Best Ever Instant Pot Beef Stew – This mouthwatering and easy to make Instant Pot Beef Stew is sure to become one of your favorite ever Instant Pot recipes! Tender beef is simmered in a super flavorful and hearty broth that’s packed with veggies!
Well, you guys, it is way past time for me to post another Instant Pot recipe! What better way to kick off comfort food season with a quick and easy beef stew? This tastes so amazing like it’s been simmering away for hours, but it really takes less than an hour and most of the foot work is done by our magical friend, the Instant Pot!
The last time we talked Instant Pot here, we talked about how I was liking it, and my first experiences. Well, I LOVE it and I’m completely addicted to the thing! I have a feeling it will be getting regular use year round because it’s almost always the fastest way to get dinner on the table, and it will keep me from having to heat up my oven once that scorching summer heat comes back!
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If you haven’t seen my first two Instant Pot recipes, you must check them out! Everyone is loving both my Instant Pot Spaghetti and my Instant Pot Country Style ribs!
So, this beef stew recipe makes exactly enough to serve four people. Sometimes I can give or take a little on serving size, but this came out just right for four.
The good news is, there was plenty of room in my Instant Pot should I have wanted to double this recipe! It’s so tasty, and I think everyone likes stew so I’d gladly double this and serve it to company! Another win with stew is that it’s relatively cheap to make.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS WITH INSTANT POT BEEF STEW:
- Sear the meat first as directed in the recipe! Taking the quick stepto sear the meat instead of just tossing everything it produces a much more flavorful stew.
- Natural release for the best results. It’s best to always natural release anyway when you have really hot boiling liquids like this. I also prefer the natural method for the best texture in the meat.
- Don’t let this cool before adding the cornstarch/water. You want to add the cornstarch and cold water mixture while the stew is still nice and piping hot for the best thickening. If you like your stew extra thick, you can double the cornstarch mixture.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Best Ever Instant Pot Beef Stew - This mouthwatering and easy to make Instant Pot Beef Stew is sure to become one of your favorite ever Instant Pot recipes! Tender beef is simmered in a super flavorful and hearty broth that's packed with veggies!
- 1 1/2 Pounds Beef Stew Meat
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 Large Onion, Chopped
- 1 16 Ounce Bag Baby Carrots, Cut Into Slices
- 1 Pound Potatoes, Cubed
- 2 1/2 Cups Beef Broth
- 1 10 Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Water
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Add the olive oil to the instant pot and turn on the saute function. When the oil starts to sizzle add the meat and season with the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
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Cook the meat until Browned on all sides.
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Add the beef broth to the instant pot and use a spoon to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
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Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, carrots, potatoes, and tomato sauce.
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Close the lid and steam valve on the instant pot.
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Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
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Mix together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and stir into the stew until thickened.
Another win for the Instant Pot! What did we do before that invention?! LOL – This looks like a delicious, easy recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
They used a Pressure Cooker 😉
Read it again… 😉
Yep, my Mom made impressive meals IN A HURRY! RED BEANS, SWISS STEAK, STEWS AND SOUPS, ETC. PRESSURE COOKER.
I still haven’t tried the Instant Pot. I feel as if I’m missing out! Your beef stew looks wonderful, and what great results in a short amount of time.
Im making it today ..
That beef does look tender and delicious! I have to invest in an instant pot! Sounds like a great time saver and I’m all about saving time!!
I really need to try the Instant Pot – this stew recipe looks like a good one to start with!
This really was the best beef stew EVER!!!!! Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Thank you! I’m so happy you liked it. Now I’m craving it again too! 🙂
The carrots don’t get too soft? I’ve had a problem with that.
I didn’t have an issue with them being too soft. I don’t like mushy carrots either!
If I double the ingredients do I double the cooking time?
No
Can you tell me if the cooking time should be longer to double the recipe?
No cook the same time
Great stew! Will add a little more onion next time, but otherwise it was very tasty! We ended up releasing the steam manually just to save time and I wouldn’t have been able to tell a difference.
I have this in my 8 quart right now. Doubled the recipe (except the carrots as I got tired of cutting them after the first bag) so I’ve increased the cook time by 15 minutes. Hope my timing is OK.
How did that work? I want to double as well.
When you say cook the mest until browned on all sides, how much are you cooking the meat through? How long should of this take? Are you actually cooking the meat so that it is completely cooked or just cooking the outside?
Just until all sides are browned. It does not have to be cooked all the way through during that step 🙂
Loved this recipe!! Perfection!! Thank you!
Hi, newbie to instant pot, when you say release the pressure naturally what does this mean, you let it sit? For how long? Thanks.
Hi! Yes, after the cooking time is up you will leave the valve closed and let the pressure decrease naturally, no need to do anything. For this recipe you can wait about 10 minutes, then do a quick release. I’ll update the recipe card to reflect that time. 🙂
Made this tonight for my mom and I. It was really good! Will definitely make again.
My best friend and I are new to instantpot and are trying lots of recipes. She made this two nights ago and loved it. It’s my turn to make it tonight, I know it will be delicious! Thank you.
