This Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe is so easy and results in tender meat every time!
When I first got my Instant Pot, I thought I didn’t like it. I was led to believe that you could throw a whole roast in it and the results would be awesomely tender and flavorful. But the meat I cooked in the IP always turned out…mealy? For lack of a better word. I just wasn’t impressed. Part of my problem was that I had it in my brain that the main use of an Instant Pot was to cook food quickly. Like, supper in 20 minutes or something. I needed to shift my focus to it cooking things well.
Then I learned about instances where the Instant Pot really excels. It makes wonderful chicken bone broth, for instance. I was having trouble making broth that gelled, but that isn’t an issue with the IP! It’s also wonderful for cooking rice (I’ll have to do a post about that as well). And I discovered that the Instant Pot makes really great beef stew. That’s when the mindset shift really kicked in. It wasn’t beef stew in 20 minutes. Believe me, I tried recipes like that. ?? Instead it was wonderful quality beef stew in less time it would have taken on the stove.
Let me show you how to make it!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Beef Stew
First of all, here’s everything you’ll need: beef stew meat, rosemary, salt, pepper, cornstarch, avocado oil, potatoes, carrots, beef broth, and green peas.
It’s super handy if you can find stew meat that’s already cut into chunks. ??
Okay, now that you know what you need, let’s make some Instant Pot Beef Stew!
Set your IP to saute and adjust it to “more.” Wait until it displays Hot.
Add your avocado oil and wait for 1 minute for it to get hot.
Add the stew meat.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary.
Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the meat is browned on most sides. You don’t need to be too obsessive about this.
Pour in the beef broth. Mine wasn’t completely thawed – that’s okay!
Lock on the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to “Sealing.” Set the IP on manual, high pressure, for 45 minutes. Let the IP sit for 10 minutes after the 45 minutes runs down, then flip the valve to vent.
Add the potatoes and carrots to the Instant Pot beef stew. Lock the lid back on and cook on manual, high pressure, for 8 minutes. Let the IP sit for 5 minutes, then flip the valve to vent.
If this is your first time using an Instant Pot, it can be really scary to release the pressure. Just make sure to not put any part of your body over the valve – the hot steam can burn you! It’s a good idea to use an oven mitt or tea towel to further protect your hands.
Open the lid and set the Instant Pot to the saute function. Mix together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water. Stir into the stew. Bring to a boil.
Stir in the frozen peas.
Once the peas are hot, it’s ready to serve!
I know this might sound crazy, but we like to eat our beef stew with sour cream. Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!
Notes For Instant Pot Beef Stew:
- This works really well for making Instant Pot venison stew as well! In fact that’s how I made this recipe all last year since we had loads of venison in our freezer. I personally can’t really taste the gaminess of the venison when I use this method.
- You could totally switch up the vegetables if you like! For example, use green beans instead of green peas, or sweet potatoes instead of carrots.
- My sister likes to add garlic to her venison/beef stew. She throws in whole cloves!
- The cornstarch is optional. It just adds a little bit of thickening. I usually skip it, but I wanted to provide that option for you.
Equipment You’ll Need:
- Instant Pot – I own the Instant Pot Duo 6 Quart. It’s a great size for our family of four.
- Kitchen Tongs – It’s really handy to be able to flip the meat with tongs. I use either traditional tongs, or these kitchen tweezers.
- Mini Whisk – A small whisk is really handy for mixing the cornstarch into the water. I own this set.
More Soup Recipes:
- Ramen Recipe with Chicken and Veggies
- Beef Stroganoff Soup
- Creamy Roasted Garlic Mushroom Soup
- Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup
- Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Tortelloni Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Soup
- Coconut and Chicken Curry Soup
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup
Instant Pot Beef Stew
This pressure cooker beef stew is so easy and the beef is always tender!
Ingredients
- 1 lb grass fed beef stew meat, cut into bit-sized chunks
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (can also use beef tallow)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 3 cups beef bone broth (store-bought or homemade - see note)
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp organic cornstarch, optional
- 2 tbsp water, optional
- 2 cups frozen green peas
Instructions
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Set the Instant Pot to saute, and select the "more" setting. Wait until it displays "Hot." Add the oil and let heat 1 minute. Add the stew meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of rosemary. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the meat is browned.
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Add the broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lock the lid on and set the Instant Pot to sealing. Press Manual, High Pressure, and set for 45 minutes. Allow to slow release for 10 minutes after the 45 minutes are up, then flip the valve to vent (be very careful not to get burned by hot steam!).
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Open the lid once the Instant Pot has finished venting. Add the carrots and potatoes, Replace the lid, put it in the locked position, and set the valve to sealing. Set on manual, high pressure, for 8 minutes. Slow release for 5 minutes before venting.
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Mix the cornstarch and water (if using) together in a small bowl until smooth. Open the lid of the Instant Pot and set to saute. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Add the peas and heat until hot. Turn off the Instant Pot.
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Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Recipe Notes
I really like this brand of store-bought beef bone broth, or Kettle and Fire is great as well. Or you can make homemade beef broth if you have the time!
Madison
Sunday 15th of December 2019
It really looks good and mouthwatering. I'll definitely try this. I will give also some to friends in Hawthorn Restaurants as a gift. Hope I can get the perfect blend because my friends thinking that I don't know how to cook. I know they will surprise.
Kristen W
Monday 2nd of December 2019
Hi Erica, This stew looks good. My sisters and I just got a instant pot from our grandmother. We have only used it once and it was quite in-depth. It took us longer to make our potato soup in the instant pot than on the stove. Hence we are quite hesitant to use it. Our mum is a crock pot cooker so this new tech is not her thing. As I am trying to increase my red meat consumption to help with my low iron this looks great! Many thanks for the wonderful blog Kristen
Erica Kastner
Tuesday 3rd of December 2019
Yes, it felt complicated and not much faster when I first started using the Instant Pot (and I was dissatisfied with the roasts it made). It takes some time to get used to it, for sure! Something that I've been learning recently is that the Instant Pot actually makes certain foods easier to digest. So interesting!