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Home » Instant Pot » Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant Pot Beef Stew

By Valerie · December 11, 2019 · Updated May 21, 2020 25 Comments

OP One Pot MD Main Dish
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Exceptionally tender beef, perfectly cooked vegetables, and a luscious, flavor-packed sauce. This Instant Pot Beef Stew is so quick and easy that it can be on your menu any night of the week.

A ladle scoops some beef stew from an Instant Pot.

My love for my Instant Pot knows no bounds!

I’ve been over here huddled in my kitchen recipe testing my heart out and I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe with you today.

Working on this recipe has convinced me that pressure cooking is the very best method for making beef stew. Your Instant Pot has the amazing ability to transform tough little cubes of chuck roast into incredibly tender beef and in a fraction of the time of all other methods. I am still true to my Classic Stovetop Beef Stew recipe for those lazy Sunday suppers when it’s oh-so pleasing to have something simmering away on the stove. But, it’s just so awesome that the Instant Pot allows us to create classic, comforting meals any night of the week.

White serving bowls of beef stew with an Instant Pot and French bread in the background.

The Best Cut of Beef for Stew

Chuck is hands down the best choice for stew, regardless of the method. This tough cut is relatively inexpensive and breaks down and transforms into fork-tender beef when cooked properly. I highly recommend picking up pre-cut “beef for stew” at the grocery store. This beef chuck has been trimmed of fat and cut for you by the stores’ butchers. This is a huge time-saver. You will still likely need to cut down any large pieces so that all of the beef is in uniform bite-size pieces.

Intent on preparing your own beef stew meat? Check out this great video tutorial on myrecipes.com.

The Best Seasoning for Beef Stew

One of the issues I’ve found with countless other beef stew recipes is that the end result is bland. To ensure that homestyle flavor we all crave, I’ve created a simple seasoning mix that I also use in my Classic Stovetop Beef Stew recipe.

The spices in the Beef Stew Spice Mix on a white plate with overlay text.

We do not want to depend on salt and pepper alone! In fact, adding a variety of other spices means you can be a bit conservative with the salt (always a good thing for all of us) and only add more at the end if you feel it needs it.

This seasoning mix is added to the Instant Pot Beef Stew in layers throughout the cooking process so the flavor is infused throughout both the beef and the sauce.

I just recently upgraded from my older Instant Pot DUO06 to the new 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo Nova. I was thrilled to find some very important differences in this appliance from my older model. First, once you close the lid and set the time it automatically seals and begins to come to pressure with no maneuvering of the steam release valve. If you’ve ever forgotten this step when cooking in your Instant Pot you know how welcome this new feature is. They’ve also improved the system for releasing the steam with an easy to press button.

It’s so slick and so easy to use.

How to Make Beef Stew in an Instant Pot

The step-by-step photo tutorial is below but be sure to watch the short instructional video at the end of this post.

Let’s get cooking!

Two in process images showing the cubes of beef stew meat browning with some of the spice mix in the Instant Pot.

Set your Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and when the indicator reads “HOT’ add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add half of the beef cubes and season with 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is nicely browned.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a dish and repeat this process with the remaining beef and an additional 2 teaspoons of seasoning mix. There will be a little seasoning left and you want to reserve that for later.

Two in process images showing diced onion, chopped celery, and garlic sauteing in the Instant Pot. Tomato Paste is added.

Add a little more vegetable oil to the empty pot, if necessary, and add some diced onions, chopped celery, and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened.

Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste and stir it well to combine. Tomato paste adds some “oomph” to the sauce.

Two in process images showing the beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf added to the Instant Pot. The browned beef, potatoes, and carrots are added on top.

Pour in some low-sodium beef broth, a little red wine (more “oomph”), some Worcestershire sauce, the remaining seasoning mix, and a bay leaf.

Time to add the browned beef back to the liquid in the pot and give it a stir. Scatter the potatoes and carrots over the top and do NOT stir the mixture at this point. They should rest on top of the meat and liquid so that they will cook to fork-tender perfection. I use this same method in my Instant Pot Pot Roast and it works like a charm.

Secure the lid and set your Instant Pot to cook at HIGH pressure for 30 minutes.

A wooden spoon stirs peas, parsley, and cornstarch slurry into the beef stew in the Instant Pot.

Once the cooking time is over, release the steam and open the lid. It takes about 5 minutes to finish it off.

Add a cup of frozen peas straight from the freezer, some chopped parsley and thicken the mixture with a simple cornstarch slurry. The sauce will thicken and become silky and just downright luxurious.

Two white bowls full of Instant Pot Beef Stew shot from overhead.

This Instant Pot Beef Stew is a true, quick and easy, one-pot meal.

Just slice the bread and pour the wine and dinner is served.

A closeup image of beef stew in a white serving bowl.

