Instant Pot Pot Roast

The Instant Pot makes an amazingly tender and flavorful pot roast! Our Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe is the BEST hearty winter comfort food! It’s easy to prepare and makes a great holiday meal. Simple and satisfying!

I received an Instant Pot as a gift last Christmas and am finally starting to understand its full potential. My husband has been using it all year to make things like lentil soup and black beans. I’ve been watching him with curiosity, wondering how it’s possible for a device to transform dried lentils into a hearty soup in a matter of 30 minutes.

I decided to test the Instant Pot out for myself and went for something big like a pot roast to see what that thing could really accomplish. Amazing things – It turns out. I was able to prepare a 3 lb. chuck roast that was tender and falling apart in a matter of 70 minutes. This Instant Pot Pot Roast rivals any other pot roast I have prepared in the past. In fact, it just might have become my preferred method of preparing pot roast!

What is an Instant Pot?

An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker. It’s a sort of ‘all-in-one’ kitchen appliance that can perform any number of cooking functions from sauteing to steaming to boiling. You can make anything from yogurt to stir fry in the Instant Pot. The Instant is great for recipes like pot roast! The functionality allows for all the cooking methods needed to create a meal like this – From searing the beef to making a sauce.

How do you cook a roast in an Instant Pot?

This Instant Pot Pot Roast begins by turning the machine ‘On’ and pressing the ‘Saute’ setting. The first step is to sear the meat.

1. Place 3 lb. chuck roast on a cutting board and cut it in half
2. Season with salt
3. Sear both halves of roasts in oil in Instant Pot on saute setting
4. Remove roast and set aside
5. Saute garlic and onions 3-4 minutes, stirring often
6. Deglaze pot with red and reduce to half
7. Return roast to Instant Pot. Add beef broth, tomato sauce, herbs, salt & pepper. Stir the liquids and submerge the meat in it
8. Put cover on the Instant Pot and lock. Manually set the time for 70 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to pressurize and cook for 70 minutes
9. Allow the Instant Pot to de-pressurize naturally then release the vent to allow any extra steam to escape and remove the lid
10. Remove roast from Instant Pot and set aside. Discard herbs. Skim any excess fat from liquid and discard
11. Thicken gravy with cornstarch slurry

TIP: The free Roast Perfect App makes it easy to select the right size beef roast, and which cut of beef to use for braising, for the amount of people you’re serving!

TIP: For maximum flavor and tenderness I recommend Certified Angus Beef® brand beef – It’s the BEST beef available! It is perfectly marbled which means that it’s seriously flavorful. This Instant Pot Pot Roast is SO tender and juicy.

How long do you cook an Instant Pot Pot Roast

It takes approximately an hour and half to cook an Instant Pot Pot Roast.

To cook the pot roast place the cover on the Instant Pot and turn until it is in the locked position. It’s important to make sure that the cover is placed on there properly! Make sure the vent is set to the sealed position. Press the ‘Manual’ button and manually set the time to 70 minutes. At this point you can just let the Instant Pot do its job! It will take 10 minutes or so for the pressure to build up at which point the vent will seal. The roast will cook for 70 minutes.

It’s important to let the pressure release naturally after the 70 minutes are up so leave it for another 20 minutes or so after cooking. Feel free to release the vent after 20 minutes. This will release any extra steam and allow you to open the lid. The pot roast is now finished!

How to thicken pot roast gravy?

One of the best ways to thicken a sauce like this is to make a slurry – This is simply a mixture of liquid and corn starch.

1. Remove the meat from the Instant Pot and set aside. Now it’s time to turn all that delicious liquid into a sauce!
2. Discard thyme and rosemary sprigs
3. Skim the top of the liquid with a ladle and scoop out any excess fat
4. Place 2 Tbsp. of corn starch into 1/2 cup of beef broth and stir to combine
5. Slowly pour the slurry into the Instant Pot
6. Stir the mixture for 5 minutes or so (keep the Instant Pot on so the liquid remains hot)
7. After 5 minutes or so the sauce will thicken a bit and become more ‘gravy-like’ in texture. Pour the sauce into a serving bowl after it has thickened a bit and turn the Instant Pot off.

