Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
Instant Pot beef stew is full of juicy beef, veggies, and potatoes, and it’s so quick to make. This pressure cooker recipe achieves all the tenderness and richness that comes with hours of cooking in a fraction of the time. I love using my Instant Pot to cook everything from short ribs to pulled pork, and now this flavorful beef stew. It’s fast becoming a family favorite. How long it takes: just 15 minutes of hands-on prep, and your Instant Pot does the rest. Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot or pressure cooker, and a bowl Servings: 8 This cozy one-pot recipe is truly a meal in one, made for chilly days. The beef is fall-apart tender, soft enough to come apart with a fork, and the flavors of the broth are rich and soul-warming.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Stew Recipe
One pot. Everything is cooked from start to finish in the Instant Pot, for the best-tasting stew. Brown the beef using the sauté function, dump in the rest of the ingredients and go. Rich, hearty flavor. Weeknight (or any night) comfort food doesn’t get cozier than this Instant Pot beef stew. The flavors of the beef roast and veggies mingle together, wrapped up in savory warm broth. It gives “wrapped up by a crackling fire under a blanket” vibes. The best! Quick. With your Instant Pot, there’s no need to cook your stew for hours over low and slow heat in order to achieve all that flavor and tender beef. It speeds up the process, and it’s mostly hands-free.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ll get you started on the recipe here and give you some extra tips. Scroll to the recipe card below the post with ingredient amounts, instructions, and nutrition information.
Beef Chuck Roast – Chuck roast is my cut of choice for beef stew (see below). You can buy pre-chopped stew meat although I find chuck roast is more economical and it’s easy enough to cut into 1-inch cubes at home. Remember to trim some of the excess fat away. Stew Seasoning – I toss the meat with my homemade beef stew seasoning blend. It’s an easy, savory blend of dried herbs and seasonings, plus flour to help the beef sear. Alternatively, you can use a combination of onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, celery seed, dried rosemary, and salt and pepper (amounts are included in the recipe card). Olive Oil – For browning the beef. I recommend olive oil. However, you can substitute another type of oil with a high smoke point. Stock or Broth – Low-sodium beef broth or stock, or stock without added salt is best. This way you can season your stew to taste without it becoming too salty. Onions, Carrots, Celery – This veggie combination adds flavor and nutrition to the stew. I use frozen pearl onions for their size and sweetness, and they also come already peeled (bonus!). Feel free to substitute chopped yellow onions, if you prefer. Potatoes – I make this stew with halved baby potatoes because they hold their shape well when cooked. Another option is quartered russet potatoes, though avoid extra starchy potatoes, like Yukon Gold, as they tend to crumble once cooked. If you’d prefer to make stew without potatoes, use sweet potatoes or parsnips instead. Diced Tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes make the stew hearty and the broth deliciously tangy, while bringing extra liquid to the pot. Peas – Fresh or frozen will work. You’ll add the peas right at the end so that they retain their bright green color. If you dislike peas, feel free to skip them. Herbs – There’s nothing like the flavor of fresh herbs. Bay leaf, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary sprigs deepen the flavors of the beef stew, with fresh parsley sprinkled in at the end. If you need to replace fresh herbs with dried herbs, use one third as much (dried herbs are more potent). Cornstarch – If needed, a slurry of cornstarch and water stirred into the stew at the end helps to thicken the beefy broth into a gravy.
How to Make Instant Pot Beef Stew
This comforting beef stew is perfect to make in the colder months, without the commitment of simmering for hours on the stovetop. Here’s how to make a hearty stew in the pressure cooker: Season and sear the beef. First, toss the beef chunks in stew seasoning to coat, then set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides with a bit of oil. Deglaze. Afterward, remove the beef and deglaze the pot with a ¼ cup of broth. Use a rubber or wooden spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Combine and cook. Next, add the beef back to the pot along with additional broth, chopped veggies, potatoes, diced tomatoes, and a bay leaf. Stir everything together and seal the lid, then set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 35 minutes. Afterward, leave the pot to natural release for 10 minutes before manually venting the rest. Be mindful of the hot steam! Finish and serve. Open the lid and pluck out the bay leaf, then stir in the frozen (or fresh) peas. Switch the pot back to Sauté. Finally, stir in a slurry of cornstarch and water, and simmer lightly until the broth thickens. Season to taste, sprinkle in fresh parsley, and serve!
Tips for Success
Below are some final tips for the best beef stew:
Brown the beef. Searing the beef before pressure cooking is essential. It creates a delectable crust that locks in all that juicy flavor and brings richness to the stew. It’s 100% worth the extra effort, so don’t skip it. Deglaze the pot. You can deglaze the Instant Pot with broth, or wine if you prefer. Make sure that you scrape up all of the stuck-on bits on the bottom of the pot (using a non-metal spoon or spatula). That’s where all the flavor is! Cut the meat and veggies into uniform pieces. Make sure that you aren’t cutting your beef and vegetables too small. Very small pieces will get overcooked. Check the ingredients for doneness. After the cooking time has elapsed, check the beef cubes with a fork to see if the meat is fall-apart tender. If it’s still tough, continue to simmer the stew on the lowest Sauté function until the meat is suitably tender.
Make This Stew Recipe Your Own
Like many of my recipes, this Instant Pot beef stew is completely adaptable to different diets and tastes. It’s delicious as is, but you can easily tweak the seasonings and ingredients to make this stew your own:
Add more stewing vegetables such as leeks, mushrooms, spinach, or cabbage. Adapt the herbs and seasonings to your liking. Add garlic powder or minced garlic, or a dash of Worcestershire sauce for more flavor. Deglaze with wine. Deglaze the pan with a half-cup of dry red wine, like a Cab Sauv, or white wine, like Pinot Grigio. Or, use beer. I make my stovetop beef stew using a few generous glugs of beer to deglaze the pot, which works great. Make this stew Whole30 by omitting the flour in the seasoning mix, and using arrowroot powder in place of cornstarch as a thickener.
What to Serve With Beef Stew
Ultra-cozy beef stew calls for crusty Dutch oven bread or beer bread for sopping up all that savory gravy-like broth. It’s a meal in itself, but sometimes we add a side of crunchy Brussels sprouts salad or tangy citrus salad. Cornbread muffins flavored with cheddar and herbs, and slathered with garlic butter, are another family favorite! For a hearty cold-weather meal, serve chunky beef stew over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes or homemade polenta. Pair with air fryer asparagus as an easy vegetable side dish. Of course, nothing tops a hearty, home-cooked meal like a homestyle dessert. We love this easy apple crisp with ginger in the fall (served with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream). For a more casual sweet finish, try kitchen sink cookies or Fruity Pebbles treats.
Make-Ahead Tip
Get a head start on this recipe by prepping the celery, carrots, onions, and herbs a day ahead. Chop and refrigerate the veggies in an airtight container, and store the chopped herbs separately until you’re ready to use them. You can prepare the beef stew seasoning blend ahead of time, too, and seal it in a jar. It keeps in the pantry for months.
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
Fridge: Once the stew has cooled, refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 to 5 days. Reheat stew in the microwave in increments, or on the stovetop until warmed through. Freezer: Freeze leftover stew for up to 6 months in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Note that the potatoes tend to get a bit mushy, and the gravy may separate once thawed. Defrost the stew overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this beef stew recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #38. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans. in your Instant Pot!
