Whip up quick and easy Instant Pot sausage and rice for dinner tonight. It's a hearty one dish recipe you can throw together in minutes and a flavorful weeknight meal everyone will enjoy!
Don't you just love it when you can combine 2 or 3 of your favorite foods and create a dish that's so full of flavor, you want to have it for dinner every night? That's how this Instant Pot smoked sausage and rice is for me.
I have always loved smoked sausage. When you combine it with rice (or cauliflower rice), onion, garlic, certain spices like smoked paprika, and a dash of green peas, you've got a blue ribbon dinner winner.
Now I do like to use regular rice, but as I've told you before, I have a low carber in the house. So he'll sometimes make this one pot meal with cauliflower rice, if he even wants any rice at all.
If you love this Instant Pot kielbasa and rice, check out another one-pot meal my family loves, sausage and chicken casserole, also made in the Instant Pot.
Why You'll Love This Easy Dinner Recipe
- This is a delicious dump and go meal, and it really reminds me of a good Cajun dish like jambalaya, but without all the other ingredients. The smoked paprika gives it a real kick in flavor.
- It's quick and easy, and your Instant Pot does the main work for you.
- It's a budget-friendly meal. Depending what you already have on hand, this dish can be made for around $5-10, and it can easily feed 5 people.
- It's a one pot meal. You get your meat, veggies, and carb all in one dish.
- It's kid-friendly; they can even help you make it.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves – An easy way to add the garlic is to just used already minced garlic you can find in the produce section at the grocery store.
- Yellow onion – While you can use sweet onion, I find the yellow onion gives a nice kick; and this dish has enough carbs (with the rice) without added sugar.
- Sausage link – I love to use smoked sausage, usually beef smoked sausage. You can also get great flavor by using kielbasa, andouille sausage, smoked chorizo, etc. Do keep in mind that if you're trying to make this gluten-free, be sure to look for sausage labeled gluten-free; you'd be surprised at some of the things that do actually contain gluten.
- Salt and Ground black pepper
- Smoked paprika – This is my “not so secret” ingredient that adds spice, flavor, and a kick. Without it, this dish just wouldn't be the same. It is a wonderful seasoning for so many things. Again, be sure to look for the gluten-free label if making this gluten-free.
- Chicken Broth – You can mix up bullion or use ready-made broth; however, if you're making this gluten-free, be sure to check your labels.
- Rice – I suggest using long grain rice. We prefer to use a long grain rice to make pressure cooker sausage and rice. Jasmine rice and basmati rice are more great examples of long grain rice. The reason I prefer long grain rice is because it really fluffs up after cooking, and it won't be so moist; it'll have a drier texture to it, so it doesn't just clump up into heaps of cooked rice. You can also make this recipe with brown rice or cauliflower rice, but keep in mind that it will change the texture and taste of the finished dish.
- Frozen Peas – Just be sure to thaw them. You can also add in other veggies, things like bell peppers, green beans, corn, etc.
Let's Talk about the Instant Pot for a Second
If you haven't used an Instant Pot before, you're in for a meal making treat. The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker that allows you to make so many things quickly and easily.
I love using mine to make one pot dinners and weeknight meals, especially when we're super busy and just don't have a lot of time to cook. One pot Instant Pot dinners are the absolute best!
Not sure how to use your Instant Pot? You're not alone; I have a lot of friends and readers who've ordered one but but have yet to get it out of the box and actually use it. But I've got ya covered with my quick and easy Instant Pot guide.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT SAUSAGE AND RICE
Before you even heat up your Instant Pot, be sure to prep your ingredients and have them ready to go. This means go ahead and mince up your garlic and onion, slice the sausage, and make chicken broth if you're not using already made broth.
Then follow these steps…
- Press “Sauté” on your Instant Pot, and once it's heated up, add the olive oil, garlic, and onion, sautéing 'til they become soft.
- Add in the sausage slices, and brown for a good 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then sprinkle in the seasonings, and add the rice and chicken broth, mixing everything together.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” with a cook time of 5 minutes. Allow it to do a natural release.
- Once it's released, go ahead and remove the lid, and stir in the thawed peas. Put the lid back on, and allow those peas to warm for about 5 minutes. No need to turn on the pot; just let everything sit in its own warmth.