If I double it can I still use a 6 quart pot?
I honestly don’t think it would fit in a 6 quart if you doubled it.
Do I leave it on sauté to cook for those 35 minutes ?
No, you would push Off to stop the Sauté mode, then push Manual (or Pressure Cook, depends on your IP model), and press the Plus or Minus button to get to 35 minutes.
Made it tonight, yum! Next time I would use less carrots & add green beans & corn. We like a variety of veggies, the taste was perfect. Second time I’ve used mine, thanks to this site:)
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Can’t wait to try more recipes.
Working on it right now. My wife will be so happy with me. Lol. Thanks Nicole.
Made this tonight and loved it! Great flavors. My 2 year old would say every couple bites “dis nummy” aka this is yummy.
Hi! I’m making this tonight, if I wanted to add some celery and corn should I cut down on the carrots? And would I add it at the same time as the carrots?
Made this tonight- quite tasty. I used a 15oz can of tomato sauce ( I don’t buy the small ones!),added 1
15oz can fire roasted tomatoes, 1 small
Pkg frozen corn, 1 small pkg frozen green beans , and some sautéed mushrooms after it was done-. Really tasty-will definately make this again !
I made this last weekend and it was GREAT!
Tried this tonight and it was great! Did a little substitution 1) added three parsnips 2) used two pounds of beef
3) used 5 ounces of tomato sauce, not 10 4) added a 1/6th cabbage 5) added 1/2 teaspoon of hot smoked paprika.
I let the pressure cooker go natural for 15 minutes due to more beef and then did manually.
I basically used what I had and it was delicious!
We love this recipe! I added celery to the pressure-cooked veggies. Also added boiled green beans to the finished product (so I could keep them from going mushy in the pressure cooker). So good!
Nice, easy recipe. We added a little extra spice using some crushed red pepper and complemented with fresh bake french bread. In the future we will be looking at adding a little barley to the mix. Loved it.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Just made cannot wait to try smells awesome
This was the first recipe I made in the Instant Pot I just bought yesterday. I wanted to make beef stew first and in the recipe book that comes with the pot does not include a recipe for beef stew so I had to Google it. I’m so glad I picked this recipe. To be honest, I feel that the picture is not that appetizing but don’t judge by the cover, that’s for sure!!! This recipe is so delicious! My husband and daughter both really liked it!! My husband went back for more and trust me when I say, if he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t have even finished the first bowl. Thank you for posting this.
Hmmm, I’m sorry you found my photo to be unappetizing. Glad you enjoyed the stew though!
About to try to cook this right now so I’m hoping someone can respond to this quickly. When should I cut up the meat? After it is browned? Or after it is done cooking in the pressure setting and all done? Does that make sense? Thanks!
Hi! Beef stew meat typically comes already cut up into cubes. If yours isn’t, you will need to cut it up before you brown it.
Hi. I’m new to the Instapot. Does the beef come out tender or chewy?
Very tender! 🙂
Hi, I got the instant pot mini (3 quart) which is perfect for my husband and I. All the IP recipes I’ve seen on-line seem to be for the large pots. Anyone have any suggestions on how to reduce the recipes posted? Specifically, how much would the cooking time change? I’ve had some success by roughly halving the meat called for and reducing the cooking time by 2-3 minutes, sometimes up to 5 minutes but no more than that. I look at the meat cooking chart at the back of the IP recipes book, study the recipe I’m using and adjust from there. I don’t have much cooking experience (by choice), even less with the IP, so any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
I found that cutting all the recipe ingredients by half and then following the original cooking directions per time and settings, you will have a good recipe using the 3 quart instant pot pressure cooker. OK, so I didn’t figure this out – customer service at Instant Pot gave me this suggestion! It would have been good to send this information with the new pot! At least, we can adapt all the recipes that we see for the bigger pots.
Yes, it would definitely have helped a cooking novice like me to have had this tip. I never thought to contact the Instant Pot folks but now I know they’re available thanks to your help. I won’t stop trying recipes but I feel much more comfortable with your information. Thank you.
Just made this last night in our instant pot and it’s amazing!! Highly recommend! The meat and veggies came out perfect! Thanks so much for sharing!
This turned out perfectly! Meat and veggies were tender and it had a wonderful flavor. Not too salty!
Used it in a pressure cooker and the timing was dead on!
I am wondering if my stew vegetables are frozen do I still just cook for 35 min.?
I think that 35 would be just fine still for frozen veggies
Made this stew today and it was awesome. Added some celery and used little white potatoes. It turned out very good.
Is this recipe for 6-quart or 8-quart?
Thanks!
I have an 8 quart, but this recipe will also work fine in a 6 quart.
this is my third time making this. the leftovers are amazing, too! I find the measurements suggestions…if you want more potatoes, add them. more carrots? add! a bit more broth? go for it! it is delish and forgiving.
Made it as published; this recipe is a winner!
Has anyone tried this recipe with venison?
What if my stew meat is frozen? Do I saute it first and add more time?
