Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe
This Instant Pot Beef Stew is incredibly fast and easy, but is packed with slow-cooked flavor. It’s perfect for those busy weeknights!
All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.
“I’ve made this a few times and it always turns out delicious, warm, thick and cozy!!! I tend to add whatever veggies I have in the house (carrots, celery, mushrooms, peas, zucchini) and fresh herbs (if I have them). Such a delicious dish!”
Bethany
Our stovetop beef stew and crockpot beef stew recipes are pretty hard to beat, but I really like this Instant Pot recipe because A) it’s a lot faster and B) I can do all the steps, including browning the beef, in one pot which means a lot less dishes to clean. YAY!
This recipe starts similarly to my crockpot recipe, but I played around with the vegetable mix, using fewer potatoes and adding in mushrooms and pearl onions. I also skipped the Dijon and added just a little tomato paste for a more traditional beef stew flavor. This Instant Pot beef stew always turns out tender and amazing, so much so that when I first made it, my boyfriend said, “Is this healthy? Because I could eat this every day.” 😊
- The vegetables WILL be soft when you follow the recipe as written. I like my veggies to be soft because they break down and help thicken the stew. But if you like a bit more bite, you could cook the stew as written (without the veggies) for 20 minutes, do a quick release, add your prepared vegetables, and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure. The meat must be cooked for the full 35 minutes to make sure it turns out tender. But you can definitely adjust the cooking time to your preference for the vegetables.
- Avoid the ‘Instant Pot burn warning.’ Some Instant Pot models are sensitive and can sometimes display a ‘burn’ warning, even when there’s enough liquid in the pot. To avoid this, make sure to deglaze the bottom of the pot with broth after browning the beef. Also, scrape up any browned bits and mix them into the liquid before adding the remaining ingredients. This will help prevent any burnt spots that could trigger the warning. Another tip some readers suggested is to add the tomato paste, but don’t mix it in until AFTER pressure cooking (tomato paste is apparently a common culprit for triggering the warning in any recipe, not just this one!).
- Double the recipe. One question often asked about this Instant Pot beef stew recipe is if it can be doubled. While I haven’t tried this, I don’t see why not! The cook time will remain the same, but it’ll likely take more time to come up to pressure and then to naturally release. Just be very careful not to fill your Instant Pot past the max fill line.
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef stew meat, cubed
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cups beef broth (Better Than Bouillon recommended)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 14 oz bag frozen pearl onions
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 1 lb carrots
- 0.75 lb potatoes
Instructions
- Place the stew meat in a bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir to coat.
- Place the butter in the Instant Pot and turn on the sauté function. Heat the butter until it is melted and sizzling, then add the stew meat. Brown the meat on all sides. Don’t stir too often as this will prevent the meat from achieving a nice brown, crispy exterior. The flour may coat the bottom of the pot and that is okay, just don’t let it burn.
- Pour the beef broth into the pot and stir to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, tomato paste, rosemary, and thyme.
- Wash and quarter the mushrooms. Peel and slice the carrots into one-inch sections. Wash the potatoes well, peel if desired, then chop into one-inch cubes. Add the pearl onions (no need to thaw), mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes to the Instant Pot. Stir all the ingredients in the pot together.
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam valve. Press the “meat/stew” button, or set the cooker to 35 minutes of high pressure. After 35 minutes, allow the cooker to naturally release pressure.
- Once the pressure has released, open the steam valve and carefully open the lid. Stir the stew, taste, and adjust the salt if needed. Serve hot with crusty bread.
Storage and Reheating
Let any leftovers cool before portioning them into airtight containers and storing them in the fridge for 3-4 days. This stew also freezes well, but the vegetables do get softer after thawing and reheating. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low, stirring often.
Don’t forget to check out Amazon and AliExpress for essential kitchen gadgets to enhance your cooking experience!
