This Instant Pot beef stew is incredibly easy to make, takes only 20 minutes of active cooking (then leave everything else to the Instant Pot!), and most importantly, it tastes AMAZING, just like classic beef stew! It's going to be the only way you'll ever want to make beef stew ever again! Plus, it's gluten free and a great one-pot weekday meal you throw together with plenty of leftovers for later. Enjoy this bowl of comfort by itself or with a piece of focaccia to soak it all up!
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Ingredients needed for Instant Pot beef stew
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Beef chuck roast - The best cut of beef for stews is chuck roast because it's got just the right amount of fat, which is important in keeping the beef juicy and tender.
- Onion, celery, carrot, garlic - Onion, celery, and carrots are known as mirepoix and they are the base flavors for most stews and soups. The garlic is an addition that will make the beef stew more aromatic and flavorful.
- Potato, mushrooms, frozen peas - These are all the most common additions to beef stew to make it more filling and to add color. We like to use baby gold potatoes because they hold their shapes well and becomes creamy have cooking. You can use russet and regular size gold potatoes as well. Just cut them into 1 inch pieces. As for mushrooms, we prefer using white button and baby portabella mushrooms.
- Bay leaves - They give the beef stew a very slight herbaceous flavor that helps to round out the flavor.
- Tomato paste - It is classic to have some sort of tomato product in beef stew, whether it's tomato paste, canned tomato, or fresh tomatoes to give the stew more depth. We prefer using tomato paste because the flavor is more concentrated and we always have it on hand.
- Unsalted beef broth - We always recommend using unsalted stocks and broths so that you can control the seasonings better. If using salted stocks and broths, season with less salt. Also, if you don't have beef broth, you can use vegetable or chicken broth as well.
- Salt and pepper - For seasoning the beef stew.
- Oil - For cooking. Any neutral oil is fine.
- Parsley (optional for garnish)
How to make beef stew in the Instant Pot
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
1. Sear the beef. Select the "Saute" option on the Instant Pot and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pot, about 1 tablespoon. Once hot, sear the beef on each side until brown, about a minute per side.
Do this in batches and add more oil when needed. Do not crowd the pot. Remove the beef and set aside.
2. Saute the mirepoix. Keeping the Instant Pot on "Saute", add the onion, celery, and carrots (aka the mirepoix). Saute for a few minutes until the onion starts to look translucent.
3. Saute garlic and tomato paste. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Following, add the tomato paste and saute until it's evenly combined with all the vegetables.
🌟 Pro tip: Sometimes at this point, the bottom of the pot may become too browned. Add a small amount of the beef stock or water to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning.
4. Add everything else. To the pot, add the browned chuck roast along with the baby gold potatoes, mushrooms, beef stock, salt, pepper, and baby leaves. Give everything a good stir to combine.
📝 Note: With everything added, it should be right at the max line or just slightly pass it. We used a 6 Quart Instant Pot.
5. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, naturally release for 15 minutes, and manual release the rest of the pressure. Remove the lid and stir in peas.
6. Thicken with slurry. Select the "Saute" button again and wait for the stew to come to a simmer. Meanwhile, mix together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Once the beef stew starts to bubble, stir the stew while drizzling in the slurry. Let the stew simmer for a few seconds until thickened, stirring occasionally.
7. Finish. Portion the beef stew into serving bowls, garnish with parsley if desired, and enjoy while hot!
Recipe tips
- Use a fattier cut of beef like chuck roast for the best flavor and tenderness. This ensures that the beef is tender and stays juicy and flavorful after it's cooked. But also note that not all cuts of chuck roast is equal! Prime cuts will have more fat than choice cuts, and the more fat, the more flavor and tender.
- For maximum flavor, don't skip browning the beef! Always take advantage of building flavor whenever possible. It takes a few extra minute, but caramelization from the beef and cooking the veggies and aromatics makes a difference.
- Depending on your thickness preference, adjust the amount of cornstarch slurry used. The amount of cornstarch slurry used in the recipe gives the beef stew just enough thickness and body. If you prefer your stew thinner, either use less or skip the cornstarch completely. Likewise, if you prefer your stew thicker, use more cornstarch. We recommend adding ½ to 1 tablespoon more cornstarch at a time until your desired thickness is achieved, and most importantly, make sure to let the stew simmer for a few seconds so that the cornstarch can activate and thicken the stew.
