3-minute Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi with angel hair pasta, cooked in a fragrant shallot-wine broth, topped with capers and fresh parsley!
**THIS RECIPE HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF 10/23/19. PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTION NOTES BELOW!**
It’s been two years since I purchased my Instant Pot after a sad incident with my slow cooker, and all I can think is this magic pot never ceases to amaze me!
Just the other day I wondered if I could pull off my all-time favorite shrimp scampi, with the pasta and all of course. I mean, I have made this Instant Pot Hamburger Helper recipe before and lots of Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, so clearly making pasta isn’t a problem here, but the angel hair pasta could potentially take a different turn.
Well, it didn’t!
I had seen lots of Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi online but none of them included the pasta. I was curious and ultimately doubtful whether the thin spaghetti would hold it’s shape but the good news is that it can totally work and I am going to show you how!
How To Make The Perfect Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi (With Angel Hair Pasta!)
First off you must sauté the shrimp which can be partially frozen. Melted butter, olive oil, fragrant shallots, garlic and white wine make for a flavorful base for the scampi. Once the shrimp is seasoned and starting to soften you remove from the pot and set aside.
NOTE: In updated instructions you have the option to leave the shrimp in the pot after sautéing and adding pasta and liquids on top**
Now you prepare the base for the pasta by adding two cups of broth. Add broken pasta and make sure it is fully immersed in the broth. Also try to separate the pasta the best you can. **THIS IS A CRUCIAL STEP** Please take the time to stir the uncooked pasta so the noodles have less of a chance of getting stuck!
The shrimp will then be added on top as well as red pepper flakes and capers. Half of the people I know do not like capers, so that’s totally optional. I personally could eat capers right out of the jar, haha.
Set the instant pot to cook on high pressure for three minutes. Release remaining pressure when time is up.
would you like to cook more shrimp recipes without the instant pot? here are my favorites!
Sheet Pan Mediterranean Shrimp (healthy, 20-minutes)
Cajun Shrimp Cauliflower Rice (whole30, gluten-free, 20-min)
Shrimp Corn Skillet (easy, healthy, GF, 22-minutes)
Shrimp Mozambique (spicy, 20-minutes)
You will need to spend a few minutes stirring the pasta to separate any that has stuck together, before transferring to a serving dish. There will be a small amount of liquid left in the pot that you can pour over the pasta and shrimp.
The last final touches include a handful of fresh parsley, more pepper/ red pepper flakes to taste and lots of parmesan cheese.
I’ll say… the instant pot has once again impressed this seasoned cook. I will take a 3-minute shrimp scampi cooked from practically frozen with pasta and all, any day of the week.
I have taken note of all your comments, success and failures and have tried this recipe again and again. I hope this update will bring a lot more successes and delicious food on your plate!
3-minute Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi with angel hair pasta, cooked in a fragrant shallot-wine broth, topped with capers and fresh parsley!
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 whole shallots, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 2 lb peeled shrimp
- 12 oz angel hair pasta, broken in half
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 whole fresh lemon
- 1 pinch sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp capers (optional)
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Turn the instant pot on sauté mode. Melt butter, add oil, garlic and shallots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add wine and cook until reduced (3 mins). Add shrimp, season with salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Sprinkle with fresh lemon and continue to sauté until shrimp is well coated.
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Remove shrimp from pot* and add in chicken stock and pasta. Separate the pasta the best you can** Top with shrimp and cover the pot. Cancel sauté mode and turn the instant pot on high for 3-minutes.
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When time is up quickly release all pressure. Open the instant pot, add capers (optional) and stir. Season with fresh parsley and serve with fresh parmigiana cheese.
*OPTION 1 – you can leave the shrimp on the bottom of the pot. This will reduce the chances of pasta getting stuck on the bottom. From this point proceed onto adding the pasta and liquids.
**IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOU SEPARATE THE PASTA THE BEST YOU CAN, I found this step to be super important. Those who have taken the time to separate the uncooked pasta had greater success.
NOTES: original recipe called for 2 cups of broth, the new updated recipe asks for 3 cups of liquid. I have tried with 4 cups of liquid and it was soupy. Tasty but soupy.
The original recipe did not have garlic and many of you commented on that, so in the updated recipe I am adding 3 garlic cloves. So tasty!
Lastly, on the original recipe I had allowed for 5 mins of NPR and took that away because the pasta was a bit overcooked.
Hello! I made this dish tonight cause I love a good shrimp scampi!! I messed up somehow though 🙁 I’m fairly new to the IP (got it for Christmas). I followed the recipe, but after putting the pasta in and setting it to pressurize but my IP never pressurized and after a bit displayed “burn”. Was I supposed to let it cool from sautéing before setting it to pressure cook? I thought I starred the pasta around enough too.
