Instant Pot Crab Legs (Crab Boil)

Instant Pot crab legs can be steamed in Ninja Foodi pressure cooker perfectly with snow crab legs by themselves or with potatoes and corn for a crab boil for dinner! If you loved our Instant Pot shrimp boil this will be a hit too.

Ninja Foodi Crab Legs

I will say it again. It doesn’t matter what pressure cooker brand you have at home, as long as it has a high pressure function this can be made. Crockpot Express is fine and makes an easy Ninja Foodi recipe with the lid not attached too. Whether you have fresh, defrosted or frozen crab legs we will share all the cook times you need.

If you live on the coast you might be able to go to the local fish market and get fresh babies. We aren’t that lucky in Idaho and have to grab them at the store when they are in stock, or in the freezer section year round. Luckily it tastes great either way. We share How to Cook Frozen Crab Legs if you need that info.

How do you steam crab in Instant Pot?

You’ll want a trivet at the bottom or vegetable basket. Liquid needs to be in the pot to create very hot steam to cook crab legs in pressure cooker. You don’t want them sitting on the bottom with your water, broth or beer.

Instant Pot Crab Boil

It doesn’t matter whether you want to just steam crab in pressure cooker or if you want to add other items to make a crab boil. The cook time is the same either way for just the meat. You would just skip the first 5 minutes for the Instant Pot corn and taters.

When it comes to boiling potatoes in Instant Pot, with or without meat, you need some sort of liquid. For plain and boring just go with water. Broth will add more flavor of course, and you could even use a can of beer (or part thereof) for real goodness. I prefer a light lager personally but go with what you have.

When it comes to seasonings you may have a few of your own favorites. This is definitely one of my favorite Old Bay recipes for sure. It is a Southern must and adds a ton of flavor with even just a bit of it. You’ll likely want garlic butter to dip your pieces in when it’s done, we have instructions for that too.

How Long to Cook Frozen Crab Legs in Instant Pot

If you are cooking frozen fish, or crab legs in this matter, you would need to increase the cook time by 2 minutes, not bad. So instead of the 5 minutes you would need about 7 instead.

What is the best way to serve these? That is quite easy, with a bowl full of our seafood boil sauce. Obviously you want to melt butter but garlic and some seasonings whisked in there does the trick to dunk each piece of crab meat in before devouring them.

Tips for Success

You will want a trivet for this so the food doesn’t sit in the liquid below. Have everything prepped and ready to go. Broth will give you a bit more flavor than water but that is all you need to get the meat tender.

If you just use snow crab legs you could decrease the time to 3 min. King crab or with the larger joint attached, stick to 5.

If you are using regular size taters you will want to cut into very large chunks beforehand. Think about the size of small bagged potatoes at the store, you want it about that size.

Serve with a king crab leg cracker so you can get the crab meat out. Enjoy with your dip or sauce on the side to dip all the things in and enjoy. You can print recipe below and get going!

What is the best way to reheat leftover crab legs?

You would want to steam them again if left in the shells. You can do the same in your IP but for just 1 minute on top of a trivet with a cup of water inside. Or you could use your oven but it will take longer. Put into a preheated oven at 350 F for about 15 minutes. You’ll need 1/2 inch of liquid in the bottom of a casserole dish with legs inside. Cover with foil with a few holes poked into the top. Depending on how many you have 15 min. should do it.

FAQ