Storage
Any leftover of this Instant Pot beef stew can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure to allow the beef stew to cool completely before covering and storing.
Reheating
Leftover beef stew can be reheated either in the microwave or on the stovetop. Frozen beef stew is best thawed before reheating.
Microwave method: Transfer the beef stew in a microwave safe container and cover loosely. Microwave until hot. In between heating, stir up the stew so that it can heat up evenly.
Stovetop method: Transfer the beef stew into a saucepan and heat over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until the beef stew is hot throughout.
FAQ
Beef chuck roast is the best cut for making beef stew, especially in the Instant Pot, because chuck roast has a good balance of fat on it, which is an absolute necessity in keeping the beef tender and juicy.
Although you can use stew meat for this Instant Pot beef stew recipe, it is not our ideal choice and we do not recommend it because the size of the beef is too small and inconsistent and because stew meat can be made of a variety cuts of beef instead of all chuck.
The most common reason why your beef ended up tough and dry in your Instant Pot beef stew is because the wrong cut of beef was used. Make sure to use a cut of beef that has a good amount of fat, like chuck roast. Also, note that not all cuts of chuck roast is the same. For example, prime grade chuck roast will have more fat than choice grade. You can already guess that the prime grade chuck roast will be very tender but still stay juicy and flavorful.
Potato starch is a great substitute for cornstarch. Other alternatives like arrowroot and tapioca starch can be used as well. All of these alternatives can be used in the same fashion as cornstarch.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chuck roast cut into 1½ to 2 inch chunks *see notes
- 1 large yellow onion cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 stalks celery cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut at a diagonal into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced (about 4-5 cloves per 2 TBSP)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ pounds baby gold potato washed and cut in half
- 6 ounces mushrooms cut in half or quartered depending on the size
- 3 cups unsalted beef stock
- 3 dry bay leaves
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper or to taste
- 3½ tablespoons cornstarch (mix every 3½ tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoon of water to make a slurry)
- 1 cup frozen peas (optional)
- Parsley finely chopped (optional for garnish)
- Oil as needed for cooking (any neutral oil)
Instructions
- With the lid of the Instant Pot off, select the "Saute" option. Add enough oil into the pot to lightly coat the bottom, about 1 tablespoon. Once the pot is hot, sear the chuck roast pieces on each side until brown, about a minute per side. Do this in batches and add more oil when needed. Do not crowd the pot. Remove the beef and set aside.
- Keeping the Instant Pot on "Saute", add the onion, celery, and carrots. Saute for a few minutes until the onion starts to look translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Lastly, add the tomato paste and saute until it's evenly combined with all the vegetables. *At this point if needed, add a small amount of the beef stock or water to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning.*
- Add chuck roast back into the pot along with the baby gold potatoes, mushrooms, beef stock, salt, pepper and baby leaves. Give everything a good stir to combine.*With everything added, it should be right at the max line or just slightly pass it.*
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, lock it, and make sure the pressure release knob is on "Sealing". Select the "Pressure Cook" function and cook the beef stew on high for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, allow it to natural release for 15 minutes, then manual release the remaining steam by turning the pressure release knob to "Venting". Once all of the pressure is released, unlock and open the lid.
- With the Instant Pot lid off, stir in the peas and select the "Saute" button on the Instant pot. Wait for the stew to come to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, mix together the cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry. Once the beef stew starts to bubble, stir the stew while drizzling in the slurry. Give the entire stew a good stir and let it come to a simmer. Simmer for a few seconds until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Portion the beef stew into serving bowls, garnish with parsley if desired, and enjoy while hot!
Notes
- Chuck roast - Depending on the chuck roast, some may have more fat than others. We recommend trimming off some fat if needed so that the beef stew doesn't become too oil, but don't trim off all of the fat! Having some fat makes the beef stew more flavorful. Alternative, you can skip trimming the fat and simply skim off excess fat from the top of the beef stew before adding cornstarch slurry.
Sarah says
This recipe looks amazing! Is this recipe made in a 6 quart IP or 8 quart?
