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!
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
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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.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot (I have the DUO60 model, but there are several others to choose from) or other electric pressure cooker
Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
Hearty pressure cooker beef stew combines fork-tender beef with potatoes, carrots, and a savory broth to make a delicious comfort food!
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-2" chunks
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
- 4 Tbs olive oil, divided
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 carrots, sliced into 1-inch slices (or 3 cups of baby carrots)
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions (or 1/2 yellow onion, diced)
- 2 TBSP minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 6-oz can tomato paste
- optional: 3 Tbs cornstarch whisked together with 3 TBSP cold water to create a slurry
Instructions
- Add beef pieces, flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning to a gallon-size zip top bag. Shake well to coat beef.
- To the insert pot of an Instant Pot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Use the Saute function to heat the oil in the pot. When oil is hot, add half of the beef pieces to the pot.
- Brown the beef on all sides, turning the pieces every couple of minutes until surfaces are browned.
- Remove beef to a plate and add remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil to the pot. Add remaining beef to the hot pot and repeat the browning process.
- Transfer beef to the plate and turn off the Saute function by pressing Cancel.
- Add water to the hot pot, deglazing the pot by using a spoon or spatula to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Return beef to the pot and add all remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry, stirring to combine well.
- Lock lid into place and set vent to the sealed position. Select a 22 minute cook time at high pressure.
- Once cook time is complete, allow a natural pressure release. After pressure has released and valve has dropped, turn off the pressure cooker. Carefully remove the lid and stir contents, removing the bay leaf (if you can find it).
- Optional: If desired, add cornstarch slurry to the contents of the pot to thicken the liquid to a more gravy-like consistency, stirring constantly until desired consistency is achieved.
Notes
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Adapted from Life Made Sweeter
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1032Total Fat: 60gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 282mgSodium: 1115mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 6gSugar: 8gProtein: 90g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
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thank you for the recipe