This Instant Pot beef stew is a hearty and savory combination of tender beef chunks, carrots, potatoes, and celery that everyone will love! Use your handy pressure cooker to have this typically slow-simmered dinner on the table in no time. You won't believe how easy this recipe is!
Best Instant Pot Beef Stew
It's only in the Fall here in Minnesota, but even the hint of chilly weather demands more soups like this fantastic Instant Pot beef stew! Serve your stew up with some of our crowd-pleasing Yorkshire Puddings, or some slices of our quick French bread loaves to soak up every last bit of the amazing beef stew broth.
The best part of this essential Instant Pot recipe is that beef stew is so very versatile! There are so many additions, substitutions, and variations that can be made which is a huge plus when dealing with picky eaters.
Our picky eater isn't a fan of carrots...however, stewed carrots like these are apparently OK with her as they are soft enough. Go figure!
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🥩 What Kind of Meat To Use for Beef Stew
Your choice of meat is important when making any stew. You need to choose a cut of beef that has enough fat content to allow the stewed meat to break apart a bit for the soft, tender beef pieces you want in a stew.
Look for a cut that has ample fat marbling throughout the beef for best results (I like and recommend chuck roasts, but a lot of stores will have pre-cut stew meat available as well).
Overall, your best choices for any pressure cooker or slow cooker recipe are chuck roast, shoulder roast, short ribs, one of the eye-of-round roast varieties (eye round roast, bottom round roast, round tip roast, etc), and skirt steak.
So many of those beef cuts can usually take 2 hours or more to cook properly to achieve a moist and tender chunk of beef, using the pressure cooker just cuts that time down immensely! I would never cook a beef stew for less than 3-4 hours before, so I have to say how much I love this instant pot beef stew.
🥘 Ingredients For Instant Pot Beef Stew
For such a delicious stew, it doesn't require too many ingredients. If time allows, set your chuck roast out on the counter an hour before cooking to let it come to room temperature.
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
- Onion - 1 cup of, yellow or white onion, chopped.
- Garlic - 2 teaspoons of garlic ( about 2 cloves finely chopped or sliced).
- Chuck Roast - 3-4 lbs of chuck roast cut into roughly 1 to1 ½-inch cubes.
- Beef Broth - 6 cups of beef broth (I recommend bone broth; the broth cartons at the store are typically 32 ounces or 4 cups).
- Red Potatoes - 2 pounds of red potatoes (russet or yellow potatoes work too; cut into large chunks, or quartered).
- Carrots - 4-5 carrots cut into large chunks or sliced.
- Celery - 5-6 stalks of celery cut into large chunks or slices.
- Bay Leaves - 2 bay leaves, removed before serving.
- Thyme - 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, or use 6-8 stems of fresh thyme.
- Salt & Pepper - ½ teaspoon each, or more taste.
- Cornstarch (optional) - 1 tablespoon plus cold water for making a slurry to thicken the stew if needed.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🧂 Substitutions & Additions
The usual beef stew is made up of beef, broth, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, and seasoning (bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper) but it can easily be adjusted to your family's preferences. Just a few additional beef stew vegetable ideas are included below:
- Tomato Paste
- Fresh, diced, or canned tomatoes
- Turnips
- Frozen Peas
- Mushrooms
🔪 How To Make Instant Pot Beef Stew
Your Instant Pot does all the hard work here! You will need a pressure cooker, sharp knife and cutting board, and a silicone spatula.
A single batch of this stew makes 10 hearty servings! Don't worry, you can always freeze the leftovers.
- Sear and season the beef. To start, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat your Instant Pot on the saute function. Once the oil starts sizzling, add 3-4 pounds if duced chuck roast and season it with salt & pepper to taste in the instant pot.
- Sear, saute, and deglaze. Sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides then add 1 cup of diced onions and 2 teaspoons of minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute then deglaze the instant pot. Add the 6 cups of beef stock. Stir to break up all the browned bits or pieces from the bottom of the pot.
- Add, seal, and cook. Add the remaining stew ingredients including 2 pounds of potatoes, 4-5 sliced carrots, 5-6 stalks of sliced celery, 2 bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon of thyme then seal the Instant Pot securely and close the vent knob. Set for 35 minutes of high-pressure cooking using the manual setting.
- NPR, vent, and thicken. Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow your Instant Pot to natural pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes then vent completely. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry if desired (mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and whisk into your stew).
- Garnish and serve. Serve hot with more fresh thyme for garnish.