Serving Suggestions for Instant Pot Pot Roast

This Instant Pot Pot Roast feels like a hearty ‘meat and potatoes’ meal to me so I love to serve it with some sort of potato. Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, or Au Gratin potatoes would be delicious! Serve this meal with your side dish of choice and top it with the sauce you’ve prepared. I love this recipe because it’s rustic and hearty but feels special at the same time. It seems like one of those dishes that takes forever and requires lots of work but it’s so easy. And let’s face it – There’s nothing better than an old-fashioned pot roast!

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Instant Pot Pot Roast

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 10 mins

Resting Time

20 mins

Total Time

1 hr 45 mins

 

This Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe is the best hearty winter comfort food! It's easy to prepare and makes a great holiday meal. Simple and satisfying!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pot Roast

Servings: 4

Calories: 747 kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

• 3 lb. Certified Angus Beef® brand boneless chuck roast
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil split
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 onion
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth split
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt split
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 Tbsp. corn starch

Instructions

1. Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion.

2. Cut a 3 lb. Certified Angus Beef ® boneless chuck roast in half. Sprinkle one side of the roasts generously with kosher or sea salt.

3. Turn on Instant Pot on and set it to the 'Saute' setting.

4. Pour 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil into the Instant Pot. Place one half of the roast (salt side down) into the pot. Sear for 4 minutes on the first side. Sprinkle the second side generously with more salt. After 4 minutes flip the roast and sear the second side for another 4 minutes. Remove the first roast and set aside.

5. Repeat with the second roast. Pour another Tbsp. of vegetable oil into the pot. Place the second roast (salt side down) into the pot and sear for 4 minutes. Salt the second side, flip the meat over, and sear the second side for 4 minutes. Remove meat and set aside.

6. Pour another tsp. of vegetable oil into the pot. Add the minced garlic and onions. Saute the onions for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

7. Pour 1/2 cup of red wine into the pot. Saute the garlic and onions in the wine for 5 minutes or so, stirring often. The wine should reduce to half.

8. Return both roasts to the Instant Pot along with 1 cup of beef broth, 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the liquids and submerge the meat in it.

9. Place the cover on the Instant Pot and make sure it is in the locked position. Press the 'Manual' settings and manually set the time for 70 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to pressurize and cook for 70 minutes.

10. Allow the Instant Pot to de-pressurize naturally for 20 minutes or so when it's finished cooking. After 20 minutes you may release the vent to allow any extra steam to escape. Remove the lid at this point.

11. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Remove the thyme and rosemary springs and discard. Skim the top of the liquid with a ladle and remove any excess fat. Discard the excess fat.

12. Place 2 Tbsp. of corn starch in 1/2 cup of beef broth. Stir until combined and then slowly add the slurry to the Instant Pot. Stir the slurry into the liquids and stir for 5 minutes or so or until the mixture has thickened a bit. Pour the sauce into a serving dish and turn the Instant Pot off.

13. Serving suggestions: Serve this Instant Pot Pot Roast with roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, or potatoes of choice. Glazed carrots or any other hearty vegetable would also make a great side dish.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Disclosure: Certified Angus Beef® brand reimbursed me the cost of the roast to facilitate this recipe. As always, all opinions are my own.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Amount Per Serving

Calories 747 Calories from Fat 414

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 46g 71%

Saturated Fat 23g 115%

Cholesterol 234mg 78%

Sodium 613mg 26%

Potassium 1261mg 36%

Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%

Sugars 1g

Protein 67g 134%

Vitamin A 1.8%

Vitamin C 6.1%

Calcium 8.4%

Iron 42.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.