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Slow Cooker Jambalaya is loaded with tasty sausage, chicken, and shrimp that gets cooked low and slow to activate the bold spices. This hearty dinner is an effortless meal that is ready with only 10 minutes of prep!
One-pot meals are the perfect solution for busy nights! Cajun alfredo, shrimp creole, and foil packets are more easy and flavor-packed meals that will liven up a normal weeknight.
Easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya Recipe
Slow cooker jambalaya is delicious, satisfying, and comes together with hardly any effort at all! Our family favorite slow cooker recipes are normally honey garlic chicken or beef tips, but this jambalaya is so good we’ve been adding it into the regular rotation. The way the spices play with the tasty flavors of sausage and shrimp is so addictive. Savory, spicy, meaty, and juicy, I know this is a dish you and your family won’t be able to resist getting second helpings of!
Jambalaya doesn’t have to take a lot of work. You can just prep and toss all of the ingredients together and let the slow cooker do the work. Or, for an instant flavor boost, brown the sausage with the onions and peppers before adding the ingredients to the slow cooker. Either way, with this recipe you save a lot of time and effort. You can go about your day, being able to return to a dinner packed with terrific New Orleans flavor. This dinner is guaranteed to be a hit!
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Jambalaya
This shortlist of classic cajun ingredients comes together flawlessly. Various spices blend together to create a warm, spicy meal that is hearty and incredibly delicious!
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken cut into chunks will fit perfectly on your spoon.
- Andouille Sausage Links: I slice these into bite-sized pieces.
- Shrimp: I like to use shrimp that is large, peeled and de-veined.
- Diced Tomatoes: Adds to the color and enhances the jambalaya’s sweet and salty flavor.
- Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Celery: These are the three essential flavors that can be found in almost any cajun dish.
- Chicken Broth: You need this liquid to cook your meat. I like using chicken broth because it adds a hint of savory flavor.
- Dried Thyme: Thyme pairs well with the tomato and adds a bit of a minty taste.
- Dried Oregano: Adds a bitter and earthy spice to balance out the flavors.
- Cajun Seasoning: This rustic and bold seasoning blend adds a punch of spice.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adds even more earthy and spicy flavors.
Making Slow Cooker Jambalaya
This jambalaya will be a new family favorite, and it is the quickest and easy to prepare. Simply combine all the ingredients and let your slow cooker work its magic! Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for it to be ready because the smell of this cooking is amazing!
- Combine Ingredients: First, add all the ingredients except the shrimp into the slow cooker. Then, simply stir to combine.
- Cook: Next, set the cooker to low for 7-8 hours (high for 3-4 hours), and in the last 15 minutes add in the shrimp.
- Serve: Serve over rice and enjoy!
Easy Jambalaya Tips and Tricks
This dish can easily be customized to match your individual tastes. With these easy tips and suggestions, you will create the best jambalaya around!
- Gumbo or Jambalaya: The difference between gumbo and jambalaya is that gumbo typically contains a roux which is cooked to a deeply flavored brown stage. It contains more liquid like a stew and is filled with vegetables like okra, bell peppers, celery, and onions. Jambalaya is a traditional rice dish made in one pot with more meat than vegetables.
- Brown Your Meat: Do this before adding it into your crock pot. Browned meat is traditionally a key flavor in jambalaya. Don’t skip this step if you want the most authentic flavor!
- Quality Sausage: Seasoned sausage is one of the most important parts of this recipe. A good quality sausage can really uplevel your jambalaya’s flavor.
- Using Other Meats: This dish is super versatile and changing up the meat will not interfere with the delicious results! Beef tastes great in this, too, so I also like to add in chuck roast. You can also add in crawfish or crab meat.
- Add Enough Spice: If you are planning on serving up your jambalaya with rice, make sure it is heavily seasoned! Rice tends to soak up flavor. Don’t be afraid to add in an extra dash of cajun seasoning!
- Add Garnish: For an extra pop of flavor, top your jambalaya with chopped green onions or parsley. It gives it an aromatic finish.
- Serve With: Serving your jambalaya with rice is the traditional way of having it. I also like to pair it with homemade cornbread or corn casserole for a sweet, creamy contrast to its spicy flavor. Additionally, hush puppies and fried okra are some of my other favorite Southern sides!
Storing Leftover Jambalaya
I love how easy and delicious this recipe is, but also how amazing leftovers taste! Jambalaya is the perfect thing to have on hand for simple weeknight dinners.
- In the Refrigerator: In an airtight container, jambalaya will stay good for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: You can easily microwave jambalaya in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 second intervals until warm. My personal favorite way of reheating jambalaya is on the stove. I feel like it helps retain all of the delicious texture of the meat and shrimp. Heat on medium, stirring frequently until warmed through.
