Instant Pot Gumbo

The beauty of Gumbo is the historic blend of cultures and cuisines.

Don’t be surprised if Louisianian mama and grannies don’t have a recipe to share but have their own secrets to making the best Gumbo. It’s all about improvising depending on what they have on hand.

To us, Gumbo is just not the same without Andouille. ohh yaass!

Heart-Warming . Deep-Flavored . Smoky-Spicy . Rich Aroma .

Delicious Labor of Love.

The rich aroma filled our house the moment we flicked the Venting Knob to release the remaining pressure. Oh~ It smelled soo good!

The Cajun aroma with the bite of smoky Andouille and tender chicken bursting with layers of deep Creole flavors.

All our love & sweat paid off once we took our first bite!! 😀

So tasty & super comforting to eat. We couldn’t stop scooping it all in with the steaming hot rice.

Normally, it takes hours standing by the stove, constant stirring, and simmering…But no more with the help of Instant Pot Pressure Cooker! It’s relatively easy & quick.

Cooking Tips for Instant Pot Gumbo Recipe

1. Take Your Time to Make a Dark Roux

The deep rich brown roux is the key to a good gumbo. It acts as a base & thickener – adding a rich, deep, hearty flavor, body, and depth.

Yes, it takes time and labor of love to make a good roux with the perfect color and texture. But it’s so worth it!!

Tips for Making Dark Roux:

• Cast Iron Skillet: We like to use a cast iron skillet for making roux as it retains heat well.
• Vegetable Oil: Using vegetable oil will result in a smooth velvety roux.
• Constant Stirring with a Whisk: It’s critical to stir constantly and use your whisk to scrape the pot bottom and sides as the roux progresses. Monitor the color as it continues to darken to avoid burning.
• Dark Rich Brown Color: Ensure the roux heats to dark brown for it to impart a robust flavor and texture to the gumbo (see below for photo reference).
• Easy Oven Method: an alternative method is to make the roux using the oven! This way, you don’t have to stand by the stove to constantly stir the roux (see below for detailed instructions).

2. Fish Sauce

Whaaa? Fish Sauce in Gumbo? Yes, it may not be the most authentic Southern ingredient. But, hey! That’s the awesome part of cooking! If you’ve been following our recipes, you probably know our love for Fish Sauce. 🙂

It might sound fishy, but don’t worry! It doesn’t make a dish taste fishy at all, yet it enhances the overall flavors of the dish and kicks it up a notch. In fact, many restaurant chefs use it as their secret ingredient.

Try it for yourself and you’ll know what we mean. Just don’t smell it. hehe~

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Which Fish Sauce Brand to Use?

The quality of Fish Sauce does make a huge difference. From our blind taste-test, our personal favorite is Red boat 40N fish sauce

*Red Boat did not sponsor this. We just think their Fish Sauce is awesome. ?

3. Andouille Sausage

Andouille Sausage is a classic southeastern Louisiana ingredient.

These fresh spicy smoked sausages add distinct flavors, aroma, and textures to the Mouthwatering Gumbo. So try your best to find quality Andouille and try not to substitute them with other sausages. 🙂

Time for cooking Gumbo in Instant Pot!

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Gumbo

Prepare Ingredients for Instant Pot Gumbo

• 1 ¾ pound (818g) bone-in chicken thighs (roughly 6 thighs)
• ½ pound (218g) Andouille sausage, cut into ¼” slices
• Optional: ½ – 1 pound (8oz – 16oz) fresh okra, chopped ½”
• 1 medium (225g) onion, diced
• 2 ribs (120g) celery, diced
• 1 medium (214g) green bell pepper, diced
• 6 cloves (27g) garlic, minced
• 4 cups (1L) unsalted chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) fish sauce
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ – 1 teaspoon (1.2g) cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon (2.5g) ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
• A pinch (0.3g) dried thyme
• A pinch (0.1g) dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
• Kosher salt

Roux:

• ½ cup (64g) flour
• ½ cup (125ml) vegetable oil

Garnish: 2 stalks (45g) green onions, finely chopped

Optional Thickener: file powder

Tools for Instant Pot Gumbo Recipe

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Easy Oven Roux Method: Cast Iron Skillet
• Whisk
• Bamboo Wooden Spoons

Make Roux

*Pro Tip 1: Plan ahead and leave extra time for making the roux before you begin to cook the gumbo. Read above tips for making a Dark Roux.

Method 1 – Easy Oven Roux Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat cast iron skillet over low heat.

Add vegetable oil and flour to the cast iron skillet, mix well with a whisk (as shown in top left photo).

Place cast iron skillet on the middle rack of a 375°F oven (as shown in top right photo) for roughly 75 minutes – 90 minutes until dark brown.

Whisk every 25 – 30 minutes. Use your whisk to scrape the pot bottom and sides as the roux progresses.

*Pro Tip 2: Ensure to heat roux until deep brown (as shown in bottom right photo). This is critical for adding robust flavor and texture to the final gumbo dish.

Method 2 – Instant Pot Roux Method: 

Add vegetable oil and flour to inner pot and click “Saute” button. Stir constantly until dark brown (roughly 35 – 50 minutes). Don’t stop stirring to avoid burning.

Prepare Pressure Cooker

Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button and click Adjust button to Sauté More function).

Ensure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT).

Prepare Chicken Thighs

Pat dry the chicken thighs’ skin with paper towels.

Season with generous amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Brown Chicken Thighs & Andouille Sausage

Pour 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in pressure cooker. Ensure to coat oil over the whole bottom of the pot.

Place 4 chicken thighs (skin side down) in Instant Pot. Do not overcrowd.

Lightly season meat side with more kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Brown the skin side (don’t touch it for 4 minutes).

Flip and brown the meat side for 1 ½ minute. Remove and set aside.

Repeat above browning steps for the remaining 2 chicken thighs, and saute the sliced andouille sausage. Remove and set aside.

*Pro Tip: brown the 2 chicken thighs on one side of the pot, while you saute the Andouille on the other side (as shown in below photo).

Saute Veggies

Pour in the brown roux and add in diced onion. Saute for roughly 1 minute.

Add in diced green pepper, diced celery, and minced garlic. Stir regularly for another 4 minutes.

Add Spice

Add in 3 bay leaves, ½ – 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, a pinch of dried thyme, and a pinch of dried oregano. Stir for another 1 minute until fragrant.

Deglaze

Add in 1 cup of unsalted chicken stock and deglaze by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Pressure Cook Gumbo

Add 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, remaining unsalted chicken stock, browned chicken thighs and Andouille sausage.

Give it a quick mix and layer the okra on top.

Close lid and pressure cook:

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 7 minutes, then 15 minutes Natural Release (after 15 minutes, turn Venting Knob to Venting Position to release remaining pressure)

Remove chicken thighs from Instant Pot and shred the meat. Discard the skin and bones.

Add the shredded meat back into the Gumbo and give it a quick stir.

Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt (for reference, we added 4 more pinches of kosher salt) and cayenne pepper.

Serve Instant Pot Gumbo

Garnish Instant Pot Gumbo with chopped green onions and serve with hot white rice.

• Related Recipe: Instant Pot Rice

*Side Note: At that time, since rice was a luxury for many Cajuns, gumbo was often served over corn grits.

If you are not using okra, you can thicken the Gumbo with file powder by serving it on the side.