The Best Easy Instant Pot Lobster Tails Recipe – tender, delicious lobster tails cooked to perfection using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker!

If you’re looking for tthe absolute best lobster tail dinner – without the fuss – you’re going to love this instant pot lobster recipe!

Lobster is naturally low carb, so it works great in a keto diet, making this an ideal easy keto Valentines dinner!

This recipe was adapted from my super easy Broiled Lobster Tail recipe, to be made perfectly for the Instant Pot.

For a different spin on your lobster, check out my garlic butter lobster tail recipe, or my recipe for Lobster mac and cheese!

I also have recipes for a knockout Garlic Butter Lobster Skillet, and the best Naked Lobster Rolls recipe – both can be used with lobster meat you cook in the instant pot!

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Ever since I first posted my Easy Broiled Lobster Tails recipe, the number one question I get is “can you cook lobster in an Instant Pot?”.

While it might seem more complicated to cook lobster tails in an instant pot, it is actually incredibly easy, and keeps the lobster meat from getting too gummy or tough – plus it cuts down on kitchen prep and keeps cleanup to a minimum.

This recipe just calls for the lobster tails to be placed over a trivet, so you don’t even need any extra tools for your IP to make your lobster come out perfect every time.

–Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi
-Sharp kitchen shears
-Trivet (your pressure cooker will come with one, but I love this silicone sling/trivet)
-1 cup water or stock
-Tongs (consider using long-handled BBQ tongs when using your Instant Pot)
-Steamer basket if making more than 4 lobster tails at once

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Making lobster in an Instant Pot of Ninja Foodie is incredibly easy once you prep the lobster – after cutting the lobster, it’s just put in the Instant Pot, set it, and come back to perfect, succulent, juicy lobster tails!

The biggest part of making lobster tails in the instant pot is preparing your lobster tails – after you put them in, they will cook and come out perfect – so don’t skip time making sure you prep your lobster tails well by opening up lobster tail so the meat can cook evenly.

I find it best to cook lobster’s delicate meat on Low Pressure if possible.

Since not all pressure cookers can change pressure (mine always cooks on high pressure), this isn’t a huge deal.

Add one minute (so lobster is set for two minutes total) if cooking using low pressure.

I cook lobster tails for one minute in my instant pot, with a ten minute “rest” period after force-releasing the pressure for the lobster to finish carryover cooking in the IP.

If you have lobster tails larger than 8 oz, add a minute to the cook time.

As I originally outlined in my broiled lobster tail post, you can cook lobster tails from frozen (especially in the Instant Pot), but I personally do not reccomend cooking this way because you need to cut the lobster tail shell to open up the meat for it to cook properly – which will result in tough lobster meat that could be also undercooked in the middle.

Since it can be hard to get fresh, gorgeous lobster tails if you don’t live in a coastal area known for lobster, I will often opt for frozen lobster tails when I am making a lobster tail dinner for two.

While fresh is always best, fresh-frozen lobster tails taste just as delicious as fresh lobster tails that were trucked across the country to get to you and sit on a store counter for a few days – so being in a landlocked state like Colorado, I don’t feel bad at all about grabbing frozen lobster tails.

At the very least, thaw lobster under cold water in the sink to speed up thawing, but thawing overnight in the fridge will give the absolute best results.

Hot tip: Whole Foods often has frozen lobster tail on sale – watch for sales and stock up or buy ahead of an upcoming special event to serve lobster tails on a budget!

In a word? Don’t.

Don’t rush the thawing process in the microwave.

Defrosting lobster tails in the microwave will make the frozen lobster meat tough, in my opinion the meat is too delicate and cooks so quickly, it is just never going to defrost properly in the microwave.

Opt for gently defrosting in cold water in the sink if you absolutely can’t wait.

If you’re making lobster tails as the main dish, you’ll want to pay attention to the lobster tail size and weight to be sure you have enough lobster to fill you up.

In general, you should plan for about 8-10 oz of cooked lobster tail meat per person if you’re serving lobster tails as your main dish – meaning two lobster tails per person, unless they are jumbo lobster tails.

Most often frozen lobster tails that are readily available in grocery stores (not from specialty fishmongers, who will have larger Maine lobster tails more readily) are around 4-6 ounces, so plan on about two per person if making lobster tail your main dish.

• Don’t skip the butter – you want the lobster to cook in all that rich, amazing flavor!
• Don’t overcook lobster – it takes on a fishy flavor and gets gummy and tough when cooked too long.
• Once the lobster is opaque it’s ready!
• If you’re cooking your lobster without the tail, it’s not going to be bright red – so don’t wait for it to turn bright red – rather, it will turn bright white and slightly pink (and redder on the underside.) The lobster tail will also curl when cooked since the shell isn’t holding it in place.
• Clarified butter or ghee works in this recipe.

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