Cajun Shrimp Boil in the Ninja Foodi is so easy and delicious, you'll never make it any other way again!
I've had shrimp boils before and was less than impressed. They just seemed kind of under-seasoned and, well... boring. That has all changed now that this Cajun Shrimp Boil with Cajun Butter has come into my life and I bet you'll love it too!
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What is a Cajun Shrimp Boil?
A seafood boil is the generic term for a one pot meal that centers around seafood of some kind. You can have crab boils, shrimp boils, lobster boils, crawfish boils and I'm sure there are many more types of boils.
You may have heard of a shrimp boil or even low country boil, so a Cajun Shrimp Boil is just a spiced up version of a shrimp boil.
The great thing about a shrimp boil or this recipe for Cajun Shrimp Boil is you can customize it anyway you like. You can use all shrimp, or a mixture of shrimp and crawfish. Lobster tail would be delicious. You could even throw mussels in there.
Skip the potatoes or the corn if you like, add in more veggies. Spice it up with more hot peppers. Use any kind of sausage you like. Literally, you can make this however you like. There are just a few things to keep in mind when switching up ingredients.
What Type of Sausage Can I use?
You can use any kind of sausage you like as long as it is already cooked. I chose to use Andouille sausage because I love the flavor and I'm making a Cajun Shrimp Boil, so it fits perfectly with my flavor profile.
You can use a beef sausage, a turkey sausage, summer sausage... the sky is the limit here, but make sure you either cook it first or buy one that is precooked.
We only go under pressure for 2 minutes and, I'm afraid, even with the included time to pressure, that your sausage will not completely cook if it is raw going in.
The Best Way to Cook Shrimp in the Ninja Foodi
Honestly, I was afraid to cook shrimp under pressure because I am very picky about shrimp and I'm not a fan of overcooked shrimp. In most of my shrimp recipes, like this delicious Shrimp Scampi, I put the shrimp in after the dish has cooked and let the residual heat cook the shrimp.
I have found that this delivers the best results when using thawed shrimp. If you want to cook shrimp that are thawed with the shell off, I really encourage you to use this method of adding the shrimp at the end.
Shrimp only take a few minutes to cook and can easily become rubbery and overcooked.
When you want to prepare steamed shrimp that are frozen or thawed with the shell on, I suggest using the steam function of the Ninja Foodi.
Remember to keep the vent open during steaming.
Season the shrimp how you like and put them in the basket. Add 2 cups of water to the inner pot and steam for 7-8 minutes or until the shrimp are done to your liking.
You can always open the lid during steaming to check on them, but remember the steam is hot, so be careful.
I decided to live on the edge a little bit with this recipe and I was shocked at how good the shrimp were. I had planned, right up to the minute of filming the YouTube video, to add the thawed shrimp at the end and let the residual heat cook them. Only, I didn't do that! I threw caution to the wind and said, "let's try this instead!"
So I added the frozen shrimp directly to the Cajun Shrimp boil and crossed my fingers that this wouldn't be a disaster. Guess what??? It worked beautifully! The shrimp were like butter and very delicious. Now, this did not produce shrimp with a snap like a perfectly cooked jumbo shrimp would have, but it was super easy and the texture was really good.
How to Make Cajun Shrimp Boil in the Ninja Foodi
Don't let the ingredients in these spice blends deter you from making this delicious meal. You can always use whatever seasonings you like or even use a prepared seasoning blend.
I enjoy making up my own, but I realize you may not have these spices on hand and it is fine to substitute. If you do have these spices, I really encourage you to give my blends a try. They are absolutely delicious in this dish.
This recipe feeds 6 people easily, so you can definitely cut back on the ingredients without any issues if you want fewer servings. I would keep the spices the same though. Also keep the liquid amounts and the timing the same.
There is minimal prep involved with this dish, but the size you cut your vegetables does matter. Here are my tips for prepping the ingredients.
Tips for preparing ingredients for this shrimp boil
Corn
I recommend cutting off both ends of the ears of corn and leaving the husk on. Since the corn is on the bottom of the pot and will be in the liquid, this will prevent overcooking and also keeps your corn hot until you are ready to serve it. The silk comes off so much easier, too, so I hope you give this a try.
You can cut the corn into any size pieces you like. I chose to cut mine in half, but you can cut into thirds if you prefer and it will be fine.
Potatoes
I used Yukon gold potatoes (any type of gold/yellow potato is fine) instead of Russets because Russets tend to cook faster and fall apart, while the gold potatoes hold their shape better and have a better texture in this type of recipe. No need to peel them, either.
