Pressure cooker beef stew is a hearty meal that can be prepared in a fraction of the typical time, simply by using your Instant Pot!

This pressure cooker beef stew creates fork-tender beef chunks and veggies in a flavorful sauce, making a delicious meal in a fraction of the time!

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There are some meals that just seem to warm your soul. 

There’s a reason they’re referred to as “comfort foods.”  They make you feel at home. They elicit fond memories of times gone by or of loved ones cherished.

This pressure cooker beef stew is comfort food at its finest. 

I remember eating my mom’s beef stew as a child, and it was such a soul-warming dish. It was the perfect pairing of flavors and nourishment, and I remember it so well.

This Instant Pot beef stew is faster than the slow-cooked version of homemade beef stew that my mom made, but still serves as a delightfully hearty and flavorful meal that warms the soul. 

Mom’s Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

I’ve made beef stew many times throughout my adult life, typically in a dutch oven or slow cooker, as my mom did. 

However, I recently adapted my beef stew recipe to be made in my Instant Pot pressure cooker.

This was largely out of necessity, as I didn’t get the ingredients into the slow cooker early enough in the day.

Did you know it’s super easy to convert slow cooker recipes to pressure cooker recipes?

I loved this pressure cooker version, because it cooked in a fraction of the time but still yielded fall-apart chunks of beef alongside fork-tender veggies, soaked in a savory broth.

I chose to thicken up the broth a bit with a cornstarch slurry, to make it more of a gravy-like consistency. This Instant Pot beef stew is heavenly served with some crusty bread!

For another delicious meal, try my stove top beef and dumplings stew recipe!

More Instant Pot Recipes You Might Love:

• Instant Pot Swiss Steak
• Easy Instant Pot Pork Roast Stew
• Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots
• Pressure Cooker Beef Flatbread Pizzas
• The Best Pressure Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
• Pressure Cooker Chicken Fettucine Alfredo
• Instant Pot Beef Chili

How to Make this Pressure Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

It’s actually really easy to make beef stew in the Instant Pot! The process is quite simple.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Beef chuck roast
• Olive oil
• Flour
• Salt and black pepper
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• Russet potatoes
• Carrots
• Celery
• Fresh onion or frozen pearl onions
• Water
• Beef broth
• Worcestershire sauce
• Bay leaf
• Tomato paste
• Cornstarch

Process for Making the Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

Sear the chuck roast pieces. You start with a chuck roast, cut into 1-2″ pieces. You can also purchase beef stew meat that’s already cut up to save some time.

You’ll toss the beef pieces with a mixture of flour, spices, and herbs, creating a coating on them. Then, use the Saute function to heat oil and brown the beef pieces in a single layer, turning so each side gets brown.

You can work in batches, cooking half of the beef at a time, and transfer beef pieces to a large plate once they’re browned and you’re ready to add more.

Deglaze the pot. You’ll need to add some water and scrape up any stuck-on flour or browned bits from the bottom of the pot in order to prevent scorching and getting the BURN notice.

Pressure cook. After deglazing, return the beef to the pot, along with garlic and onions.

Add all the remaining ingredients (except for cornstarch) to the pot, stirring to combine.

Use the Manual/Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for a cook time of 22 minutes.

Release pressure. After cooking, allow a natural release of pressure to really enhance the meat’s tenderness (a quick release can result in tough meat, so I do a natural release when I can).

Thicken if desired. Carefully remove lid. At this point, the liquid will be somewhat brothy. You can add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it if desired. 

It’s delicious ladled straight into a bowl, or you can layer it over of a scoop of rice or noodles.

Grab some crusty french bread for dipping and you’ll be golden!

Notes and Adaptations:

• I often use frozen pearl onions in my beef stew, but you can also dice or slice some fresh onion.
• If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce will work fine as a substitute.
• Purchasing stew beef that’s already been cut up is an easy way to save a little bit of time.