Instant Pot Beef Stew turns a bag of pre-cut stew meat into a proper beef stew without an afternoon at the stove. The pressure cooker turns those tough chunks tender, and the potatoes, carrots and gravy all happen in the same pot. If the buttons are new to you, each one is explained where it comes up.
How to make Instant Pot beef stew: Sear 2 pounds of stew meat in two batches on Sauté, soften the onion and garlic, then deglaze with 1 cup of broth and scrape the bottom clean. Add the rest of the broth, the beef, the tomato paste on top, and the vegetables. Pressure cook 35 minutes on HIGH, natural release 10 minutes, then quick release and thicken with a cornstarch slurry.
Why You’ll Love It
- Pre-cut stew meat works. Trim what you get and it comes out tender after 35 minutes under pressure.
- One pot, start to finish. Searing, vegetables and gravy all happen in the inner pot.
- The burn warning is handled. One cup of broth and a wooden spoon on the pot bottom is the whole fix.
- Feeds eight.
Ingredient Notes
Stew meat is usually chuck the store has already cut into chunks. The pieces are uneven, so trim any big bits of fat or gristle and cut the oversized chunks down to about 1 1/2 inches. Cubing a chuck roast yourself works too, same 2 pounds.
Use low-sodium beef broth, 3 cups of it. One cup goes in first to deglaze the pot; the other 2 cups go in after.
Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape under pressure; russets fall apart and baby potatoes can go too soft. Cut the potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks, about the size of the beef, and the carrots into 1-inch pieces. The tomato paste sits on top and is not stirred in until after cooking; the burn section below says why.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed, oversized chunks cut to about 1 1/2 inches
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 medium), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3/4 cup frozen peas, optional
How to Make Instant Pot Beef Stew
1. Season the beef. Trim off big bits of fat or gristle and cut any chunk larger than about 1 1/2 inches in half. Season with the salt and pepper.
2. Sear in two batches. Press Sauté, which heats the inner pot like a skillet, lid off. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until it shimmers. Add half the beef in a single layer and leave it alone for about 4 minutes, until it browns and releases from the pot; flip and brown the second side about 4 minutes. Move it to a bowl and repeat with the remaining oil and beef. Crowding the pot makes the meat steam instead of brown.
3. Cook the onion and garlic. Add the onion and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, press Cancel, and stir 30 seconds.
4. Deglaze (this is the burn fix). While the pot is still hot, pour in 1 cup of the broth and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon until nothing is stuck. Any browned bit left behind can trigger the burn warning. Pour in the remaining 2 cups of broth, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaf.
5. Add the beef and vegetables. Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Dollop the tomato paste on top and do not stir it in. Place the potatoes, carrots and celery on top of the beef. Do not stir. Keep everything below the max fill line marked inside the pot.
6. Pressure cook 35 minutes. Lock the lid and turn the small valve on top to Sealing, which keeps the steam in so pressure can build. Press Pressure Cook (or Manual) and set 35 minutes on HIGH. The pot takes 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure before the timer starts counting down. Do not use the Stew button preset; it is only a timer.
7. Natural release 10 minutes, then quick release. When the timer ends, leave the pot alone for 10 minutes. This is a natural release: the pressure drops on its own, and the rest keeps the beef tender. Then move the valve to Venting with the handle of a long spoon to let out the remaining steam; that is the quick release. Open the lid away from you and remove the bay leaf.
8. Thicken. Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Press Sauté, stir the slurry into the stew, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, stirring gently so the potatoes stay whole, until the gravy coats a spoon. Stir in the peas if using; they warm through in a minute.
9. Taste and serve. Press Cancel. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.
How Long to Pressure Cook Stew Meat
Thirty-five minutes on HIGH, then a 10-minute natural release. The meat needs the full 35 minutes, and the natural release is part of the cooking, so do not skip it. The 35 minutes is only the pressure time; the pot needs 10 to 15 minutes to reach pressure first. Here is how the clock adds up.
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Sear the beef, two batches | About 4 minutes per side |
| Onion and garlic | 2 to 3 minutes, plus 30 seconds |
| Come to pressure | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Pressure cook, HIGH | 35 minutes |
| Natural release | 10 minutes |
| Thicken on Sauté | 2 to 3 minutes |
Start to bowl is about 1 hour 35 minutes.
Cubed chuck can go as low as 25 minutes; Instant Pot’s own recipe goes 45 with a quick release. For a bag of stew meat, 35 is the safe middle.