My Other Favorite Cajun Recipes
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts skinless, boneless, cut into chunks
- 1 pound andouille sausage links sliced
- 1 can diced tomatoes 28 ounces
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup rice see note
- 1 pound shrimp 13-15 count
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the shrimp into the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours (high for 3-4 hours). Add the rice in 1 hour before finished.
- Add the shrimp in the last 15 minutes add in the shrimp.
Notes
Nutrition
Serves: 8
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Rather than the rice, do you think it would work to toss in a 12-oz bag of frozen cauliflower rice? I’m not concerned of how “authentic” it is, just good flavor and low carbs. Thank you!
That should work just fine!
Can’t share by email..link doesn’t work for me
Can you use frozen shrimp??
Yes, but instead of adding it in during the last 15 minutes, add it during the last hour so that it has longer to cook.
Using frozen shrimp adding in the last hour that’s if cooking on low, right? Do I thaw it over cold water first? Forgot to take it out of the freezer last night and making today.
My husband loves Okra and he mentioned it would like to add to. Would that work in this recipe?
Ooh, I haven’t tried that before in this recipe! Let me know how it turns out!
I tried the okra and it was a Amazing! I have never made jambalaya before and have made it 3x’s already!! Thank you for sharing! Perfection!
Can you use smoke saiusage??
Yes! It will bring in a very different taste but it would work. Let me know how it turns out!
I made this jambalaya today and it is absolutely delicious and my whole family loved it! It is definitely a keeper.
I made as written but added more shrimp (only because my son likes lots of shrimp) and doubled the rice that I cooked separately on the stove. Added the rice to the slow cooker towards the end of the cooking time.
Wonderful recipe and thank you for sharing it!
Oh my God, I made this today for Fourth of July dinner and definitely I am not disappointed. Flavor is so good I even added extra bag of rice and one more extra pound of shrimp Lord have mercy this is so good.Thank you Alyssa Rivers for sharing this recipe. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
How long should I cook this in the slow cooker if I use precooked chicken?
The other ingredients still need that time to cook so I would not adjust the cooking time. I would add the cooked chicken in later into the cooking process, when there is about an hour left. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi I love your page, can I make this on a stove top as I don’t have a slow cooker yet? Thanks
Try this recipe for Jambalaya instead! Easy Jambalaya Recipe
Hi , I’m on a keto diet so should I reduced the fluids as I don’t eat rice , but it would go well with garlic and turmeric cauliflower rice on the side
This was so delicious, I would just add more rice if you want a true jambalaya to meat ratio but either way it is so darn good!!!!
The flavors are there and it would have tasted so great, but putting the rice in the slow cooker cooked so unevenly in that last hour. Tons of hard, uncooked rice. Tried to fix it by cooking it longer and adding more broth, but it just broke the half the rice while the other half was still hard and uncooked. I regret putting the rice in at all. Any advice to save this? I wasted so much ingredients 🙁
Use cooked rice, then add crockpot
Same thing happened to me. Wish I had read your comment beforehand. It was good, because I cooked it longer. Truly recommend that the rice be cooked beforehand.
Let me start by saying, I love your recipes. They are magnificent. I always cook them the first time through with no changes. That having been said, I disagree with the amount of liquid or the lack of rice. I am from Louisiana born and raised a coon ass and live outside of the jambalaya capital of the world. And Jambalaya is not liquid-y dish. It is a dry rice dish like dirty rice. Using 28 ounces of diced tomato and 2 cups of chicken broth to one cup of rice made the dish to much like a soup which jambalaya is not. So I doubled the rice and that made it correct according to Louisiana jambalaya standards. The flavor was fabulous. But there should be more rice to be a true Cajun jambalaya.
Hi there Patricia ! I wondered if you used 2 cups of a long grain or minute rice? Thanks in advance.
I used 2 cups of long grain.
Is the rice long grain or minute rice or can you use noodles?
You can serve this with any rice or noodles that you prefer. I typically cooked up some long-grained rice but I’ve used minute rice when I’m in a hurry!
Your tips say to brown the meat first but it doesn’t say that in the instructions and your pic doesn’t look like the chicken or sausage is browned. Do we need to brown first?
You don’t have to but it will add a deeper flavor to the jambalaya.
Is the rice cooked before adding it to the crockpot?
You can mix in some cooked rice to the jambalaya just before serving. Or, you can just serve it on top of some rice instead!
How long do you let cool before you put in the refrigerator
You won’t put it in the refrigerator until the food has cooled down. Not sure about the time for that, just watch it!
Hi! Just wondering if the shrimp is cooked or uncooked for this. Tail on/off? Making this tonight and looking forward to a yummy dinner!
Hello! The shrimp should be raw and added to the Jambalaya during the last 15 minutes of cooking. I make sure to get large shrimp that is already peeled and deveined but I leave the tails on because I think the presentation looks better 🙂 But that’s totally up to you!
Very tasty recipe, I’ve made this many times over the last few years. Kudos to anyone who can prep this in 10 minutes!
Let me know how it turns out!