipe.
- 3 ½ cups chicken stock or broth
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ cup half & half
- 1 bundle fresh asparagus (about 25-30 sprigs) - woody stem removed – remaining tender asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces.
Instructions
Marinate & Saute the Shrimp
- Combine the shrimp, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 chopped garlic clove, ½ teaspoon kosher salt – stir it all together so the lemon zest coats the shrimp. Set it aside for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto saute mode and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once the pot reads "hot" on the display screen pour all the shrimp into the pot and saute for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through Remove the shrimp from the pot and set aside. Note: if you are using a full pound of shrimp you will want to saute them in two batches.
Make the Instant Pot Risotto
- Add 2 sliced shallots and 2 garlic cloves (if you need more olive oil go ahead and add 1 tbsp). Soften/saute for 2 minutes. Add the 1 ½ cups risotto and stir around the pot for an additional minute.
- Pour the ½ cup white wine into the pot and deglaze the bottom by scraping up ALL the browned bits. NOTE: this step is very important to help prevent the dreaded "burn" notice.
- Add the 3 ½ cups chicken stock, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt to the rice mixture.
- Pop the lid on the pot and lock the pressure vent to "seal". Set the pot to cook on pressure mode for 7 minutes. Do a 10 minute natural release, then release any additional pressure with a quick release.
- Move quickly for this step, you want to retain the heat in the pot as much as possible! Have your milk measured, parmesan grated, and asparagus cut.Add the ½ cup half & half and 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, give the risotto a stir. Add the chopped asparagus and stir into the hot risotto. Lay the shrimp on top of the risotto. Close the lid (or place just place it on top) for 5-8 minutes, to keep the heat in and soften the asparagus and finish cooking the shrimp.
- Taste the risotto for additional seasoning (salt, pepper, lemon juice, or lemon zest), and serve!
Patrick says
I found this recipe to contain too much liquid, and the lemon flavour dominating. If I make it again, I will reduce the stock to three cups and omit the lemon juice. I’m pleased I par-cooked the asparagus beforehand, because it would have been too crunchy if added, uncooked, at the end of the cooking process.
Tee says
I’ve made this before and it is perfectly delicious. Trying again tonight, but using fully cooked shrimp and just adding it to the ingredients once cooked.
Meg says
This was SO good! The risotto comes out perfectly and the lemon makes it so fresh! A keeper for sure!
Marnie S Varga says
I have made this recipe 3 times now and it is a hit every time. I have doubled it and that works perfectly. I have made it with green peas and corn too. I just taught my mom how to make it.
Susie Weinrich says
Wonderful!!! I love that you tried it with peas and corn too!
Marnie says
Delicious every time! I am making it again today.
Katrina says
I love this recipe but have never doubled it! Do you need to extend the cooking time if you double it? Thank you so much! This is one of my all time favorites!!
Susie Weinrich says
You should not need to double the time or change the time if you double the recipe.
Mikki Terenzi says
Best risotto I’ve ever made! Thanks for a great recipe that will be used often!
Colin says
Hi Susie, thanks for the recipe just made this tonight and we really enjoyed it. Looking for advise from a pro on something I could substitute the 1/4 cup of lemon juice with for a little less citrus kick. Orange maybe? Thanks so much
Susie says
Absolutely!! I don’t think that I would use orange, but I would recommend that you lessen the lemon juice to 2 tablespoons. That should still give you the brightness of the lemon that pairs so well with shrimp and asparagus, but not give you the strong tang.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
L Hansen says
Love this dish, very easy to make. Instead of half and half I used Soy Milk, and I came out great.
Thank you!
Denise Zimmer says
Absolutely delicious, I think using chicken and peas would be equally delicious for a more economical meal.
Susie says
Absolutely!! Great idea!
Sara says
Great recipe. Wonderful flavor! I am new to using an instant pot and this was very easy.
Susan says
This was excellent!!
Richelle says
This is amazing! Restaurant quality!
Nicole says
First time trying risotto – this recipe is AMAZING!!!
Susie says
Its crazy how good the risotto is in the Instant Pot!!!