Instant Pot Lobster

Instant pot lobster is the easiest way to bring a little luxury to your dinner table, no boiling pots or fancy techniques needed! In just minutes, the lobster cooks up tender, juicy, and perfectly steamed, ready to soak up a rich garlic herb butter.

Why This Recipe Is a Total Catch

Effortless Elegance: You get restaurant-style lobster with almost zero work! The Instant Pot handles the steaming, so you can just relax!
Flavor Boosted Butter: The warm garlic-herb butter melts into every bite, making each tail taste rich and luxurious without a long ingredient list.
Pairs Like a Dream: Serve it with lemon garlic cream fettuccini, roasted veggies, or a simple caesar salad for a dinner that looks fancy but takes hardly any time at all.

Instant Pot Lobster Tail Ingredients

Overhead shot of labeled instant pot lobster ingredients.

Lobster Tails: Pick similar sized tails so they cook evenly. Fresh or frozen work, just thaw frozen tails in the fridge for the best texture.
Water: Chicken broth is a great alternative and adds extra flavor as it steams!
Butter: Use good quality unsalted butter like Kerrygold or Plugra for a rich flavor. If you use salted butter, cut back on any extra salt.
Herbs: Fresh herbs make a big impact. If using dried, use about one third as much because they are more concentrated.

How to Make Instant Pot Lobster Tails

Lobster tails may look intimidating, but pressure cooking them makes them totally doable. It’s simple to prepare and turns any dinner or holiday meal into something really special.

Prepare: Add the trivet and water to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Cut the Tails: Using kitchen shears, butterfly the tails of the lobster by cutting down the center.
Loosen the Meat: Loosen the meat, then pull the lobster meat upward.
Steam: Place the lobster tails on top of the trivet, shell side down, then close the lid and lock it in place. Select the “SEAL” mode, then press “STEAM” and add 2 minutes to the cook time. Manually release the steam once the lobster has cooked.
Whisk the Butter Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, garlic, paprika, thyme, rosemary, and parsley.
Brush and Serve: Brush the sauce on the perfect Instant Pot lobster tails and enjoy!

Instant pot with trivet and water added to it.

Someone cutting the shell on the top of the lobster tail with kitchen sheers.

Alyssa’s Pro Tip

Don’t Overcook! When checking for doneness, the lobster meat should be opaque and firm, with just a hint of pink near the tail. Avoid overcooking, as even a minute too long can make the beef rubbery and tough.

Instant Pot Lobster

Instant Pot lobster tails come out tender and flavorful in minutes. This simple method gives you juicy meat every time with almost no effort!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword easy lobster tail recipe, instant pot, instant pot lobster tail recipe, lobster tail, lobster tail recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2

Pressure Time 5

Total Time 12

Servings servings

Calories 155kcal

Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

4 lobster tails
1 cup water or chicken broth
¼ cup melted butter
3 garlic cloves minced
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme minced
1 teaspoon rosemary minced
1 teaspoon parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add the trivet and 1 cup water or chicken broth to the inside of the Instant Pot.
Using kitchen shears, butterfly the 4 lobster tails by cutting down the center. Loosen the meat and pull the lobster meat upward.
Place the lobster tails on top of the trivet shell side down. Close the lid and lock it in place. Select the "SEAL" mode. Press "STEAM" and add 2 minutes to the cook time. Manually release the steam once the lobster cooks.
In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup melted butter, 3 garlic cloves minced, ½ teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon thyme minced, 1 teaspoon rosemary minced, 1 teaspoon parsley chopped, and salt and pepper to taste.
Brush the sauce on each lobster tail and enjoy!