Do you love beef stew? Want to prepare a delicious beef stew in a fraction of the time it would take on a stovetop? This instant pot beef stew recipe has tender beef, tender perfectly cooked vegetables all in a velvety smooth sauce. I know you are going to love this easy beef stew recipe.
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Beef Stew in an Instant Pot
Beef stew is one of those all-time comfort foods, when served with some crusty bread you really can’t ask for a better dinner. This one-pot meal can be made quickly and it tastes like your favorite traditional beef stew recipe. Best of all this cooks in under 90 minutes, so you don’t have to wait for hours while your beef stew cooks.
Instant Pot Stew – Inspired by my Grandmother’s recipe
I wanted something to remind me of my Grandmother’s beef stew. She cooked plainly, letting food’s natural flavors come through. Her homemade beef stew was one of my favorite recipes, and the best thing about this recipe was when you enjoyed it the next day because it tasted even better.
This easy instant pot beef stew is made with beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, a little garlic powder, salt, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and smoked paprika. You really can make delicious stew in an electric pressure cooker.
Instapot Beef Stew Ingredients
What one secret ingredient is in this recipe? Chicken stock. I use chicken stock as the stew base. I think the flavor of the chicken stock adds a richness and nice flavor profile that beef broth does not have.
People always ask, “did you just say chicken stock?”. Yes. If you prefer beef stock or beef broth, please use it. I urge you to try your beef stew with chicken stock just once.
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Beef Chuck Roast – this is a good beef stew meat, is has so much flavor due to the marbling of the beef.
- Vegetable oil – you can use olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Chicken stock
- Tomato sauce
- Smoked paprika
- Potatoes – I like to use Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes also work well
- Carrots
- Onions – I prefer white onions for this recipe
- Garlic powder
- Worcestershire sauce – (optional) 1 tablespoon adds a nice touch
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Learn how to keep the vegetables firm in this simple beef stew
I pressure cook my stew twice. If you cook the meat and the vegetables all in one single step you will tender meat and mushy vegetables. The best stew should have tender meat and firm vegetables. The first cooking is the meat, stock, and spices. The second cooking is where we add the vegetables. Cooking the vegetables for less time means they stay firm and distinct.
How to Make Beef Stew in Instant Pot
It’s pretty easy to make delicious stew, you can make a beef stew that tastes like it cooked all day in your pressure cooker. I will walk you through the process.
- Cut your beef into bite-sized pieces. Small pieces of meat mean your stew tastes extra meaty, by increasing the surface area of the meat means more flavor comes through.
- Brown the meat first before pressure cooking it. The browning process will give your stew a depth of flavor.
- Using meat stock instead of water adds another layer of depth to the taste of your stew.
- Cooking the vegetables last results in the vegetables retaining all of their natural bold flavors. No one wants flavorless mushy vegetables.
What meat is best for beef stew?
You can use just about any cut of beef for beef stew. The cheaper cut of meat will give you better flavor! My personal favorite is chuck roast. A chuck roast is inexpensive and has enough marbling on it to give it more flavor.
Don’t buy precut stew meat because it costs more. Five minutes of work means you can save a couple of dollars a pound. Here is a breakdown of types of meat you can make beef stew.
- Chuck roast – (Chuck Shoulder, Chuck Roast, Chuck-Eye Roast, Top Chuck) – is well-marbled, and releases a lot of gelatin when it cooks, so you get a wonderful velvety texture.
- Sirloin – is great if you want a lower fat content in your stew, this is a great choice, this leaner cut of beef. You won’t get the same texture as you will with a fattier cut.
- Round eye roast (Bottom Round Roast, Bottom Eye Roast, Rump Roast, Eye Round Roast, Top Round, Round Tip Roast) – These are all variations of the same cut of roast. Inexpensive and lean, this is a great choice for a leaner stew plus these are often priced less expensively than other cuts of meat.
How long do you need to cook beef chunks in a pressure cooker?
Meat takes 30 minutes to be cooked thoroughly, in a pressure cooker. You might wonder if you want to add more meat in the pressure cooker do you need to cook it for longer? No, the meat needs to cook for 30 minutes at the proper psi to be done. Longer cooking time is irrelevant when you use more meat.
Why is my stew meat tough in Instant Pot?
If you cook your meat full time your beef should not be tough. Sometimes a particular cut of beef may have more connective tissue, and this may sauce your beef to be extra tough. To fix this you can simply cook your stew for another 5 to 8 minutes on high pressure. This additional cooking time should address the toughness of the beef.
Does beef stew get more tender the longer it cooks?
Yes, the longer beef stew meat cooks it will become more tender. It becomes tender because the connective tissue begins to break down. As the connective tissue breaks down the meat isn’t held together so firmly.