Mei says
Thanks Sarah! We used a 6QT Instant Pot =)
Yuri says
I made this last night! It was so good and came out perfectly. Everyone in the family had seconds! I also added a bunch of frozen spinach because I had some. Question: why “unsalted” beef broth? I had such a hard time finding this… will it come out too salty if I used regular beef broth and used less salt? The “unsalted” beef broth is pretty much the only thing that’s keeping me from wanting to make this more often. Thanks!
Mei says
Hi Yuri! Thank you for trying our recipe and so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it! The reason we recommend unsalted beef broth is because different brands can contain different amount of sodium. So it's easier to use unsalted ones so that you can control how much salt to add, but feel free to use salted ones and adjust the amount of salt used if needed. Also, you can use unsalted beef stock instead of broth or even chicken stock if it's easier to find. It won't cause much flavor difference. Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Martin says
Amazing recipe! Such a hearty and warm soup for a cold day. Definitely good to use a well marbled chuck roast, so tender.
Mei says
So glad you enjoyed it, Martin! One of our favorite meals on a cold day as well =)
Mei ❤️
lucky dragon says
Can we use beef stock cubes? If so, what’s your recommended cube-to-water ratio?
Mei says
Hi there! We have not tried with beef stock cubes but we don't see why you can't. The stew would become even more flavorful. Depending on the brand of stock cubes, the ratio can be different. We recommend following the instructions from the package. But usually, I'd use 1 cube to 2 cups of water and I'd hold back on at the half of the salt to compensation for the stock cubes. You can always season and add more salt the stew at the end before you add the slurry. Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Tiffany says
We made this tonight and it was delicious. The potatoes were melt in your mouth with the skin keeping everything intact. The flavor was perfect. We used chicken stock that had less sodium, but significantly reduced the salt in the recipe. I added some pasta noodles to have a fuller meal. The only thing I'd say is that the prep and cook time took much longer than the estimated times...pretty common to be honest, I just wasn't prepared to spend closer to 30mins prepping and cooking the beef in separate batches also took a bit longer.
Mei says
Hi Tiffany! Thank you for trying our recipe and so glad to hear that you all enjoyed it! Maybe it's because we've made this recipe so many times so the prep time was quite short for us, but we will definitely take your experience into account and adjust the cook time. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Mei ❤️
Jess says
Saw your reel on Instagram and came here for the recipe. It turned out great! Love that it was super easy with minimal ingredients. Thanks!!
Mei says
Thank you for giving our recipe a try, Jess! So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! =)
Mei ❤️
Elisa says
The meat was not tender when cooked for 30 min. So disappointing. Had to cook additional time.
Mei says
Hi Elisa! Sorry to hear that your beef stew didn't turn out properly. We'd love to help you figure out what may have went wrong, because we've made this recipe so many times during the cold season and 30 minute is the optimal cook time.
Below are possible reasons your beef was not fully tender:
1. Did you use the same or larger size Instant Pot as we did? We used a 6Qt Instant Pot.
2. Settings - Did you select high pressure?
3. Did you allow the beef stew 15 minutes to naturally release the pressure before manually venting? The 15 minutes finishes cooking the beef. If you manually release the pressure right after time is up, the beef may not be completely tender.
4. How big did you cut the chuck roast? Our cook time is based on 1.5 to 2 inch pieces of beef. Larger pieces of beef will require longer cook time. Also, the beef should not be frozen and should be completely defrosted.
5. Altitude - If you live in a high altitude, you may need to adjust the cook time.
Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Kate says
Delicious recipe, so easy to make, and pretty flexible. Didn't have beef stock so I used regular vegetable stock, and decreased the salt added. Also didn't have mushrooms. I used a regular slow cooker on high for about an 1.5 and everything was so tender.
Mei says
So glad you enjoyed it, Kate! We also love this recipe for its flexibility =)
Mei ❤️
Karen Coreas says
Gracias por esta riquísima receta 😻
Mei says
So glad you enjoyed it, Karen!
Denise says
Looks delicious but I don’t have an instant pot. How can I do this in a crockpot?
