This one pot Instant Pot beef stew is perfect for feeding a crowd, it’s made really quickly in the Instant Pot but tastes as if it has been simmering for hours. It’s also great for meal prep, as the flavors get richer when the stew sits for a day or 2. If you’re looking for a beef stew recipe that you can bake in the oven, head over to my Oven Beef Stew recipe! You might also like to try Hawaiian style Beef Stew, made on the stovetop.
Instant Pot Beef Stew Ingredients
To make this warming beef stew, you will need:
Beef chuck roast (well marbled – fat trimmed) for really tender meat, or beef stew meat.All purpose flour and vegetable oil, if you decide to sauté the beef cubes first.Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic.Tomato paste, bay leaf, rosemary, beef broth, salt and ground black pepper.
How to Choose Meat for the Beef Stew, and How to Cut It?
The best cut that you can get for this beef stew is chuck roast that is well marbled, trim the fat but don’t over do it as that’s what will keep the meat tender. If you use stew meat, that is ok but be aware that the meat won’t turn out very tender even if you cook for longer. Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes, and remove the fat or gristle that is easy to trim.
How to Make Instant Pot Beef Stew
Start by prepping the meat, and the vegetables. Cube the meat, and peel and chop up the vegetables.In a ziploc bag, add the beef along with salt, pepper and flour. Give the bag a good shake so that the beef is well coated in flour. If you choose not to use flour, then just season the meat with salt and pepper.Press on SAUTE in the Instant Pot, and wait until it’s hot. Add vegetable oil, and brown the beef cubes until they’re browned but not cooked through. Remove from the Instant Pot and set aside. You might have to do this in batches as an overcrowded Instant Pot will make it difficult to brown the beef. Also feel free to skip this step and just add all the ingredients in the Instant Pot (without the flour), and pressure cook.Deglaze the pot with water, then add the beef and the rest of the ingredients (potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, rosemary, and beef broth). Stir to combine, then cover with the lid.Make sure that the vent is on sealing position, press on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and set at 20 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure, then cook for 20 minutes. Once the cooking is finished, quickly release the steam. Discard the rosemary sprig and bay leaf, and thicken the sauce (this is optional) by combining 2 tbsp of cornstatch with 1 tbsp of water and mixing this in the sauce. Set the Instant Pot on SAUTE, and as the stew starts to boil it will thicken. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley leaves and serve.
Tools You Will Need to Make This Instant Pot Beef Stew
An Instant Pot (this is the one that I have and love!)A sharp knife – every kitchen needs a really good chef’s knife and this is the one that I have been using for years!Wooden spoon
How Long Does It Take for the Instant Pot Beef Stew to Be Ready?
The ingredients take around 10 minutes to prepare, then browning the meat will take around 10 more minutes. Allowing the Instant Pot to come to pressure will take around 10 more minutes, and it will cook for 20 minutes. To open the lid, thicken the sauce, and serve will take you about 10 more minutes. So about 1 hour in total. Remember that cooking beef stew over the stovetop takes hours, while in the Instant Pot it will be ready in just 1 hour.
Success Tips
Pat meat dry with kitchen towels before coating it in flour and seasoning.Do not skip browning the meat, this extra step gives the beef a lovely flavorful crust so it results in a much better flavor and it’s totally worth it.After browning the beef, deglaze the pot and scrape every little bit from the bottom of the pot using a wooden spoon. This will prevent you from getting the BURN message, and give your stew a better flavor.Meats usually call for natural release, but for this recipe I just cook on high for 20 minutes then do a quick release. However, I don’t open the lid right away as I wait for the liquids to stop boiling.When you thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry, make sure that you do it right away before the liquids cool down. It also helps to let the Instant Pot heat the liquids up by pressing on SAUTE setting.If you don’t have corn starch available, use flour, arrowroot, potato starch, or even tapioca instead.Make sure that you choose the right cut of meat for the best results.You can add peas at the end of the cooking process if you like (fresh or frozen).
I highly recommend that you follow this recipe, and brown the beef as it gives an extra depth of flavor. But you can skip this step if you don’t have much time, and just put all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot then pressure cook for 20 minutes (leave out the flour in this case).
How to Freeze This Instant Pot Beef Stew?
This beef stew can be frozen in portions for up to 3 months. I recommend not adding any potatoes though as they don’t freeze well. Once you thaw the beef stew, you can boil some potatoes and add them in to the reheated stew. I also have a fantastic lamb stew made with Guinness beer, so make sure to check it out! Instant Pot chicken stew is a creamy and delicious meal too. © Little Sunny Kitchen
title: “Instant Pot Beef Stew” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-20” author: “Betty Kim”
When I got my Instant Pot a few years ago, I was absolutely intimidated. I seriously just left it in it’s box and got a judgy side eye from it every time I went into my pantry. It wasn’t until I was on a press trip with Barbara Schieving (author of The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook) that I got the Instant Pot pep talk that I needed. Her cookbookt was the thing I needed to figure out, not only how to use my Instant Pot, but to feel confident developing recipes for it. Since then I’ve come up with Instant Pot Chicken Tacos which are simply the best. My family has them about once a week, in fact, they are on the menu tonight (not even kidding). And these Honey BBQ Instant Pot Cocktail Meatballs are my favorite easy appetizer to bring to a party. And now! Now I have made you Instant Pot Beef Stew! It’s the ultimate comfort food that you have loved your whole life, but with the cooking time cut in half in the pressure cooker. If you need more Instant Pot recipes, this beef stew should be the next thing you make.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT BEEF STEW
The first time that I made this recipe, I browned the meat in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting before getting the rest of it going. I’m not going to lie, that makes for a really tender beef stew. However, I didn’t like how much oil it took, and I’m not overly impressed with the browning setting on the Instant Pot. It does not cook evenly across the whole surface and it its such a small surface area I had to do the meat in three batches, making the total time of this recipe almost the same as if I had done it on the stove top.
SHOULD I BROWN THE MEAT BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE INSTANT POT?
My solution to this was to just cut the browning out of the recipe and instead whisk the flour into the recipe to thicken it. The result was a delicious and thick soup. If you use meat that is well marbled, it should not affect the end result. However, browning the meat before hand does make it slightly more tender. If you want to brown it, I suggest that you toss the meat in the flour called for in this recipe and brown it in a heavy bottomed pot and then set it aside. Do not add more flour in later, just skip that step and add the browned meat at the point written in the recipe below.
CAN I MAKE THIS INSTANT POT BEEF STEW IN THE SLOW COOKER
Yes! To do that keep all of the ingredients the same, but:
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THIS INSTANT POT BEEF STEW RECIPE
As mentioned above, you can brown the meat before adding it, though this is not necessary. I would not recommend browning it in the Instant Pot. Buy a very well marbled stew meat. The butcher at your meat counter should be able to recommend something. You can often buy it pre cut which saves a lot of time. It is key that it is well marbled with fat though, as this will help it stay tender during cooking. Cut your vegetables into one inch pieces. If your carrots and potatoes are too small they will over cook. If you don’t often have red wine on hand, I suggest buying a four pack of small bottles to make this recipe.
WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR THE RED WINE?
If your family does not use alcohol in recipes, you can cut it from this recipe. I would recommend replacing that one cup of liquid with more beef stock. The reason it is in the recipe is to increase the depth of flavor in the stew. However, this Instant Pot Beef Stew will be delicious without it.
OTHER GREAT SOUPS AND STEWS
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Sausage and Kale Soup Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup
If you make this recipe or any of my other soups, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