For small gold potatoes, I cut them in half. The larger ones, I cut into quarters. If you want to use fingerling or new potatoes, keep them whole. Make the potatoes as close to the same size as you can, so they cook evenly. Mine were about 2" chunks.
Sausage
You can cut your sausage into any size pieces you'd like or keep them whole. I cut mine lengthwise on the diagonal just for presentation and they were perfect.
Just make sure your sausage is cooked before adding, because I cannot guarantee that uncooked sausage will reach a safe internal temp during the short pressure cooking time.
Lemon
If you are using lemon, make sure to put it towards the top. The rind of the lemon can cause the broth to be very bitter if it is on the bottom and in the liquid.
Shrimp
I used medium/large shrimp in this recipe, the count is 35-40 per pound. They were on the smaller side and you can easily go up to 25-30 count per pound without any issues. I would not use small shrimp in this recipe. I think Jumbo shrimp would be fine as well.
Keep the shrimp frozen until you add them to the pot. Thawed shrimp will cook too fast and become overcooked.
If your shrimp are thawed, I would not add them until the pressure cook time is over, and then add them in and close the lid. The residual heat will cook them. Or, you can put on the steam function for a few minutes. Make sure your vent is open when steaming.
Zucchini
If you choose to add in the zucchini, keep them in as large of pieces as you can. I cut mine in half, but whole would have been better.
Bread
If you have the 8 quart Ninja Foodi or reduce the amount of ingredients for the 6.5 quart and want to make rolls at the same time, you can see how I did that in the YouTube video: Cajun Shrimp Boil in the Ninja Foodi
The rolls were on the dense side, but I think that had more to do with the prepackaged bread I used than the pressure cooking itself. I had made homemade bread before while making this recipe and the inside was not dense at all.
Layering the Ingredients for Cajun Shrimp Boil
The way you layer the ingredients is important because you don't want your potatoes on the bottom or there is a possibility that the starch will stick to the bottom of the inner pot and cause the water notice.
I use the corn and onions as the first layer and then the potatoes to prevent this. You also want the shrimp close to the top so they don't fall into the liquid as they cook.
This is how I layered my shrimp boil
Pressure Cooking
Because this is such a full pot, expect it to take 15-20 minutes to come to pressure. Only use 2 cups of liquid and honestly, you might even try using just 1 cup.
Pressure cook for 2 minutes and do an immediate release. It will also take a good amount of time for all the pressure to be released.
How to Make Cajun Butter
This recipe for cajun butter is one of the best butters I have ever tasted, I encourage to you to give it a try for sure! I bet you'll make it over and over again! I know I will.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. You can also make it up and freeze it.
Bring 1 stick of butter to room temp.
Mix in the following seasonings:
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ⅛ tsp ground chipotle powder
Combine the spices with the butter until it is a smooth spread. Adjust the seasonings to you liking and serve with the Cajun Shrimp Boil or any other dish that has Cajun influences. Melt some and use it as dipping butter for shrimp. Delicious!
If you LOVE Cajun food, check out this recipe for Cajun Jambalaya in the Ninja Foodi!
Or Pin it for later!
Cajun Shrimp Boil in the Ninja Foodi
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 onions quartered, I used Vidalia
- 3 ears of corn
- 6 Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1-2 red chili peppers dried
- 1 bulb garlic
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 14 ounces Andouille sausage
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 1 lemon halved
- 2 lbs shrimp large & frozen
- 1 zucchini
Whole Spice Seasoning Blend
- 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
- ½ Tbsp mustard seed
- ½ Tbsp cumin seed
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
Shrimp Seasoning
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp mustard dry ground or substitute mustard seed
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Cajun Butter
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ⅛ tsp chipotle ground
Instructions
- Place the quartered onions in the inner pot. Cut the ends off of 3 ears of corn and leave the husks on. Place corn in the inner pot. Quarter the potatoes and place in the inner pot. Add in the whole spice seasoning blend. Add in the jalapeno pepper cut in half and the dried red peppers. Add 2 cups of chicken stock.
- Pour about ½ cup of water over frozen shrimp and toss with shrimp seasoning. Add to inner pot. Cut the zucchini in half and place in pot.
- Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Set the pressure on high for 2 minutes. When the time is up immediately release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Melt the Cajun butter and pour over shrimp boil. Serve and Enjoy!
Cajun Butter
- Blend room temp butter with seasonings.
