Instant Pot Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

Shrimp fried rice is a dish that can be enjoyed any day of the year, any time of the day, for that matter — even breakfast! But it's not easy to cook it perfectly every time. 

Shrimp fried rice-lovers can rejoice as recipe developer Hayley MacLean has perfected an Instant Pot shrimp fried rice recipe that anyone can concoct. No cooking skills are necessary –– only ingredients and your time are required.

"The important part to watch is making sure you do not overcook the shrimp in the third step," says MacLean. "Otherwise they will turn out rubbery. Thankfully, the Instant Pot is very temperature-controlled, so it makes it difficult to mess things up!"

As for what to eat it with, MacLean has you covered. "This dish fits right into any Chinese-style dinner menu –– paired with a warm egg drop or wonton soup and a nice side of stir-fried vegetables would be wonderful," she said. "However, it makes a lovely meal all on its own!"

If you don't want to use white rice, "Other grains could be easily substituted into this recipe, including brown rice and quinoa –– the pressure cooking time will have to be adjusted," MacLean said. Here are some other rice substitutions you can make. "Also, for a spicier version –– try it out with some chili garlic sauce or sriracha mixed in!"

Follow these steps to craft this Instant Pot shrimp fried rice masterpiece.

Before you can begin this Instant Pot shrimp fried rice recipe, you'll need to gather the ingredients. 

You'll need vegetable oil, large eggs, shrimp, white onion, garlic, and long-grain white rice. You'll also need water, carrots, and frozen peas. Rounding out the recipe, you'll need soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt and pepper.

You'll also want to take this time to chop the vegetables so they're ready to go when you start cooking. Once you're done that, you can set the Instant Pot to sauté on medium. Once those settings are fired up, add one tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pot because it's time to start cooking.

Now that the ingredients are ready and the Instant Pot is on, you'll whisk the two eggs in a small bowl. Next, add the eggs to the Instant Pot, stirring frequently, until just cooked. Then, put the eggs on a plate and set them aside. 

While it's important to cook the eggs all the way through, you don't want to overcook them in this step. Also, there's no need to clean the pot between cooking the eggs, cooking the shrimp, and making your rice. "The Instant Pot does not need to be cleaned in between steps –– which makes the recipe so quick and easy," MacLean explained. "The browned bits that form on the bottom from the shrimp even add to the flavor of the final dish."

Now that the eggs are finished, you'll add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to the Instant Pot. Add enough shrimp to cover the bottom of the pot in a single layer and cook the shrimp on each side, until slightly opaque and pink. Remove the shrimp and put them on a plate –– they should be partially cooked at this point. You'll need to repeat this process with all the shrimp. 

MacLean did this in two batches, for a total of eight minutes, which is included in the cooking time. "Not factored into the cooking time, however, is the time to let the pressure release after the pressure cooking stage for the rice below, as this is not an active cooking time," she says. 

Now that the shrimp is finished, you'll add the onion and garlic to the Instant Pot, and cook these ingredients until they're translucent and fragrant, which should take about five minutes or so. As a friendly reminder, there's no need to clean the pot –– the leftover flavor from each cooking step is encouraged.

Next, add the rice to the pot and sauté for 20 to 30 seconds.

You'll then add the water, diced carrots, and par-cooked shrimp to the pot and mix well. 

Now that these ingredients have been added to the Instant Pot, you'll lock the lid and set the pot to the pressure cook setting, and then cook on high for five minutes. After cooking, you'll need to allow the pressure to release for 10 to 15 minutes, before quickly releasing the remaining pressure.

"Once the Instant Pot finishes pressure cooking, it will naturally release the pressure slowly," MacLean said. "But, after 10 to 15 minutes, the 'quick release' button can be used to release any remaining pressure and safely open the lid."

Once the pressure has released, open the lid and stir in the peas, cooked egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add as much salt and pepper as you'd like for tasting purposes. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Naturally, the peas heat up when mixing them into the ingredients, and since they're already thawed and drained, there's no need to cook them. "Mixing the peas with the other ingredients heats them thoroughly just fine," MacLean said. "The ingredients in the Instant Pot are so hot after pressure cooking [that] no additional cooking is needed, or they may become overcooked and mushy."

While the "To eat the shrimp tail, or not to eat the shrimp tail?" debate rages on, MacLean opts to not eat them. "I personally do not eat the shrimp tails," MacLean said. "They are left on during the cooking process in order to add to the flavor of the final dish, and I think [they] make for a better presentation. However, they can be substituted for tail-off shrimp for ease of eating!"