I am very sorry to hear this Lori. I am not sure why this happened to you, and no I never wait for the IP to cool down from sauté mode. The only thing I can think of is that your IP might have had a little hiccup as it shouldn’t display burn with all the liquid that its in and also because it didn’t reach pressure properly. So sorry I couldn’t help you further.
I ended up with a burn notice also, and had to add another cup of broth. I didn’t get to the 3 mins once at pressure after adding more broth. I ended up doing a QR, however it was a tasty recipe. I’ll either have to adjust the liquid next time or reduce the pasta amount to possibly 8oz versus 16oz.
Hmm okay, got it. Thanks Renee! I’ve had a couple people experience the burn notice as well, however I never have and have been thinking of ways to adjust so no one gets the burn notice anymore. So I’ll take notice of your suggestions when testing it again, but I am glad you were still able to enjoy it! xoxo 🙂
It’s possible you’re getting a burn notice if you’re not deglazing the pot to get rid of anything stuck while sautéing…once you add broth you should scrape the bottom to let open up any bits..this should help avoid th burn notice.
So I have never gotten a burn notice on this recipe which is frustrating to me when I hear that people have had this experience. But this is a good point and a perhaps a possibility. Thanks for sharing. Did you end up making the recipe, and if so how was your experience? Thanks Yvette!
unless she didn’t turn off the saute button? I am new to this also and from watching u tube the burn could be from not shutting down your ip between saute and pressure
Yes you are supposed to shut off sauté mode prior to adding high pressure time.
Once u put noodles in, DONT STIR
I assume having the IP at high for 3 minutes is after it has come to full pressure? I cooked it believing so and I got a burn warning also.
Yes it is 3 minutes after it reaches high pressure. Sorry to hear that you got a burn warning Larry, I am going to re-test this recipe and should make the necessary changes to the recipe instructions. I will try my best to figure out why you got this burn message as I did not the times that I made this recipe.
I made this and followed the recipe exactly. I also got a burn warning. I stirred it and added a little more chicken stock. Hopefully that works.
So sorry to hear! How did it work out after you added more chicken stock? I am going to be re-tasting this recipe soon
Perfection! I did just as the receipe said! Thank you for an awesome dish!!!!
I am so sooo happy to hear Susan, and thank you for your feedback!
I made this a few days ago and followed everything exactly. Mine came out slightly burned but my IP never gave a burn notice. Guess I will use less pasta or more broth next time. Other than that, I absolutely loved this recipe. You even got me to try capers and personally think they make this dish extra special :-). I will make again very soon!
I am happy to hear that you had a otherwise good meal Russell. I am currently gathering others feedback to make adjustments to this recipe so no one has a negative experience. Thanks so much!!
I made it exactly to the recipe EXCEPT…I added fresh garlic with the shallots. What is a shrimp scampi without garlic. I also used the frozen shrimp from Walmart. It came out perfectly! 😛
I am sure that made it even better Elaine, so glad you liked it! thanks for your feedback 🙂
I just bought a Ninja Foodi and I was told that I could cook a whole meal at one time in it. I’m not the brightest bulb in the lamp but I can not figure out how to place everything in it at one time. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks
Hi Evelyn, I am not familiar with the Ninja Foodi but assuming it’s an instant pot, you can follow the instructions per recipe notes. Hope this helps
Do you use raw shrimp or cooked frozen shrimp?
Hi Laura! I’ve used both and they worked well.
How about cooked unfrozen?
You can if your shrimp is no longer frozen
Simple enough but lacked flavor.
thanks for the feedback Sharon, I need to re-test this recipe ASAP!
I got the Burn notice as well, though when I opened the pot it was basically done, so we just ate whatever wasn’t burnt. I’m new to the instant pot (have only made a few recipes), but I’m thinking I’ll try once more but this time split the noodles up A LOT more and add a bit more liquid and maybe a few less noodles. Flavor was great though; my husband asked me to save the rest of the “toasted” noodles for leftovers!
Thanks for sharing your feedback Jessica. I’ve made it a few times and am almost to the point of perfection. I’ll be adding several notes to this recipe but to give you an idea, so far 3 cups of liquid seems to be the right amount, I have been testing with less pasta as well (like 10oz) and mixing it up by A LOT! Also, a friend of mine has tried keeping the shrimp on the bottom and that worked really well for him. I have yet to try keeping the shrimp on the bottom. I am thinking I’ll make it once again before I fully update the recipe. Hope this helps, and thanks for trying it 🙂
I made this with a couple tweaks and I thought it was delicious. I added at least one to two TBSP of garlic with the shallots because to me it’s not scampi unless there’s some garlic (and I love garlic). I also only pressure cooked for two minutes instead of three because I was afraid the shrimp would overcook, and everything cooked fine (also the angel hair pasta instructions I had said to cook for four minutes when cooking the conventional way, so I just halved that time which turned out to be two minutes). I think the food continues to cook when you let it NPR for the five minutes anyway, and I even used frozen shrimp.