Notes
Nutrition
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.
Susan Tanigawa
Hi Louise, I made the Cajun Shrimp Boil last night in my 6.5 NF. Layered the way you demonstrated, and filled about to the top! It took roughly 26 minutes to come to pressure, then 2 min on PC, then immediate release which took about 4 minutes. I think it was cooked too long because the potatoes and zucchini were a bit too soft. (I used whole small gold potatoes; next time I will use the larger ones and cut them down.) The corn was WONDERFUL and sweet, particularly with the Cajun Butter (without the heat). I used frozen unshelled jumbo shrimp which seemed ok and were delicious. Everything looked beautiful!
I'm thinking that next time I would set the PC to zero as the 26+4 minutes of building/releasing pressure would be ample cooking time. But what about the corn? Would that be enough?
Thanks again for your wonderful and inspirational recipes! I love your explanations of why and why not to do something (eg., layer lemon at top).
Louise
Yes, it takes a long time to come to pressure with a full pot and I think it will be perfectly fine to do zero minutes. The corn will be fine.
Beth
First time, will not last. Plenty to eat n please the taste buds, all taste buds!
Louise
I'm so glad you liked it!
Raymon Azcona
Hi Louise, how are would I modify this if I wanted to do shrimp AND crawfish?
Louise
That's a good question and to be honest, I don't really know what to tell you. I have never used crawfish, but I would probably decrease the PC time by 5 minutes and then add in the shrimp and crawfish and PC for 1 minute.
Janet
Do you have this recipe in other cooking methods? I don't have a Ninja Foodi. But sooooo much want to make this.
Thanks, Jan
Louise
Do you have an Instant Pot? If not, you can certainly do it stove top in a big pot. I would bring everything to a boil (except the shrimp) and boil 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes/corn are done to your liking, then add the shrimp and reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
Linda McLaughlin
I forgot to rate this meal last night. It is definitely a five star.
Thank you so much! This recipe is a keeper!
Louise
Thank you so much!
Linda McLaughlin
Louise,
This dinner was fantastic! I made this fir dinner last night and I didn’t change a thing but to cut it in half and follow the ingredients measures for 3. We still have enough left over for another meal for two. I can’t wait to make this for a patio party this summer. So good and not spicy at all. I might add a little more spice next time. I love my food spicy hot. My husband loved it!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Dave
I just did this recipe with my Ninja Foodi just without the bread. It tasted amazing!!! I was evening streaming myself cooking it everyone watching loved how it looked. Thank you
Louise
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
LaRae Harguess
This is an amazing recipe! I do have a question, for the life of me I didn’t see when to put in the jalapeño or the red peppers. I just added it in the beginning, right before the shrimp. I did drain the liquid before adding the butter, and used the liquid to make rice. This os an amazing recipe!!!
Louise
Thanks for letting me know! I fixed the recipe. Sorry about that! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
David Crawley
So you pressure cook for 20 min or 2 min? Kinda confused on that.
Louise
You select the pressure cook function on high and set the time for 2 minutes. It takes the pot about 20 minutes to build the pressure and then start the countdown.
craig
our family has done a crab boil for thanksgiving for several years
we cook our sausage (actually overcook) beforehand
the rendered fat and fond we use as a medium for cooking the shrimp (which has rested in garlic salt, pepper and smoked paprika while it thawed)
the sausage will reconstitute when added to the boil and the crispies on the skin transfers a lot of flavor
I have bee using a pork rub that uses the ingredients of your Cajun butter...minus the butter and cumin
the smokiness of the paprika and chipotle is transformative
really liked your idea and will try it soon
Myra frezer
This dish was AMAZING. Could not find fresh corn so I changed it out for frozen. That was the only change made. OMG...fabulous. Thank you so much. Can’t wait to make it again
Louise
I am so happy that you liked it!
Jim Cunningham
Fantastic video Louise! I am a new 'foodi' and this meal looks fairly ambitious but I already saved it and look forward to trying this 'seasoned foodi' venture soon.
Louise
I hope you enjoy it! It is actually very easy to make!
Deb Jensen
Can you make crab legs in the Foodi?
Louise
Yes, as long as they fit in the basket. I would use the steam function with the valve vented and use 2 cups of water. Since they are already cooked (assuming you mean Alaskan or Snow Crab legs), you only have to take them from frozen to warm. I think somewhere around 15 minutes would do the trick. The great thing about steaming is you can open the lid to check on them and then close it right back up.