- Then stir and fluff the rice, and serve it up!
It's such an easy meal to make, and definitely one your family will love!
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ideas and ways you can switch up this recipe to make it even more fun…
- Add bell peppers. Bell peppers give excellent flavor to just about any dish.
- Try different seasonings; if you want it to have a Tex-Mex feel, try adding taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.
- Speaking of Tex-Mex, add salsa to the mix, or picante sauce, or better yet, a green salsa.
- Make it cheesy by adding either some shredded cheese, or a can of cheddar soup.
- Try making it with other types of meat… Maybe ground sausage or ground beef, bits of steak, chicken, or shrimp.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's
Sure you can! You can double or even triple the recipe, as long as your Instant Pot is big enough to hold all the ingredients. This recipe makes enough to feed about 5 people. So if you have a crowd of 10 or more, feel free to increase as needed.
Thankfully, this hasn't happened when we've made this recipe, but different brands and types of pressure cookers may differ. So to avoid that ominous burn message, you may want to avoid stirring everything together when you add the chicken broth. Just make sure all the rice is submerged in the liquid, so it will cook properly.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge; leftovers should keep for 3-5 days in the fridge. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop in a skillet.
Yes, you can make smoked sausage with rice ahead of time and freeze it. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
More Instant Pot Dinners You Can Make in a Jiffy
If you love this Instant Pot sausage and rice as much as we do, you're going to love these other meals you can make too…
- Instant Pot potato soup
- 2-in-1 Instant Pot meatloaf and potatoes
- Maple brown sugar oatmeal – Yes, you can even make breakfast in the Instant Pot, including peaches and cream oatmeal too!
- Instant Pot vegetable soup
- Instant Pot baby back ribs
- Easy Instant Pot chicken tacos
- Easy Instant Pot chili
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Instant Pot Sausage and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium yellow onion minced
- 1 pound sliced sausage link*
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup long grain rice*
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
Instructions
- Before you even heat up your Instant Pot, be sure to prep your ingredients and have them ready to go.
- Press “Sauté” on your Instant Pot.
- Once it's heated up, add the olive oil, garlic, and onion, sautéing 'til they become soft.
- Add in the sausage slices, and brown for a good 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then sprinkle in the seasonings, and add the rice and chicken broth, mixing everything together.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” with a cook time of 5 minutes. Allow it to do a natural release.
- Once it's released, go ahead and remove the lid, and stir in the thawed peas. Put the lid back on, and allow those peas to warm for about 5 minutes. No need to turn on the pot; just let everything sit in its own warmth.
- Then stir and fluff the rice, and serve it up!
Tried this and loved it. It’s now a staple in our dinner rotations. Lol
Can u make in crockpot?
Tammy, I can’t see why not!
Do I need to adjust anything timewise if I double the recipe?
Kristen, it’s possible that it’ll have to cook a few minutes longer, but it shouldn’t be by much. Just keep an eye on it. Hope this helps!
I know some recipes call for the rice to be rinsed ahead of time. Is that something you do with this recipe?
Hey Rachel, we do typically rinse the rice with water before using it. Thanks for asking!
Can I use canned peas instead of frozen?
Yes, canned peas will work well. Just be sure to drain all of the moisture out of them so as not to add excess moisture to the dish.
What is the best to reheat once frozen?
Kendall, I would either reheat in the microwave or reheat in the oven at 350ºF, until it’s piping hot all the way through. It may be helpful to pull it out of the freezer and into the refrigerator the night before you reheat it to ensure that it thaws first.
Is there a way to make this without a instapot?
Rebecca, this recipe is for the Instant Pot, but it is definitely possible to make it in a pan on the stovetop.
Can you use ground sausage I stead of whole sausage links? If so, does the cooking time change or stay the same?
Also, if I use basmati rice, does the cooking time stay the same?
Thanks!
Gina, this is definitely possible. Ground sausage is not typically pre-cooked like some sausage links, so I recommend cooking it ahead of time; then just add it into this recipe as you would sausage links, following the same instructions. I have never cooked with basmati rice, but from what I have read online, it looks like it can be substituted just the same as regular long grain rice. It may increase the cooking time ever so slightly, but I would just watch it. When it’ soft, it’s done! Thank You for the question.