I’ve created hundreds of creative Instant Pot recipes (literally) and sometimes going back to the basics is the best choice. This Instant Pot Beef Stew is the definition of cozy. Using easy to find, basic ingredients with a couple little tricks you’ll have the best beef stew of your life in under an hour!

Pressure Cooker Beef Stew is the best!

Pot roast is generally considered to be the epitome of comfort food, yes?

To me, beef stew is like a shortcut for a pot roast meal. You’ve got tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef and buttery soft carrots and potatoes hanging out in a rich, thick gravy.

Your Instant Pot makes this super quick so you don’t have to wait all day to eat!

But if slow cooking is more your speed (I get it. It’s great, too!) I added that variation in the recipe card below.

What you’ll need for this Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

• Beef Stew Meat – I don’t recommend using steak for this because it will dry out quickly. Chopped chuck roast also works well here.
• Potatoes – I recommend using red potatoes or Yukon golds. These waxier types of potatoes hold up better under intense cooking than Russets which might get incredibly mushy.
• Carrots – Cut them big like the potatoes.
• Celery – You’ll want these cut small.
• Onion – These, too.
• Beef Broth – If I’m on my game I’ve got Homemade Bone Broth in the freezer to pull out (you can use that bone broth recipe for beef as well as chicken!) but boxed broth is JUST fine here.
• Balsamic vinegar – Gives this recipe an extra little somethin’ somethin’.
• Tomato paste – This hit of umami deepens the flavors of the gravy and adds great flavor!
• Fresh rosemary – If you have it. You don’t have to be precious about this — you can use dried if you want.
• Fresh garlic – Or granulated garlic. But fresh is amaaaazing.
• Cornstarch – To thicken the gravy afterward. By the way, did I mention this recipe is gluten free?
• Salt & Pepper – Because, always.

How to Make Beef Stew in Instant Pot

1. Brown the meat in the Instant Pot using the sauce setting. Set it aside.
2. Saute the onions and celery. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and rosemary. Cook for a couple minutes and add the balsamic vinegar.
3. Add the seared meat back to the pot along with the carrots, potatoes, salt, and some of the broth.
4. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let it sit for 10, then release the rest of the steam manually.
5. Whisk the cornstarch into the rest of the broth and stir it into the hot stew.
6. Serve! We love it with crusty bread.

How long to cook Beef Stew in Instant Pot

A 15-minute pressurizing cycle with a 10-minute cooks the beef and vegetables really well. You’ll want to make sure you leave it alone for 10 minutes an resist the urge to release the pressure early.

Those minutes after the cycle is over is important for the juices to redistribute in the meat. It makes it more tender, I promise!

Tips for making this Beef Stew Pressure Cooker recipe

• The size of your meat and vegetables is important! You’ll want the beef, potatoes, and carrots roughly the same size (chunky) so they’re cooked evenly. The onions and celery can be small so they incorporate more into the gravy.
• Searing the meat is optional. It’s easy to do in the Instant Pot with its build-in sauce function, but if you want the prep to go a little faster, skip this step!
• Let the Instant Pot naturally release for 10 minutes. After the pressurized cycle, leave your cooker alone for 10 minutes. See above for the explanation on this.
• Use red or Yukon gold potatoes. Russets are starchier and might get reallllly mushy. The other types hold their shape better during cooking.

Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew variations

• Swap out the potatoes for turnips or another sturdy root vegetable.
• Change the seasoning profile! Instead of rosemary, add some taco seasoning or Greek seasoning.
• Replace the beef stew meat with chunks of pork shoulder for a different twist.

What to serve with Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

This beef stew is great on its own, but here are a few ideas of things to serve it with if you’re looking to flesh out the meal a little more.

• Crusty bread, cornbread muffins, or biscuits.
• Cooked rice or noodles
• A green salad. Like Spring Mix Salad or Syrian Salad.

How to store this Beef Stew Recipe (Instant Pot)

Store any leftovers in a lidded container in the fridge for up to a week. Just a heads up… it’s going to be a little mushy when you reheat it. But that just means it’s extra cozy, right?

FAQs for making this Beef Stew Pressure Cooker recipe

More Recipes Using Beef Stew Meat on Perry’s Plate

If you like this recipe, try another one of my recipes using beef stew meat! These are all family favorites, too.

Steak Chili Recipe – If you’ve never had chili with chunks of tender beef (as opposed to ground beef), it’s something you need to experience. This recipe calls for a tougher cut of steak, but you can for sure use beef stew meat, too.

Borscht – Steve’s favorite soup in the whole world. All of our kids love it too. A little time consuming, but I always make a double batch and it’s gone within a week!

Hungarian Goulash – No, not elbow Mac and ground beef. It’s close to a traditional Hungarian version with tender chunks of beef in a paprika sauce. It’s deeeelish.

If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Continue to Content

Beef Stew Pressure Cooker Recipe

Yield: Serves 5

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

To me, beef stew is like a shortcut for a pot roast meal. You've got tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef and buttery soft carrots and potatoes hanging out in a rich, thick gravy. Your Instant Pot makes this super quick so you don't have to wait all day to eat!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 - 1 1/2 pound beef stew meat
• 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced small
• 2 stalks celery, diced small
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon minced or Microplaned garlic
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 lbs potatoes (reds or Yukons), cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups beef broth, divided
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

1. Trim the stew meat to your liking and cut the pieces into roughly one-inch chunks if they aren't that size already. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt and the black pepper on the meat and toss to coat it evenly.
2. Turn your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker to the saute setting and add the oil to the insert pot.
3. When it's hot, add half of the meat to the pot and let it cook for 2-3 minutes undisturbed. Flip them around and cook for another minute or two. Remove them from the pot and cook the other half of the meat. Remove that meat from the pot. (Browning the meat is optional, but adds flavor!)
4. Add the onion and celery to the hot oil and cook for a few minutes until the onion softens. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, and rosemary and cook for another minute or two.
5. Pour in the balsamic vinegar to the pot. Add the potatoes, carrots, browned beef, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the broth. Give it a good stir.
6. Put the lid on the pot, sealing it. Set it to high pressure for 15 minutes and make sure the steam valve is set to "sealing".
7. When the pressurized cycle completes, leave it alone for another 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure manually.
8. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1/2 cup broth. While the stew is still steaming but not bubbly, pour in the cornstarch mixture and stir it gently. The liquid in the pot should thicken, creating a smooth gravy.
9. Serve immediately with crusty bread or by itself.

Notes

SLOW COOKER VARIATION: If you'd to sear the meat on the stove in a skillet you can for sure do that. Otherwise, put all of the ingredients into a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker. Whisking the tomato paste into the broth would avoid any lumps. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

1. You can use Russet potatoes in this recipe, too, but I recommend using a less starchy and more waxy potato like reds or Yukon golds because they hold up better during cooking.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Microplane 45000 Gourmet Series Coarse Cheese Grater, 18/8, Silver
• 
  Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 6 Quart

Nutrition Information

Yield 5 Serving Size 1 1/2 cups
Amount Per Serving Calories 492Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 135mgSodium 1343mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 5gSugar 6gProtein 50g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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