Easy Shrimp Bisque Instant Pot Recipe

This easy shrimp bisque instant pot recipe is the perfect starter for a special occasion or for any night of the week. Ingredients can be kept on hand so this delicious soup can be made in just 30 minutes!

5 Days of Christmas Cheer

We are five blogger friends who are kicking off the Christmas Season with Five Days of Holiday Inspiration! Here is a sneak peek at what we will be sharing each day! Be sure to go to the end of this post to see today’s inspiration!

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shrimp bisque ingredients

So, I have a confession to make. This soup didn’t start out as shrimp bisque.

But when I got to the grocery store, they were out of the seafood I wanted for this soup.

Crabmeat. Lump crab meat to be exact.

Substituting with shrimp worked out pretty well – my hubby prefers shrimp over crab!

Anyway, the ingredient list is simple. Except for the seafood, seafood stock, and the Old Bay, you probably have everything else.

list of ingredients:

• frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
• seafood broth
• half and half or heavy cream
• white wine
• chopped carrot
• medium onion
• garlic cloves
• scallion onions
• Old Bay seasoning
• bay leaf
• butter and olive oil
• corn starch
• salt and pepper (optional: tiny pinch of cayenne pepper)

my favorite kitchen tools

There are a couple of kitchen tools that I use every single day. They are basic tools and you might already have them. If you don’t, I have gathered some of my favorite tools together for you!

• wooden cutting board
• chef’s knife
• measuring cups
• immersion blender
• Instant Pot

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how to make shrimp bisque in an Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is changing how I make some of our meals. Since I have had my Instant Pot, I have made yogurt (it’s so easy and soooo good!), steel-cut oatmeal, lemon chicken tenders for salads, spaghetti sauce, and of course, soups.

Here are some of the soups (and sauces) I have made. They are easy and delicious, belly-filling bowls of goodness!

• Butternut Squash Soup
• Easy Bowl of Chili
• Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Let’s get started on the shrimp bisque before I get too off track!

Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute function and throw in the chopped carrots, onion, and scallion white sections in half of the butter and the olive oil. Stay close because the veggies will cook quickly! Use a wooden spoon to prevent the veggies from sticking.

Remove the veggies and put them in a separate bowl. Add the shrimp and saute till they are pink and cooked through.

Remove the shrimp when they are finished cooking through. Leave the juices that shrimp produced in the Instant Pot.

Now it’s time to add the liquids. Pour in the seafood stock, the white wine, the seasonings, and the bay leaf.

Set the Instant Pot to the Soup setting, change the time to 15 minutes and turn the knob to Sealing. Cooking with the pressure in the Instant Pot speeds up the process. In only 15 minutes, you will have the cooked all-day taste. The seasonings blend in so nicely with the stock and the wine.

When the timer is finished, allow the pressure to release naturally. To speed this up you can also do a quick release. Be very careful if you do this – the steam is hot!! And in no way should you take the lid off before the pressure has completely released.

instant pot quick-release method

When the pressure is completely released, remove the lid and grab your immersion blender!

It’s the best kitchen tool I have ever purchased. Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But seriously, I use this immersion blender every day for my smoothie breakfast.

And it’s great for creamy soups like this shrimp bisque! Just place it inside the stainless tub of the Instant Pot and blend away!

***Keep the immersion blender below the surface of the liquid. It gets messy if you come above the surface and this soup is hot!!

Next, throw the shrimp back in!

Oh, hold it!! I forgot to tell you to remove the tail shells and cut the shrimp to the desired size. In my case, I cut them in half.

how to thicken shrimp bisque

Many people like to use flour to thicken soups. I like to use cornstarch for thickening. Mix the cornstarch into the cold half-and-half or heavy cream. Whisk until it is completely mixed.

It’s important to know that you cannot mix cornstarch with hot liquids. It will not mix and gets extremely lumpy. Always mix it in a cold liquid.

Whisk the half and half/corn starch mixture into the soup. Bring to a boil using the saute function and allow it to boil for a couple of minutes until it is thickened.

Using heavy cream in this seafood soup turns it into a delicious creamy soup that will warm you to the core!

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how to serve shrimp bisque

I made sourdough flatbread to go along with the shrimp bisque. Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone knows all things sourdough and that is where I found the recipe. Here is the link to this recipe:

Sourdough Flat Bread

I did make an addition to the flatbread: roasted garlic butter! Omgoodness, this stuff is amazing!!

You can always find roasted garlic cloves in my freezer. It’s so easy to make in the Instant Pot (or crock pot) In fact, hop over to my Instagram highlights to see how I do it! Here is the link for the highlight: Roasted Garlic in the Crock Pot

This compound butter is easy to make – mash the roasted garlic with the butter, add a little salt and pepper, and maybe even any spices that would go with your meal!

I spread the garlic butter on the flatbread and topped it with shredded parmesan cheese. It was perfect with the soup when we had it for dinner!

additional ideas for a seafood bisque recipe

As I was making this shrimp bisque for the first time, I had a few other ideas about the recipe that I thought you might enjoy.

• make your own shrimp stock from the shrimp shells if you decide to purchase either fresh or frozen shrimp with the shells still on
• add tomato paste for additional flavor and color
• make an easy substitution of lobster and you will have a delicious lobster bisque
• use chicken broth to make up the difference for the smaller amount of seafood stock
• make a traditional bisque by using lump crab meat
• purchase store-bought crusty bread instead of making your own
• double the recipe for a large group
• add a squeeze of lemon juice for lots of flavor

creamy shrimp bisque

Here is an option when making this great shrimp bisque recipe if you don’t have an instant pot.

Use a large dutch oven and follow the steps I’ve listed here. Use medium heat when cooking the veggies first and then the shrimp.

Add the liquids and the seasonings then turn the heat down so that you have a low simmer in the large pot. Cook for at least 30 minutes.

With all of the ingredients in the pot (except for the cooked shrimp and bay leaf!) use the immersion blender to blend the liquids and the veggies together until smooth.

Follow the rest of the directions for this creamy shrimp bisque and enjoy!

And there ya’ have it! And easy, simple, and delicious Shrimp Bisque in the Instant Pot! Wasn’t that easy? The soup only took about 30 minutes.

This soup is so filling, especially when you serve it with hearty bread. A salad would be perfect with this soup too.

You can see that I topped the soup with chopped scallion greens. You could also use parsley.

I had a small bowl of this soup as soon as it was finished. Which meant I had lunch at 11:30!! It was a good day to be having shrimp bisque for lunch!

With the holiday season coming, I am sure you will find the perfect time to enjoy this amazing soup.

Or maybe you want to have it for dinner, in front of the fireplace with your special someone of 38 years 🙂

shrimp bisque recipe card

Feel free to print this recipe card I made for you! Also, pin this post to your recipe Pinterest boards so you don’t lose it!

I’ve gathered some supplies you might need! Thanks for shopping through our links below!

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Reinvented Delaware

This easy shrimp bisque instant pot recipe is the perfect starter for a special occasion or for any night of the week. Ingredients can be kept on hand so this delicious soup can be made in just 30 minutes!

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Be sure to check back in tomorrow when we share our tablescapes for the holidays!