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.
KIM
My daughter got me an Instant Pot for Christmas. I’m already in love! We are home today from school ( my grandsons FIRST snow day ever! He’s so excited!) I found this and braved the freezing temps to grab the couple ingredients I didn’t have. Can’t wait to get this in the pot. Thank you!
Stephanie
I hope you enjoyed the stew.
Kathy Gaines
Stephanie, any ideas of how to sue left over prime rib meat/bones to make a vegetable soup? It will be my first recipe in my instant pot! Thanks You
Stephanie
So sorry I didn’t see this sooner, I am guessing the meat is already cooked, so you wouldn’t need to cook it for the same amount of time. I would have maybe cooked the bones and broth for say 20 minutes, then remove them, then add everything else in meat and veggies, and then cook that for about 5 minutes or so.
Tara
If you cut the ingredients in half, do you still cook the same amount of time listed in the recipe?
Stephanie
I would still cook it for the same amount of time. I would be concerned that the meat would not be done.
Gwsevt
I think with pressure cooking the amount or volume of ingredients doesn’t affect the amount of cooking time much so halving or doubling an recipe doesn’t normally change the amount or pressure needed to cook, they stay consistent. The type of ingredients and texture of ingredients your looking for are the factors that decide pressure and time needed. At least this is my understanding and experience so far. I do love my Insta-Pot!
Tara
If you cut the ingredients in half, do you still cook the same amount of time listed in the recipe?
MS
I accidentally used chicken broth instead of chicken stock and it was very bland 🙁
Would the stock instead make a big difference in flavor? Disappointed on my miss
Gwsevt
I doubt it very much. Things that might make a bigger difference are making sure your herbs aren’t too old, as dried herbs age they get less potent so you can either add more or get fresher jars, making sure you have left and then scraped up lots of brown bits from the browning step and adding salt. I personally might add some Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste for a deeper flavor too. This batch is obviously gone now but while you could add those after cooking they will add the most flavor if you do it for the cooking process, I would add with the sauce and broth but any recipe that you find a little bland and like it “needs” something after cooking can often be rescued by adding a little salt and pepper. Salt in particular really and I always err on the low side so add a little at a time, brings out the flavor in just about everything. There can be a fine line between sudden flavor and salty so again a little at a time but I am often amazed at just how much difference a pinch or two of salt can make and just how much flavor a dish can suddenly have. The other thing that can help recover a stew like this is letting the potatoes and carrots fall apart and mush into the liquids thickening them and often adding flavor as well, again though potatoes like salt, I will probably let half the potatoes and carrots cook with the meat in the first round so some of them are mushy enough to thicken the sauce and add flavor. That way half will be well cooked and falling apart into the sauce while the other half will be cooked but stay firmer with more of their own flavor rather than mingling it all with the rest of the stew.
Stephanie
Thank you for your suggestions.
Amateur
One person added a bay leaf and another a tablespoon of dried Italian herbs. Would it be too much to add both of those? I have no experience cooking.
Lisa
What’s the best way to make this and freeze it? And then rewarm it?
Rose
I made this today & unfortunately I just didn’t trust that 4 minutes was enough time for the carrots & potatoes, plus I added a few extra carrots… so I went 5 minutes… nope! Trust the directions! 4 minutes would have been perfect- at 5, the potatoes are over cooked. Great recipe- wonderful flavor! I added bay leaves…
Stephanie
Some harder/waxier potatoes may be able to take 5 minutes. I am really like to cook the vegetables just enough until they are cooked through. I hope you try the recipe again, let me know how you modify it and make it yours.
Doris
Thanks for posting this one and showing how to prepare. Can I dredge the beef in flour prior to sauteeing it in the pot? That is how my Mom always started it on the top of the stove. Love,love, love your site Stephanie!
Stephanie
I would not do this, the flour may gum of the sealing mechanism. You can thicken the stew after cooking with a slurry of cornstarch and water.
Mary Lynn
I just made this recipe for the 4th time in less yam a month! I have “many” beef stew recipes, that are far more complex. This is a keeper! In fact, if I don’t increase the recipe by 50%, we don’t have enough leftovers! The only thing I do different is add 1 tablespoon of Dried Italian herbs. The recipe doesn’t need it, I just like the extra flavor or oregano, basil, etc.
Stephanie
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. I love this one too 😉
Pat
Mary Lynn -. Do you also cook the meat for 30 minutes? That seems so long for meat in the pressure cooker. I would love to try this recipe but don’t want to mess it up.
DankaDoo
First try at beef stew in my IP! Love this recipe! Delicious!
Cassie
Just made this. Tastes amazing! The meat literally falls apart! But it’s really dry in texture? What could I do differently? Also, can I add more stock to make it more soupier? Do times need to change for this?
Stephanie
What type of meat did you use? Some cuts of beef are dryer than others.
Irene
Sorry, but a newbie to the ip here. Is that 30 mins. manual on high or low pressure?
Thank you, sounds delicious.
Stephanie
That was high pressure.
Heather
What do you mean by tomato sauce?
Crushed tomatoes? Tomato paste? Tomato sauce like a can you’d open up for spaghetti?