This stew is loaded with potatoes, veggies, and meat, so side dishes aren't essential. However, you won't hear any complaints if you serve a side of crusty French bread or cornbread for dipping! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can also pre-sear your cut-up meat on the stovetop in a skillet at medium-high heat instead of using the saute function. I will sometimes do this in a cast iron pan to get a great sear. Then jump to step 3.
- To thicken your stew without flour. You can use the food processor to finely chop walnuts and add them to the soup. (They are a natural thickening agent, like tomatoes.)
- To thicken your stew with flour. Start by combining 3 tablespoons of flour with 2 cups cold water and whisk until smooth then whisk into your stew until well combined. Stir frequently on saute for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
- To thicken your stew with cornstarch. You can add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to a half cup of cold water, whisk until you have a smooth slurry, and then whisk into the stew.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Once cooled, leftovers can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days. You my also freeze beef stew in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 4 months.
Reheating Beef Stew
Any frozen leftovers should be thawed in the fridge overnight. Then, add your stew to a pot and warm it over medium-low heat until heated through.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Both the Insant Pot and the crockpot can yield some pretty tasty beef stew. What it really comes down to is which appliance you have on hand and whether you need it on a time crunch or have time to let your stew cook all day.
There are 2 reasons you may end up with tough stew meat in the Instant pot. First, you chose a tough cut of meat. You want a cut with plenty of fat so that it can render down, leaving tender chunks of meat behind. Check out the section above on what kind of meat to use for beef stew! Second, if you rush the process by increasing the heat or not allowing the pressure cooker to come to temperature, cook, and to complete the natural pressure release, you may end up with tough beef.
I generally recommend searing meat to bring out the most flavor! I sear my stew meat right in the Instant Pot using the saute function. However, you can also opt to do it the old fashioned way on the stovetop if you prefer.
😋 More Soups & Stews
- Rabbit Stew - A warm and hearty stew full of root vegetables and rich, buttery, rabbit meat.
- Cajun Cabbage Stew - This stew is loaded with tender cabbage, Andouille sausage, and plenty of Cajun flavor!
- Vegetable Beef Soup - A warm and comforting beef and vegetable soup that is perfect for colder weather!
- Creamy Yellow Squash Soup - This creamy soup made with summer squash makes a tasty lunch or appetizer any day of the week!
- Cream of Chicken Soup - Once you see how much better homemade cream of chicken soup is compared to canned, you'll never go back.
- Detox Cabbage Soup - A light soup filled with nutrients but not short on flavor.
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📖 Recipe Card
Instant Pot Beef Stew (Hearty, Tasty Family Favorite!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 3-4 lbs chuck roast (cut into approx 1-1 ½ inch cubes)
- ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup onion (medium sized, yellow or white, chopped)
- 2 teaspoon garlic (finely chopped or sliced)
- 6 cups beef broth (we recommend bone broth; the broth cartons at the store are typically 32 oz = 4 cups)
- 2 lbs red potatoes (russet or yellow potatoes work; cut into large chunks, or quartered)
- 4-5 carrots (cut into large chunks or slices)
- 5-6 stalks celery (cut into large chunks or slices)
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tablespoon thyme (dried, or use 6-8 stems of fresh thyme)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional for thickening the stew)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To start, add the olive oil and heat your Instant Pot on the saute function. Once the oil starts sizzling, add your beef and season it in the instant pot.
- Sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides then add the diced onions and minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute then de-glaze the instant pot with beef stock. Stir to break up all the browned bits or pieces from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the remaining stew ingredients including potatoes, carrots, celery, bay leaves, and thyme then seal the Instant Pot securely and close the vent knob. Set for 35 minutes of high-pressure cooking using the manual setting.
- Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow your Instant Pot to natural pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes then vent completely. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry if desired (mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and whisk into your stew).
- Serve with more fresh thyme for garnish.
Notes
- You can also pre-sear your cut-up meat on the stovetop in a skillet at medium-high heat instead of using the saute function. I will sometimes do this in a cast iron pan to get a great sear. Then jump to step 3.
- To thicken your stew without flour. You can use the food processor to finely chop walnuts and add them to the soup. (They are a natural thickening agent, like tomatoes.)
- To thicken your stew with flour. Start by combining 3 tablespoons of flour with 2 cups cold water and whisk until smooth then whisk into your stew until well combined. Stir frequently on saute for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
- To thicken your stew with cornstarch. You can add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to a half cup of cold water, whisk until you have a smooth slurry, and then whisk into the stew.
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