A ladle scoops some beef stew from an Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Exceptionally tender beef, perfectly cooked vegetables, and a luscious, flavor-packed sauce. This Instant Pot Beef Stew is so quick and easy that it can be on your menu any night of the week.
4.96 from 22 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 335kcal
Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

BEEF STEW SEASONING MIX

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine ground sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

BEEF STEW

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional as needed
  • 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
  • 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup medium to full-bodied red wine like Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Merlot
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pound baby yellow or red potatoes or a combination of both, halved or quartered
  • 3 or 4 carrots peeled and roughly chopped (1/2-inch slices)
  • 1 cup frozen peas no need to thaw
  • 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Cut large pieces of stew meat into smaller bite-size pieces (1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes), if necessary.
  • Press the SAUTÉ key three times to select the MORE setting (on older models press the ADJUST key to toggle to the MORE setting). Wait for the the pot "HOT" indicator before adding ingredients. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the heated pot. Add half of the beef and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture. Sauté the beef until nicely browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a dish and set aside. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding additional oil if needed, and seasoning with 2 more teaspoons of the spice mixture. Reserve remaining spice mixture for later.
  • Leave any accumulated beef drippings in the empty pot and add additional oil, if needed. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the tomato paste and stir until well combined. Add the red wine, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, remaining spice mix and the bay leaf. Add the beef and all the juices that have accumulated back to pot. Top with the carrots and potatoes. Don't stir. You want the meat submerged in liquid and the carrots and potatoes on top. Press CANCEL.
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot. Press the MANUAL or the PRESSURE COOK button, select HIGH, and set the time to 30 minutes (making sure the steam release handle is in the "Sealing" position on older models). It will take approximately 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and begin counting down the 30 minutes. After the cooking time is complete, push the steam release handle (or button) to the "Venting" position to allow the steam to release completely before you open the pot. Press CANCEL.
  • Press "SAUTÉ" and toggle to "LOW" and set time for 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the frozen peas and parsley. Combine the water and cornstarch in a measuring cup or small bowl and stir it into the beef stew. Continue cooking, uncovered, until thickened. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 731mg | Potassium: 1128mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4378IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 4mg
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A vertical two image collage of Instant Pot Beef Stew with overlay text.

Categories: Beef, Instant Pot, Instant Pot, Main Dish, One Pot, Recipe, Soups, Stews, and Chilis

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Reader Interactions

Latest Comments
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  1. Rachael Mercer says

    November 3, 2020 at 10:08 am

    This was the best beef stew I’ve ever made! The spices really made a huge difference!

    Reply
  2. Emily says

    October 27, 2020 at 3:34 am

    5 stars
    This was great. My potatoes completely broke down into the gravy, so I might try to cook 20-25 min next time. The up side is that it didn’t need corn starch after that. Flavor was delicious!

    Reply
  3. Jen says

    October 19, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    5 stars
    This was as delicious as the version I’ve made for 40 years in our pressure cookers. All the meat pieces fit in the bottom of our 8 qt. instant pot. Other than not adding water for the gravy, we made no modifications to time or ingredients: two hours start to finish. I appreciate that this cooks in one go, instead of having to open the pot part way through and add the veggies and then having to wait AGAIN for it to come back to pressure. That was always problematic, as the ring of the lid inevitably got food on it and didn’t want to seal the second time. Thank you for such an easy, tasty, recipe!

    Reply
  4. Deb says

    October 5, 2020 at 6:33 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious!

    Reply
  5. Faye says

    August 29, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today and it turned out fantastic!
    Really great flavour. It’s perfect
    I would definitely half the potatoes next time vs quarter. And I used 1/4 peas instead of 1 cup as we aren’t huge fans.
    Really good!!

    Reply
  6. Valerie Tullos says

    May 13, 2020 at 7:16 pm

    May 2020: I just discovered your website today. I made the Instant Pot stew. I have NEVER in my life made stew from scratch. SCRATCH! I had to cut the chuck roast. This was AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!!! I was full a long time ago and I can’t stop eating this. No changes, no modifications SIMPLY PERFECT the way it is. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. – THANK YOU

    Reply
  7. Terri says

    March 16, 2020 at 8:16 pm

    4 stars
    I’m a rebel and bad at fallowing recipes, because we like our own profile of flavors. This was great. I used Moose Stew meat cus it’s in the freezer. I made a mix of seasonings – Italian + salt + paprika+ pepper to add to the meat when browning. When I added all ingredients together, I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes, 3 bay leaves and a Mccormicks package mix of “slow cooker seasonings for roast” and 1 cup of water to that…Absolutely delicious! We will definitely make again!!!

    Reply
  8. Anna says

    March 5, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    5 stars
    My husband restrained from licking his bowl, barely. The beef stew was marvelous and so flavorful. We are newbies using the new dangled instant pot but would rate this as a success! Thank you!

    Reply
  9. Scott P says

    February 25, 2020 at 8:08 pm

    My wife and I made this recipe tonight and I cannot stop raving about it it tasted so good I want to thank you so much for putting it online. I know we will make this many times in the future so thank you once again I look forward to making more of your recipes.

    Reply
  10. Jordan says

    February 17, 2020 at 5:31 am

    I have an 8 quart instant pot. How will that affect this recipe? I really want to try this for dinner tonight!

    Reply
  11. Hilary - Vancouver Island says

    December 30, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    5 stars
    Valerie your Beef Stew recipe was delicious. I am new to the Instant Pot and as a first timer I will definitely be making this stew again. Hubby loved it. My next try will be your Beef Burgundy. Looking forward to that one. Do you have any equally delicious recipes for Chicken in the Instant Pot?

    Reply
  12. Alyson T says

    December 29, 2019 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    Vakerie! You’ve done it again. My second time using the instapot, the first being your potroast, and its delicious. I can’t believe this was made by me! I guess ill have to try your non insta pot recipes, but for now, 2 out 2 phenomenal meals! Keep up the great work, really appreciate your awesome recipes!!

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      December 30, 2019 at 8:57 am

      Thanks so much, Alyson! I’m so glad you tried it. I was so pleased with the result and this is now my go-to stew recipe.

      Reply
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