Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe: Perfect Tender Beef with Vegetables and Gravy

Transform tough, affordable cuts of beef into fall-apart tender, restaurant-quality pot roast in a fraction of traditional cooking time with this foolproof Instant Pot recipe. This modern take on classic comfort food delivers all the beloved flavors of Sunday dinner – succulent beef, perfectly cooked vegetables, and rich gravy – in just over an hour instead of the usual 4-6 hours.

The secret lies in the two-stage cooking method that ensures the meat reaches optimal tenderness and the vegetables maintain perfect texture without becoming mushy. Enhanced with onion soup mix and finished with silky gravy, this recipe proves why the Instant Pot has revolutionized home cooking.

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What makes Pot Roast in an Instant Pot so good?

This Instant Pot pot roast succeeds because it combines the benefits of pressure cooking with strategic timing and proper technique. The initial searing develops deep, caramelized flavors through the Maillard reaction, while the high-pressure environment breaks down tough connective tissues in tough cuts of meat. The two-stage cooking process is crucial – cooking the meat first allows it to reach optimal tenderness, while the separate vegetable cooking stage prevents overcooking and mushiness. The onion soup mix enhances concentrated flavor, and the final gravy preparation transforms the cooking liquid into a rich, restaurant-quality sauce.

Why you should try this Instant Pot French Onion pot roast recipe

This simple recipe shows how easy preparing a perfectly cooked and flavorful pot roast is. You can make this recipe with many different cuts of meat. No matter what cut of beer you use, you will have a flavorful roast. 

It makes lovely savory beef that will satisfy the entire family – you will surely turn one of them at least into an Instant Pot meat and potatoes guy! Using a pressure cooker takes the cooking time down dramatically.

With this easy recipe, learn to cook the best pot roast with potatoes and carrots in an Instant Pot. An Instant Pot pot roast is so tender that it melts in your mouth.

This is the best pot roast recipe you will ever try! Save this to your recipe box now and keep it for a lifetime!

Ingredients for Pot Roast in Instant Pot

This simple pot roast with potatoes and carrots recipe gives you yummy, tender, pull-able meat with loads of flavor. It calls for simple, everyday, easy-to-stock ingredients as follows:

Meat Foundation

• Boneless beef chuck roast – Ideal cut with marbling that becomes incredibly tender under pressure
• Alternative cuts – Round roast, rump roast, or shoulder roast work equally well
• Size considerations – 3-4 pound roast fits perfectly in standard 6-quart Instant Pot

Searing and Seasoning

• Vegetable oil – High smoke point oil for proper searing without burning
• Salt – Essential for seasoning and tenderizing meat during prep time
• Dry onion soup mix – Concentrated flavor enhancement that penetrates during cooking

Liquid and Flavor Base

• Tomato paste – Adds umami depth and rich color to cooking liquid
• Beef stock or broth – Creates flavorful cooking medium and gravy foundation
• Quality stock recommended – Better flavor results from premium or homemade stock

Vegetable Components

• Yellow or white onion – Provides aromatic sweetness and texture
• Potatoes – Yukon Gold or red potatoes hold shape best during pressure cooking
• Carrots – Baby carrots or cut regular carrots for convenience and uniform cooking

Gravy Enhancement

• Cornstarch – Thickening agent that creates smooth, lump-free gravy
• Water – For creating a slurry that blends smoothly
• Heavy cream – Optional addition for richer, restaurant-style gravy

What Is the Best Cut of Beef for This Pot Roast in Instant Pot Recipe?

The tougher cuts of beef for pot roast are chuck, shoulder, brisket, and round. These cuts are the leaner ones with lots of connective tissue. 

You don’t have to break the bank to buy a great cut of meat to make a pot roast, whether you are making an Instant Pot chuck roast or a beef shoulder Instant Pot meal. The Instant Pot tenderizes an affordable roast in about one hour! This is one way to save a little and still have an amazing dinner.

• Chuck: An Instant Pot chuck roast becomes tender and falls apart easily because of the amount of marbling (fat you can see throughout).
• Shoulder: A beef shoulder Instant Pot dish is also delicious. The shoulder is leaner and more tender than the chuck.
• Brisket: This cut has a lot of connective tissue that makes it tender after being simmered in the traditional way (or with less time in your Instant Pot). A brisket is a little pricier than a chuck roast.
• Bottom or top round: This is the cut of beef that makes the sliced roast at the deli. It’s leaner than chuck roast and brisket, so you may want to add a little extra fat (oil or butter) while it cooks to prevent drying.

How to Cook a Roast in an Instant Pot

Making a pot roast in your Instant Pot is pretty easy. Instead of braising your roast in the oven, you can make an Instant Pot chuck roast in about half the time.

I do something a little different than other recipes you may see online. I like to cook my vegetables after the meat is cooked. I have found that if I cook my vegetables for the same amount of time I cook the meat, the vegetables become soft.

I like vegetables to be tender tender, so I cook a pot roast in two stages: one long cooking cycle for the meat, seasonings, and liquid, followed by a very short cycle for the vegetables.