Kate
In store they sell just “tomatoes sauce” it’s usually by the other cannes tomatoes. I wouldn’t use spaghetti sauce.
Stephanie
I really mean a can of tomato sauce, you buy it near the crushed tomatoes, but it is just sauce. It is not paste, but just plain tomato sauce.
Gigi
What if you wanted a hamburger beef stew. My family likes it this way what changes would you make.
Stephanie
I am not sure, I would use very lean meat, and add it in there raw, but I don’t know about the cooking time. It may be less, as the meat will be in smaller pieces.
torben
i just did a ground beef stew in my instant pot yesterday. i browned it in the instant pot, added all the other ingredients, stirred them up real good and set my instant pot to the meat/stew 35 minute setting. it was terrific!!!!!!!!!!!
1 pound ground beef
~6cups beef broth
1 1/2 cup shallots
garlic minced
sliced mushrooms
green onion
salt and spices
when it was done, i did a quick steam release, pulled the lid off and immediately stirred in a bunch of chopped kale while the soup was super hot still. this cooked the kale and added my greenies i need.
torben
oh, and a can of kidney beans, and a can of black beans.
Eve
Tried this for my first meal in my brand new Instant Pot and it turned out beautifully! I added more veggies than the recipe (turnips, kale, sweet potato) so it took a little longer for the pot to heat up again but the 4-5 minute second pressure cook time for the veggies is perfect.
Thank you for a nice simple and delicious way to begin Instant Pot cooking.
Stephanie
I am glad you enjoyed this stew, I make it fairly often.
Charity
I cooked my veg 6 minutes and they were crunchy still!! Not nearly done enough. How is this possible?
Leslie
I’m so confused! I make this recipe all the time (love it- thank you!). But the directions are unclear now- in your description it says 4 minutes for first round (and then wait 15?!). Typo? Then I see you changed the second round to 4 minutes. I tried reading through some of the comments- but I have to get to work 😉 I’m doing 15 on manual for first- and I’ll try 4 for second. Does hat sound right? And if so, can you update the recipe? Thank you!!!!
Stephanie
I am sorry I didn’t realize I didn’t update this properly. Please cook the meat for 30 minutes, then do a quick release, add the vegetables, then cook for 4 minutes on manual setting.
Melissa
When do we add the garlic?
Linda
On high????
Debbie VO
Just wanted to ask a few questions. I took the advice to dredge the meat in flour before sautéing. I used a cup of flour to dredge. I think this contributed to not allowing the IP to get to pressure.
After restarting, adding 2 more cups of stock, and still fiddling with the pot to get to pressure, I was successful. Can I assume the flour dredged meat caused the issues with getting to pressure?
The recipe is tasty, just two hours after the kids resorted to a different dinner and went to bed.
This is only my second IP recipe. I’ll try again without the flour and add thickener at the end.
Stephanie Manley
I don’t think the flour kept it from getting to pressure. Maybe the ring was slightly out of alignment. I have always had good luck with this, and I will be doing another stew with a similar technique tomorrow night. So I will test and see if that is the factor that kept your pot from getting to pressure.
Debbie VO
I’d also like to clarify…. I didn’t pick the meat out of the dredged flour (shake off excess). I dumped it all into the pot to saute. So, in the end, there was a cup of flour added to the recipe.
Stephanie
Ok, I will be sure to note to shake off the excess. I made this again last night, and the pot sealed just fine.
Jessica
I have leftover roast and I’d like to use it in the stew but not sure about cooking times because the meat is already cooked. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
Stephanie Manley
For me, this would depend if it is a more lean cut of beef or if it is juicier. If it is super lean, I would make the recipe omitting the meat and it’s cooking time, and once the vegetables are done I would add in the meat. If it is more juicy and I looked at it, I might consider putting the meat in to cook with the vegetables.
Jessica
Thank you!
N
I tried this recipe tonight and felt like it was a little over-complicated. Beef was super tender, potatoes and carrots over done. The whole thing probably could have been done in half an hour without the whole depressurization in the middle hassle. Having to cook beef then depressurize to add veg makes this no less complicated or time consuming than regular stew recipe.
Also, had to thicken the stew after it was done – would like to find a way to do that as part of the process, not after.
Stephanie Manley
Thank you for letting me know you felt the recipe was overkill in steps. I still don’t think you can put the meat in and the vegetables at the same time as they don’t need the same amount of cooking time. You may want to adjust the times to your personal preference. I would love to hear how you will modify the recipe.
To thicken the sauce you could have dredged the meat in a seasoned flour mixture, I would do about 1 1/2 cups of flour, with about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and about a 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Drop the meat into the flour, then shake off the excess flour. Discard all extra seasoned flour. I would have sauteed the cubes of beef in oil and proceeded along with the recipe.
Stephanie
I have to agree with you on the vegetables being over done. Since you wrote your comment, I have done a lot of testing of vegetables in the Instant Pot. I still stick with the double cooking method, but I suggest 4 minutes for the vegetables.
Kay Lee
I am planning on making this tonight. But we love overcooked/soft veggies that fall apart. Should I add an extra minute or two for this result? Thank you for the great recipe!