Tips for Success when making Instant Pot Beef Stew
To add richness and flavor to Instant Pot Stew
- Brown the meat first in vegetable oil or olive oil.
- Do not use water, use a meat stock
- Use meat with some fat like a chuck roast, you will get the flavor from the fat, and the gelatin will give you a nice texture.
- When you brown the meat deglaze with a bit of red wine if you desire, be sure to scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to pick up all of that rich flavor.
- If you want to you can add a bay leaf or two when you cook the meat for flavor.
- Do not put flour in your Instant Pot, it will clog the pressure valve.
- If you think the stew is too thin, consider adding a cornstarch slurry to the final result.
Combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir to blend well. Add to hot stew after it has finished cooking. Stir until stew thickens. The residual heat of the stew is sufficient to thicken the cornstarch slurry mixture in the stew.
Beef Stew in Instant Pot is Flavorful
What I like about using the Instant Pot it is that is a safe, easy way to pressure cook. The flavors stay trapped within the liquid, so you get a nice flavorful stew.
This stew cooks quickly and the pressure cooker is relatively silent when in operation. It will even switch to a warm mode once the food is cooked.
I browned my meat right in the pot, then put on the lid, set the timer, and walked away until it beeped. Brilliant. This is the working person’s dream.
How to store leftover Instant Pot beef stew
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can freeze leftover Instant pot beef stew in an airtight container or a vacuum-sealed bag for up to 3 months.
Does Instant Pot stew freeze well?
It freezes very well. Be sure to store it in an airtight container, and it will last for 3 months in the freezer. You should allow the frozen stew to thaw before reheating. You can pull the frozen stew out of the freezer and let it thaw in your refrigerator until it is ready to reheat.
How to Reheat Instant Pot Beef Stew
I recommend reheating the stew in a pot on the stove. Reheat the stew on low to medium-low heat until warm for best results
Loved this recipe? Try my other Instant Pot recipes
- Easy Pulled Pork
- Pinto Beans in Instant Pot
- How to Make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- French Onion Rice Instant Pot
- Corned Beef Instant Pot
- Pressure Cooker Irish Stew
Best Hearty Soup Recipes
- Best Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
- Copycat Zuppa Toscana Recipe
- Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup Panera
- White House Navy Bean Soup
- Chili Make With Tomato Juice
- Luby Green Chili Chicken Soup Recipe
- How to Make Crostini to Serve with Soup
Be sure to take a look at more of my easy soup recipes and Instant Pot meals.
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 ounces chicken stock
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 pounds potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 8 ounces carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 large onions, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cut beef into bite-sized pieces. Season meat with salt. Brown bite-sized pieces of roast in the Instant Pot on saute in vegetable oil, you may need to do this in small batches.
- Once the meat has browned add tomato sauce and chicken stock. Cook the meat on the manual high setting for 30 minutes. Perform a quick release.
- Then add the garlic powder, smoked paprika, vegetables and cook on the manual setting for 4 minutes.
- When the stew finishes you can either perform a quick release or a manual release.
Gail
Should I do anything different if the meat is frozen
Stephanie Manley
I think you should be ok with the two cooking times, you may want to add a minute or two to the first cooking time.
Petra Thompson
Hello,
I’m new to this. I read that quick release dries out meat so release should be done naturally. Is that not the case in this recipe? I’m going to try this one this weekend. Can’t wait!
Thanks you!
Stephanie Manley
I have been cooking with this pot for about 5 years now, I haven’t come across this yet.
Sunny
I think that is only referring to meat cooked “dry” if you will. (I realize there is water at the bottom of the pot to create the steam and pressure.) This is completely submerged in water since it is a stew so it shouldn’t make it dry.
Deana Watson
So very good! My husband & I like more tomatoe.. so I added 2 cans of stewed tomatoes to it instead of paste, some celery salt, garlic and it was delicious! Meat was so tender!
Bonnie
This was the most delicious stew I have ever had! So much broth and so very tasty. I cut back the second cook time to 18 minutes but will cut it back to 15 next time. I used white sweet potatoes and I don’t think they need as long. Please share more pressure cooker recipes. ????
Karen
Delish, I improvised a little, but next time I’ll cook the veggies for less time. I only cooked for 28 min and they were a little too mushy.
Tarrah
I want to make this for Christmas Eve so that it’s ready when we get home from church. If it sits in the keep warm mode for a few hours after finishing cooking, will that matter? Do you think it will make the veggies too mushy?
Tarrah
Alternately, if I wanted to just put the veggies and meat in at the same time, could I maybe just use the slow cooker option? How long would you recommend for that on low or high?
Stephanie
It depends on how long church is going to last, if it is an hour, it should be fine, if it is for several hours then I think the vegetables might be mushy.
Aaron
Just made this. Smells so good, tastes so good, and so easy. Instant pot for life.