If You Get the Burn Message
The burn message comes up when food is stuck to the bottom, when there is not enough thin liquid, or when the sealing ring is not seated or the valve is not on Sealing. Tomato paste and thick sauces do not count toward the liquid. That is why this recipe deglazes with 1 cup of broth and scrapes every browned bit off the bottom, and why the tomato paste sits on top, unstirred.
If it happens anyway: press Cancel, release the pressure, open the lid and scrape anything stuck off the bottom. Add 1/2 to 1 cup more broth or water, lock the lid and restart the same 35 minutes. An 8-quart pot needs 1/2 to 1 cup extra liquid from the start.
If You Want Firmer Vegetables
Vegetables that ride the full 35 minutes tend to come out soft. For firmer ones, pressure cook the meat alone 20 minutes, quick release, add the vegetables, and cook 15 minutes more.
Variations
- Baby potatoes. Use 1 1/2 pounds of baby potatoes, halved, in place of the Yukon Golds. They can go softer.
- Oregano and extra Worcestershire. Swap the thyme for 1 teaspoon dried oregano and bump the Worcestershire to 2 teaspoons.
- Peas. Stir 3/4 cup frozen peas in with the slurry; they warm through in 1 to 2 minutes.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90 F. In an airtight container the stew keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 4 days after thawing.
USDA FSIS says to reheat leftovers to 165 F and to bring stews to a rolling boil, covered. The potatoes and carrots soften after freezing.
What to Serve With It
This bowl mostly wants bread and a spoon, but the 3-ingredient slow cooker potatoes are almost too much potato, and I say that with love. If you do not own a pressure cooker, the same cut of beef makes the slow cooker pot roast with gravy or the slow cooker Amish pot roast, both with potatoes and carrots in the pot. The richer, wine-braised version is beef bourguignon. And if the bag of stew meat was bigger than you needed, the rest can become a beef and barley soup or the slow cooker steak soup later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pre-cut stew meat instead of a chuck roast?
Yes, and this recipe is written for it. The pieces are uneven and some have gristle, so trim what you get and cut the big chunks to about 1 1/2 inches. Cubing your own chuck works too.
Why is my stew meat tough in the Instant Pot?
Most often it did not get the full 35 minutes, or the pressure was released right away. The meat needs the whole 35 minutes on HIGH, and the 10-minute natural release after that is part of the cooking.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Keep the pressure time at 35 minutes; the pot just takes longer to come to pressure and to release. Everything must stay below the max fill line.
Do I need the Meat/Stew button?
No. The Meat/Stew button is a preset that sets 35 minutes on HIGH, the same as pressing Pressure Cook and setting 35 yourself. It is only a timer, so I set the time by hand.
Final Notes
Scrape the pot bottom before the lid goes on and let the timer run out. The bag of stew meat that looked like a gamble in the cart comes out as the best part of the bowl.
Instant Pot Beef Stew
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat trimmed of big fat or gristle, oversized chunks cut to about 1 1/2 inches
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 yellow onion medium, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups beef broth low sodium, divided
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes about 4 medium, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 carrots peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 celery ribs chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water cold
- 3/4 cup frozen peas optional
Instructions
- Trim off big bits of fat or gristle and cut any chunk larger than about 1 1/2 inches in half. Season with the salt and pepper.
- Press Sauté, which heats the inner pot like a skillet, lid off. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until it shimmers. Add half the beef in a single layer and leave it alone for about 4 minutes, until it browns and releases from the pot; flip and brown the second side about 4 minutes. Move it to a bowl and repeat with the remaining oil and beef. Crowding the pot makes the meat steam instead of brown.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, press Cancel, and stir 30 seconds.
- While the pot is still hot, pour in 1 cup of the broth and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon until nothing is stuck. Any browned bit left behind can trigger the burn warning. Pour in the remaining 2 cups of broth, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaf.
- Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Dollop the tomato paste on top and do not stir it in. Place the potatoes, carrots and celery on top of the beef. Do not stir. Keep everything below the max fill line marked inside the pot.
- Lock the lid and turn the small valve on top to Sealing, which keeps the steam in so pressure can build. Press Pressure Cook (older models say Manual) and set 35 minutes on HIGH. The pot takes 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure before the timer starts counting down. Do not use the Stew button preset; it is only a timer.
- When the timer ends, leave the pot alone for 10 minutes. This is a natural release: the pressure drops on its own, and the rest keeps the beef tender. Then move the valve to Venting with the handle of a long spoon to let out the remaining steam; that is the quick release. Open the lid away from you and remove the bay leaf.
- Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Press Sauté, stir the slurry into the stew, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, stirring gently so the potatoes stay whole, until the gravy coats a spoon. Stir in the peas if using; they warm through in a minute.
- Press Cancel. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.