Thank you
made this recipe today followed it completely! it was The best!! I have never had tomato sauce in a beef stew before ~ really not sure why, it was so good! perfectly seasoned! thank you!
“Going to make this today. Ok to add turnips cut about the same size as the potatoes? will post the rating after dinner.
Hi, I think adding the turnips will work just fine 🙂
Loved this stew. Added turnips and everything was delicious. Gotta figure out how to add dumplings for the perfect meal.
Delicious!
Stew meat is frozen…should I thaw prior to the sauté or sauté and then add additional time to the cook My?
Hi! I actually haven’t made this with meat from frozen, so I would suggest thawing first if you can.
Thank you for this recipe. It was so easy to make , and it was delicious. we all enjoyed it
I was wondering if I have leftover roast that was Linda tough woul you put it in before cooking or after? Thanks!
I made this tonight in my Instant Pot. It was really delicious! I added sliced mushrooms and a half cup of red wine, with only 1 cup of beef broth. Otherwise stayed true to the recipe! Super easy & super tasty! Will definitely use this recipe again! You could add any more veggies you wanted including celery or green/red peppers, depending on what you like. Thanks again!
I wanted something simple for my first Instant Pot cook and chose this; really glad I did! Super easy, came out fantastic. Also seems like a great base to start experimenting from. Thanks for sharing it!
Just curious, how did you come to your calories/serving? I have a spreadsheet that I use to figure kcals and macronutrients from recipe ingredients and I end up with around 2500 kcal for a whole batch of this. At 4 servings that’d be 625kcal rather than 250 as you estimate. Granted, I ended up with about 3qt from this recipe, which I’d normally consider more like 6 servings (at ~415kcal/serving).
Anyway thanks again for the great recipe. Going to try your country style ribs next!
This recipe is so easy!! I have made it at last 10 times. I love that i can add different vegetables if I want. It is delicious and easy, and a family favorite. It fits easily in the 6 qt, and i have even added a little more potatoes and beef. Great recipe and really easy for those who are new to instant pot. Leftovers are just as good as the original pot. Highly recommend.
I want to thank you for this perfect recipe. It was my very first one with my instapot. It couldn’t have gone more easily and zero intimidating. The flavor was incredible and our picky 2 year old who isn’t much into veggies gobbled this up. Looking forward to trying more of your great recipes.
This rcipe looks delicious. I have all the ingredients and want to make it today, however I wondered what adjustments I would have to make to add more vegetables. In addition to carrots and potatoes I like to add rutabagus, green beans and cabbage. I am new to the instant pot cooking and have only tried making a few things in it.
Made this today and thought it was very good except too much pepper. My husband doesn’t like spicy, so next time I’ll only use half the amount of pepper.
I used your recipe as my first try using the instant pot, my husband and I really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing.
This is SO good! I used chicken breast and poultry seasoning instead of beef and Italian seasoning. I also used Brags aminos since I was out of Worcestershire sauce, and I added some diced celery.
The flavor is amazing, I especially love the richness added by the tomato sauce. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
It smells amazing! The only thing I would change it so add 20+ minutes to the cook time, to include the time it takes to come to pressure. I wasn’t thinking about that, and have hungry kids who are waiting! 😉
Thanks! That’s a great point, I will add a note about time to come to pressure on the recipe card. 🙂
Just bought mine today and guess whose recipe I’m going to try with it! 😉
Got a good deal from Williams Sonoma by applying their c/c, I got 20% discount for 6Qt IP Duo Plus model, paid only $108 incl taxes.
Fantastic! I doubled up on the onions and carrots, used 2 lbs of beef (because I had it), added mushrooms, white beans, chick peas, and used spaghetti sauce because I didn’t have tomato sauce. I also used 4 cups of lower sodium beef broth and did not add the salt (high blood pressure). I couldn’t believe how tender the stew meat was. I also didn’t thicken it with the corn starch. Everybody in the family loved it! I will be making this one a lot! Also, because I’m slow, it took me 25 minutes to chop everything while the beef was browning. With the added ingredients, it made 12 cups. So, about 315 calories per serving. I used the exact same cook time and 10 minutes of release. The whole operation took exactly 1 hour from start to table!! It’s now in my recipe list on MyFitnessPal. Thank you so much!
Loved it! I used chuck eye steaks cubed, didn’t have any tomato sauce so I used a can of diced tomatoes and some paste, added some celery to the carrots and potatoes and it turned out scrumptious! Thank you so much for sharing.
If I want to add some barley does that change the cooking time do you think?
Thank you again!
Can you substitute sweet potatoes for the white potatoes?
I used this recipe last night and it was the best stew I have ever tasted or made. I made a few changes. I used 2-1/2 lbs. of stew meat, sweet potatoes (instead of white potatoes), celery, half the pepper, and 2 cups of cooked farina instead of corn starch.
Not only does it save time…it was delicious. We had 2lbs. chuck roast cut in cubes and it was tender and delicious. Recipe is a keeper. Next time, I will have 1 1/2 lbs. potatoes and 2.5 lbs. beef as there is room in the 6 qt. Instant Pot.
Try it!