Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew

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My family loves a good beef stew and I am so excited to have come up with the easiest recipe ever! This EASY Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe is the only beef stew recipe you need.

You can enjoy a deeply flavorful, homemade beef stew in under an hour with this simple and delicious Instant Pot beef stew recipe. This is the best comfort food recipe to gather the family!

Complete with beef chuck roast, onion, carrots, and a deliciously thick stew using beef broth and red wine, this pressure cooker beef stew is an “instant” favorite! It’s easy to learn how to make our simple beef Instant Pot recipe.

Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew

Cooking in the Instant Pot has become one of my favorite ways to prepare food. It’s such an easy way to make an amazing meal for the whole family in a snap!

My original favorite Instant Pot recipe was this delicious Instant Pot Pot Roast. Lately, one of my favorite recipes to make in it is Instant Pot Beef Stew. Served over creamy mashed potatoes, this is a huge hit in our family!

I love a traditional beef stew recipe, but if you know how to cook beef stew meat, you know it can take a while to make! This recipe for Lentil Stew has become a new favorite of mine.

That’s where the Instant Pot comes in handy. Pressure cooker beef stew is a hearty beef stew just like traditional recipes, but so quick!

It really is so easy to make tender beef stew in the Instant Pot. Once you try this pressure cooker beef stew recipe, I know you’ll love it as much as I do! It’s the best beef stew recipe ever!

Instant Pot Beef Stew Ingredients

• vegetable oil
• chuck roast or bottom round roast, cut into 1″ cubes
• fine sea salt plus an additional ½ tsp. while cooking
• onion, finely chopped
• red wine
• beef broth (or water)
• carrots, peeled and cut into 1 ½″ length
• garlic, finely minced
• canned tomato sauce
• fresh ground black pepper
• dried thyme
• More fine sea salt to taste

Recipe Tip: If the meat absorbs the vegetable oil too quickly, you may need to add a little more! Start with about 2 Tbsp. and add more if necessary.

What is the best cut of beef for stew?

The best beef stew meat, in my opinion, is beef chuck roast. It’s juicy and delicious with stew, so it’s my favorite for beef stew meat recipes!

In fact, you can use beef chuck roast for a lot of different meals beyond this beef stew in Instant Pot recipe.

Another option is to use bottom round roast, like the one used in this carne picada recipe, which is great for stew meat recipes in general, too.

For Cornstarch Slurry

• water
• cornstarch

What is a cornstarch slurry?

A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of water and cornstarch used to thicken sauces or stew meat recipes like this one!

You’ll make the cornstarch slurry and then stir it in towards the end of the cooking process – just another simple step in this easy beef stew recipe.

How to Make Beef Stew in Instant Pot

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in the Instant Pot over medium heat/saute mode set to medium until the oil is hot and “jumps” when sprinkled with water. (see note 1)
2. While the pot heats, season 3 lbs. chuck roast or bottom round roast cut into 1″ cubes with 1 tsp. fine sea salt.
   
3. Add ⅓ of the beef cubes in a single layer and sear until well-browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (see note 2)
   
4. Flip the beef and repeat on the other side. Remove browned beef to a bowl, and continue cooking until all beef is browned.
5. Add 1 finely chopped large onion and 2 cloves finely minced garlic to the Instant Pot. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. dried thyme and ½ tsp. sea salt.
   
6. Stir in one 15 oz. can of tomato sauce. Saute until the onion mixture softens, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen up any browned bits and stir them in – that’s flavor!
   
7. Pour in ½ cup red wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute.
8. Add the beef back to the mixture with any juices in the bowl. Stir well.
   
9. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and 1 lb. peeled 1 ½″ length carrots, and stir.
   
10. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode on the Instant Pot).
    
11. Once the fifteen minutes is up, let the pressure come down naturally for about 20 more minutes. (see note 3)
    
12. Carefully remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
13. Whisk ¼ cup water and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry, then stir the slurry into the stew.
    
14. Stir in ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper and more salt to taste.
    
15. Serve and enjoy!
    

Quick Beef Stew Recipe Tips

1. You may need to add 1 more Tbsp. of oil if the meat absorbs it too quickly.
2. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot or the beef will steam instead of browning.
3. After 20 minutes, you need to check if all the pressure has released. If it hasn’t, you can let it release naturally for a little more time, if you aren’t in a hurry. If you’re in a hurry, you can quickly release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.

What to Serve with Beef Stew

Whenever I make Instant Pot vegetable beef soup, I pair it with fresh bread! One of my favorite homemade bread recipes is this Sprouted Grain Bread.

Or, try this recipe with my Quick Dinner Rolls!

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• Reverse Sear Instant Pot Prime Rib
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• Instant Pot Pho
• Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup
• Instant Pot French Onion Soup

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Recipe