As for the burning issue that other people had, I think people are not deglazing when they put the broth in. If they deglaze with the broth first before adding in the noodles and the shrimp, then I think that should help prevent the burning issue.
Hi there! wow thanks so much for your feedback, this is super helpful! I am in the process of updating this recipe and i think I have finally come to a good point. It’s a bit frustrating because I never got the burn notice while so many others have, but I think you are right about not deglazing the pot. I should be able to update this recipe soon and when I do I’ll add a few notes from your feedback as well. Gratefully, Silvia 🙂
So glad you updated this to leave the shrimp on the bottom! I’ve always deglazed my pot but still received the burn message. Made it again tonight and no burn message!! Delicious recipe!
Thanks so much Kelli for letting me know this updated version worked well for you. I am so happy to hear!! 🙂
Like others have said, I followed this recipe to a “t” and also received a burn notice. Luckily, I stopped it in time to really prevent any burning. I think it’s safe to say the recipe is a good jumping off point, but chopped garlic and more liquid are essential to its success.
Hi Nicholle, I am sorry to hear about your experience. I have worked really hard on this recipe and with the help of friends I have come up with an updated version which will solve a lot of the problem. I have taken in all the feedback, successes and failures and tried several times in different ways. I JUST updated the recipe, so hopefully you will try again. Thanks, Silvia
This was the very first recipe I made my Instant Pot!! I literally opened my Instant Pot and made this dish!
It came out absolutely perfect!!
My family gobbled up every last bit in literally seconds and asked for seconds so I had to make another batch!! It’s not only easy to make but tasty as well! From frozen to cooked in minuets!!
I will definitely be making this dish again!
I am so excited that you choose my recipe as a first and everyone in your family enjoyed it!! I love my instant pot, it has made cooking not only easier but a lot of fun too. I hope you will love cooking with your Instant Pot and THANK YOU for the amazing feedback!
I would like to make this but would prefer to use linguini.
Because it is a thicker pasta do you think I should add an extra minute to the cook time?
No, you do not need to add extra cooking time, but do spread/ untangle the noddles as much as you can as it can stick together.
Thank you for such a timely response!
The only thing I did differently was to adjust the broth. I used a 16 oz box of pasta versus a 12 oz box that the recipe called for, so used 4 cups instead of 3 and everything worked perfectly. I suspect that perhaps some of the failed recipes are due to not adjusting the broth to the larger box of pasta.
Hi Marie, yes perhaps! but I am glad it worked well for you. I will add this to my notes. Thanks for the feedback!
The only thing I did differently was to adjust the broth. I used a 16 oz box of pasta versus a 12 oz box that the recipe called for, so used 4 cups instead of 3 and everything worked perfectly. I suspect that perhaps some of the failed recipes are due to not adjusting the broth to the larger box of pasta.
I got my IP for Christmas and this is the third dinner I’ve made in it. The shrimp scampi came out great! I left the shrimp in the bottom after sautéing. I then added the pasta and broth, making sure it was all stirred up and under the liquid. My fiancé ate three plates and only stopped because their was apple pie for dessert. He’s already claimed the leftovers for breakfast. It was simple, easy and quick to make. It took me longer to mince the shallots.
That’s amazing Lori, so happy to hear! 🙂
Our family loved it. Super yummy and easy to make. I ended up using 4 cups chicken stock to ensure the noodles had enough liquid to cook. The texture of the noodles were excellent, not too soupy(6 qrt Instant pot). Thank you for this recipie!
That’s great to hear, and thanks so much for your feedback Kim! 🙂
Made this tonight. My mother gave us an instapot for Christmas and this recipe is now a favoite!
That is so wonderful to hear, thanks for your feedback Janie. I hope you will enjoy cooking with your Instant Pot 🙂
Tried this tonight and it was wonderful! I did forget to close the pressure valve at first but once I closed it, it cooked we’ll. My pasta may have been slightly overcooked but I honestly think that it was from the pressure valve being open. My hubby thought it was “ok” but his issue was only that I accidentally bought peel and eat shrimp by mistake. Definitely on my try again list, only with peeled shrimp! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
That’s good to hear Dawn, sounds like a good meal and maybe even better one next time! Thanks for trying my recipe and for taking the time to write a feedback
This is such a great recipe! Have you tried to double it? If so, would you still cook the pasta the same amount of time?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks Ashlee! I have not tried to double, in fact my 6qt IP may not handle a double batch but if you try don’t cook for more than 3 minutes. Worse case you cook on sauté more for a bit longer but I really don’t think you will need to. Hope this helps 🙂
Shrimp scampi came out perfectly, used two cups of broth with 12 oz angel hair. Sautéed fresh garlic and celery with a pound of frozen deveined jumbo shrimp.Three minutes on high, then quick release. So much flavor!
Awesome to hear, glad you enjoyed David!! xoxo
Also, a handful of frozen peas works instead of capers