Stephanie
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Kim
People, please read all the instructions. Stephanie clearly stated why she used the chicken stock vs. The beef. She’s!
amber
I can’t find an explanation for chicken stock anywhere, even though I read through four times. Help, please?
Stephanie
Well I like the flavor that it gives, I think the chicken stock makes the beef taste better.
Chris
You have garlic powder in the ingredients but not in the instructions… I almost forgot to add it!
Ana
Stephanie please make a whole turkey recipe for the instant pot. I actually made one just to see how it would come out. It was good but I need help.
Kristy
This is finishing up right now, but I’m curious why you used soup instead of stew. I’m a newbie to the Instant Pot,so I’m still learning.
Brian
I was curious too why not stew setting first and then the soup setting.
Stephanie
Both the stew and soup use high pressure. The soup setting is for 30 minutes, the stew setting is for 35 minutes. I choose the soup setting because I wanted to cook the recipe for an additional 30 minutes. I have amended the recipe to show how to use the manual setting for both cooking times. Thank you for helping me bring clarity to the recipe.
Stephanie Manley
The different between the two is five minutes. The soup setting is 30 minutes at high pressure, the stew setting is 35 minutes at high pressure. What I will amend the recipe to will be for 15 minutes at high pressure, then 30 minutes at high pressure.
Deanna Dockins
This is the first recipe I tried in my InstantPot, and it was the best beef stew I have ever tasted, much less made myself. I added worcestershire and used fresh diced tomatoes instead of canned sauce, due to my personal preferences. Fast, easy, and so flavorful. And one-pot! I think I am going to love this appliance. Thanks for the recipe.
Scott
Tonight I cooked my first ever stew
I added 3 cloves of garlic and half the onion when I browned the meat
Yukon gold and red potatoes
Can of whole kernel corn and a can of green beans
1 tablespoon of Sierra Nevada Stout & Stoneground mustard
It turned out unbelievable and only took one hour start to finish
I did 15 min then 20 with a natural release
Stephanie
Your stew sounds delicious! I love adding beer to a soup or stew.
Anne
Thanks for the tips! Only 1 tablespoon of stout? I was searching for a Guinness Beef Stew Instant Pot recipe when I stumbled onto this one. It will be my first time using our new Instant Pot. Any thoughts how I could modify to include the rich Guinness stout flavor? Really only 1 tablespoon??? Thanks.
Stephanie
I think you can easily substitute about 16 ounces of chicken stock for Guinness!
Ali
The stout & stoneground mustard is one product: https://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Nevada-Stout-Stoneground-Mustard/dp/B000R1XOV4
Carrie
Thanks for a great recipe! My husband who is a novice cook but is having fun learning the Instant Pot made this tonight ant it was fantastic. He added celery with the veggies (cause it’s my fave) and cut the second cook back to 15 minutes because I hate mushy carrots and it was perfect. We used the exact cut of meat you call for and it was so tender. I had some fresh herbs lying around waiting for thanksgiving, so we added some thyme and rosemary and let it simmer a few minutes white we set the table. I think you are right about the chicken broth, have it a nice complex flavor, and the paprika really shines too.
Stephanie
It is an awesome tool.
James R
Please tell me the ‘Chicken ‘stock for Beef stew was a typo…
Stephanie
It was not a typo. It was intentional. I like the layering of different types of meats and their flavors together.
Deanna Dockins
I used my fresh turkey broth I made from the remnants of the Thanksgiving bird. Was delicious!
Margaret
This was my first stew in my Instant Pot. I followed the recipe only adding a couple of bay leaves and a medium sized turnip. I served microwaved frozen peas with it. It was delicious and it has given me more confidence to use the IP more. Thank you for the recipe!
Stephanie
I am so glad it worked out well for you. I love my instant Pot and use it all of the time
Sandy Farrington
Going to try the beef stew recipe as my first use of my new instapot. One question: why are you using chicken broth for beef? Is that your personal choice or is there another reason? I would have thought beef broth would be better with beef.
Stephanie
My thought behind on this was to layer the flavors. I love when you can layer multiple protein flavors. You can use beef stock, absolutely, I like the flavor better when I use chicken stock, it’s just my personal preference.
Pam
I love my instant pot, I have done quite a few recipes and all have turned out pretty good, I haven’t tried the stew so I am trying it tomorrow I will let everyone know how it is
Kaybb
This was amazing! At family dinner my 32 year old son said this soup is his new favorite :). I didn’t have tomatoe sauce so used fresh tomatoes. Then before serving we added some ketchup. Sounds awful but I think it is what took it over the top. Also added some sweet potatoe, not yams, but the light colored sweet potatoe. Delish! Thanks for the recipe.
Stephanie
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I love your use of the fresh tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. I should do a curry in that pot sometime soon.
Josh
When do you put the top lid on ?