How to cook fresh or frozen Instant Pot lobster tail steamed to tender and delicious is here. Pressure cooked in Ninja foodi with the pressure cooker mode works well too.
Lobster tails cooked in Instant Pot come out great. NO need to wait for water to boil to steam them perfectly anymore. Just add some water or broth and a few of these and in no time you’ll get fork tender meat you can dip in garlic butter for dinner. Just one of our Instant Pot recipes we love.
Ninja Foodi Lobster Tail
Now if you are new to using a pressure cooker that is okay, we will walk you thru it. The brand doesn’t matter, we have them all. Makes a great Ninja Foodi recipe too using the lid that is not attached and the pressure cook button on the front.
In the past when I have made other seafood pieces like Instant Pot shrimp I have always used a vegetable steamer to keep them out of the water. I do this for these too when defrosted. If frozen though you cannot cut the shell to expose the meat so I just set them into the water instead. Will explain both below.
The Best Result – Method 1 Instant Pot lobster tails recipe = if they are defrosted you want to pull the meat out first so you can season them before steaming. In either case you could add veggies with it like we did with our Instant Pot shrimp boil.
Pressure Cooker Lobster Tails without Shell
You would start with butterflying the tail by cutting down the middle of the top of the shell. Then you would have to pry it open to lift out the meat, and place it on top of the shell with it still attached at the end. Mix together 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. melted butter, dash of smoked paprika and garlic powder, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp. minced garlic in a small bowl
Brush the garlic butter mixture onto the meat. Place a trivet into the bottom with water or broth with tails on top. Set to high pressure for 1 minute.
When done, perform a quick pressure release, lift lid, allow to sit inside the pot for another 10 minutes with lid on before serving. Serve with Seafood Boil Sauce Recipe for dipping. If you do not want to remove the meat and just want to put in with the shell as is, or if they are frozen you wouldn’t be able to cut well either. Follow these instructions;
Lobster Tails in the Shell
You would want to place lobster tails in the pot with 1 cup of water or broth for more flavor. Close lid and steam valve. Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. Quick release, lift lid, leave tails inside pot for 10 minutes to rest and continue to cook in hot water. Use kitchen shears to cut open. Melt butter, can add some minced garlic into the mix or make our cajun garlic butter sauce for dipping.
Pressure Cooker Frozen Lobster Tails
If you have frozen lobster tails in Instant Pot you will need to cook for 2 – 4 minutes depending on their size. I always suggest purchasing small around 3 ounces in size each. Especially if cooking together they should all be the same for best results.
This is similar to how to steam lobster tails in a large pot on the stove, but a lot faster. It is a popular and delicious way to cook these prized seafood delicacies. Steaming helps to preserve the natural flavor and tenderness of the lobster meat while ensuring it cooks evenly and reaches a safe internal temperature of 140F to be safe.
How long do you steam lobster tails in Instant Pot?
Cook time is between 1-4 minutes. The timing depends on the size, whether they are frozen in shell or without the shell and defrosted. For the best results I would thaw ahead of time in the fridge and remove the meat so it gets as tender as possible and is easier to eat when done too.
Both of these methods allows you to savor their natural flavor and tenderness without excessive added fats or oils. It’s a relatively quick and easy method that yields impressive results. So, grab some, follow these steps, and treat yourself to a delectable seafood feast!
Steaming like we discussed here the best results as boiling will leach out the vitamins and flavor when submerged into boiling water. I would not recommend air fryer lobster tails as the whole point of this food is to get it as tender as possible, crisping wouldn’t do that.
Instant Pot Lobster Tails Recipe
Equipment
- 1 trivet
Ingredients
- 2 small lobster tails, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup water, or broth
Instructions
- Instant Pot frozen lobster tails – Place shell on lobster tails in the instant pot with 1 cup of water or broth for more flavor. Close lid and steam valve.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes for small, 4 minutes for very large followed by a quick release, lift lid, leave tails inside pot for 10 minutes to rest and continue to cook in hot water
- Cut shells along top and remove meat. Melt butter, can add some minced garlic and garlic salt into the mix for dipping.
- ** Best method below ** I recommend defrosting first and releasing the meat before cooking and follow these steps **
- Instant Pot lobster tails without shell – Butterfly the tail by cutting down the middle of the top of the shell. Pry it open to lift out the meat, and place it on top of the shell with it still attached at the end. Mix together 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. melted butter, dash of smoked paprika, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp. minced garlic in a small bowl
- Brush the garlic butter mixture onto the meat. Place a trivet into the bottom of the pot, add the water, set tails directly onto the trivet.Put the lid on, turn the valve to the sealing position.
- Set to high pressure for 1 minutes. When done, perform a quick pressure release, lift lid, keep tails inside pot for 10 minutes, then lift out and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
In an Instant Pot you only need 1 minute believe it or not. Boiled lobster tails submerged into boiling water takes 5 minutes and steamed lobster tails takes about 8 minutes.
When done the meat should be white without a translucent look to it. If you can still see a sort of see thru color to the protein you should cook an additional minute, and check again until it is completely white in color and shells are bright pinkish red.
Depending on their size it will take 2-4 minutes under high pressure to cook meat until they are white in color. It is helpful to release steam and allow to sit in the pot for another 10 minutes with the lid removed when done to rest as well for the best texture.
