This hearty Instant Pot beef stew is a savory combination of tender beef chunks, carrots, potatoes, and celery that everyone loves! Use your handy pressure cooker to have this typically slow-simmered dinner on the table in no time!
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 most fantastic 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.
For us, 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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🥘 Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil (extra virgin)
- 1 Onion (medium sized, yellow or white, chopped)
- 4 cloves Garlic (finely chopped or sliced)
- 3-4 lbs Chuck Roast (cut into approx 1-1 ½ inch cubes)
- 6 cups Beef Broth (I 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
- 1 tablespoon Thyme (dried, or use 6-8 stems of fresh thyme)
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
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.
🧂 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
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
- Sear and season the beef. 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. 2 tablespoon olive oil, 3-4 lbs chuck roast, ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
- Sear, Saute, and deglaze. Sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides then add 1 cup of diced onions and 2 teaspoon 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, and seal, and cook. 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.
- 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).
- Serve with more fresh thyme for garnish.
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- 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 tablespoon 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 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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📋 Recipe
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)
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.2 tablespoon olive oil, 3-4 lbs chuck roast, ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
- Sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides then add the diced onions and minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute then deglaze the instant pot with beef stock. Stir to break up all the browned bits or pieces from the bottom of the pot.1 cup onion, 2 teaspoon garlic, 6 cups beef broth
- 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.2 lbs red potatoes, 4-5 carrots, 5-6 stalks celery, 2 bay leaves, ½ tablespoon thyme
- 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).1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Serve with more fresh thyme for garnish.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
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). With flour, combine 3 tablespoon 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. Similarly, you can add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to a half cup of cold water, whisk until you have a smooth slurry, and then whisk into the stew.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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