My Instant Pot Beef stew has fresh vegetables, fall apart tender chunks of beef, and fresh herbs. It’s much faster to make pressure cooker beef stew than the traditional method, it’s so easy!
This post contains affiliate links
I love to use my pressure cooker to make weeknight dinners for my family, not only is it usually faster than cooking on the stovetop or in the oven but it’s easy too. If I’m making this pressure cooker beef stew for my family we always make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes to go with it! You can make these ahead of time if you need to.
Some of my favorite Instant Pot recipes include my Instant Pot Chili, Instant Pot Pulled Pork, Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast, Instant Pot Cowboy Beans, and my Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice.
How to Make Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
Start by cutting up the beef chuck roast into cubes that are about 2 inches. Once you’ve done that you can also peel and cut up the sweet potatoes into large chunks and do the same for the carrots and onions.
Next step is to brown the beef by turning on the saute setting on your Instant Pot, then add a little olive oil and brown the beef in batches.
Once you’ve browned all the beef you should fully deglaze the pressure cooker with the broth, make sure you scrape up all the browned beef bits from the bottom of the pot to prevent the ‘burn’ notice from appearing.
Add all the browned beef chunks, salt, pepper, garlic, and two sprigs of rosemary then put the lid on and pressure cook for 12 minutes.
Once the cook time is up allow wait 15-20 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure and opening the lid.
Immediately add in the vegetables, tomato paste, and tomato sauce, put the lid back on and cook again for 4 minutes.
As soon as the cook time is up carefully open the pressure release valve and when the pressure has dropped open the lid. The vegetables should be soft and cooked but if they are not then you can simply simmer the stew (lid off) for a few more minutes until they soften up.
If you want to thicken the stew then mix about 2 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch (or arrowroot or tapioca starch for Paleo and Whole30) with 1/4 cup water and add about half of it to the stew and stir and simmer until it’s thickened, add the rest if you want it thicker.
Instant Pot Beef Stew – FAQ’s
How long should I cook Instant Pot Beef Stew for?
I like to cook my Instant Pot Beef Stew for 12 minutes at pressure and then let it sit until all the pressure has released naturally, this will take an additional 15-20 minutes usually, then I add the vegetables and cook for a few minutes more.
What is the best cut of meat for Instant Pot Beef Stew?
My favorite cut of meat for making really tender Instant Pot Beef stew that cooks reliably well has to be beef chuck. It’s a relatively inexpensive cut of beef with plenty of fat and connective tissue which makes for a good, flavorful stew so it’s always my first choice.
If you don’t have chuck roast then pick a cut that you know has plenty fat and connective tissue and is suitable for long slow cooking, this will work much better than beef that you would cook quickly and is very lean, they simply don’t work as well for pressure cooking and usually end up dry and stringy.
Should I just use the ‘stew’ button on my pressure cooker?
On my pressure cooker model the pre programmed stew button usually takes about 35 minutes to cook and I think that’s too long for this recipe and you run the risk of overcooking the beef.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, make sure it’s fully cooled and then portion the stew into freezer proof containers and label them. It should keep in the freezer for up to four months.
How long will it keep in the fridge?
Instant Pot beef stew will keep for up to four days in an airtight container.
Favorite Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Beef Stew
A fall apart tender beef stew that is packed with healthy vegetables and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb beef chuck roast , 700g, cut into two inch sized cubes,
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion , peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 medium sweet potatoes , peeled and cubed into large chunks
- 4 medium carrots , peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 8 oz tomato sauce , 240mls
- 1 + 3/4 cups gluten free beef broth , 415mls
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 cloves garlic , crushed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tbsp cornstarch , or potato starch, or tapioca or arrowroot for Paleo/W30
Instructions
-
Cut the beef chuck roast into two inch sized pieces.
-
Peel and chop the carrots, sweet potatoes and red onion into large chunks.
-
Brown the beef in batches using the 'saute' setting in your Instant Pot then remove and set aside.
-
Add the gluten free beef broth to your pressure cooker and fully deglaze the bottom of the pot to prevent the 'burn' notice from coming on later.
-
Add back all the browned beef, salt, pepper, garlic, and tuck in two sprigs of rosemary.
-
Lock the lid, turn the steam vent to 'sealing' and using the 'manual' or 'pressure cook' button, adjust it to cook for 12 minutes at high pressure. Once the time is up wait 15-20 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure and opening the lid.
-
Immediately add the vegetables, tomato sauce, and tomato paste, stir, and replace the lid and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure, then quick release the pressure and open right away.
-
If your vegetables are still a little hard after simply simmer your instant pot beef stew for a few more minutes. (How long they take to cook will depend on the size you cut them.)
-
If you want to thicken the stew sauce mix 2 tbsp corn or potato starch (see notes for Paleo/W30) with 1/4 cup (60mls) cold water then add half to the pot and stir and simmer until thickened. Add the remaining starch if you need it thicker.
-
Serve over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Recipe Notes
Nutrition – makes four generous serving, nutrition label is shown below.
Storage – you can keep any leftover stew covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Freeze it in a suitable container for up to four months.
Paleo and Whole 30 – use a paleo and whole30 compliant beef broth and if you want to thicken the stew use arrowroot or tapioca starch.
Leave a Comment