Here are the recipe steps:

1. Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add the vegetable oil.
2. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the roast.
3. Place the roast in the bottom of the pot and sear both sides of the roast until browned, about 6 to 7 minutes per side. 
4. Add the onion soup mix, tomato paste, and beef broth or stock.
5. Close the lid and set your Instant Pot to high pressure for 60 minutes. 
6. After the cooking cycle has finished, perform a quick pressure release.
7. Add onions, potatoes, and carrots.
8. Set your Instant Pot to high pressure for 4 minutes.
9. After this cooking cycle, perform a quick release.

10. Transfer the roast and vegetables to a serving platter.
11. To thicken the gravy, whisk in a cornstarch slurry and cook until it thickens. Use the saute setting for cooking the gravy.
12. Stir the gravy. Add cream if desired. Then, pour it over the roast or into a gravy boat.
13. Serve and enjoy!

Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe Variations

If you want to change this recipe, you may want to:

• Add some fresh ground pepper, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, or perhaps one or two garlic cloves.
• If you love heat, add a tablespoon of red pepper flakes.
• Substitute a quarter of the beef broth with red wine.
• Add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
• Add in some chopped celery stalks along with potatoes, carrots, and onions. For variety, consider using other root vegetables like parsnips, rutabagas, and turnips.

Note: Add herbs or spices to the initial cooking for a more pronounced flavor. If you want a more delicate flavor, you can add them when you cook the vegetables.

Tips for Pot Roast in Instant Pot

• Give your beef time out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature before cooking it. Beef straight out of the refrigerator won’t become as tender.
• Salt the beef as soon as you take it out of the fridge. This allows the salt to seep into the meat while the roast sits, making it extra tasty when cooked.
• By browning the beef on all sides before cooking at high pressure, color is added to the meat and lots of flavor to the pot.
• For a one-pot meal, brown the beef right in the pressure cooker using the sauté function. If your pressure cooker does not have this method, simply brown the meat in a heavy pan on the stove.
• Don’t skip the natural release time. Allowing the pressure to release naturally makes the meat more tender.
• Instant Pot potatoes and carrots work best if the vegetables are cooked after the meat is ready. If you cook the vegetables for the same amount of time as the meat, the vegetables become mushy. So it is recommended that you cook a pot roast in two stages – one long cooking cycle for the beef, followed by a very short cycle for the vegetables.

What to Serve with Pot Roast

With the vegetables and gravy, this pot roast is a hearty meal all by itself. Therefore, it doesn’t need much in the way of side dishes.

Serve it with some crusty bread, breadsticks, or dinner rolls for soaking up the juices or gravy. Plus, a green salad is a nice, fresh addition to this one-pot meal.

Leftover beef from this Instant Pot roast recipe makes a great sandwich, especially with a creamy horseradish spread or caramelized onions.

How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Leftover Pot Roast

Leftover pot roast is a meal to look forward to and can be even more flavorful on the second and third day. Here’s how to store it:

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freezer: Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

CopyKat Tip: Freezing the roast, vegetables, and gravy in individual portions gives you quick meals later on. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.

To reheat pot roast leftovers:

Reheat leftover pot roast in a covered pot on the stove over medium heat. Add a little broth or water as needed and stir frequently for even heating. Pot roast can also be reheated in your pressure cooker using the sauté setting or in the microwave.

Roast in Instant Pot FAQs

Do you have to trim the roast?

It’s up to you! If you don’t do much trimming, the fat makes the roast really juicy as it cooks. And, you can easily remove unwanted fat once it is cooked. If you prefer less fat cooking with your roast, you can trim the larger pieces.

How long does it take to cook a pot roast in the Instant Pot?

How long it takes to cook pot roast in Instant Pot method will vary depending on how large your piece of meat is. As a general rule of thumb for cooking beef roasts in an Instant Pot, allow 20 minutes for each pound of meat.

Can you use frozen beef for a pot roast?

Technically, the answer is yes – the cooking time will be 20 to 30 minutes longer. However, for the best pot roast, the recommendation is for thawed beef that’s seasoned with salt and allowed to come up to room temperature.

What if the beef is not as tender as you’d like?

In this situation, just place the lid back onto the pot, seal it, and then cook at high pressure for an additional 10 to 20 minutes.

What if you have a different-sized Instant Pot?

This recipe is written for a 6 quart Instant Pot (the most popular size). If you have a larger Instant Pot, you need to increase your ingredients. For example, a 4- to 5-pound roast, and then increase everything else by one-third.

I hope you give this pressure cooker pot roast recipe a try soon, I think you are going to be surprised at how easy it is to prepare a flavorful pot roast.

Favorite Instant Pot Recipes

If you have an Instant Pot, I can imagine you want to use it and see if it is really worth all the hype. As well as a pot roast, you can make various dishes in your Instant Pot, and you can do so easily. Here’s a selection of Instant Pot recipes:

• How to Make Popcorn in an Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Apple Cider Pork Loin
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Corned Beef
• Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta
• Instant Pot Refried Beans
• Instant Pot Risotto Recipe
• Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
• Instant Pot Tri Tip

Popular Beef Recipes

• Beef Shank
• Eye of Round Roast
• How to Cook Brisket
• How to Cook a Rib Roast

Check out more of my easy beef recipes and the best Instant Pot recipes here on CopyKat!