Mei says
Hi Denise! Unfortunately, we have not test this recipe in a crockpot so we can't offer any tips. But if you try it out, we'd love to know how it turns out and any tips you'd like to share =)
Mei ❤️
Aysha says
Thank you so much
Definitely my go to recipe from now on.
I added a green chilli to add some heat.
My family is yet to have supper but I’m sure the plates will be licked clean.
I will serve the stew with basmati white rice .
Mei says
So glad you enjoyed it, Aysha! It's our favorite especial during the colder weathers. And love your addition of green chilli! It sounds delicious =)
Mei ❤️
Bianca says
I cooked with an instant pot for the first time tonight and made this. I made this exactly as it is, no changes to the recipe. It is so so good. Thank you for making the instructions easy as I was nervous working with the instant pot lol. I can’t wait to make this again soon and try your other instant pot recipes!
Mei says
Hi Bianca! Thanks for trying out our recipe and we are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the beef stew! I'm so glad our instructions were helpful - it makes all the writing worth it haha 😆
Instant Pot is such a nifty kitchen appliance. We hope you get to experiment with it more and make many more delicious meals!
Mei ❤️
Jess says
Hi can u pls add measurements. I have no idea how much cornstarch etc to add?
Mei says
Hi Jess, the measurement is provided down below in the recipe card. You were probably reading our post, which is where we share notes about ingredients, tips, and photo references. Please scroll down a bit further. Hope you enjoy the stew!
Mei ❤️
Richelle says
Hi! Planning to make this tomorrow. Can I use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste?
Mei says
Hi Richelle! Apologies for such a late reply! To answer your question, yes you can technically use tomato sauce instead of paste. However, you'll have to make seasoning adjustments according to your tomato sauce. You'll also need to reduce the amount of stock used to compensate for the amount of moisture in tomato sauce. Lastly, if you're using tomato sauce, you can skip sauteing it. Just add it when you add the stock. Hope this helps and hope you enjoyed the beef stew! =)
Mei ❤️
Jen says
Made this last night & the family loved it (even the kids!). The adults loved the addition of peas and I’m glad I had mushrooms in the fridge because they were delicious in the stew. The only thing I’d adjust however is the amount of cornstarch slurry. The bold delicious flavor of the stew changed to being slightly bland when I added the slurry and adding salt did not bring the initial umami back. Is there an alternative thickener you’d recommend?
Mei says
Hi Jen! So glad to hear that everyone enjoyed the stew! Hmm, we've never had trouble with the slurry diluting the flavor of the stew, so I'm not too sure what the issue may be. But here are a few things you can try:
1) Reduce the water for the slurry from 3 TBSP to 2 TBSP per one recipe. It'll be a thicker slurry so make sure to stir quickly when adding.
2) Thicken with buerre manié, which is a mixture of equal parts butter and flour. Knead it into a paste then add it to your stew at the end. We recommend starting with 2-3 TBSP and adding more if needed. And just like using slurry, let the stew simmer for a little bit to thicken.
3) Alternatively, you can season the stew more with a little extra tomato paste in the beginning and up to 1/2 tsp of salt. Then slurry or use buerre manié at to thicken at the end.
Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Nao says
I made this recipe tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I made a few tweaks based on the stuff I had at home: deglazed with red wine instead of water, used salted bone broth (and adjusted salt at end), and added chopped beet tops and a can of beans at the same time as the peas for some extra veg. It was so tasty that I'm adding it to our cold weather recipe rotation.
Mei says
Love the additions and changes you made, Nao! Sounds delish =)
Mei ❤️
Wai Ling says
Made this a few weeks back using the instant pot and OMG! It was so good. Had a very happy husband who hoovered it up. Making it again tonight but this time will be trying without instant pot and adding suet dumplings to it as requested by the husband.
Mei says
That sounds delicious, Wai Ling! We need to try it with suet dumplings one day =) So glad to here that you both enjoyed it!
Mei ❤️
Nancy says
I made this last week and it was so good. My son who usually does not eat carrots gobbled them up! Recommended this to a friend right away and added this to my biweekly dinner rotation.
Mei says
Hi Nancy! So glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it and thank you so much for sharing with your friend! It's also totally made our day to know that your son enjoyed the carrots =)
Mei ❤️